Read Online When Tony Met Adam (Short Story) by Suzanne Brockmann - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Suzanne Brockmann
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said a big sign on the wall.
“Keep me posted,” Sam said.
“I will,” Adam said and hung up. He pocketed his phone and took a deep breath and approached the formidable-looking nurse behind the triage counter, who was guarding the entrance into the actual ER. “Excuse me. I’m, um, here to see Tony—Anthony—Vlachic.”
She finally looked up. “The Navy SEAL.”
“Yes. May I …?” He pointed. “Is there a room number …?”
“Are you one of his teammates?”
“Yeah,” Adam said, and it wasn’t a lie because according to some people both he and Tony were
playing for the other team
. Which made them teammates of a sort.
“He’s in fourteen,” she told him, granting him access. But he nearly tripped over his own feet as she added, “Another of your friends is already in there with him.”
“Oh,” Adam said. “Good.” And it
was
good, because it meant the ER doctor had access to more detailed information about Tony’s recent injury. And that goodness outweighed the tragic fact that Adam really couldn’t go in there now—for fear of outing Tony. Because even though the triage nurse didn’t recognize him, surely someone would.
Still, she was watching him now, so he kept going, searching not just for the little ER room labeled
fourteen
, but also for the men’s, where he could duck in, hide in a stall for a minute or ten, and then exit back the way he’d come in, with a breezy
Looks like things are under control, gotta get back to the navy base
to the nurse-guard.
Although anyone who thought he could be a Navy SEAL was either blind or naive.
And there was room fourteen, a tiny space with a hospital bed and the door wide open. He glanced in, and God, there was Tony in that bed, hooked up to an IV drip, just as Sam had said. His eyes were closed and his face was pale and he seemed to be alone in there. But as much as Adam wanted to go in, if only to touch him as he slept—just briefly on the head the way he’d touched Adam all those weeks ago—he didn’t dare.
Instead, with a lump in his throat, he swerved to the right and detoured into the men’s room, pushing open the door and heading almost blindly for the stalls, unable to see through the sheen of tears that were back in his eyes.
“Whoa, heads up!”
Shit, he’d nearly crashed into a man who was exiting the room. “Sorry.” Adam moved to go around him, but the man moved the same way, and they did that stupid dance that people sometimes did, trying to get around each other, until one of them gave up and stood still.
But when Adam stopped, the other man did, too, which was awkward, because there they were, face-to-face, with those stupid tears still in Adam’s eyes, threatening to overflow. And of course, the guy had to be a SEAL, wearing gleaming Navy dress whites, with that eagle pin on his very broad chest.
And then it got even more awkward as the SEAL said, “You’re Adam Wyndham.”
Perfect.
And there they stood, in an uncomfortable silence.
Adam honestly didn’t know what to say. He had no clue if the SEAL knew that Tony had come to L.A. to visit Adam, or if the guy was merely a movie watcher who would be aghast to know the truth.
With his dark hair, brown eyes, and almost perfectly even features, he was handsome enough to be a movie star himself. He was a few years older than Tony—closer to Adam’s age—but Adam wasn’t military-literate enough to read his rank. He was enlisted—Adam could tell that, thanks to the sailor style of his uniform.
“I’m Dan.” The SEAL held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Have you been in to see Tony yet?”
Oh, thank God. Adam managed to shake his head as he took Dan’s hand. “I wasn’t going to stay. I didn’t want to … I wasn’t sure who, you know, knew.”
“I’m the only one,” Dan told him, his brown eyes serious. “I mean, we all
know
, but I’m the only one who, well …
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
means we can’t talk about it, but
“Keep me posted,” Sam said.
“I will,” Adam said and hung up. He pocketed his phone and took a deep breath and approached the formidable-looking nurse behind the triage counter, who was guarding the entrance into the actual ER. “Excuse me. I’m, um, here to see Tony—Anthony—Vlachic.”
She finally looked up. “The Navy SEAL.”
“Yes. May I …?” He pointed. “Is there a room number …?”
“Are you one of his teammates?”
“Yeah,” Adam said, and it wasn’t a lie because according to some people both he and Tony were
playing for the other team
. Which made them teammates of a sort.
“He’s in fourteen,” she told him, granting him access. But he nearly tripped over his own feet as she added, “Another of your friends is already in there with him.”
“Oh,” Adam said. “Good.” And it
was
good, because it meant the ER doctor had access to more detailed information about Tony’s recent injury. And that goodness outweighed the tragic fact that Adam really couldn’t go in there now—for fear of outing Tony. Because even though the triage nurse didn’t recognize him, surely someone would.
Still, she was watching him now, so he kept going, searching not just for the little ER room labeled
fourteen
, but also for the men’s, where he could duck in, hide in a stall for a minute or ten, and then exit back the way he’d come in, with a breezy
Looks like things are under control, gotta get back to the navy base
to the nurse-guard.
Although anyone who thought he could be a Navy SEAL was either blind or naive.
And there was room fourteen, a tiny space with a hospital bed and the door wide open. He glanced in, and God, there was Tony in that bed, hooked up to an IV drip, just as Sam had said. His eyes were closed and his face was pale and he seemed to be alone in there. But as much as Adam wanted to go in, if only to touch him as he slept—just briefly on the head the way he’d touched Adam all those weeks ago—he didn’t dare.
Instead, with a lump in his throat, he swerved to the right and detoured into the men’s room, pushing open the door and heading almost blindly for the stalls, unable to see through the sheen of tears that were back in his eyes.
“Whoa, heads up!”
Shit, he’d nearly crashed into a man who was exiting the room. “Sorry.” Adam moved to go around him, but the man moved the same way, and they did that stupid dance that people sometimes did, trying to get around each other, until one of them gave up and stood still.
But when Adam stopped, the other man did, too, which was awkward, because there they were, face-to-face, with those stupid tears still in Adam’s eyes, threatening to overflow. And of course, the guy had to be a SEAL, wearing gleaming Navy dress whites, with that eagle pin on his very broad chest.
And then it got even more awkward as the SEAL said, “You’re Adam Wyndham.”
Perfect.
And there they stood, in an uncomfortable silence.
Adam honestly didn’t know what to say. He had no clue if the SEAL knew that Tony had come to L.A. to visit Adam, or if the guy was merely a movie watcher who would be aghast to know the truth.
With his dark hair, brown eyes, and almost perfectly even features, he was handsome enough to be a movie star himself. He was a few years older than Tony—closer to Adam’s age—but Adam wasn’t military-literate enough to read his rank. He was enlisted—Adam could tell that, thanks to the sailor style of his uniform.
“I’m Dan.” The SEAL held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Have you been in to see Tony yet?”
Oh, thank God. Adam managed to shake his head as he took Dan’s hand. “I wasn’t going to stay. I didn’t want to … I wasn’t sure who, you know, knew.”
“I’m the only one,” Dan told him, his brown eyes serious. “I mean, we all
know
, but I’m the only one who, well …
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
means we can’t talk about it, but
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