...

George returned to the room, undressed and, throwing back the veil, lay down.

Already falling asleep, I heard the door creak and Slavka, having knocked on the threshold and cursed, went into the room and lay down on one of the free beds.

Georgy woke up and, stretching, pulled the clock from his nightstand - 8:15.

"It's too early, another 30-40 minutes," and turned on its side.

But the dream had already evaporated and, taking the "Cliff", read lying.

After 12 minutes, feeling that the dream had gone completely, put the book down and stood up.

Going to the toilet, went to the sink.

In the washbasin was Arkady of 201 rooms. He was under forty and in the room he lived alone. Arkady long and thoroughly washed with a soap mug and spoon. When he finished, he carried him into the room and, returning, began to wash his hands thoroughly and with soap and water. On the floor, everyone knew that Arkady had a phobia: he washed his hands before and after going to the toilet. When he reached the door of his room and opened it, he came back and washed his hands again. The door to the room was closed, holding the handle through the towel. After leaving the room and closing the door with a key, I went into the wash basin and carefully laundered my hands, and then stood for a long time and shook my hands until drying out.

Once, George, counted seven handwashing in one session and, unable to withstand the torture, left the washbasin.

Another time, Georgy spoke with Lyokha from 214. When Arkady went to wash his hands for the fourth time in a row, Lyokha could not stand it - Listen, you will come again, in the face of women!

Returning to the room, he took out a list and, sitting down on the bed, looked over.

Vladimir - 8 laboratory

Vitali - 6 laboratory

Valery - 4 laboratory (from the hostel)

Vadim - 4 laboratory

Love - Accounting

Tatyana - OGT

Alla Borisovna - 2 laboratory.

The photo was not, the names were unfamiliar. George himself worked in the 10th lab.

Yurka woke up and, wishing good morning and stretching, got up.

I made the bed and dressed, grabbed a towel and went out.

The Slavka - Jora squirmed, let's drink tea, his throat is dry!

Georgy got up and, topping up the water from the decanter in the kettle, turned it on.

They poured tea, when Artyom came in and, greeting everyone, walked over to the table.

- What are you doing, vodny louse, without me you drink cocoa!

Slavka, sipping hot tea, hemmed - Sober, Artyomushko!

An hour later

Yurka ran away for a date, Artyom went to his room.

George and Slavka sat at the table.

- Jora, I met Tatyana Belikova last week. Do you remember Vitka Belikova?

- Slav, well, what are you ?!

- son and a half; mom, woman, uncle says, and dad - no. And dads - no! This is my fault!

- Slav, throw! It's not your fault.

- I suggested that he earn some money. They needed money to pay for the co-op.

...

Last summer, Slavka, having appeared in a hostel, offered George a month to work on the roof. He recruited into the brigade those whom he knew well.

At the factory, at the other end of the city, it was necessary to change the roof overlap in the scrap metal shop. The administration did not want to recruit a brigade from among its employees: piecework, deadlines.

George took leave.

We got up at six in the morning and at eight were already working on the roof. They worked all daylight hours, for 12-13 hours, seven days a week.

In the hostel came at eleven, and sometimes at twelve o'clock at night.

The first week was tired and, arriving and going to the shower, immediately went to bed. But in the second week they were drawn in and, arriving at the hostel, they still sat in the room until two, until three in the morning and played cards.

According to safety measures, they had to work with belts fastened to a cable stretched over the roof of the workshop. But with the belts the work went very slowly and, waving a hand at safety, began to work without belts. Anyway, no one came and did not check.

On Monday, the third week, a concrete slab broke through near Valerka, and he fell to the waist and stopped with his elbows. He immediately jumped out and wanted to continue working.

But Slavka stopped him - Smoke!

Five minutes later Valerka turned pale as a sheet. It finally came to him that it would be if he went to the workshop.

There were heaps of scrap metal in the workshop, and the height was eight meters!

Valery worked the last day. Two days later, he and his wife had to fly south.

Shaken him hard. Therefore, we decided to leave for lunch, an hour earlier.

After lunch, we agreed to do this: the concrete blocks were edged with edges on steel beams. In order not to fail when lifting the block (the blocks were raised together, they weighed 40–60 kg), they set their legs so that the support was on the beams.

Instead of the departed Valerka, Slava and offered to work Vitka Belikova.

He was told how to become, so that if the stove breaks down, do not fall into the workshop.

Belikov failed on the third day.

He and Romka raised the slab and Victor, stepping over, came off the seam, under which the steel beam passed. The slab folded under him in half, and he, along with the slab he held with his hands (his arms were stretched down, along the body, if his elbows were divorced, he would have lingered, like Valerka), went down.

Georgy was standing nearby, with a cart, and saw Victor leave: Belikov wore glasses and his eyes behind the lenses were closed, and his face was flat and, as it seemed to George, already lifeless.

Romka, screaming - Vitka failed! - ran to the edge of the roof, where there was a ladder to the ground.

George, leaving the cart, ran after him. The rest froze in their places, not yet realizing what had happened. He managed to notice how Slavka had changed in the face, and then, clasping his head with his hands and crouching, groaned.

Running up to the stairs and, turning, George began to descend. To the stairs already ran the rest. Slavka walked behind everyone, staggering like a drunk.

They ran into the workshop and, guided by a hole in the roof, approached the place where Belikov had to fall.

On the floor lay the wreckage of the slab, Vitka was not!

Flashed - "It cost!" - But Romka, lifting his head from the floor, said - He is there!

At a height of two meters was a fenced metal platform.

“For the crane operator,” George thought, and as they climbed the ladder, they saw him.

He lay prone.

Sitting down, they saw how the vein on the temple was pulsating slowly, as if fading away; there was a pallor of death in the face, breathing was not observed, eyes were closed, there were no glasses.

The others were already on the platform, and Romka, having gone down, ran to Slavka.

- Where is the phone! We must call an ambulance! He is still alive!

Slavka came to his senses - I myself! - and ran.

After 15 minutes, the ambulance arrived.

The doctor got up and, feeling her pulse, called for the orderlies with stretchers.

That day did not work!

Slavka all let go.

Together with George, they went to the hospital.

In the corridor of the surgical department a doctor, a man of about forty

- Traumatic brain injury. The condition is very difficult. I can say nothing more - and turned away.

- Maybe blood is needed for transfusion? - asked Slavka.

- Transfusion is not needed. But you can donate blood.

Went outside.

Slavka smoked, nervously strolling from side to side.

Has stopped

- Zhor, you need to go, tell Tatiana. I can not...

They arrived at the bus stop near the house where Vitka lived.

Slavka reached the corner. Said what an entrance, floor, apartment

- I'll be there! - waved his hand somewhere to the side and left.

George climbed to the floor and painfully thought how and what to say.

They talked to Slavka and agreed that it was necessary to say about the turning point of the arm and the concussion.

He called, opened Tatiana.

George saw the woman for the first time.

The Belikovs lived with Tatiana’s mother.

In the crib agukal baby.

Confused and stumbling, he spoke as agreed with Slava.

The woman was scared, but she was fine.

They got out and, reaching the stop, caught a taxi.

...

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