Dallas in Wonderland by Evan Gilbert

Author:Evan Gilbert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

DALLAS WAS sitting on his patio, wearing nothing but a pair of white cargo shorts. He sipped red wine as he stared out at the white sand beach and the black waters of the ocean beyond. The night sky was overcast, and the beach was so dark the people strolling along the water’s edge appeared to be drifting shadows. The breeze off the ocean was strong and cool, with only a hint of brine.

There was a party in progress at the home of one of his friends, a spontaneous bash to which he’d been invited. He declined. He was in such a funk after leaving work today he didn’t think he’d be good company now. Hell, he didn’t even feel up to putting himself to bed. Maybe he would just sleep out on the patio tonight.

His cell phone rang. He grabbed it from the table beside him and looked at the screen. Johnny. That was strange. Johnny usually confined business calls to business hours.

Dallas put the phone to his ear. “Hello, Johnny.”

“Hey, Dallas.”

Dallas was taken aback at the tone of the voice. “Uh… I don’t mean to be rude, but you sound weird. You have a head cold or something?”

“I think I need to see a doctor. My nose is bleeding. I think it’s broken.”

Dallas sat upright in his chair. “Where are you?”

“Mercy Miami, at the emergency room. I’m waiting to see a doctor. A friend from school drove me down, but she had to leave.” There was a pause, followed by a slow, audible intake of breath. “I hate to bother you, man, but… can you drive me to a motel or something when I’m done here?”

Dallas hesitated. He’d only had a few sips of wine so far, certainly not enough to put him anywhere near the legal limit for alcohol. He decided he should be fine to drive. “Hang tight, guy. I’m on my way.”

Between the partiers and tourists, the Friday night traffic was horrendous. It took nearly forty-five minutes for Dallas to make the drive to the hospital. The emergency room at Mercy was surprisingly calm. There were only a handful of people in the waiting room, with the receptionists, the nurses, and other workers quietly going about their business. Probably the lull before the storm, Dallas decided as he made his way to the intake desk. The night was still rather young. Give the partiers time to get some liquor or illegal substances in them, and the muggers and gangbangers a chance to get revved up, and business here at the hospital would pick up dramatically.

He gave the receptionist a polite but vague smile. “Hi. I’m Dallas Fox. I’m here for a patient, John Roman. He asked me to come down.”

“John… Roman,” the receptionist, a small, middle-aged woman, repeated as she typed the name. She reviewed the information that appeared on her computer monitor. “Oh, yes. The doctor’s in with him now. He should be coming out in a few minutes. You can wait over there. I’ll let him know that you’re here.

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