Curby Read Online Free PDF

When is she coming off?”
    Jaime shook her head. “Nick… she’s not!”
    “What?”
    He put Curby down. “I’ll be right back.”
    At the reception window, a sympathetic nurse, responding to the name he gave, slid a glass panel to the side. “Yes, we’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Santenelli. The Doctor wants to talk to you.
    A sickening feeling welled up from Nick’s gut. The door opened and he followed the nurse down a long hallway.
    “Have a seat in there.” She opened the door to a small room.
    Seconds stretched into minutes. Nick stared at the diagrams of hearts and other bodily organs Scotch taped to the light green wall like school room lessons. He folded his hands and hung his head down and just when he did, the door gently opened.
    “Hi, I’m Doctor Gardner.”
    “Is she okay, Doctor?”
    “I’m afraid not, Mr. Santinelli.”
    The doctor sat on the chair next to him, put an arm on his shoulder and in a low voice, said, “She passed away around twenty minutes ago.”
    The tears, Nick expected. It was his all-out balling right then and there that wasn’t. He couldn’t control any of it.
    He returned to his building with Jaime anxious and more than willing to help in any way she could.
    “I can make us some dinner, if you’d like, Nick?”
    “I’m not hungry. You guys eat. I’ll sit here on the couch.”
    He put his head in his hands and shook from the terrible feelings inside.
    “What’s wrong with Daddy?”
    “He’s sick. He’ll be all right.”
    “I’ll go inside,” said Nick.
    He went into the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him. Later that evening, after Curby went to bed, he sat on the couch with Jaime.
    “Now what am I going to do?”
    “Yes, what are you going to do?”
    “I’m not giving up Curby, that’s for sure. I called Sandy’s parents. They made the funeral arrangements. I didn’t know it, but everything was already planned for ahead of time-weeks ago. They knew the end was near, but Sandy made them promise not to tell me. She wanted everything to seem normal, for Curby’s sake; right to the end. I loved her so much.”
    “I know you did, Nick. Do you have anyone who can take care of him while you’re at work?”
    “I don’t even know where to look. This is all so sudden.”
    “I would check the papers. I’m sure you can find a nanny.”
    “Yes, a nanny. I’ll look into that. I better call work. I’ll need a few days for the funeral and to get everything in order.”
    “Can I do anything…laundry, shopping…?”
    “No, Jaime, thanks. Hey, you have to go to work tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you up any longer.”
    “I don’t mind. You’ll be all right, then?”
    “I can’t think of anything at the moment.”
    “Well…be sure and ring my bell if you need me?”
    “Thanks, you know I...”
    At that very moment, Jaime put her arms around him. “Sandy was a good person. I loved her, too. She’s in a better place, now. At least she’s not suffering.”
    “Yes…lately she was having a hard time breathing. Especially at night. It hurt to see her that way and all of the weight she lost. It’s just that…I…I…”
    Jaime tightened her hold and patted him on the back as she talked. “Give it time, Nick. This will all pass. Raise Curby the best you can. Sandy’s watching and she’ll always be proud of him.”
    She looked at his face, contorted and wet with tears. “And you too, Nick. She’s very proud of you.”
    “Thanks…thanks for being there for us.” He held her hand as she walked away, let go and said good night.
    It took two days, over ten phone calls and four interviews before he finally settled on a nanny. He wasn’t totally satisfied with this one either, but one had to be picked soon or he’d have to lose more time at work.
    There was nothing special about Olga. Her only saving grace was her lengthy experience with children, or so she claimed. Olga, tall and thin--a child of the Russian steppes, spoke