Page 45 of State of Suspense

Terry heard what Nick said but couldn’t make himself move due to intense fear. “I knew something was wrong, but she said she was fine. She wasn’t. What’ll I do if…”

Nick came around the desk and put his hands on Terry’s shoulders. “She’s young and healthy and probably caught a virus that’s going around. You need to go to her. She’ll be looking for you.”

Terry nodded. “She’s my reason, you know?”

“I do know. I get it. She needs you to be strong for her. Why don’t we see if Harry can go with you?” Nick went back to the desk, picked up the extension and asked for Dr. Flynn. “Hey, Lindsey collapsed at work, and Terry is heading to GW. Do you think you could…” Nick nodded. “Thank you.” He hung up. “He’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t let your mind run away with you. Get over there and figure out what she needs.”

“I’m going.”

“Terry…”

He turned back.

“If you feel the need to drink, please call your sponsor.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

As he left the Oval and walked toward the lobby to meet Harry, Terry told himself this wasn’t about him. It was about Lindsey. But there was no him without her, so he took Nick’s warning to heart. It’d been two years since he’d been tempted to drink. He was so far removed from that life now it seemed like his spiral into alcoholism had happened to someone else. He tended faithfully to his sobriety with daily meetings. He never missed a day. He could only hope that all the work he’d put in would hold him up during whatever crisis might be awaiting him at the hospital.

Harry was in the lobby when Terry got there and came over to hug him. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it and get her back on her feet, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.”

Terry’s Secret Service detail used lights and sirens to convey them quickly to the hospital. While Terry was thankful for the expediency, it only added to the anxiety bubbling up inside him. He needed to notify Lindsey’s mother and his parents, but he decided to wait to make those calls until he knew more.

“What can I do?” Harry asked after a long silence.

“Tell me she’s fine and whatever happened is nothing to worry about.”

“I hope I can tell you that very soon.”

What if it was bad? What would he do?

“Try not to spin yourself into worst-case, Terry. It won’t help.”

“Trying.”

How the hell long did it take to get to GW with the Secret Service blazing a trail? Too long. By the time they arrived, he was nearly paralyzed with fear.

“Come on.” Harry gave him a push to get him moving. “Let’s go see how she is.”

One of Terry’s agents escorted them inside, where they met up with Byron Tomlinson.

“Anything?”

“Not yet.”

That Byron looked rattled did nothing to assuage Terry’s nerves.

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