The nurse came over to Jason’s bed, and he appreciated her soft roundness. From her calves to her thighs and butt, even her cheeks, she had an irresistibly cute chubbiness to her. Her brown eyes were captivating, creating the impression they sparkled. And Jason loved the frizzy look of her black hair, which fell to her shoulders. He wondered what she looked like without the mask, but Jason supposed it was all academic at this point.

She brought a bowl with water and a sponge, then set them down onto a side table.

“What’s your name?” Jason asked her.

“Celia.” She removed his gown from the shoulders and pulled it down to his waist, then she dipped the sponge into the bowl and squeezed it to remove the excess water.

“That’s a pretty name.” Jason watched her as she leaned in to wash his brow. “So how does that scar look?”

Jason thought the doctor took off the butterfly bandage prematurely. The ring doctor probably should have stitched the wound.

“What scar?” She brushed his forehead with the damp sponge, then his cheeks.

“It’s just above the right eyebrow. You can’t miss it.” Jason thought the sponge bath felt like a light massage.

“I don’t see anything.” She wiped his chest and stomach. “You think you could roll onto your side?”

The nurse propped him up onto his side so he could hold onto the handrail to keep himself upright, even if the pain was uncomfortable. His back spasmed with pain, sending waves that radiated toward his lower back, where they just disappeared into nothingness. It was harder to hold himself up than he thought, because he was dead weight from the waist down, and the muscles in his legs and waist weren’t helping him.

“Okay, got it,” she said. “You can let go now.”

Jason winced, even though she helped him slowly lower himself down.

The nurse now bent over to scrub the soles of Jason’s feet, and he found himself examining her round butt and plump thighs, which were encased in white nylons and a tight skirt. She worked her way up his legs, to his knees, carefully skirting the bandage near his shin where he’d been shot. Celia’s sponge worked its way past his knee, up into his thighs. “Here, let me get this gown out of the way.”

She lifted his gown and involuntarily yelped.

“Oh my gosh! You’ve got the biggest dick I’ve ever seen!” Celia found herself staring before she caught herself. “Sorry, that wasn’t very professional of me.”

“It’s okay if it’s unprofessional, as long as it’s flattering.” Jason laughed, even if he thought that it didn’t matter anymore if he was well-endowed or not—it was a moot point.

“Okay,” the nurse announced cheerfully as she straightened out his gown. “All done now.”

“Oh, Celia. Just one question.”

“Yes, do you need a pain med?” Her little breasts bulged outward at the front of her tight white uniform.

“How exactly do I use the bathroom? And did you just change a diaper on me?”

“Yes, the diaper takes care of urinary leaks, but for bowel movements, we use a suppository, and your stool is extracted manually.” She explained it all matter-of-factly, without the least discomfort or embarrassment.

Jason thought he might be ill, and had lost his appetite for lunch. Her reference to his “stool” sounded like she was talking about a chair, but it was a much more pleasant word than “shit.” “Okay, that’s good to know, I guess. I’m certain they’re not paying you enough. I mean, how do you do it?”

Celia shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Part of it is experience—the more you do something, the easier it gets. But you also have to want to help somebody. If you know you’re helping someone, you can do what needs to be done.”

Jason didn’t even want to think about her job, yet she was irrepressibly cheerful and cute.

“I’ll be back,” she said with a smile and a wave. “Just buzz if you need anything,”

“Thanks.” He gave her a smile as she left. Jason lay on his bed, but couldn’t recall her touching his groin. He didn’t remember feeling anything as she worked her way up his legs. She must have been touching his groin, though—it’s just that he didn’t feel it. If somebody as cute as this nurse was scrubbing his groin and he felt nothing, then it was effectively game over for him.

* * *

“I’m at a point in the game where I’ve fought and killed the mayor’s chimp advisor,” Jason explained, “and I’m paralyzed from the lower back down, just as dad would be if the surgery doesn’t work out. Is that intentional?”

“Remember, in the game, you’re dreaming. A belief in the symbolism of dreams goes way back; there are examples of dreams being interpreted for meaning in the Bible, for example. Scientists aren’t sure exactly why we dream, but one hypothesis is that your mind is struggling to cope with something, searching for solutions.” Gramps sat beside Jason at the Barnes and Nobles cafe, sipping a coffee. “The game wasn’t necessarily set up with you getting paralyzed. Maybe your mind is trying to wrestle with your dad’s situation.”

“Plight is more like it.” Jason leafed through one of several FIRE books he’d pulled from the shelves. “I was always dismissive of dad’s fears, but now that I’m paralyzed from the lower back down, at least in the game, I realize how terrifying it is, how depressing.”

“I don’t think any of us are dismissive of what could go wrong with Randy’s surgery, but it’s reached the point where he has to do something, even if the outcome isn’t good, because he can’t go on living like he’s been living.” Gramps studied the Asian young lady two tables over.

“Is there a reset in the game, something where I can punch out and start over?” Jason noticed the Asian woman, too, who was slim, with long black hair and beautiful almond eyes.

“No. It’s like life—you play until you die.” Gramps idly played with his coffee stirrer. “I guess your question is, what makes life worth living?”

“This is crazy. First, there are moral questions in The Midas Game, now there are philosophical questions.” Jason took a sip of his hot tea. He thought about what he would do if he were confined to his hospital bed, or maybe a bed in an apartment: write songs, stories or poems, maybe practice his sleight of hand magic and develop new tricks. He let his imagination run wild; what if Maureen visited him in the hospital, and they kissed? What if he could feel her breasts and kiss them, would that be worth staying in the game? “I can think of several options, but I don’t know if they’re worth it. I never saw the movie My Left Foot, but I always wondered how I could live like that.”

“Remember what I always tell you about the game. You’ve been doing the work, so stick with it.” Gramps looked up at his grandson. “Is there something health-wise you could do in real life?”

“No. I got back into my workout, I did thirty minutes of jumping rope this…” A wave of realization struck Jason. “I never did get that test done for hemochromatosis.”

“I’d get on that.” Gramps finished his drink, slipped his arms through his jacket while seated, and rose from his seat.

“I think the Kristy Shen book, Quit Like a Millionaire, is the one I’ll get.” Jason studied the cover of the book, which lay atop a stack of others. He realized his grandfather put on his jacket while seated because Gramps wore his handgun in a behind-the-hip holster.

“I’d show you my book, Money for Nothing, Chicks for Free, which is a FIRE book, but it’s only available on Amazon Kindle.” Gramps picked up his Panama hat from the table and put it on.

“You wrote a book?” Yesterday, there was the shocking revelation that his grandfather was in jail, and now he was an author. Jason wondered what was next with the old man.

“Yes, but unlike the typical FIRE book, I also talk about how to be successful with women. There are financial books, and there are seduction community books, but as far as I know, mine is the only book on both, sort of the unified field theory of money and women.”

He and his grandfather were making their way past the table with the young Asian lady, when Gramps stopped. “Excuse me, Miss, may I ask what you’re reading?”

She looked up at the two men, initially suspicious, but the older man’s demeanor put her at ease. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m curious, for one, but I was wondering if you’re the type of woman my grandson would be interested in. Any young lady in a bookstore passes the smarts test.” Gramps smiled.

She looked up from her book. “This book is about real estate investing. And I have a fiancé.”

“Real estate is next for my grandson here” Gramps gestured to Jason at his side. “Good luck.”

With a smile and a wave, Gramps took his leave of the cute young lady, then the two of them proceeded to checkout.

When the two of them were in Gramps’ car, Jason turned to his grandfather. “What was that bit back there with the cute Asian?”

“I liked her, and I could tell you liked her, so I thought I’d see if she was interested.” He looked behind him as he backed the car out of the parking spot and across the icy blacktop. Today was one of those days during the lull in between Christmas and New Year’s, when most people have already exchanged gifts they didn’t want or used their cash or gift cards to shop. “That’s the easiest approach in the world, because I’m not introducing myself for my sake, but for yours, so rejection is meaningless.”

“Wow, you’ve got guts.” Jason pursed his lips.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t tried to introduce the two of you?” Gramps pointed up ahead. “There’s a 24-hour medical place beside the muffler shop. You can get the blood test done there.”

Jason looked out the window. “I would have done what I always do—check her out, think about how gorgeous she is, but do nothing about it. Now I realize that’s stupid. I should have the attitude I have during the Midas Game—hey, it’s only a game, so why not try it?”

Gramps smiled and turned on his mp3 player. “That’s the way to live.”

* * *

“You’re lucky we caught this when we did.” Dr. Nichols told Jason, who sat on a paper sheet on top of the padded examination couch in the doctor’s office. “Most people who have hemochromatosis don’t know they have it. The hereditary condition is the opposite of anemia—instead of too little iron, your body wants to hoard it, and you have too much. Your body keeps absorbing iron over decades, soaking it up like a sponge. There aren’t any symptoms, until you reach the point where the iron saturation is so great that you experience multiple organ failure, but by then, it’s too late.”

Jason felt like he dodged the Grim Reaper’s scythe and could feel it passing uncomfortably close to his head. “My grandfather has it, so he suggested I get tested.”

“He probably saved your life.” The doctor handed Jason a card. “I’m referring you to Dr. Jemmerle, an enterologist. He’ll oversee your treatment for hemochromatosis.”

“Thanks, doctor.” Jason got up and put on his jacket, then followed the doctor out of the examination room and out into the lobby of the hospital.

As Jason walked out to his car, deep in thought. He had spent another two days in the game, reading the newspaper and doing the crossword puzzle while lying on his hospital bed. He learned that Celia was from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and left an abusive husband. Still, he was bored out of his skull, even after Celia brought him a deck of cards so he could practice his card tricks and sleights. The 1920s were an era when half dollars and silver dollars were common coins, so it was easy for him to practice his coin sleights as he lay in bed.

He hated to hurt the old man’s feelings, but if something didn’t change in the game tonight, Jason was done.