Absence of Faith by Anthony S. Policastro Read Free Book Online Page A

like
this," she said displaying the stuffed poodle.
    "By the way, do you remember what
you ate on the day of your accident?"
    "Let's see...I had my usual tea and
toast in the morning. I can't remember lunch," the old woman
explained.
    Carson wrote the information on her
chart.
    "Did you eat anything different
like something that you don't normally have or something that you
haven't eaten in a long time?"
    "No, not that I can remember.
Getting old is terrible. You forget a lot of things. Don't let it
happen to you, sonny," she said.
    "Don't worry I won't. Have a nice
day. I'll see you again tomorrow," Carson said and left.

The Cooked Man - Chapter 7

    T he next day
Carson walked into the hospital lab feeling a bit sheepish as he
carried a paper bag with three jars of preservatives from his newly
discovered canning cellar. It was 6:30 am - a half-hour before he
was on duty in the ER.
    "Hi, Jeffrey," he said. "How are
things going for you?"
    "Fine. Just fine," Jeffrey answered
not looking up from a microscope.
    "I found something interesting,"
Carson said pulling the jars out of the bag and placing them on the
black slate counter top.
    "So, what are they?"
    "Preservatives. I found them in my
basement and I was wondering if you'd be willing to check them to
make sure nothing was wrong with them," Carson explained. "I'd be
willing to give you a dozen or so if they're good."
    "They don't go bad as long as the
seal stays intact," Jeffrey said uninterested.
    "You mean they'll stay good for
years?"
    "That's why they call them
preservatives," Jeffrey replied.
    He walked away and looked into
another microscope on a table across from the lab sink. Carson
stood there and watched him. Jeffrey walked back towards Carson and
grabbed one of the jars.
    "Look. You open it, listen for the
vacuum seal, and then look inside. If there's no mold, it's fine.
Then you taste a tiny bit of it to make sure. It should taste
sweet, a sour or bitter taste indicates it didn't preserve well.
That's all there is to it," Jeffrey said sarcastically.
    Carson watched Jeffrey closely
wishing he had been a bit nicer the other day. What goes around,
comes around, he thought to bite you right in the
ass.
    "They were old lady Hibbin’s. She
was into canning. She would sell them at the county fair. She had
the best around," Jeffrey explained. He picked up one of the jars
and stared at it for a moment. "Okay, when can I get my twelve
jars?"
    "Tomorrow. I'll bring them in
tomorrow morning. Can you run some tests on it by then?" Carson
said holding out his hand, but Jeffrey just looked at it and turned
away.
    "I guess," Jeffrey said reluctantly
from the other side of the room.
    “Thanks. I was in a bad mood the
other day and I apologize for my behavior.”
    Jeffrey raised his hand in a
gesture that said it is all right, but I'm on the fence about being
friendly. Carson left feeling that he would never know if he could
believe Jeffrey. He headed for the ER and forgot about it. A nurse
sitting behind the ER station stood up as he approached.
    "There's a message for you from the
chief of surgery," the nurse informed him. "He wants to see you in
his office right away."
    "Doctor Stokes?"
    "That's him. He is chief of
surgery," the nurse replied shaking her head.
    "Okay. I'm on my way," Carson
replied thinking that he was in trouble from the fracas with Graber
the day before.
    When he walked in Stokes was
sitting behind a cherry wood desk with a green banker's lamp
sitting like an island in a vast dark brown sea in the center of
the desktop.
    "Hello, Doctor Hyll," Stokes said
smiling.
    "Hi," Carson said.
    The room was silent.
    "Sir, I would like to apologize for
yesterday's outburst. It's just that I'm feeling very frustrated
lately."
    "Typical doldrums," Stokes cut him
off. "I experienced the same feelings when I was just starting out
back in the ice age."
    Carson laughed.
    "I shouldn't have sounded off
yesterday," Carson said.
    "Nonsense," Stokes said. "Graber
must have