Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Heart thumping, Pike quickly crossed to his door and shut it. Not bothering with getting back to his desk, he slumped in the visitor’s chair. “What’s wrong? Is it Jos?”
“Not Josiah.” Ryan inhaled sharply. “It’s Zack.”
Boom. Pike’s world detonated. “Is he—”
“He’s alive,” Ryan said quickly. “But very sick. He had a ruptured appendix while out on the training mission. They flew to the closest base where they did one surgery, but then the infection spread, and they brought him back to San Diego for more intensive treatment, and he had a second surgery.”
“What? How many days has he been sick?” Pike’s mind was spinning.
“A few. I’m not sure myself. I just got a call from someone I know who’s still with the teams.”
“Why didn’t they call me?” Pike couldn’t keep the anguish out of his voice.
Ryan didn’t reply, and that silence spoke volumes. Of course no one had called him. He wasn’t next of kin, wasn’t tied in to the SEAL network—almost no one even knew of his existence apart from the senior chief. He would have thought maybe the senior chief would call, but for all Pike knew some HIPAA nonsense prevented him from talking to nonfamily members about medical stuff. Or maybe—
“I don’t know,” Ryan said finally. “The rest of the team stayed behind to finish their training, I’m pretty sure. But you’re...not—”
“Family. I get it.” Words were not Pike’s friend as he struggled to speak. “But I can still go see him, right? He’s back in San Diego at the medical center?”
“Yeah, but about that...” Ryan paused, and Pike died a thousand deaths waiting for the next bit of bad news. Did Zack not want to see him? “Listen, you know Zack’s family situation, right? Conservative-as-hell parents. Well, word is that they flew out, and they’re probably at the hospital—”
“I don’t care. I have to see him.” Leaping to his feet, Pike paced in front of his desk.
“Had a feeling you were going to say that.” Ryan’s laugh was strained. “So I’m tying up some stuff here, then coming down first thing tomorrow. I’ll go with you, run some interference with the family—”
“No. Today. I have to see him today.”
“You can’t—”
“Out him. I know.” Pike didn’t need a warning lecture from Ryan. “I’m just a friend. I can do that.”
Ryan’s harsh laugh said he didn’t exactly believe him.
“I can. I have to go see him.”
“Okay. I’m still coming tomorrow, but let me tell you what I know so far.”
Pike’s brain was mush, so he grabbed a scratch pad and a pen and wrote down what Ryan told him about where in the sprawling Naval Medical Center Zack was. Seriously, his mind was oatmeal, and his hand shook writing down the information. He needed to get to Zack right that minute, not wait—
“Fuck. My class.”
“Can you cancel?”
“Gonna have to.” This was not going to look great for Pike’s reputation, but no way could he go in front of a classroom of students. He ended the call with Ryan and went off in search of the administrative assistant who handled things like scheduling for the department.
However, on his way there he ran into Professor Hu. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. “Nelson? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Pike started to lie, then couldn’t hold it together, hands shaking all over again. “No. Zack—my roommate—is sick. Really sick. And I just now found out and—”
“You need to get to him and you’re a wreck?” She patted his arm. “Been there.”
“Zack and I...he’s not...that is, we’re not...”
“It’s okay. I get it. Years ago, Joanna was in a car accident. Hospital called her family instead of me. No one let me know, and then her family wouldn’t let me see her. They’re somewhat better these days, but back then it was a mess.”
“Yeah. Pretty much that.” God, it felt so good to talk to someone who got it. “No one knows, not really. Two of our friends, but even that was an accident. And now he’s sick and I don’t know...” His voice broke.
“What do you need?” Her dark eyes were kind, and her hand on his arm was a steadying force, keeping him from collapsing onto the carpeting.
“I can’t teach my afternoon class.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Madeline put up a cancellation notice on the door. Now, do you need a ride to the hospital? Joanna works over there as a nurse practitioner. I can have her meet us—”
“No. I don’t know what I’m walking into over there,” Pike admitted. “Probably better to go alone.”
“Do you have my personal cell number?” She pulled her phone out. “I’m texting you now. I want you to call me if you need anything. And drive safe.”
“I will.” Pike’s heart seemed lodged somewhere up near his sinuses, making it hard to function, but he managed to nod with what he hoped was gratitude.