Bad Seed

“Perfect.”

We said goodnight, but I stayed outside for a little longer. I felt relieved and more relaxed than I’d been in days. The promise of seeing Michael tomorrow was enough to bring a smile to my face. I didn’t know if we’d be able to pick up where we left off. Too much had already happened between us, but I was hopeful that, if nothing else, we could start over.

CHAPTER 28

MICHAEL

Tuesday morning found me in back-to-back meetings. After losing the Richardson account, I couldn’t afford to slack on business any longer. Plus, after Julie finally called me, the weight was lifted off my chest. I could breathe again. My brain felt less foggy. I could focus without thoughts of Julie invading my mind. Just knowing I would see her later that night was enough to keep me going throughout most of the day.

“I’m glad we sat down,” Frank said when our meeting ended. “Good to see you, Michael.”

“You too,” I said. “Call me if you need anything else, all right?”

“Will do.”

Frank left my office with a smile on his face. He was my first meeting of the day and, soon, more clients were filing inside. I had Marcy hold all my calls and filter my emails to her account. For right now, there was nothing more important than taking care of my clients in person. I wanted to be perfectly free when I saw Julie later, and I knew I wouldn’t be if I was still worried about my business.

My meeting dragged on slowly, but I felt confident that everything was going well. By the end of the day, I was flying on cloud nine. My remaining clients were all satisfied. Some even put in extra orders, and a few praised me for my holiday party.

“My wife had a blast,” Aaron said. “She was completely taken with that girlfriend of yours.”

“Oh,” I said with a laugh. “Julie?”

“Yes!” Aaron said. “She seemed great.”

“She really is.” I grinned.

We said goodbye and I walked him outside. Aaron was my last meeting of the day. It was almost five o’clock, but I didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. My entire body was alive with energy. I knew I would see Julie soon, and I couldn’t wait.

I grabbed my phone off my desk and waved a quick goodbye to Marcy. Julie’s gift was sitting on the passenger seat in my car, ready and waiting to be opened by her. I brought it with me so I wouldn’t have to go home before I picked her up for our date.

When I climbed behind the wheel of my car, I grinned at the box and quickly stuck my keys in the ignition. As I did so, I turned my phone back on. I’d had it off most of the day so I wouldn’t be distracted during my meetings. It powered up slowly, and I threw my car into reverse.

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove through town. Julie was waiting for me, and that fact kept a wide smile on my face while I drove. Nothing could have darkened my mood. After Julie called me on Christmas, it was like my entire life suddenly changed course. The world righted itself and, suddenly, everything was falling back into place.

I was almost to Julie’s house when my phone began to vibrate violently in my lap. Frowning, I looked down to see that I had four missed calls and six text messages. My stomach tightened as I pressed the button to hear my messages.

“Mr. Smart,” an unfamiliar voice said. “This is Dr. Harrison. I’m calling to inform you that your brother has been admitted to…”

The rest of the message fell on my ears painfully. The road turned into a blur in front of me. I pulled over to listen to the rest of the message.

Josh was in some sort of accident. He was admitted to a hospital in Dallas, and they were rushing him into emergency surgery. The other three messages were from nurses, informing me of his condition and reminding me which hospital he was in.

Without thinking, I threw my phone down and sped out of town. I was on the freeway in minutes, speeding toward Dallas. I couldn’t think about anything other than Josh. I imagined him lying in a hospital bed, alone and bleeding. I wondered how bad the accident was, how severe his injuries were, and how I could have been so stupid as to leave my phone off all day.

Julie crossed my mind as I pulled into the hospital parking lot. I thought about calling her or at least texting her to let her know I wouldn’t make it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had tunnel vision as I tore through the hallways trying to find my brother’s room.

For days now, I’d been

so angry with him. I could barely think his name without wanting to feel his jaw against my knuckles. I’d hated him so much that it made me physically sick, but now? He could die, and I was mad at him. The last time we spoke, we yelled at each other. I kicked him out of my house on Christmas Eve. He could die, and that would be my last memory of him.

I stopped at the closest nurses’ station and demanded directions to his room. The nurse looked up his information and then directed me down the hall. There, I found another nurses’ station, but no one was there. I scanned the hallway, desperate to find someone who could tell me what was going on.

Finally, a nurse appeared down the hall. I ran toward her, talking a mile a minute.

“Calm down, sir,” the nurse said. “Just tell me your brother’s name, okay? I’ll get you all the information I have.”

I gave Josh’s name and waited while the nurse typed something into her computer. She scanned the screen and then looked back at me with a patient smile.