City Out of Time. William Robison III
to happen the next time someone you know is hurt or sick? Are you just going to let them remain hurt or sick? No, you’re going to try and help them too. Before too long, you’re going to be out of money. But will that stop you? No. You’ll get free medicines and bandages and… you don’t think so?”
Lanz was shaking his head so furiously at that point that he almost forgot that he could speak.
“No, sir. I don’t think so. I wouldn’t let that happen.”
“I’ve seen it happen, Mr. Franco. That’s why we have the policy… for people like you… for heroes.”
“I’m hardly a hero.”
“Being a hero is not a bad thing, Lanz – but it’s not a good thing if you’re trying to run a business. Our business model depends on us saving those people who can most afford to pay us. We can’t save everyone, you know.”
“But sir… we haven’t even tried.”
Mr. Fredrickson blinked back his surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I keep hearing people say that. You can’t save everyone. And the thing is, people use this as an excuse for not trying… what if everyone could be saved and we weren’t even trying?”
Mr. Fredrickson shook his head, “You are incredibly young and naïve, Mr. Franco. Trust me… we’ve tried.”
“I’m sorry, sir… it’s been a long day.”
“Mr. Franco, I can’t have you going around like this in your current state,” Mr. Fredrickson noted. “I was going to send you home anyway because of this whole indigent thing, but I see now that I’ll be doing you a favor. You need to take a week off. Get some rest. And then decide whether this hospital is really where you want to work.”
“Sir, I can’t… I’ve already taken two days off and I need…”
“This isn’t a negotiation, Mr. Franco.”
And just like that, Lanz Franco’s day got even worse.
Despite the fact that it was 4pm when Lanz walked in the front door of his student apartment, his roommate, Jaymes, and several unknown compatriots were passed out on the living room floor with a noxious cloud of half-baked weed hanging over the room and a hookah pipe turned over on its side, like a downed pawn in chess. Lanz had to step gingerly over this party while trying to keep his mouth covered from the smoke.
Lanz went to his room, found more strangers sleeping in his bed, and decided to grab his books and go elsewhere to study for his osteology exam in the morning.
There was no really good place to study. He stayed in the campus library until it closed, then went down Tropicana Boulevard until he found a fast food place for a quick dinner. The fast food place kicked him out at midnight so they could clean and close up. So Lanz continued down Tropicana until he hit the freeway, then he popped off at Boulder Station. He found a quiet spot in one of the Boulder Station lounges, got a cup of coffee, and then cracked open his books again.
The sound of a floor waxing machine woke him at about 4:30am. Lanz, bleary eyed and with a stiff neck, hobbled to his car and drove back to his apartment. Bodies were still strewn everywhere, but at least none of them were in his bed. He shut the door behind him, kicked off his shoes and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Lanz was awakened by the sound of Jaymes opening the blinds in Lanz’s room. He squinted against the hard sunlight and looked up at his roommate who was now aware that Lanz had woken.
“Missed a killer party,” Jaymes noted.
“I was studying,” Lanz said. “Why weren’t you?”
“I was throwing a I’m-Flunking-Out-Of-School party,” Jaymes replied. “Studying would have been one more useless thing to add to the two years of useless things I’ve done here.”
“I don’t know that you’ve completely wasted two years,” Lanz said. “You’ve turned slacking into an art form.”
“Sure… kick a man while he’s down.”
“I don’t pity self-inflicted wounds.”
“Well, when you decided to come off that high mountain of yours and mingle with us commoners, there’s some Captain Crunch in the kitchen – unless you want lunch instead.”
“Why would I… Oh God! What time is it?”
“Do I look like I have a watch?”
“Approximately?”
“I don’t know… almost noon, I think.”
Lanz didn’t even have time to swear. He jumped out of bed, smoothed down his clothes and put his shoes on. He grabbed a pen and a notepad and ran out of his apartment.
He knew it was already too late, but sometimes you have to run even though you know you can’t outrun time. Lanz ran across campus and up the steps of the science building.
He reached the door of his classroom completely out of breath. He took a minute to catch his breath, then composed himself and went into the classroom where his professor was conducting another test with a different class.
The class looked up from their tests briefly, but then went back to their exams without giving Lanz another thought. Professor Barnes saw Lanz and a look came over his face that told Lanz all that he needed to know before he’d even asked. The Professor steeled himself to give Lanz bad news.
Lanz tried Professor Barnes anyway.
“Professor, I’m truly sorry. My alarm clock didn’t go off. My roommate was having a party and I was out studying late last night. I’ve just had a really rough week, sir… Is there any way I can take the exam now?”
All through Lanz’s question, the Professor’s head shook no. Lanz didn’t need to hear the words, but when he did hear them, it was like someone had slammed a door in his face.
“I’m sorry, Lanz, but the rules are very strict in this case.”
“Is there any makeup?”
This time Professor Barnes just shook his head.
“Extra credit? Anything?”
Lanz nodded his acceptance and started to leave, but at the last second turned and asked, “And how much of my grade was this exam?”
“A full third, Mr. Franco.”
A full third… at best, Lanz could hope for a 67% final score… with no chance of a grade curve to save him. He’d failed this course.
Lanz exited the classroom quietly, but as soon as he was out in the hall, he had this sudden urge to kick something and a small metallic trash can was close at hand. He really opened up on the can with a satisfying whack and watched momentarily transfixed as it arced through the air of the quiet science building hallway – his anger satisfactorily sated for a brief moment in time – until the trash can landed again on the tile floor with a loud metallic gong that continued to echo down the hall with each consecutive bounce.
Doors started opening up and down the hall to see what had made such a ruckus. Lanz quickly turned and ran down the steps of the building and out the front door. Campus police were already racing towards the building as Lanz ducked into a side courtyard to wait until they passed.
Finally feeling safe that nobody was coming to arrest him for destruction of school property, Lanz walked slowly back to his apartment – his mind trying to grasp all the different threads in his life that were unraveling and flying out of his control. It was just too much and Lanz had to stop more than once on his short walk to catch his breath. He felt physically assaulted by all the mental and emotional blows he’d taken over the course of the last four days.
There seemed to be only one thing to do. He was going to take Mr. Fredrickson’s advice and get the hell out of dodge for a few days – take it easy,