A Second Chance
By Ayesha Haqqiqa
“The witness may step down,” Judge Marks said. “Call your next witness, Mr. McCoy.”
Jack McCoy stood up slowly. “Your Honor, I call—“ Suddenly, his body was wracked with a spasm of pain. He clutched his side. “Your Honor, I call Justin Wilkins to the stand.” He sat down as the witness came forward.
“Well, Mr. McCoy, are you going to examine your witness?” Marks had never forgiven Jack for the problems arising from a murder case a few years back.
“Uh, Your Honor, I am indisposed. I call for a recess,” Jack said through clenched teeth.
Marks looked at him coolly. “You have a second chair. Let her examine the witness.”
Arthur Gold, the defense attorney, stood. “Your Honor, if you please—“
“What I please is that this trial proceed!” Marks thundered. “Examine your witness, Ms Southerlyn!”
Serena looked at Jack anxiously, but he simply nodded his head. The pain was agony, but he wouldn’t let Marks know it. Somehow, he made it through the end of Serena’s examination.
Arthur Gold rose. “Your Honor, my cross of this witness will be quite lengthy. Seeing as it is already four—“
“All right, all right,” Marks said grumpily. “Court is adjourned until nine o’clock tomorrow morning.” He scowled as he left the bench.
Gold went over to the prosecution table, where Jack hadn’t moved. “It’s got to be something really bad for you to just sit there,” he said. “Between you and me, Marks was way out of line, not letting you leave. That’s why I suggested an adjournment. I wasn’t going to examine this witness at all…I guess I’ll go back to my office and figure out some questions to ask your witness tomorrow.” He nodded to Serena. “See you then.”
Serena touched Jack’s shoulder. “Where does it hurt?”
“My side-well, my back,” Jack said. “I’ve had sprained muscles, but never like this.” He started to get up and groaned.
“Should I call the EMTs?” Serena asked as she pulled out her cellphone.
“I think I can make it to my doctor’s office,” Jack said as he walked slowly toward the door. “Dr. Brian Morgan. I’ll grab a taxi and wait until he can see me. Tell Arthur Branch what’s happened.” He leaned against the wall as Serena punched the elevator button.
She looked at him with concern. “What about the case?” she asked.
“You know the case,” he said. “The witnesses are prepped, and you know what I was going to ask. I’ll get a shot or something for the pain and probably be back tomorrow anyway.” He got into the elevator and closed his eyes.
“Sure you will, Jack,” Serena thought.
One look at Jack’s face caused Dr. Morgan’s receptionist to buzz for the nurse. Jack was escorted back to an examining room, where he took off his jacket, shirt, and tie. He lay down on the examining table, and tried arching his back to ease the pain.
In a matter of minutes, Dr. Morgan was there. “Kathy said this was an emergency, and from your expression, I’d say it is,” he remarked as he bustled into the room. “I’m going to touch where I think it hurts—here? And here? Well, Jack, you are becoming the proud parent of a kidney stone. My female patients say the pain is worse than childbirth. So let’s do something for the pain, ok?”
“Ok,” Jack managed. The doctor readied the shot.
“Now you should be feeling better in just a few minutes,” he said. “Then we’ll get out the portable x-ray machine and take a peek.”
“What’s the prognosis?” Jack asked a few minutes later as he stood at the x-ray machine. The agonizing pain had subsided to a dull throb.
“Well, it looks like your kidney stone is small,” the doctor said. “So there will be no need for ultra-sound to break it up. What you need to do is go home, rest, and drink lots of fluids. The stone should pass on its own.”
“How long before it passes?” Jack asked.
“Anywhere from 12 to 48 hours,” Dr. Morgan said. “I’ll write you a prescription for pain killers.”
“How will I know when it passes?” Jack asked.
“The pain will go away,” the doctor said. He looked at Jack thoughtfully. “You’re not getting any younger, you know. I’d suggest that you stay at home at least a day after it passes, to rest up and regain your strength. Also, you’ll be able to tell if the pain comes back and you’re passing another one.”
Jack shuddered. “I thought you only saw one on the x-ray,” he said.
“Yes, but there may be more being formed in the kidneys.”
“How do I keep them from forming?” Jack asked.
“No caffeine, no alcohol.” The doctor looked Jack in the eye. “And eat a proper diet, not just junk food.”
“Oh,” Jack said. He had been hitting the coffee a bit hard lately, and had gone back to having a drink or two at night. And his idea of decent meal was a greasy hamburger and fries.
He dressed and left the doctor’s office. He saw a pharmacy, where he had the prescription filled. He was already feeling the pain again, and he wanted the pills handy. When he left the pharmacy, he hailed a cab and went home.
Once there, he took off his jacket and phoned the office.
“Serena, it’s a kidney stone,” he said. “The doctor has told me I must stay home until it passes, probably within 48 hours. You ready for tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Serena replied. “I talked with Arthur, and he told me to report to him as soon as I knew something. You don’t think we need to bring in Crocker as second chair?”
“If you’d feel more comfortable, get Crocker,” Jack said. “But I should be back by Monday at the latest.”
“Glad to hear that,” Serena said.
Jack went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. He chugged it down, coughing a bit. He usually liked his water flavored with Scotch, and he missed the smokey taste. He suddenly felt tired, so he went to his bedroom, where he undressed and lay down. The pain was coming back, and he wasn’t sure how long he could stand it before breaking down and taking a pill. There were only six in the bottle, and he didn’t want to waste them. Not knowing when the agony would end made Jack shudder. He gritted his teeth and rubbed his back, trying to move the kidney stone by force of will.
Morning found an exhausted Jack McCoy, still lying in bed, still in pain. The pill he took had helped some, but the pain never really left. He’d drunk enough water to sink the Titanic, and yet the pain persisted. He was hungry, but he didn’t have the strength to get up and go to the kitchen to fix himself anything to eat. He drank some more water, almost retching as he did so.
Was this the way he’d end up? Jack had always pictured his old age as one of happiness and relaxation. Now it looked like he would have ill health and lonliness. No one had called last night, he thought. No one really cared; the case had been placed in competant hands, and that was all that mattered.
Jack thought back to the men who had been EADAs when he was young. He hadn’t called when they were ill, or even hospitalized. He’d just kept on with the work. The work was what was important, he’d told himself back then. The work, and his ambition.
His ambitions had been fulfilled, as far as the law was concerned. He had the corner office, right by the DA. There was no place left to go—except downhill. Jack brooded
The rest of his life was a mess, he thought. Friends? More like business partners, junior versions of his younger self. Oh, there had been some women in his life, but they’d all faded away—Barbara, his ex-wife, Sally, Diana, and Claire. Even Monica, the history professor, was now history. What had they said to him? Something about him not being ready for commitment.
Well, now he was committed to a life of lonliness. He groaned as he rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position. He had to get something to eat. Eating would take away the gnawing pain in his stomach, and distract him from his troubling thoughts. He grabbed a sheet of paper from the nightstand.
It was the take-out menu from the local deli. He scanned the items—yes, there was a breakfast special-bagel, cream cheese, and strawberries. He reached for the phone and made the order, almost forgetting himself and ordering coffee as well. That done, he got up and found a shirt that wasn’t too dirty and put it on. The khakis were in the corner, and he pulled them on as the doorbell rang.
It was Rebecca, the delivery girl, smiling as usual. “Straight from the oven to you,” she said as she gave him the bag. “Funny seeing you home on a work day, Mr. McCoy.”
“Sick,” Jack said, fishing out a couple of bills from the pocket of the khakis.
“Sorry to hear that,” Rebecca said. “But illness is like regret—you can get over both. As long as you can take another breath, you’ve been given a second chance.” She grinned at Jack, who looked at her, astonished. “The Chinese fortune was thrown in free of charge. Thanks for the tip!” Her hands closed around the bills, and she was gone.
Jack went to the kitchen, where he opened the bag. The bagel was warm, the cream cheese cold in its little plastic container. Jack opened the cream cheese and got out a knife.
The girl was right, he mused as he spread the cream cheese on half the bagel. He wasn’t committed to a life of lonliness, unless he committed himself. What had she said? As long as you have another breath, you have a second chance? He’d been attracted to Nora Lewin, but there was no persuing that relationship while she was in office. Now that she was back teaching—
The doorbell rang. Jack took a bite of bagel and went to the door. “Who is it?” he asked.
“Nora Lewin.” Her voice was muffled by the door, but Jack sensed she was a bit breathless. “Serena called me this morning and told me you were ill. It might sound banal, but I made you some chicken soup.”
Jack opened the door to see a rather flushed Nora holding a thermos in her hand.
“She said you had a kidney stone. My father had them, and I know the importance of drinking lots of liquids—“ she said, all in a rush.
“Come in, Nora,” Jack said, opening the door wide. “What I need most is some company. That is, if you don’t mind putting up with a grumpy old man who has to go to the bathroom a lot.”
Nora laughed. “The last thing I’ll ever think of you as is a grumpy old man,” she said. “And as for the bathroom part, I understand. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Jack shook his head. “I can take it,” he said, and yawned. “Just didn’t get much sleep. Here, sit down.” He moved some magazines from the couch.
“No, you sit down,” Nora insisted. “I came here to look after you for a while.” She paused. “I know what it’s like to be alone, and I thought a little TLC would be appreciated.” She smiled at Jack shyly.
“Let’s both sit down,” Jack said, drawing Nora down on the couch beside him. His hand stayed on top of hers as he looked into her eyes. “I’m really very glad you came. This isn’t something that you want to go through by yourself.”
“I didn’t think so,” Nora said, not moving her hand. “I don’t have classes until this afternoon, so I decided to come by and see how you were.”
“I appreciate that.” Jack’s face clouded as another spasm of pain shot through his back. He got up quickly. “Excuse me,” he said, and walked quickly to the bathroom. When he came back, he smiled wanly. “I think the stone passed,” he said. “At least, the pain is nearly gone.” He sat back down on the couch and sighed. “It’s hell growing old, Nora.”
“Especially when you are doing it alone,” Nora observed. “So much nicer having a friend, don’t you think?”
“I think so,” Jack said, taking her hand in his again. He drew a deep breath. Rebecca was right. As long as you had life, you had a second chance. “Mind staying a while longer?”
Nora looked in his face. “You look really tired. Are you sure you want company?”
Jack nodded. “I don’t need to be alone with my thoughts right now,” he said.
“You have thoughts like that, too?” Nora asked.
Jack looked at her. “I have thoughts that bother me. About my future.”
“Mine are about my own mortality,” Nora said. “About past regrets, things done—or not done.”
“Then we’re thinking alike,” Jack said, leaning back on the couch. “Is this what we have to face in old age, Nora?”
Nora studied his face, etched with exhaustion. “If you mean physical discomfort—well, I think it depends on how well you take care of yourself. If you mean being alone—“
“Thanks for coming,” Jack said, squeezing her hand. “Lonliness is an old friend, but not a welcome one.”
“Come on,” Nora said. “You’re exhausted. Let’s get you to bed, and I’ll bring you some soup.”
Jack felt suddenly guilty. “Uh, I just ordered a bagel breakfast from the deli—I didn’t know—“
“We’ll combine the two, then,” Nora said, “and I’ll join you.” She stood up and held out her hand. Jack took it, and allowed her to put her arm around him as they walked down the hall. He was loathe to let go and lie down, but he did. In about five minutes, Nora came back with a plate. On it was the half bagel and a mug of soup. Jack sat up and put the plate on his lap.
“This is wonderful,” he said, tasting the soup. “Thanks, Nora. This is what I really needed.”
“The soup was easy to fix,” she replied.
He looked in her eyes. “It was you I really needed. Look, I won’t be ill all the time-at least I hope I won’t. Would you like to go out in a couple of days, when I get my stength back?”
“As long as I can come stay and keep you company during your recouperation,” she said. “You know I’ve always admired you, Jack. And now that I’m back teaching—“ She smiled, and he smiled back.
Jack finished his food and Nora took his plate. When she came back from the kitchen, she found him sound asleep. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And now that I’m back teaching, we can finally see each other, Jack McCoy,” she whispered. “And I can find out if you love me as much as I love you.”
Jack didn’t hear. His rest was deep, his dreams peaceful. He knew he’d been given a second chance.