“He’s the best doctor in town. Everyone said to go to him. It’s your fault we’re in this goddamn town where we don’t know anyone, where nobody knows who we are. You’re the one that had to come here and work for that goddamn paper plant. You could be working for my daddy. It’s your fault that we’re starving to death in this goddamn mosquito-laden swamp. If anything is wrong with him, I’ll never forgive you for this.” I was near him now. I was in range and he turned and took my wrists in both his hands.

“Don’t start anything in this hospital, Rhoda. Don’t start a fight with that sick baby over there.”

“We’re through here,” the nurse said. “You can feed him now. I called and told them to bring a tray.”

“I’m starving,” Malcolm put in. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day. I’m going downstairs and get a sandwich. Do you want me to bring you anything?”

“No. I’m all right. Well, I guess I might like some coffee if they have any.” I went over to Jimmy’s bed. He was standing up with his hands on the rail, his bright little black eyes looking from his father to me and back again. “Oh, darling,” I said. “Oh, my precious little baby boy.”

The doctor came while Malcolm was downstairs. Dr. Klein, Dr. Samuel Klein. He took Jimmy out of the crib and sat on the bed holding him. “We’ll do a spinal tap in the morning,” he said. “Then we’ll know.”

“What will you know?”

“If the virus is there.”

“Then what will you do?”

“There isn’t much we can do. We’ll do what we can. When he begins to respond we can test and see what happened.”

“What could have happened?”

“Nothing he won’t outgrow, I think.”

“You think. What does that mean?”

“Let’s don’t get excited until we get the tests back.” He handed me the baby. He was leaving. I couldn’t bear for him to leave. I began to weep even harder than I had the first time. Tears rolled down my twenty-four-year-old cheeks. My Revlon pancake makeup ran down all over my linen blouse. Then the baby began to cry. Doctor Klein stiffened, seemed almost to tremble. He called out the door for a nurse, then came to me and began to pat me on the shoulder and the hair. The baby screamed even louder. My makeup and my tears rolled down onto my yellow skirt.