I didn't get to see Ray much the next couple of days. The good thing was that I didn't have to get close to Flagg during that time, either. I always made sure I was upstairs whenever he arrived to escort Mr. and Mrs. Iselin, and no one commented on it. Ray dismissed my reluctance to again meet with Flagg as a reaction to the unpleasant memories of Korea he stirred up. He was right, of course, but he still had no idea of the kind of memories.

Ray accompanied them to a press conference with the Secretary of State. The secretary sat at a table in front of a bunch of reporters and TV newsmen, and pretty much didn't answer any questions when he was questioned. Raymond had told me that was an art you had to learn, or they wouldn't let you be a politician.

I watched it on TV, because I kinda hoped that I might catch a glimpse of Ray. Sometimes they show the crowd. There was a small, slender man in a major's uniform sitting next to the Secretary, and every now and then the Secretary would lean over and whisper with him before answering. Finally the major said, "If there are no more questions for the secretary, I think that'll about wrap things up."

Then I heard the unmistakable voice of Senator Iselin hollering,"Mr. Secretary! I have a question, sir!"

Jessie had paused in her dusting (she wouldn't let me help) to watch and listen. Now she snorted. "Trust him to wait till the last minute to make a big show of himself."

"It's working." And it was. The camera swung around to focus on Mr. and Mrs. Iselin standing near the back of the room. I started to smile, because Ray was right beside them, watching his stepfather with a disgusted look on his face. But the smile faded when I saw Flagg standing just behind him, and I felt cold. As little as I liked Flagg coming anywhere near me, I liked it even less when he came near Ray.

I heard the voice of the Secretary saying, "Who are you, sir?" He sounded kinda miffed.

The Senator sorta threw out his chest and said, "I am United States Senator John Yerkses Iselin and I have a question so serious that the fate of our nation may very well depend on your answer."

"Who?" The Secretary now sounded miffed AND puzzled.

"No evasions, Mr. Secretary! No evasions, if you please, sir!" Iselin barked, just like the Secretary was trying to flim flam him.

Now the camera turned back to the front table to catch the Secretary's reaction. "Evasions? What the hell are you talking about?" I think I gasped. I know he was mad, but he said 'hell' on national television! Now the Secretary looked at the major. "What sort of foolishness is this?"

The major covered the microphone so that we couldn't hear what he said, but he must've told the Secretary to humor Iselin, because he turned back, but he sure wasn't happy about it.

Now Iselin was waving some papers. "I am United States Senator John Yerkses Iselin..."

I glanced at Jessie. "He already said that, didn't he?"

"As far as he's concerned, his own name can't be spoken too many times," she sighed.

The Senator went on. "...and I have here a list of the names of two hundred and seven persons known by the Secretary of Defense as being members of the Communist Party...!" There was an excited buzz, and the Secretary started to say something, but Iselin just kinda rolled right over him. "...who are still nevertheless..." Now the Secretary was trying to shout Iselin down, but he just kept raising his voice, and the buzz got louder. "...working and shaping the policy of the Defense Department!"

Boy, flashbulbs were goin' off and people were scribbling notes. He wanted a reaction, and he sure got one. The Secretary kept asking who the hell he was, and Iselin kept shouting that he demanded and answer. Finally the Secretary said, "How the hell did you get in here in the first place? He turned to the major and said, "Throw that lunatic out!" The major looked like he wanted to be any place but right there.

Iselin said he regretted having to say this in front of everyone, but the Secretary no longer had his confidence. Yeah, I BET he regretted it. Mrs. Iselin, standing next to him, looked like one of the barn cats did when it managed to steal one of the pork chops Mom had left out to thaw. In other words, she was so pleased with herself and the world that she looked like she might bust.

The Secretary was now calling for the sergeant at arms to throw that idiot out. Iselin told him that he'd had his chance to investigate, and now it was in the hands of the senate. He posed for the cameras for a couple of seconds, then made a grand exit, with Mrs. Iselin and Flagg following him. Then the major who had been sitting at the front table came on screen, hurrying after them. When he and Ray saw each other he paused, then went on out. Ray followed. I suddenly realized that that had been recognition. Ray and that man knew each other from somewhere.

When he finally came home, I didn't ask him about it. I figured he'd tell me if it was anything important, and he did. The Iselin's were off at some fancy restaurant again, and Ray refused to go, so we were having a comfortable dinner in the kitchen. Ray poked at his mashed potatoes and said, "I saw a ghost today, Walter." When I looked at him he shrugged. "Well, someone I never expected to see, anyway. It was my Marco, my major."

"He was one of the guys you were with when your were lost, right?"

"Right. I didn't get a chance to talk to him--Flagg was hustling us out. But now that I know he's here in town, I'd like to see him again. I want to know if anyone else from our squad is having nightmares like me."

Jessie came in, carrying a few envelopes. "Ray, I forgot to give these to you earlier. They forwarded your mail."

He took them. "Thanks, Jessie." He started sorting through them. "Bill, bill, junk, bill, circular... Hey." He sounded surprised. "A personal letter. I don't get letters. Well, not since we haven't been corresponding. It's from Melvin." His voice rose in surprise. "This is a coincidence, Walter. Melvin was in my squad, too. Strange to be contacted by two of the men on the same day."

He slit the envelope open and started to read the letter. I kept eating, since it wasn't any of my business. But as he read I could see that it was upsetting Ray. Finally he silently handed it to me. Since he wanted to share it, I took it and began reading.

"Dear Sarge, I had to say this or write this to someone because I think I'm going nuts. And since you were my best friend in the army, here goes. Sarge, I'm in trouble. I'm afraid to go to sleep because I have terrible dreams. I dream about all the guys on the patrol where you won the medal. And the dream has a lot of Chinese people in it and a lot of big brass from the Russian Army. Well, it's pretty rough. You have to take my word for that..."

I didn't read anymore, because the phone rang, and Ray got up to answer it. He listened, then said, "This is he." So the phone call was for him. Then something really, really strange happened. He got a funny, far away look on his face and hung up without saying anything else. Then he went to the counter and pulled a deck of cards out of one of the drawers, came back to the table and pushed aside his plate, and started to deal a hand of solitaire.

"Ray?" He ignored me, slowly turning up the cards. Then he stopped and stared at the cards. "Ray, is something wrong?" He just kept staring at the cards, so I looked at them, too. The last card he had turned up was the queen of diamonds.

The phone rang again. Ray got up, still blank faced, and went to answer it. He said 'yes, sir' three times, like he was answering someone. Then he hung up the phone, came back to the table, and started gathering up the unfinished card game.

I was getting scared. "Ray?" He kept picking up cards. I reached over and grabbed his arm and shook it. "RAY!"

He blinked and looked at me, and for a moment I was sure that he wasn't SEEING me. Then his eyes cleared. "Walter, what's the matter?"

"You tell me."

He looked down at his hands, and seemed surprised to find that he was holding a deck of cards. "Well, what on earth...?" His face got pale. "Walter, I must've had a blackout. I can't remember getting these cards."

"Do you remember the phone calls?"

"Calls?" He frowned. "I remember Melvin's letter, and... Yes, there was a phone call. I think it was just a wrong number."

"There were TWO phone calls."

"Two?" He looked distressed. "I don't recall a second one at all! Walter, this worries me. The nightmares were bad enough, but blackouts..."

"You ought to see a doctor, Ray."

"Yes. Yes, I'm scheduled for an appointment to get a check up this Saturday around eleven. Funny, I'd forgotten about it till just now. I'll be sure to tell them about this."

I wanted to go with Ray that Saturday, but he said I'd just be stuck in the waiting room, so I should stay home. I agreed. I spent so much time in the MASH that I'm not real comfortable in a medical environment.

I was reading a book in my room, and I heard the phone ring, then it was picked up. The Iselins, of course, were out, and Jessie answered the phone. A few minutes later there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, Jessie was standing in the hall, white faced. She took both my hands and said, "Walter, there's been an accident."

I turned cold immediately. "Ray?" I whispered.

She sqeezed my hands and said quickly, "He's all right! Well, not exactly all right, but he's not in any danger. He was struck by a car, and they took him to the Timothy Swardon sanitarium."

I frowned. "Not a hospital?"

"This was closer, and they have medical facilities."

I grabbed my jacket. "Where is it?"

"It's at 84 East 61st street. Give him my love."

"I will. Would you call me a cab? I'm not going to wait on the bus."

I fidgited all through the taxi ride. When I got to the hospital the lady at the reception desk said she wasn't sure if Raymond Shaw was allowed visitors. I said she'd better check, because even if they said no I intended to go through every room in the building till I found him. She made a phone call, then gave me his room number.

When I got to Ray's room there were a couple of doctors in there, dressed in white coats. One of them looked Chinese, but I didn't pay too much attention because all I could think of right then was Ray.

He didn't look so bad for a guy who had been knocked down by a car. I mean, sure he had a bandage around his head, and his left leg was in a cast, but he wasn't all bruised and scraped up.

The doctors watched me as I went to the bed. I wanted to hug Ray so bad, but I couldn't with them there. Instead I took his hand. "Ray, you were gonna see the doctor anyway. You didn't have to run into the street to get an appointment."

The Chinese doctor said, "Excuse me, please?"

"He had an appointment to get a check up today. Weird, isn't it?"

"Very. How did you know about this appointment?"

I gave him a puzzled look. "He told me."

The other doctor repeated what I'd said. "He told you." He looked at the Chinese doctor and said, "He TOLD him."

"Of course Mr. Shaw would confide in a friend." The Chinese man smiled at me. "May we know your name, sir?"

"I'm Walter O'Reilley. I knew Ray in the army."

Something about that seemed to enlighten the Chinese doctor. "Ah, I see. O'Reilly. Well, Mr. O'Reilly, you have nothing to fear for your friend. He was extremely lucky, but he will have to remain here for a week or two, to be sure there are no complications."

I nodded. "When are visiting hours? I'm gonna spend a lot of time here."

"Of course you will wish to keep your friend company, but you must remember that he has had a shock to his system. He will require rest and physical therapy, so there will be times when he will be unavailable. It would be better if you called before coming over, in case the time is wrong for a visit." I nodded reluctantly. I sure wasn't going to do anything that might hinder Ray's recovery. "Raymond." Ray looked up, and for the first time I realized how silent he had been. He hadn't even greeted me. Maybe they had given him painkillers. "Raymond, your good friend Walter has come to visit you. Isn't that nice? Talk to him, Raymond." He nodded to the other doctor, and they both left the room.

"Walter?" Ray sounded like he had just realized who I was. I squeezed his hand. The door was shut, so I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. Now his eyes cleared, and he kissed me back. "Geez, kid, look what I got myself into now. You'd think I would have learned by now to look both ways before crossing the street."

"So you'll know better next time. Do you need anything?"

"I'm a little dry. Get me some water, hm?"

"Sure, Ray." There was a pitcher and a glass on the stand next to his bed,, and I poured a glass of water, handing it to him.

He said, "Thanks, Walter." He drank it down, then handed the glass back to me. "You spoil me."

"That's why I'm here." I turned to set the glass back on the stand, but stopped. Something had caught my eye. There, laying on the stand, was a card. Not a deck of cards, just a single one. It was the queen of diamonds