The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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me a drink or I get up out of bed sad get it myself.” 
Johnny shrugged and moved toward the bar. Jules said indifferently, “I’m saying he 
shouldn’t have it.” 
Johnny knew why Jules irritated him. The doctor’s voice was always cool, the words 
never stressed so matter how dire, the voice always low and controlled. If he gave a 
warning the warning was in the words alone, the voice itself was neutral, as if uncaring. 
It was this that made Johnny sore enough to bring Nino his water glass of whiskey. 
Before he handed it over he said to Jules, “This won’t kill him, right?” 
“No, it won’t kill him,” Jules said calmly. Lucy gave him an anxious glance, started to say 
something, then kept still. Meanwhile Nino had taken the whiskey and poured it down 
his throat. 
Johnny was smiling down at Nino; they had shown the punk doctor. Suddenly Nino 
gasped, his face seemed to turn blue, he couldn’t catch his breath and was choking for 
air. His body leaped upward like a fish, his face was gorged with blood, his eyes bulging. 
Jules appeared on the other side of the bed facing Johnny and Lucy. He took Nino by 
the neck and held him still and plunged the needle into the shoulder near where it joined 
the neck. Nino went limp in his hands, the heaves of his body subsided, and after a 
moment he slumped down back onto his pillow. His eyes closed in sleep. 
Johnny, Lucy and Jules went back into the living room part of the suite and sat around 
the huge solid coffee table. Lucy picked up one of the aquamarine phones and ordered 
coffee and some food to be sent up. Johnny had gone over to the bar and mixed himself 
a drink. 
“Did you know he would have that reaction from the whiskey?” Johnny asked. 
Jules shrugged. “I was pretty sure he would.” 
Johnny said sharply, “Then why didn’t you warn me?” 
“I warned you,” Jules said. 
“You didn’t warn me right,” Johnny said with cold anger. “You are really one hell of a 
doctor. You don’t give a shit. You tell me to get Nino in a crazy house, you don’t bother 
to use a nice word like sanitorium. You really like to stick it to people, right?” 
Lucy was staring down in her lap. Jules kept smiling at Fontane. “Nothing was going to 
stop you from giving Nino that drink. You had to show you didn’t have to accept my 
warnings, my orders. Remember when you offered me a job as your personal physician 

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