Free Woman by Richard Matheson Page B

sarcastically.
     
         "And yet you defer to
your brother who's as chauvinistic as they come," he said.
     
         "He's a baby," Liz
said. "I don't take him seriously."
     
         "A baby what?" he
asked. "Viper?"
     
         She started to speak but he
cut her off. "You have such strong convictions about being a woman and yet
you let him insult women right in front of you."
     
         "That's because I
identify with his male aggressiveness. Right?"
     
         David frowned at her.
"Did I say that?"
     
         "I know you think I've
changed and you don't like the change. I'm not the sweet liberal Elizabeth you
married. I'm ballsy Liz now."
     
         "If that's how you
prefer to see yourself," he said, his voice mildly scolding.
     
         "Well, isn't it
true?" she demanded. "I used to give a lot of credence to 'justice
for all.' Now I'm out for myselfbecause no one in this world is going to help
me otherwise."
     
         He didn't speak, looking at
her with a distressed expression. Then he murmured, "No
one?"
     
         She was about to speak, then
sighed and looked repentant. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know
you're on my side."
     
         He smiled and, leaning over,
kissed her lightly on the cheek. She returned the smile and was about to say
something when the telephone rang.
     
         "More bad news, no
doubt," she said. David smiled a little sadly.
     
         Liz picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
     
         She listened. "Yes,
Catherine," she said. Listened again. Her features tightened. "Oh, my
God," she said. She listened, nodding. "I'll come over as soon as I
can."
     
         She hung up, looking at
David with a grim expression.
     
         "What is it?" he
asked.
     
         "That was Charlie's
ex-wife. The bleeding won't stop. He's in the hospital."
     
         "Oh, no." He
grimaced. "Poor guy." He shook his head. "He always looked so
rugged."
     
         "He always seemed to
be." Liz stood. "Obviously, he wasn't." She started for the
bedroom. "I'm going over to see him."
     
         David stood up. "I'll
go with you."
     
         "You don't have
to," she said. "You barely know him."
     
          "Liz. I'll go with you."
     
         "All right, fine,"
she said distractedly. She moved into the bedroom to get dressed.
     
         David started to follow her.
He'd only taken a few steps when his right ankle twisted abruptly and he
stumbled, almost falling. "Oh! Jesus!" he cried.
     
         "What is it?" she
called.
     
         "My ankle," he told her, "I think I
sprained it." He tried to stand on it and cried out hollowly. "No" he said.
     
         Hissing with pain, he limped
to the nearest chair and slumped down on it. He twisted his right foot
experimentally, crying out again.
     
         Liz came back into the
living room. "You sprained your ankle?" she asked. She sounded as though she couldn't believe it.
     
         "Yeah," he said,
his teeth set on edge.
     
         "Well, for Christ's
sake," Liz said, her tone still dubious. "You can't stand on it?"
     
         "I don't think
so." David tried again to move his right foot. "Ooh," he said, eyes closing from the pain.
     
         She came over to the chair.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked.
     
         "I suppose," he
said. "I don't think I'm going to be able to go with you though."
     
         "It's just as
well," she said.
     
         He looked at her irritably.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
     
         "Well, you don't really
know Charlie," she said. "Anyway," she cut him off, "you're
supposed to go to that conference this afternoon, aren't you? Are you going to
be able to make that?"
     
         "Jesus, I don't
know," he muttered.
     
         She looked at him
indecisively. "Well, maybe—" she began.
     
         "No, no, go
ahead," he anticipated her remark. "I'll be all right, don't worry
about it. Go see