Page 46 of State of Suspense

His agents asked for a private room where Terry could wait for news.

“Right this way,” one of the nurses said.

Terry could tell that they wondered who he was to warrant such measures, but as Harry and Byron followed him into the room, he didn’t have the energy to tell the nurses he was chief of staff to the president.

“I’ll send Dr. Anderson in to speak with you.”

“Thank you.”

“Anderson is the best,” Harry said. “He’s a great friend of Sam’s from all her many trips to the ER.”

“That’s good to know.”

Terry appreciated Harry trying to keep his spirits up, but the panic intensified with every minute that passed in that small, airless room.

A quick knock on the door was the only warning they got that the doctor had arrived. “I’m Dr. Anderson, an ER attending physician.”

“Terry O’Connor. I’m…” He could barely speak around the gigantic lump of fear in his throat. “Lindsey’s fiancé.”

Anderson shook hands with Terry, Byron and Harry. “Good to see you, Dr. Flynn.”

“How is she?” Harry asked.

“We’re rerunning her blood work, as it came back a little off. As soon as we have more info, I’ll be back to update you.”

He wanted to ask what off meant but was afraid he wouldn’t want to know. “Is she awake? Could I be with her?”

“She’s resting right now, but I’ll get you in to see her soon.”

Harry followed the doctor out of the room and closed the door.

Terry stared at that door until it opened again. “What did he say?”

“Nothing.” Harry’s furrowed brows put Terry on alert.

“Please tell me.”

“They don’t know anything for certain yet. It’s better to wait for the test results to come back.”

“Tell me, Harry. What do they think it is?”

“It could be anything from anemia to leukemia.”

Byron gasped.

Terry felt as if a trapdoor had opened under him and sucked him into a deep, dark abyss. “That’s n-not possible. She’s perfectly healthy.” Or she had been, until lately.

Harry put a hand on Terry’s shoulder. “Let’s wait and see what they find out.”

The fact that Harry looked worried only added to the tsunami of anxiety and dread building in Terry.

“I need to see her.”

“He said he’d be back for you as soon as he could,” Harry said.

Terry sat and dropped his head into his hands, wanting to wail at the thought of her being seriously ill. They were due to be married in a few short months. There couldn’t be anything wrong with her.

There just couldn’t be.

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