Read Online Time to Die by John Gilstrap - Free Book Online Page B

“Hello, this is Dr. Cavanaugh. Is this Mr. Janssen?” It was exactly how he had begun the phone call two days ago.
    “Yes, it is.”
    “Father of Nicolette Janssen?” The doctor read off his address and phone number from the computer. Had he forgotten that they’d done this same drill last time?
    “Yes, it’s me.” He heard the frustration in his own voice and made a point to settle himself down.
    “All right, and I just need you to answer the question you gave us on the application as a means of verifying your identity over the phone. What was your mother’s maiden name?”
    “Fox.” Jesus, would he ever get to the point? And while we’re at it, where the hell was the groveling apology they owed him?
    “Very good,” said Dr. Cavanaugh, and Carter heard papers shuffling on the other end of the line. “I have some very good news for you.”
    “Again?” Carter felt dizzy as he pressed his head against the cool glass of the side window.
    “A sixteen-year-old boy was killed tonight in an auto accident in Towanda County, blood type AB positive, and his parents have approved him as a heart-lung donor. You need to get Nicolette to the Pitcairn General Hospital as soon as possible so that we may begin the procedure. Congratulations.”
    Carter felt the panic blossom in his belly. “How much time do we have?” There had to be a way. There had to be time. He knew in his heart that Nicki had floated back up to the top of the list because the last screwup was no fault of her own. This time, the Janssens had broken all the rules; if it didn’t work, she’d fall right back to the end of the line, another eighteen months. A death sentence.
    “Well, sooner is always better than later,” Dr. Cavanaugh explained, “but you don’t have to panic. It will take an hour or so to harvest the organs, and probably another hour to get them to the hospital, so you’ve got plenty of time.”
    Carter’s mind raced through his options. Bilateral heart-lung donors were impossibly rare, once-in-a-lifetime gifts. Literally once-in-a-lifetime. If he were to tell the consortium that—
    “Mr. Janssen, are you there?” The silence had triggered a touch of alarm in the doctor’s voice.
    “I’m here,” Carter said. “What’s the longest you can hold on to the organs before there’s a problem?”
    “As I said, sooner is always best. Is there a problem? If there is, I need to know about it. These organs are precious and the last thing—”
    “No, it’s not a problem. I just have to pick Nicki up from school and take care of some housekeeping stuff. No real big problems.” Carter closed his eyes as he spoke, feeling terrible about the lie.
    Dr. Cavanaugh’s voice took on a very sharp edge. “It’s Saturday,” he said.
    Shit! This was why Carter never told lies. He sucked at the details.
    “Mr. Janssen, if there’s a problem, you need to be up front with me. These gifts are far too valuable to play games. Is there a reason why Nicolette can’t get to the hospital in the next few hours?”
    “Can I have eight hours?” he asked.
    “Eight!” The doctor’s incredulity came through the earpiece clearly enough to draw a look from Darla, who quickly returned her eyes to the road. “Why on earth would you need eight hours?”
    And even that might not be long enough, he didn’t say. In pondering his answer, he lost the opportunity for Dr. Cavanaugh to trust his words.
    “Once more, Mr. Janssen,” he said. “I cannot overstate the importance of you being forthcoming with me. I’m on the feather edge of withdrawing my offer and moving to the next name on the list.”
    “Please don’t do that,” Carter said. “Please.” He decided to try the direct approach. “Okay, here’s the truth of it, okay? I don’t know where she is, exactly. I’m sure I can find her, but I don’t know precisely how long that will take.”
    All traces of friendliness evaporated from the doctor’s tone. “Were the instructions not