Chapter 19 #2
“Hopefully we won’t have to go there. Thanks as always for your prompt attention.” Ralph glanced down at his phone, no new texts or calls.
Ralph and Eunice stayed and checked their emails, nervously waiting to hear something that would determine their next steps.
When Ralph next glanced at his watch, two hours had passed since Eunice had checked in with Mary.
“Do you want me to call her again?” Eunice asked.
Just as Ralph was about to answer Eunice, he saw Mario out of the corner of his eye flying toward him like a cannonball. Mario punched the side of his face, knocking him off his chair and onto the floor. He was breathless as he sat up, his entire cheek throbbing, blood oozing out of his nose.
Ralph blinked and tried to get up, but Mario pushed him back down and put his shoe on Ralph’s neck. “What the fuck did you do, Conti? Who the fuck do you think you are calling my boss!”
Ralph shoved Mario’s foot off his neck and caught his breath. Mario’s comb-over was extra greasy and his clothes had dirt stains all over, likely from a jobsite. All eyes in the restaurant were on them; some patrons were taking pictures with their phones.
Mario pulled Ralph up by his suit coat. “Outside, motherfucker, you’re going down. They put me on unpaid leave starting immediately—and it’s all your fault.”
Ralph pushed Mario’s hands off him, looking up to see two security guards quickly approaching behind Mario. “Fuck you, Mario! I tried to play nice with you. You brought this on yourself. Maybe you can use some of Vinnie’s pension money to tide you over.”
Just as Mario raised his fists to punch Ralph again, the security guards grabbed Mario from behind.
“Sir, you need to leave now,” one of the burly guards said.
As he started to escort Mario away, the other guard quietly spoke to Ralph. “If you want to file a police report, we can give them a call.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Ralph said.
Mario shouted one more threat over his shoulder. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with. Watch your back, Conti!”
Eunice rushed over to Ralph and handed him a wet napkin to wipe the blood off his face. The restaurant manager was at his side. “I’m so sorry for this, Mr. Conti. Would you please follow me to my office? I’ve got our on-call doctor meeting us there to give you a once-over.”
Ralph’s eye and cheek still burning, he put his hand up to his nose, where he was holding the napkin. He glanced at the bright red blood that had stained the entire thing.
“Eunice, why don’t you head back to the office. I’ll be there after I see their doctor and file a formal complaint.”
“You got it, boss. You’re going to have a shiner for sure, and your nose isn’t in the right place either. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Never a dull moment, huh, Eunice? I better get back to the boxing gym.”
The manager of the Four Seasons escorted Ralph to his office. “I apologize that our team didn’t spot that guy coming after you. Be assured everyone from the doorman to the restaurant hostess has been notified, and he won’t be setting foot on our property again.”
“I appreciate that,” Ralph said, pressing the cloth to his still- bleeding nose.
Once they were in the manager’s office, a thin redheaded man wearing khaki pants and a polo shirt entered carrying a small black bag. “I’m Dr. Jensik; you can call me Steve. Let me take a look at your nose. Looks like it may be broken.”
Ralph removed the napkin and Steve gently moved Ralph’s nose one direction, then the other. “Any pain?”
More blood oozed from his nose; Ralph soaked it up with a warm washcloth that the hotel manager handed him. “It hurts for sure. Can you tell if it’s broken?”
“If I had to guess, I would say yes. We should get you over to Northwestern. I can arrange X-rays, and they can pack it for you. If it needs to be fixed, they can handle it right away.” Steve looked over at the hotel manager.
“Would you please get him an ice pack for the back of his neck; that should slow down some of this bleeding. And also an ice pack for right above his nose.”
“On it, and Mr. Conti, we have a car ready to take you over to Northwestern.”
“I’ll call my friend who’s a plastic surgeon,” Steve said. “I’m sure she’ll be able to get him in quickly. She’s on the fifth floor of the professional building; her name is Dr. Mary Hoffman.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you taking care of me.”
The hotel manager returned and handed Ralph the ice packs. “If you give me the information on the man who assaulted you, I’ll file with Chicago PD.”
“His name is Mario Longetti. My office manager, Eunice, can give you the rest of the details.” Ralph jotted down her phone number and followed Steve down to the lobby of the Four Seasons.
“Let me know if you need anything else, Ralph. You’re in good hands,” Steve assured him.
“Thanks, Doc.” He got in the black limo, leaned his head back to hold the ice pack in place over his nose, and checked his phone. No updates.
Dr. Hoffman met him in her office, quickly assessed his injury, and asked him about his medical history. “I think you have a deviated septum; that punch must have been forceful. I’m going to have to get an X-ray. There’s a machine right here, down the hall from my office.”
“What’s that mean?” Ralph gently touched his nose and winced.
“It’s a thin wall of cartilage and bone that separates your nostrils, essentially a broken nose.
I see a lot of this in football players, boxers, anybody who plays contact sports.
Once I confirm this, I can straighten it out and pack it for you.
You look like a healthy guy so it should heal just fine. ”
“Okay, then, let’s get to it.” Ralph pushed his hand through his hair.
Sure enough, his nose was broken, and after a few injections around his nose that burnt like hell, and some calming medication, she straightened it, packed it, put a nose guard on, and secured it with white tape.
“Here’s a prescription for Tylenol with codeine; you should take some tonight and maybe tomorrow. I had my staff make an appointment for you in two weeks. I’ll remove the packing, and you should be feeling much better by then. Looks like you’ll have a black eye too.”
Ralph stood up and checked himself in the mirror. “I’ve got a lot of meetings with my clients, and if I don’t make up a good story then I know they will.”
“Take it easy tonight and, if possible, tomorrow. You’ll feel relaxed from the medication I gave you, so no drinking or heavy lifting.”
“How about a glass of wine? I have a dinner date tonight at Gibsons.”
“As long as you have a driver and don’t overdo it, you should be fine. I love Gibsons—best steak house in Chicago.”
“Can’t thank you enough, Dr. Hoffman, for taking me in so quickly and handling everything so professionally.”
“You can call me Mary, and it’s what I do. By the way, the hotel is paying for all your expenses, and the hotel manager has a car waiting for you downstairs. You must be a VIP.”
“I do a lot of business with the Four Seasons. They always take good care of me and my clients.”
“Well, enjoy your dinner tonight. Here’s my cell phone if you need anything else. Nice to meet you, Mr. Conti.”
He checked his watch; it was already seven. He called Angie.
“Hi, Ralph, I’m looking forward to our dinner.”
Ralph glanced down at the blood on his shirt. “I’ll be a little late; I need to stop by my place and change. I’ll be by your place around seven thirty.”
“No problem. See you soon.”
Ralph cleaned up at his place and checked out his face in the mirror.
He touched his right eye, which was swollen half shut, and winced.
“Ouch!” I’m gonna need an ice pack for the road.
He grabbed an ice pack on his way out and took the limo that the Four Seasons had offered him for the entire evening.
When the car pulled up in front of Gina’s apartment, Angie wasn’t waiting outside, so he walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.
A young man opened it. “Dude, who are you and what happened to your face, man? It looks gnarly.”
The smell of pot wafted out into the hallway. “I’m Ralph, and you are? I’m here for Angie.”
“I’m Thad, Gina’s roommate. Angie’s at her apartment; she’s cool.”
Ralph saw a young woman with green hair walk behind Thad toward the kitchen. “She didn’t mention that on the phone. I’ll give her a call and let her know I’m on my way.”
“Awesome. Do you want a toke before you head out? I got some really good shit.”
Ralph laughed. He hadn’t smoked a joint since college. “I’ll pass, but thanks.”