Read Online When Tony Met Adam (Short Story) by Suzanne Brockmann - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Suzanne Brockmann
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an actor. People take my picture when I go to the grocery store and if they could, they’d take my picture when I take a fucking dump. They like to speculate about who I’m shagging and since I also happen to be very,
very
gay, I’m not going to say this SEAL’s name out loud, because that will bring a rain of shit down on his head and quite possibly ruin his life, and I will not do that to him, even though I’m so worried and scared for him that I would step in front of a fucking bus if I thought that would mean he’s okay. So instead, yes, I’m just going to let Sam, who is a very smart man, read my mind. Is that okay with you?”
Tracy didn’t miss a beat. “I loved you in
Snow Day,”
she said. “Please hold, I’m putting you through.”
There was a click and then he was on hold, but he moved to the edge of the sidewalk and stood on his toes to look because there was another rush of traffic coming down the street. But again, there was no cab.
So Adam again took off toward the hospital, his phone still to his ear.
And then, alleluia, Sam Starrett’s Texas twanged over the open line.
“Okay, Wyndham, here’s the deal,” he said. “I’ve already left a message for Lopez, and Tracy’s trying to reach Jenkins, Gillman, and Zanella, too. Tom Paoletti’s in the office today, and he’s calling Team Sixteen’s CO. If he can’t reach him, he’ll call the senior chief, and then he’ll go down his list of both officers and enlisted until he hits someone with his phone on. We’ll take it from here and make sure the hospital gets the medical information they need.”
“Thank you so much,” Adam said, and his relief made his chest tight and brought tears to his eyes. God damn it, he was
not
going to cry.
“What the fuck happened?”
“He came to L.A.,” Adam said, stopping on the corner, waiting for the light to change, trying not to breathe too hard into the phone. “But I moved while he was away and … I got a call from my former landlord and … I guess he came here to see me.” He made himself laugh. “What a fucking idiot, right?”
“I’d go for fool,” Sam said. “Not idiot. Are you at the hospital yet?”
“Not yet.” Although he could see the sign for its ER, red and vivid, in the distance. Still, he slowed as he realized why Sam might be asking. “Should I … Is it better for Tony if I stay away?”
“You
know
what I think. And I believe you agree,” Sam said. “But your definition and my definition of what’s better for Tony might be vastly different from his. He was supposed to stay in bed another week, at least. But here he is, in L.A. Probably because you didn’t take his calls. Definitely because he wanted to see you.”
“He didn’t call,” Adam said. “Although if he had …” He laughed his disgust. “Who am I kidding? I would have answered. I think about him, night and day.”
“Hold on,” Sam said, and as Adam stopped outside of the ER doors, there was muffled talking, as if he’d put his hand over the telephone. But then he moved it and Adam could hear: “Yeah, that’s great. Thank you, sir. That was Tommy.” He was talking to Adam again. “He reached the senior chief, who put in a call to the hospital. He’s going to connect them with Tony’s doctor. Right now the diagnosis is that he’s dehydrated, but they’re running some other tests. They’ve got him hooked up to IV fluids and some anti-nausea meds, because when he first came to, in the ambulance, he did some heavy-duty lunch-launching.”
Lunch-launching
was Sam-speak for vomiting. “When he
first
came to …?”
“Apparently he’s out again.”
“
Shit
. Did he hit his head when he fell?” Adam asked. “Have they given him, like, a CAT scan, or …?”
“I don’t have that information,” Sam said.
Adam moved slightly closer to the doors, and they opened with a whoosh. “I’m going in,” he decided. “I gotta hang up.”
NO CELL PHONES BEYOND THIS POINT ,
very
gay, I’m not going to say this SEAL’s name out loud, because that will bring a rain of shit down on his head and quite possibly ruin his life, and I will not do that to him, even though I’m so worried and scared for him that I would step in front of a fucking bus if I thought that would mean he’s okay. So instead, yes, I’m just going to let Sam, who is a very smart man, read my mind. Is that okay with you?”
Tracy didn’t miss a beat. “I loved you in
Snow Day,”
she said. “Please hold, I’m putting you through.”
There was a click and then he was on hold, but he moved to the edge of the sidewalk and stood on his toes to look because there was another rush of traffic coming down the street. But again, there was no cab.
So Adam again took off toward the hospital, his phone still to his ear.
And then, alleluia, Sam Starrett’s Texas twanged over the open line.
“Okay, Wyndham, here’s the deal,” he said. “I’ve already left a message for Lopez, and Tracy’s trying to reach Jenkins, Gillman, and Zanella, too. Tom Paoletti’s in the office today, and he’s calling Team Sixteen’s CO. If he can’t reach him, he’ll call the senior chief, and then he’ll go down his list of both officers and enlisted until he hits someone with his phone on. We’ll take it from here and make sure the hospital gets the medical information they need.”
“Thank you so much,” Adam said, and his relief made his chest tight and brought tears to his eyes. God damn it, he was
not
going to cry.
“What the fuck happened?”
“He came to L.A.,” Adam said, stopping on the corner, waiting for the light to change, trying not to breathe too hard into the phone. “But I moved while he was away and … I got a call from my former landlord and … I guess he came here to see me.” He made himself laugh. “What a fucking idiot, right?”
“I’d go for fool,” Sam said. “Not idiot. Are you at the hospital yet?”
“Not yet.” Although he could see the sign for its ER, red and vivid, in the distance. Still, he slowed as he realized why Sam might be asking. “Should I … Is it better for Tony if I stay away?”
“You
know
what I think. And I believe you agree,” Sam said. “But your definition and my definition of what’s better for Tony might be vastly different from his. He was supposed to stay in bed another week, at least. But here he is, in L.A. Probably because you didn’t take his calls. Definitely because he wanted to see you.”
“He didn’t call,” Adam said. “Although if he had …” He laughed his disgust. “Who am I kidding? I would have answered. I think about him, night and day.”
“Hold on,” Sam said, and as Adam stopped outside of the ER doors, there was muffled talking, as if he’d put his hand over the telephone. But then he moved it and Adam could hear: “Yeah, that’s great. Thank you, sir. That was Tommy.” He was talking to Adam again. “He reached the senior chief, who put in a call to the hospital. He’s going to connect them with Tony’s doctor. Right now the diagnosis is that he’s dehydrated, but they’re running some other tests. They’ve got him hooked up to IV fluids and some anti-nausea meds, because when he first came to, in the ambulance, he did some heavy-duty lunch-launching.”
Lunch-launching
was Sam-speak for vomiting. “When he
first
came to …?”
“Apparently he’s out again.”
“
Shit
. Did he hit his head when he fell?” Adam asked. “Have they given him, like, a CAT scan, or …?”
“I don’t have that information,” Sam said.
Adam moved slightly closer to the doors, and they opened with a whoosh. “I’m going in,” he decided. “I gotta hang up.”
NO CELL PHONES BEYOND THIS POINT ,
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