Finding Liberty by B. E. Baker

Author:B. E. Baker [Baker, B. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Purple Puppy Publishing

16

Rob

I’m almost thirty, and this is my first time in New York City. My redeye flight lands right on time and I have no trouble hailing a cab. It takes me straight to the hospital where Brekka’s having her surgery. I’d never have snagged a cab this fast at four in the morning in Atlanta. If I could even find one at all.

I pay my bill by credit card and step out to the curb. Technology amazes me these days. But the lights and sirens and bustle of people at this hour baffle me. New York certainly qualifies as the city that never sleeps. Then again, the streets in Atlanta don’t smell of fecal matter and vomit. At least, not the parts I’ve visited.

The hospital smells marginally better than the road behind it. Not as much better as I might have hoped, but it is a place sick people come for care. I imagine that brings some legitimate explanation for the lingering puke scent.

I sit in the waiting room for half an hour before Trig arrives. He puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me in for a side hug, which I didn’t expect.

“Who would ever have believed a few months ago that you and I would be sitting in a waiting room together?” Trig asks.

I shake my head. “Certainly not me.”

“Well, I sure like you a lot better than I did back in February.”

“Your opinion really had nowhere to go but up,” I say. “If we’re being honest.”

“I didn’t like you,” he says, “but I actually started to respect you when you took my call before my Valentine’s Day grand gesture. If our positions had been reversed, I’d probably have declined the call.”

“Your curiosity would have won out,” I say.

“You think?”

I shrug. “I think we’re a lot more alike than you realize.”

Trig scratches his chin. “You might be right. Some days I wish I had a decent mom, but then I’d probably have been as big a wash up as you.”

I don’t laugh.

Trig frowns. “You know I’m kidding right? You got a little defensive about the car dealership before. I know you’re smart, and I know you do a great job running your dealerships. I even know you make a lot of money by most people’s standards.”

“Thanks.” I can’t bring myself to be more effusive. I don’t need his compliments. I know my own worth. I grab an old issue of Car and Driver and pretend to read it, flipping a little too fast to be convincing. I force myself to slow down.

“You’re nervous,” Trig says. “You’re wound up even tighter than normal.”

“No.”

“You are.” Trig knocks the magazine out of my hand. “You don’t need to be. She’s going to be fine.”

I lean toward him and my voice comes out a little rougher than I expect. “You don’t know that.”

“It’s a simple procedure, really. They disclosed the official percentages and risks, but all the people who died were a lot sicker than Brekka, and way older too. No one her age and in such great health has had a bad outcome.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.