They dozed off until Michael suddenly started up anxiously and looked at his
watch. "Damn," he said. "It's nearly ten. I have to get down to the hospital." He
Went to the bathroom to wash up and comb his hair. Kay came in after him and
put her arms around his waist from behind. "When are we going to get married?"
She asked.
15 "Whenever you say," Michael said. "As soon as this family thing quiets down
And my old man gets better. I think you'd better explain things to your parents
though."
16 "What should I explain?" Kay said quietly.
17 Michael ran the comb through his hair. "Just say that you've met a brave,
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Handsome guy of Italian descent. Top marks at Dartmouth. Distinguished Service
Cross during the war plus the Purple Heart. Honest. Hard-working. But his father
Is a Mafia chief who has to kill bad people, sometimes bribe high government
Officials and in his line of work gets shot full of holes himself. But that has
Nothing to do with his honest hard-working son. Do you think you can remember
all that?"
18 Kay let go his body and leaned against the door of the bathroom. "Is he
really?" she said. "Does he really?" She paused. "Kill people?"
19 Michael finished combing his hair. "I don't really know," he said. "Nobody
really knows. But I wouldn't be surprised."
20 Before he went out the door she asked, "When will I see you again?"
21 Michael kissed her. "I want you to go home and think things over in that little
hick town of yours," he said. "I don't want you to get mixed up in this business in
Any way. After the Christmas holidays I'll be back at school and we'll get together
up in Hanover. OK?"
22 "OK," she said. She watched him go out the door, saw him wave before he
Stepped into the elevator. She had never felt so close to him, never so much in
Love and if someone had told her she would not see Michael again until three
Years passed, she would not have been able to bear the anguish of it.
1 When Michael got out of the cab in front of the French Hospital he was surprised to
see that the street was completely deserted (совершенно пуста). When he entered the
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hospital he was even more surprised to find the lobby empty. Damn it, what the hell
were Clemenza and Tessio doing? Sure, they never went to West Point (американская
Военная академия) but they knew enough about tactics to have outposts (аванпосты,
сторожевое охранение, заставы). A couple of their men should have been in the lobby
at least.
2 Even the latest visitors had departed, it was almost ten-thirty at night. Michael was
tense and alert now (напряжен и возбужден). He didn't bother to stop at the
information desk (и не подумал: «не побеспокоился»), he already knew his father's
room number up on the fourth floor. He took the self-service elevator. Oddly enough
nobody stopped him until he reached the nurses' station on the fourth floor. But he
strode right past her query (не обращая внимание на ее вопрос; query ['kwı∂rı] –
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вопрос) and on to his father's room. There was no one outside the door. Where the hell
were the two detectives who were supposed (которые, как предполагалось) to be
waiting around to guard and question the old man? Where the hell were Tessio and
Clemenza's people? Could there be someone inside the room? But the door was open.
Michael went in. There was a figure in the bed and by the December moonlight straining
through the window (просачивающийся; to strain – напрягать, растягивать;
процеживать) Michael could see his father's face. Even now it was impassive, the
chest heaved shallowly (едва вздымалась; shallow – мелкий, неглубокий) with his
uneven breath (неровным дыханием [breθ]). Tubes hung from steel gallows (со
стальных дуг, подставок) beside the bed and ran into his nose. On the floor was a
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glass jar (банка, кувшин) receiving the poisons emptied from his stomach (из его
желудка ['stΛm∂k]) by other tubes. Michael stayed there for a few moments to make
sure his father was all right, then backed out of the room.
3 He told the nurse, "My name is Michael Corleone, I just want to sit with my father.
What happened to the detectives who were supposed to be guarding him?"
4 The nurse was a pretty young thing with a great deal of confidence in the power of
her office (с большой долей уверенности в могуществе ее должности). "Oh, your
father just had too many visitors, it interfered with the hospital service (это мешалони:
«вмешивалось, перебивало»)," she said. "The police came and made them all leave
about ten minutes ago. And then just five minutes ago I had to call the detectives to the
phone for an emergency alarm from their headquarters (срочная тревога из их
управления; emergency [ı’m∂:dG∂nsı] – непредвиденный случай, крайняя
необходимость), and then they left too. But don't worry, I look in on your father often
and I can hear any sound from his room. That's why we leave the doors open."
5 "Thank you," Michael said. "I'll sit with him for a little while. OK?"
6 She smiled at him. "Just for a little bit and then I'm afraid you'll have to leave. It's the
rules (правила), you know."
7 Michael went back into his father's room. He took the phone from its cradle and got
the hospital operator to give him the house in Long Beach, the phone in the comer
office room. Sonny answered. Michael whispered, "Sonny, I'm down at the hospital, I
came down late. Sonny, there's nobody here. None of Tessio's people. No detectives at
the door. The old man was completely unprotected." His voice was trembling.
8 There was a long silence and then Sonny's voice came, low and impressed, "This is
Sollozzo's move (ход: «движение») you were talking about."
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9 Michael said, "That's what I figured too. But how did he get the cops to clear
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everybody out and where did they go? What happened to Tessio's men? Jesus Christ,
has that bastard Sollozzo got the New York Police Department in his pocket too?"
10 "Take it easy, kid." Sonny's voice was soothing. "We got lucky again with you going
to visit the hospital so late. Stay in the old man's room. Lock the door from the inside. I'll
have some men there inside of fifteen minutes, soon as I make some calls. Just sit tight
and don't panic. OK, kid?"
11 "I won't panic," Michael said. For the first time since it had all started he felt a
furious anger rising in him (яростный гнев), a cold hatred for his father's enemies
(ненависть к врагам; hatred [‘heıtrıd]).
12 He hung up the phone and rang the buzzer for the nurse (звонок, кнопку вызова;
to buzz – жужжать). He decided to use his own judgment (решил действовать по
своему разумению) and disregard Sonny's orders (не принимать во внимание
приказов, указаний Сонни). When the nurse came in he said, "I don't want you to get
frightened, but we have to move my father right away. To another room or another floor.
Can you disconnect all these tubes (отключить) so we can wheel the bed out?"
13 The nurse said, "That's ridiculous (смешно [rı’dıkjul∂s]). We have to get permission
from the doctor (разрешение)."
14 Michael spoke very quickly. "You've read about my father in the papers. You've
seen that there's no one here tonight to guard him. Now I've just gotten word some men
will come into the hospital to kill him. Please believe me and help me." He could be
extraordinarily persuasive (убедительным, убеждающим [p∂s'weısıv]; to persuade
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[p∂s'weıd] – убедить) when he wanted to be.
15 The nurse said, "We don't have to disconnect the tubes. We can wheel the stand
with the bed."
16 "Do you have an empty room?" Michael whispered.
17 "At the end of the hall," the nurse said.
18 It was done in a matter of moments, very quickly and very efficiently. Then Michael
said to the nurse, "Stay here with him until help comes. If you're outside at your station
you might get hurt."
19 At that moment he heard his father's voice from the bed, hoarse (охрипший,
сиплый [ho:s]) but full of strength, "Michael, is it you? What happened, what is it?"
20 Michael leaned over the bed. He took his father's hand in his. "It's Mike," he said.
"Don't be afraid. Now listen, don't make any noise at all, especially if somebody calls out
your name. Some people want to kill you, understand? But I'm here so don't be afraid."
21 Don Corleone, still not fully conscious (сознательный, сознающий [‘kon∫∂s]) of
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what had happened to him the day before, in terrible pain, yet smiled benevolently (все
же улыбнулся благодушно, снисходительно: «благожелательно») on his youngest
son, wanting to tell him, but it was too much effort (усилие [‘ef∂t]), "Why should I be
afraid now? Strange men have come to kill me ever since I was twelve years old."
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