“Damn right. I’m not about to report the case closed. I am not going to put myself in a situation where I have to explain what happened down there.” He was shaking his head.

I grinned and pulled my arm out of the sling, trying again to sit up. This time Blout helped me and I made it. “What’s the matter, Blout? Afraid nobody will believe you?”

“Exactly. I’ll leave that crap to you.”

I nodded. We both ran out of witty banter, and fell quiet. It was a little uncomfortable.

“It’s over, isn’t it, Cal?” Blout said, low and quiet.

I nodded. “Definitely.”

“You’re sure this time?”

I glared. “Absolutely.”

Blout stuck his big hand out in front of my face. “That was real good work you did. Thank you.”

I took his hand and shook it. There would have been another awkward silence, but the door was pushed opened by a scurrying male nurse, followed by the doctor. A heartbeat later, Mo’Lock lumbered in wearing a spiffy new suit.

Blout shot a look at the ghoul, then quickly back to me. “I’ve got to get going,” he said and shook my hand again. “I’ll check back before they let you go.”

I thought Blout would go to great lengths to avoid Mo’Lock, but as he passed by the ghoul he gave him a slap on the shoulder.

Mo’Lock waited patiently while the doctor and nurse checked me out. When they had gone, he made sure the door was shut. He turned and tossed me a little stuffed rabbit much like the one Blout had given me.

“All my friends are comedians,” I said.

Mo’Lock smiled. “Pull its head off.”

“What?”

“Pull the head off.”

I gave the bunny head a twist and pull. It came off with a pop, exposing the neck of a half pint of good stinky hooch. I grinned and looked up at the ghoul. “God bless you.”

“I figured you’d have a bad case of the DTs when you woke up.”

“Naw, they’ve got me pretty pumped full of juice. I don’t feel a thing.”

The ghoul stepped around to the foot of the bed and lifted my chart off the hook, scanning it with big, dead eyes. After a second, he let out a long whistle. “Four hundred stitches. That a record?”

“Yeah, I’m breaking them left and right. Where’s my goddamn trophy? So what’s been going on while I was in la-la land?”

The ghoul touched his hand to his chin. “Surprisingly quiet, really. The lawyer for the man who was suing you left a message with a new court date. I wrote it down.”

“Great. Enjoying my apartment?”

“Yes, thank you. Landlord stopped by. He said he wants you to pay for the front door. He left a bill. The insurance co—”