WITH ATONED JUST TO HIS OUTSIDE. THEN A GAP OF TWO TO REVENGENCE AND SACRED DANCE, WITH RIVERADO SAVING GROUND ON THE RAIL. AND THE QUARTER WENT IN 23 AND 3. ONLY EIGHT LENGTHS SEPARATES THE FIRST AND LAST HORSES NOW, AS CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR HAS RECOVERED NICELY AND STARTED TO RALLY AT THE BACK OF THE PACK.
“He’s moving well, now,” Jeff said.
“Goddamn,” Chet hollered. “Goddamn.”
THE HALF WENT IN 46 AND 3. SO THE PACE REMAINS STRONG, AND THEY’LL ALL HAVE TO CATCH BROTHER BIRD, WHO HAS OPENED A FIVE LENGTH LEAD AS THEY ROUND THE FAR TURN.
The announcer then screamed a guttural…
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! BROTHER BIRD CONTINUES TO LEAD. JUST BEHIND HIM ARE SACRED DANCE AND REVENGENCE, THOSE TWO NECK AND NECK, HEADS BOBBING AS THEY NEAR THE EIGHTH POLE. AND NOW CONTINUING TO RALLY FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK, HERE COMES CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR, PASSING HORSES AND SUDDENLY FLYING TOWARD THE WIRE. CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR HAS JUST MADE A REMARKABLE, A SPECTACULAR LAST TO FIRST RUN, RECOVERING FROM A STUMBLE AT THE GATE TO WIN THE FLORIDA DERBY… AND THE TIME IS 1:47.82, A NEW TRACK RECORD ON THIS VERY FAST TRACK HERE AT GULFSTREAM PARK. BROTHER BIRD HELD ON FOR SECOND AND REVENGENCE WAS THIRD.
In the winner’s circle, a horseshoe shaped blanket of lavender orchids, seven feet long, was draped over horse and jockey. Gianni and Jeff Willard congratulated Rafael on his masterful ride, and Gianni patted the horse’s neck, wiping away some of the foamy lather.
While it was certainly a proud moment, Gianni cringed when Chet, more full of himself than ever, rumbled, “On to the Kentucky Derby.”
Chapter 10
The 88 year old man was wheeled into Dr. Gianni’s office and ushered to a treatment room. Matt Kantor, the senior resident, was observing Gianni in his office for the day, and he had ordered the elderly man transferred from the emergency department.
The man had extensive bruising extending from his forehead to his neck, and the sclera of his right eye was bright red with blood. He had a stubbly white beard and thinning white hair, partially caked with dried blood. His chest and shoulders were slumped forward in the wheelchair, and a wide Velcro strap kept him partially secured in the chair.
Kantor was eager to take over in his evaluation of the new patient, and Gianni let him do so. Standing beside the man’s wheelchair, Kantor asked, “So what happened, Mr. Farrell?”
“Fell out of a chair,” the man said.
“And I see you are on Aricept, Diovan, Colace and aspirin? Anything else?”
“Whatever they give me.”
“Whatever who gives you?” Kantor asked.
“You know, the folks at the home.”
Kantor began to palpate the man’s cheek bone, while Gianni looked at a CT scan of the facial bones on a laptop computer that sat atop an adjustable stand in the corner of the examining room.
“How are his eye movements?” Gianni asked.
“No sign of entrapment, he’s following my finger just fine.”
“Any impingement of the coronoid?” Gianni asked.
“No, the jaw moves well, good excursions.”
“So what do you think then, Matt?” Gianni asked.
Kantor spoke to the patient. “Mr. Farrell, have they told you that your cheek bone is fractured?”
“Nope, nobody told me that.”
“Well it is, on the right side. We could do an operation to fix it.”
Gianni looked up from the screen, surprised to hear Kantor discuss surgery for the frail, elderly gentleman.
“It would be mainly for esthetics, though,” Kantor said.
Farrell looked up at Kantor, gave a sideways glance over at Gianni and said, “It’s a little late for that.”
Gianni laughed and said, “I think Mr. Farrell has just given a very informed refusal for this operation.” He went over to Farrell, crouching to a stoop and meeting the old man’s gaze at eye level and said, “We can check you again in a week or two, just to make sure everything is okay.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
“Do you have any family with you that you’d like us
“He’s moving well, now,” Jeff said.
“Goddamn,” Chet hollered. “Goddamn.”
THE HALF WENT IN 46 AND 3. SO THE PACE REMAINS STRONG, AND THEY’LL ALL HAVE TO CATCH BROTHER BIRD, WHO HAS OPENED A FIVE LENGTH LEAD AS THEY ROUND THE FAR TURN.
The announcer then screamed a guttural…
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! BROTHER BIRD CONTINUES TO LEAD. JUST BEHIND HIM ARE SACRED DANCE AND REVENGENCE, THOSE TWO NECK AND NECK, HEADS BOBBING AS THEY NEAR THE EIGHTH POLE. AND NOW CONTINUING TO RALLY FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK, HERE COMES CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR, PASSING HORSES AND SUDDENLY FLYING TOWARD THE WIRE. CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR HAS JUST MADE A REMARKABLE, A SPECTACULAR LAST TO FIRST RUN, RECOVERING FROM A STUMBLE AT THE GATE TO WIN THE FLORIDA DERBY… AND THE TIME IS 1:47.82, A NEW TRACK RECORD ON THIS VERY FAST TRACK HERE AT GULFSTREAM PARK. BROTHER BIRD HELD ON FOR SECOND AND REVENGENCE WAS THIRD.
In the winner’s circle, a horseshoe shaped blanket of lavender orchids, seven feet long, was draped over horse and jockey. Gianni and Jeff Willard congratulated Rafael on his masterful ride, and Gianni patted the horse’s neck, wiping away some of the foamy lather.
While it was certainly a proud moment, Gianni cringed when Chet, more full of himself than ever, rumbled, “On to the Kentucky Derby.”
Chapter 10
The 88 year old man was wheeled into Dr. Gianni’s office and ushered to a treatment room. Matt Kantor, the senior resident, was observing Gianni in his office for the day, and he had ordered the elderly man transferred from the emergency department.
The man had extensive bruising extending from his forehead to his neck, and the sclera of his right eye was bright red with blood. He had a stubbly white beard and thinning white hair, partially caked with dried blood. His chest and shoulders were slumped forward in the wheelchair, and a wide Velcro strap kept him partially secured in the chair.
Kantor was eager to take over in his evaluation of the new patient, and Gianni let him do so. Standing beside the man’s wheelchair, Kantor asked, “So what happened, Mr. Farrell?”
“Fell out of a chair,” the man said.
“And I see you are on Aricept, Diovan, Colace and aspirin? Anything else?”
“Whatever they give me.”
“Whatever who gives you?” Kantor asked.
“You know, the folks at the home.”
Kantor began to palpate the man’s cheek bone, while Gianni looked at a CT scan of the facial bones on a laptop computer that sat atop an adjustable stand in the corner of the examining room.
“How are his eye movements?” Gianni asked.
“No sign of entrapment, he’s following my finger just fine.”
“Any impingement of the coronoid?” Gianni asked.
“No, the jaw moves well, good excursions.”
“So what do you think then, Matt?” Gianni asked.
Kantor spoke to the patient. “Mr. Farrell, have they told you that your cheek bone is fractured?”
“Nope, nobody told me that.”
“Well it is, on the right side. We could do an operation to fix it.”
Gianni looked up from the screen, surprised to hear Kantor discuss surgery for the frail, elderly gentleman.
“It would be mainly for esthetics, though,” Kantor said.
Farrell looked up at Kantor, gave a sideways glance over at Gianni and said, “It’s a little late for that.”
Gianni laughed and said, “I think Mr. Farrell has just given a very informed refusal for this operation.” He went over to Farrell, crouching to a stoop and meeting the old man’s gaze at eye level and said, “We can check you again in a week or two, just to make sure everything is okay.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
“Do you have any family with you that you’d like us
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