Michael went back into his father's room. He took the phone from its cradle and got the hospital operator to give him the house in Long Beach, the phone in the comer office room. Sonny answered. Michael whispered, "Sonny, I'm down at the hospital, I came down late. Sonny, there's nobody here. None of Tessio's people. No detectives at the door. The old man was completely unprotected." His voice was trembling.
There was a long silence and then Sonny's voice came, low and impressed, "This is Sollozzo's move (ход: «движение») you were talking about."
Michael said, "That's what I figured too. But how did he get the cops to clear everybody out and where did they go? What happened to Tessio's men? Jesus Christ, has that bastard Sollozzo got the New York Police Department in his pocket too?"
"Take it easy, kid." Sonny's voice was soothing. "We got lucky again with you going to visit the hospital so late. Stay in the old man's room. Lock the door from the inside. I'll have some men there inside of fifteen minutes, soon as I make some calls. Just sit tight and don't panic. OK, kid?"
"I won't panic," Michael said. For the first time since it had all started he felt a furious anger rising in him (яростный гнев), a cold hatred for his father's enemies (ненависть к врагам; hatred [‘heitrid]).
He hung up the phone and rang the buzzer for the nurse (звонок, кнопку вызова; to buzz – жужжать). He decided to use his own judgment (решил действовать по своему разумению) and disregard Sonny's orders (не принимать во внимание приказов, указаний Сонни). When the nurse came in he said, "I don't want you to get frightened, but we have to move my father right away. To another room or another floor. Can you disconnect all these tubes (отключить) so we can wheel the bed out?"
The nurse said, "That's ridiculous (смешно [ri’dikjuls]). We have to get permission from the doctor (разрешение)."
Michael spoke very quickly. "You've read about my father in the papers. You've seen that there's no one here tonight to guard him. Now I've just gotten word some men will come into the hospital to kill him. Please believe me and help me." He could be extraordinarily persuasive (убедительным, убеждающим [ps'weisiv]; to persuade [ps'weid] – убедить) when he wanted to be.
The nurse said, "We don't have to disconnect the tubes. We can wheel the stand with the bed."
"Do you have an empty room?" Michael whispered.
"At the end of the hall," the nurse said.
It was done in a matter of moments, very quickly and very efficiently. Then Michael said to the nurse, "Stay here with him until help comes. If you're outside at your station you might get hurt."
At that moment he heard his father's voice from the bed, hoarse (охрипший, сиплый [ho:s]) but full of strength, "Michael, is it you? What happened, what is it?"
Michael leaned over the bed. He took his father's hand in his. "It's Mike," he said. "Don't be afraid. Now listen, don't make any noise at all, especially if somebody calls out your name. Some people want to kill you, understand? But I'm here so don't be afraid."
Don Corleone, still not fully conscious (сознательный, сознающий [‘kons]) of what had happened to him the day before, in terrible pain, yet smiled benevolently (все же улыбнулся благодушно, снисходительно: «благожелательно») on his youngest son, wanting to tell him, but it was too much effort (усилие [‘eft]), "Why should I be afraid now? Strange men have come to kill me ever since I was twelve years old."
When Michael got out of the cab in front of the French Hospital he was surprised to see that the street was completely deserted. When he entered the hospital he was even more surprised to find the lobby empty. Damn it, what the hell were Clemenza and Tessio doing? Sure, they never went to West Point but they knew enough about tactics to have outposts. A couple of their men should have been in the lobby at least.