"I read it last night." It was a new legal thriller. "What did you think?" ill thought that it wasn't as good as his first," she said.

Peter agreed. He tried to put his finger on what was wrong. "Too contrived?"

"Like the invredients of the first mixed up and uShe eX-Wife ShejsnlY itlldddn t Work." thetjce A ths eyes sparkled. ,'She's the most "Envy?" vorl, She f ghts for what she wants." Left unsaid You could,"

Peter coaxed. not gOOdealoallkeldt hway. "I'm not good with people sureeon from wOrcesteranl.odthl.ekr dhjCtr He's a neurO Sytoward her legs and looked as t still it and said with 'But I can't afford another doctor."

I told you not to worry about money."

Isntw oi this.

You should be resting." with >,eld de5peratitohne Chdld again h ee nurses'

She was confused. "What" ill'll call them and see what I can do."

She gave him the information. "There aren't many," she said meekly, "but they do pay."

He folded the paper and put it in his pocket, feeling at the same time sorry for poor, pathetic Kate Ann Murther and pleased that he could help. It seemed to him that work, even on a small scale, was as valid therapy as the other.

"I'm really starved," he said, "but the stuff you had looked pretty grim. It'll be more of that in the cafeteria. What if I ran over to Harry's and brought back a veal sub. Would you have some?"

She looked startled, then shy. "A little, maybe."

He rubbed his hands together. "Good. I'll be right back."

He bought two subs, had Harry cut Kate Ann's into pickup-size pieces, and returned. She ate nearly half of the sub. He wrapped up the rest, put it on the table by the bed, and instructed the nurse to encourage her to eat more later. Kate Ann had always been thin, now she looked as though a good gust would blow her away. Peter wanted her to put on a few pounds. She needed strength for the long road ahead.

He was thinking about that long road an hour later while he nursed a beer at the Tavern.

Familiar boot steps came from the back. His brother, Charlie, slid into the booth.

"Hey-ya, Pete. What's up?"

"Not much," Peter said.

"You look tired. Putting in extra hours at the hospital?"

"You could say that. The movie house thing is lingering. It'll be a long time before we're back to normal."

UFrenchy's boy got home yesterday, but it'll be a while before he's on his feet. Same with Duke's kid.

l The two of them toppled down with the rest of the crew in the balcony." He shook his head.

"Shouldn't've happened. Frank Stickley's mad as hell. He was in here a little while ago saying someone ought to do something, and he isn't the only one. There's lots of gumblings this time. Course they're JUSt grumblings. No one that rents from Jamie Cox dares take him on."

He leaned in and lowered his voice. "You gonna do it?"

"Me?" Peter asked, more curious than surprised.

"You're right for the job. You've seen firsthand the mess he made.

And you don't owe a damn thing to Jamie."

"Neither do you."

Charlie made a sputtering sound and sat back.

"Yeah, but I'm nothing. I don't know the first thing about taking someone on in a courtroom.

On the street, maybe. In here, maybe. But not in a courtroom. And that's where it's gotta be. That's where it'll hurt him most."

"You've thought this out," Peter remarked.

"Hell, it doesn't take much thought," Charlie countered. "I'm not dumb. Neither are the other guys, though there are times you'd like to think it We know what has to be done. We just don't know how to go about doing it."

Peter felt contrite. "You hire a lawyer.

He'll do the rest."

"That's fine to say, but no local lawyer will take on Jamie, so where are we going to find someone good who can get the job done? You're the one with the outside contacts. You know city doctors. They know city lawyers."

Peter looked duly thoughtful. He didn't want to be a pushover. "The guys are really talking?"

Charlie nodded. "Mad as hell. They'd be grateful if you got the ball rolling, I can tell you that." He grew cautious. "Mara O'Neill woulda done it, if she were alive."

"Probably," Peter admitted. He was past the point of getting his hackles up the minute her name was raised. He and she had come to a meeting of minds.

"She was a fine person," Charlie said, then leaned forward again. "So what's this I hear about you and Kate Ann Murther?"

"Come again?"

"Kate Ann Murther. Don't ask me what she was doing up there in that balconydon't ask me what she was doing at that concert at allbut word has it she's in bad shape. So. I hear you're taking a special interest in her." I "Where did you hear that?" Peter asked with what he thought was just the right amount of disbelief.

"Duke's sister-in-law works on Kate Ann's floor. She says you're there a lot."

"I've been following all the patients I treated in the E.R after the accident."

Charlie winked. "But you didn't treat Kate Ann. Leastways, that's what Duke's sister-in-law says. You brought her upstairs after the accident and let it be known that she wasn't to be ignored."

"Damn right," Peter snapped. "The poor thing was lying there in the hall in absolute terror and no one was paying her the slightest heed.

Just because she doesn't have family here who can make noise on her behalf doesn't mean she should be shunted aside. They just left her there. God knows when she would have gotten a roomif she would have gotten oneif I hadn't come along."

Charlie grinned. "Then it's true. You've become her savior." ill wouldn't quite call it that," Peter hedged. "I'm making sure that she gets the care she needs. It's my job as a doctor."

But Charlie was still grinning. "Kate Ann Murther.

e s the last person I thought you'd be drawn to with laughter, Sould understand "What's so bad about Kate Ann?"