The Journey to the End of the World (Joel Gustafson Stories) by Henning Mankell

a hospital.
    ‘I’ll come with you,’ said Joel, starting to pick up his clothes which were still wet.
    ‘No,’ said Samuel. ‘It’ll be better if you stay here at the hotel. You never know how long it’s going to take at a hospital. I’ll give you some money for food. I’ve spoken to the woman down in reception.’
    ‘But what can I do here?’ Joel complained, realising that he sounded like a whining child.
    ‘You’ll manage,’ said Samuel. ‘I’ll phone from the hospital if it’s going to take a really long time.’
    His tone of voice was very firm, and Joel could see there would be no point in protesting. He sat down on his bed and watched Samuel getting dressed. He was obviously in great pain. Every movement hurt.
    ‘A taxi is coming to pick me up,’ he said, taking out his wallet.
    ‘I’ve got some money,’ said Joel.
    Samuel seemed surprised.
    ‘You mean you’ve got some money of your own?’
    ‘I’ve got fifteen kronor. That’ll be enough.’
    Samuel took out three ten-kronor notes and put them on the bed.
    ‘It’s better to have too much than too little,’ he said. ‘But you don’t need to spend it all. Unless it’s necessary.’
    Joel helped Samuel on with his jacket.
    ‘Is it serious?’
    Samuel pulled a face.
    ‘No,’ he said. ‘I’ll be OK as long as I can get to a doctor.’
    That told Joel that it really was serious.
    Samuel was afraid. And he was a bad liar. Much worse than Joel.
    Joel wanted to go down to the lobby with him, but Samuel pointed at the bed.
    ‘You’ve got to get some sleep,’ he said. ‘I won’t be away for long. And then we can go and look for Mummy Jenny.’
    In fact, he’s only too pleased to be able to put that off, Joel thought. But he didn’t say anything.
    Samuel nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
    ‘Everything will be OK as soon as I see a doctor,’ he said.
    Samuel left. Joel looked at the picture hanging on the wall. The young man was playing the violin. The woman with the big breasts seemed to be looking straight at him. Her mouth was half open, as if she were saying something.
    It won’t be OK at all, said the woman in the picture.
    The violin screeched away in the background.
    ‘Oh yes it will,’ said Joel.
    Then he carefully took down the picture and leaned it against the wall. With its back to the room.
    There was a lump of old chewing gum stuck to it.
    Right in the middle of her backside, Joel thought angrily. Why does she have to say that things won’t be OK?
    Joel hung up his clothes to dry.
    Then he snuggled down between the sheets again.
    After a while he moved over to Samuel’s bed. He tried to picture Samuel in his mind’s eye. Getting out of the taxi and entering the hospital.
    But he was far too tired. His thoughts ran away from him. He was soon fast asleep.
    He was woken up by somebody tapping on his head. He tried to duck down under the covers, but the tapping continued. As he became increasingly wide awake, he realised that it was in fact somebody belting hard on the door. He wound a blanket round his naked body and went to open it. There was a chambermaid standing outside. She looked angry.
    ‘It’s nearly midday,’ she said. ‘If this room is going to get cleaned today, I need to do it now.’
    Midday, Joel wondered, somewhat confused. Had he really slept for as long as that?
    ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes,’ said the chambermaid.
    Joel closed the door. Samuel had taken his watch with him. He started to get dressed as quickly as he could. His clothes were dry, so he must have been asleep for a long time.
    When the chambermaid knocked on the door again, Joel was just hanging the picture back up on the wall. He wondered if the chambermaid would need paying. And where was Samuel? Why hadn’t he come back?
    The chambermaid came in and gave him a dirty look.
    ‘How on earth can anybody stay in bed until twelve o’clock?’ she said. ‘But it’s none of my business, I suppose.’
    Exactly, Joel