The Exception: A Novel Part 21

Sounding resigned more than anything else, Paul adds: If I really thought Malene was so gorgeous, Id have lunch with these people once in a while, wouldnt I? A bunch of papers lands on a desktop. Which is what I ought to do. Im their boss. But I cant face having to listen to all their chitchat. I dont think of Malene in that way, believe me.

Helen doesnt say anything, but seems to be rolling about in one of the office chairs.

Silence.

When Paul speaks again, hes regained his familiar, slightly too controlled office voice.

Oh, I want to show you something.

What?

The library. Anne-Lise has started to clear the readers desks. Its going to look really good.

Im not in the mood.

Oh, come on. Its right next door.

Now Paul is on the other side of the library door.

Iben jumps when Helen shouts angrily: I dont care about your f.u.c.king readers desks. Cant you get that into your thick head!

Nothing more can be heard for a moment, except the drumming of the rain. Then Paul sighs deeply. Something makes a slapping noise.

The front door opens, the light is turned off, the door slams shut.

Theyre gone.

Ibens heart is still pounding in her chest. She stays where she is, pressed against the shelf.

Besides, Paul and Helen may well come back. Malene takes Ibens hand and places it over her heart. It beats wildly and she too has been sweating.

Despite the dark, Iben knows that theyre smiling tensely at each other. They listen as the elevator descends and stops.

They cant hear anybody walk across the downstairs hallway.

They cant hear the street door open and close and a car start in the rain.

Even so, after several minutes, they have to a.s.sume that Paul will not come back.

Theyre still standing in the same place. Iben feels strange drunk and queasy. But she didnt drink that much, so it must be the fear thats making her feel sick.

A little later Rasmus comes in. Holy s.h.i.t! he whispers to them.

They laugh from sheer relief.

Look, girls, I wouldnt mind going home now.

Were with you!

I turned the light off and stayed under the server desk all the time they were here. Now I have to restore everything on the server to the way it was before.

They stay close to him as they leave the library and use the bicycle lights until they get into the server room, where the light is on. It is good to be able to see properly.

Rasmus fixes the computer while Iben and Malene look on distractedly. At one point, the e-mails from Tatiana and Lotta to Anne-Lise pop up on the screen.

Why did you delete them?

Malene shrugs.

Rasmus reads the e-mails. Hmm He keys in the right command. You have to remove them from the system entirely then.

He deletes Anne-Lises unread mail. And no one says any more about it.

chapter 23.

the telephone wakes Iben the next morning. Its Malene and shes been crying. It doesnt take Iben long to figure out whats wrong. She knows that Malene has been taking painkillers recently but still hasnt been able to get much sleep.

Iben, I have to go to the clinic.

Iben sits up and pushes a pillow behind her back. Oh, Malene, you poor thing. But you seemed so well yesterday?

I dont know whats happened. It doesnt usually hit me like this.

Is it very bad?

Its awful. It came on during the night. It doesnt usually happen that quickly. I dont know oh, G.o.d, I cant trust anything anymore. And it hurts so much, even though Ive taken my pills. I can barely think. My knee is huge and the skin feels tight right up my thigh. Ive never felt it coming on so quickly.

Should I come over?

Would you mind?

Of course not.

Its just that Rasmus has left for the airport. Ive called the ambulatory unit and theyll try to fit me in shortly after nine.

Ill be at your place in half an hour.

Iben has gone with Malene to the rheumatological clinic several times before, when her friend was too ill to walk down the stairs by herself. In the hospital Iben would stay by her side while Malene would lie on the paper-covered couch in the doctors examination room. She would hold her friends hand while the doctor inserted a wide-bore needle into Malenes knee joint, draining off one syringe of liquid after another.

The last time, they both believed that there would be no more visits for a while, but the doctor had been worried.

We shouldnt do this too often, you know. Recurrence of inflammatory episodes can erode the joint surfaces. Ill prescribe something that should help.

Malene was put on methotrexate. It helped a great deal. Until today, that is.

I cant walk I can barely stand. All I can do is sit here.

Faintly, Iben hears Malene cough or sob, or maybe both. She must have put her hand over the receiver.

Then Malene speaks in a voice that is no longer familiar. I cant do anything. Because it hurts so bad. I cant do anything at all.

Malene, dont try. Just wait. Ill be with you soon.

Cycling over to Malenes, she thinks, as she did over and over again during the night, that they shouldnt have deleted the e-mail from Tatiana. Regardless of what Anne-Lise has done to us, she tells herself, we must make sure that were not equally at fault. We mustnt be tempted to do things that are simply wrong, or else well be stooping to her level. And then we cant claim that were simply fighting for whats best for the Center. Iben pulls out her cell phone and dials the DCIG to say that sh.e.l.l be in late and that Malene is ill.

Anne-Lise answers; Camilla isnt in yet.

Iben tells her about Malenes attack of arthritis.

Thats awful. Is it bad? If you didnt know her, you wouldnt have a clue that she hated Malene.

Iben overtakes a bicycle pulling a trailer.

Anne-Lise, one more thing. When I saw Lea at Louisiana, she mentioned that Tatiana is about to start on a major paper. I thought youd be the right person to suggest books from our library for her research.

I could do that. Whats the subject?

Dont know. But why dont you phone her and ask if you can help?

Anne-Lise pauses briefly before answering. Thats so nice of you. Ill do that. Thank you for the advice.

Dont thank me. Im just helping a colleague.

No, Iben, its different. I cant tell you how pleased I am.

Anne-Lise sounds unusually happy. Iben loses her concentration a little as she looks over the tops of the parked cars to try to find a gap in the traffic and slip across sterbro Street.

She unlocks the door to Malenes apartment with the spare key she keeps for times like this. Malene is lying on the sofa. Before he left, Rasmus helped her into a loose-fitting tracksuit, made her some breakfast, and helped her to go to the bathroom. Rasmus is on his way to Glasgow with a group of other salesmen.

Malene is pale, but even without her makeup she looks lovely.

Malene, what lousy luck.

Umm.

What have you taken?

Two ibuprofens at five this morning. And then two paracetamols and then two more ibuprofens. Im not allowed any more.

And it got this bad in just one night?

Yes, it did.

Iben packs an overnight bag. Then, while Malene is still lying down, Iben gently slides on her shoes, lacing them loosely but tying the knots firmly. Iben puts Malenes arm around her own neck, careful not to jolt her friends hand, and, as effectively as she can, she helps her to stand up. When they reach the hall, Iben eases Malene into her coat.

On the landing, Iben lets Malene lean against the banister while she quickly grabs her jacket and picks up both of their bags. Iben can see that Malenes eyes are full of pain, but also of something else something that shes certain no one else except Rasmus has seen.

Making their way down the stairs is the hardest part, but together they have mastered it. Iben tells the waiting taxi driver how to help Malene into the cab.

Once theyre through door 42 of the hospital, maneuvering is easier, because here the corridors are wide and the elevators roomy. The ambulatory unit at the rheumatological clinic has no proper waiting room, only a selection of chairs and magazines placed in a cul-de-sac in the corridor. Iben helps Malene out of her coat, finds her a chair and another one for her leg, and then goes off to register her arrival.

Now it should take an hour at most until a doctor comes along to drain the fluid out of the inflamed knee joint. If Malene had the energy, she might have felt some relief. As it is, all she can do is endure it.

Iben sits down next to her. Is there anything I can do for you?

Malene has put one of her hands lightly on her swollen knee. She stares straight ahead. No, Iben, not a thing. Thanks.

You know that all you have to do is say Its okay. You can go off to work now, if you like.

No way. Ill stay here with you. But I need to go downstairs and make some calls. They wont take long. Is there anything youd like me to get you from the kiosk?

Malene doesnt move. No, thanks.

Iben walks with long, swift steps, aware of the ease with which she can move. Dear G.o.d, thank you, she thinks, and then feels ashamed.

But she has nothing to be ashamed of. After all, she is doing everything she can to help Malene. She has no reason whatsoever to feel bad.

And besides, she was also being helpful to Anne-Lise.

The air is chilly and still damp after the nights rain. A handful of people are wandering around between the parked cars, smoking or talking into their cell phones. Iben phones Nisa at the Danish Inst.i.tute for International Studies to ask for current statistics on the ongoing genocide of Amazonian Indians. Nisa asks her how things are going at the DCIG.

Iben has a shrewd idea of what shes angling for. Good. Were just preparing the Chechnya issue.

Sure enough, Nisa soon gets to the point. Somebody told me youre having problems with Anne-Lise?

Iben has to smile at how quickly gossip spreads. Shes glad that she and Malene have managed to defend themselves, but she knows she must be discreet. Really? Who told you that?

Just something Erling said.

Thats all right. Erling sits on the same research committee as Ole Henningsen. It wouldnt be bad if the information filtered through that way.

Erling? What did he tell you?

He told me that Anne-Lise has an alcohol problem.

Nisa, Im not sure. But now that you say it well, it would explain a lot.

Nisa tries to find out more, but Ibens brief responses demonstrate that at the DCIG they intend to keep Anne-Lises problems internal.

After the Louisiana conference a week and a half ago, Iben and Malene had gotten together in Malenes apartment to plan a defense strategy. If Anne-Lise keeps criticizing them behind their backs, they could end up being fired, and then theyd never be able to get a job in human rights again. With all the changes going on at the moment, they knew they didnt have much time. They needed to establish that Anne-Lises perceptions of her colleagues were grossly distorted. Iben then swung into action. The following day she called Lea to chat about the conference. She mentioned how she and Malene viewed recent events in the DCIG office. This was when Lea, who once had to share an office with an alcoholic, asked if Anne-Lise drank too much.