The Fall and Rise of Cain. Greg T. Nelson

as they moved arteries around, grafted bone in and then finally just waited for me to heal or not. I healed, sort of.

      Captain William Haden stepped in the door once and he started to fire questions at me. “Why were you on Pier 11? I distinctly told you PIER 21 damn it, Cain…” I managed to throw a bedpan at him. It was empty. If they hadn’t taken my gun I probably would have shot him. Ed Forney came and tried to help me. He took my statement so I wouldn’t have to talk to one of the pricks that had sent cops to direct traffic instead of backing us up at the ship channel. He tried to make me feel better with hero talk. It didn’t work and he knew it. But he was trying so I took it easy on him. Ed and I had been partners a few times and friends for twenty years. He was a good guy but working with me had made his wife nervous. I left the hospital after two months, then three more in a rehab center then four more taking a cab every other day from my apartment. Ed took me a few times. My parents died when I was 26 and my friends, well I guess I made them nervous and I wasn’t good company, there were few visitors.

      The Police Association tried to help. They sent support counselors, citizen group leaders, and even a local priest. They all had the same message. Don’t say anything that might embarrass the City. Finally desperate they sent in the big gun, Katharine Cain, ex-wife of a hero.