The Alligator Man by James Sheehan Page B

so long ago.”
    Just then, a woman walked into the room with a brown paper bag in her hands. She set the bag down on a table and looked at Tom Wylie lying motionless in the bed.
    “Any change?” she asked Ray Blackwell.
    “None,” the judge replied. “The nurse said he should be waking up soon, though.”
    “Do you think we should call Alex?” she asked. Alex was Tom’s doctor and, as Kevin would later find out, a close, personal friend for forty years.
    “He just stuck his head in a few minutes ago. Said he had some rounds to make and he’d be back in a few minutes. Have you met our new visitor?”
    Kevin had been standing to the side, watching the conversation between Judge Blackwell and this woman, wondering who she was. He couldn’t find her anywhere in his memory. She was a tall woman with long brown hair streaked with gray. Probably mid- to late forties, Kevin surmised. She wore blue jeans and cowboy boots and a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and her healthy, well-tanned face was not obscured by any makeup.
    “I’m Kate Parker,” she said. “You must be Kevin.”
    Kevin was shocked. This woman looked nothing like the Jezebel he had created in his mind. And she looked so much younger than his father. His mother had made references to her several times over the years, always in a derogatory manner. Kevin had simply assumed she had something to do with the divorce and had hated her all his life. He had no choice under these circumstances but to be polite.
    “That’s me. Nice to meet you.”
    “I’m glad you decided to come,” she said, politely shaking his hand. She then turned to her brown bag. “I brought an extra coffee in case you might be here. I’ve got milk and sugar and Sweet’N Low so you can all fix your own the way you like it.”
    Everybody took a few moments to prepare their drinks. Kevin was still reeling from the introduction and that she had thought to bring him coffee, especially after the way he had treated her on the phone the day before. He was holding on to his anger, though, not letting it go that easily.
    “Kate, why don’t you fill Kevin in on what has transpired over the last several hours?” the judge suggested. He seemed to have a sense of the anxiety permeating the room.
    “Sure,” Kate replied and focused her large brown eyes directly at Kevin. “Tom was scheduled to have surgery this morning, but after he was anesthetized, they took a look at his chest X-ray and discovered he had pneumonia and scrapped the surgery. Later, they realized they had reviewed the X-rays of another man.
    “We’re just concerned Tom might have an emotional letdown when he wakes up and finds out what happened.”
    Kate had barely finished the sentence when Tom’s doctor, Alex Rivard, entered the room. He appeared to be a contemporary of Tom’s in age, although he also had a healthy glow about him.
    Must be the water up here, Kevin thought.
    “Kate, may I have a word with you?” Alex asked.
    The judge took the hint right away. “The rest of us will go down to the cafeteria and drink our coffee,” he said, motioning to both Billy and Kevin.
    “I’m gonna go home,” Billy told them when they were in the hallway, heading for the elevator. “I’ve got some things that have to get done today. I’ll be back tonight. Kevin, how long are you in town?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “I’ll see you both tonight anyway.”
    When they were seated in the cafeteria with their coffees in hand, Kevin started with his questions.
    “Can I ask how you know my father, Judge?”
    “Sure. I met your dad right out of law school. We worked at the same law firm and I reported to him. You might say he was my mentor. We’ve been friends ever since.”
    “Was he a good lawyer?”
    The judge did not answer right away. Kevin could see that he was thinking about his response.
    “He was the best at certain things. Your father was never a detail person. He was a big picture guy and he was great in the