Read Online Time to Live: Part Five by John Gilstrap - Free Book Online Page B

asked.
    “The police want to talk to you,” Brad lied, holding out the phone to Nicki. “I told them I didn’t think you’d want to.”
    “What do they want?”
    “To talk you into giving up and leaving me here.”
    “Tell them to forget it. I’m staying.”
    * * *
    Commander Donnelly pounded the table with his fist, making everyone jump. Suddenly, Scotty didn’t want to be there anymore. “Can we trace that call?” he asked the room.
    “Once we know the number for the cell phone, we can.”
    “Find it,” Donnelly barked. He turned to Scotty. “How about you? Do you know your grandmother’s cell phone number?”
    The boy’s eyes widened. “We were never allowed to use it. She just kept it for emergencies. I don’t think I ever heard it ring, even.”
    Donnelly kicked a chair across the room. “Dammit!”
    * * *
    “Why did you just lie to her?” Carter shouted. He couldn’t believe it. In all the permutations Carter had run through his mind, this was one he’d never considered. “Why did you tell her that you’re talking to the police?”
    “She asked who I was talking to.”
    “Listen to me, Brad. Don’t do this. Please don’t do this. I know where you’re coming from, I think. You don’t want to be alone. Not now, not at a time like this. I can respect that, but listen to me, okay? Just listen to me and promise that you won’t hang up.”
    “You’ve got one minute.”
    “Okay,” Carter said. “Okay, good.” His brain raced to pull all the pieces together. “There’s no easy way to do this, Brad, so I’m just going to lay it out on the line for you. You have to believe me when I tell you it’s the truth: In the time since I last talked with Nicki on the phone—what was that, four hours ago?—another set of heart and lungs have come and gone. I got the page a couple of hours ago, and when the doctor found out what was happening, he knocked Nicki off the list. The first time was their fault, and they stepped up to the plate to make it right. This second time we were the ones who fumbled the ball, and now Nicki’s only immediate hope for survival has evaporated.”
    “And you want to blame me for that?” Brad said.
    Yes, he wanted to blame him. He wanted to blame Brad for every goddamn thing that had gone wrong these past two days and kick the shit out of him for it, but what was the point? “I’m beyond casting blame,” he said. “Nicki’s a big girl and she makes her own decisions. They’re not always the brightest, but at least they’re hers. None of that changes the fact that she’s been knocked back to the end of the recipient list. That’s done and can’t be undone.”
    “So, why are you telling me?” Brad asked.
    Surely, he could see where this was going. Carter closed his eyes, praying that God would one day forgive him for he was about to propose. “Nicki’s blood type makes her the so-called universal recipient. That means that she can take donated organs from just about anyone.” He waited to hear something from Brad. “Are you there?”
    “Yeah, I’m here. What’s your point?”
    Shit, he was going to make Carter actually say the words, wasn’t he? “Brad, when I see the world from your perspective, it’s a damned unfriendly place. If you give yourself up, you’ll never see the outside of a prison again, not for your whole life.”
    “That ain’t gonna happen,” Brad said, forcing a laugh.
    “I don’t blame you,” Carter said. “But it doesn’t have to come to that. You can end it all right now. You’ve got a gun, and you know that one way or another your life is over, so why don’t you make it for the good of everyone?”
    “What the hell are you suggesting?” The sudden burst of anger told Carter that Brad had already answered his own question.
    “A bullet through your head,” Carter said. He couldn’t be any more direct than that. “That’s all it would take. Leave a note there saying that you want your organs to go to Nicki,