The cabbie answered with an outraged explanation of the impossibilities of his request, complete with a few expletives.
“Sorry. I just thought it might be bad for business if he died in your back seat.”
“Why are you in my cab and not an ambulance?” Josh ignored him as he tended to Brad, but he noticed the driver was honking and changing lanes more often as he weaved his way down the busy streets.
“Brad. Hey, how are you feeling?”
He answered with a foul word Josh had never heard him utter.
“Still nauseated?”
He turned his head and focused his eyes on Josh, blinking rapidly. “I can’t find Grace.”
“I know where she is. I’m taking you to her right now.”
“I’m going to see Grace?”
“Right now, buddy.”
He squeezed his eyes tight as both hands raised to hold his head. “My head hurts.”
“I know it does. Brad, I need to know. Did you sleep with Kara Dickson?”
His brows furrowed. “No. Who is that?”
“Dr. Dickson. You were at her apartment just now—in her bed.”
He shook his head, squinting his direction. “I don’t know her. I know you, but I don’t remember your name.”
“Josh. I’m Josh. We’re roommates. So you didn’t sleep with her?”
“Who? Grace?”
“No, Kara Dickson.”
“Excuse me.” Brad rolled his window down, hanging his head out before retching.
“Yeah, that’s how I feel about her, too.”
*****
“Why am I getting a spinal tap?” Josh tried not to show his exasperation at Brad’s continual barrage of questions. Brad was lying on his side, while Josh worked behind him with a resident assistant.
“You tell me. That seems to be the only part of your brain that’s still working right. Of course, that was true even before you hit your head on the sidewalk.”
“I hit my head?”
Josh bit back a smart response. “You fell and hit your head. You were unconscious for about seven minutes.”
“Did we do a CT scan?”
“Done. No ICB detected. Continued worsening headache, dizziness, and nausea with emesis.”
“So I need a tap to see if there’s bleeding missed by the CT.”
“And we’re doing that now.”
“You shouldn’t have released me.”