Page 64 of Dream with Me

Yeah, but he’d have a lunch date with a beautiful woman and make her smile radiantly if he didn’t know I was watching.

“Yeah, well, if he would answer my messages with more than three words, I could have explained all of this to him.”

Lincoln swallows his last gulp of coffee, gets up, washes his mug, and puts it in the drying rack. “Look, I gotta go if I’m gonna outrun the snowstorm that’s coming but cut him some slack. This whole letter thing has him more on edge than he’ll admit.”

Huh?

I must wear confusion on my face because Lincoln stops, looks at me, then closes his eyes and sighs. “I should have known he wouldn’t have said anything. Forget I said that and go a little easy on him for a while.”

“Oh, no, no, no. Tell me what you’re talking about.”

“Shan—”

“Lincoln, I swear you better tell me right now.”

“Christ, you’re bossy. Just like your sister.” He shakes his head and plops himself back in a seat. “Three-minute version, his father sent him a letter, a long one.”

“Well, he probably didn’t read it,” I say.

“It’s different this time. He’s dying of liver cancer. Long story short, Troy did read it. Then he had set up some time to talk to his dad’s partner and when he talked to her today, she... she told him Doug took a turn for the worse in the last twenty-four hours. The doctors are saying he likely has a few hours up to a day or two to live.”

“Shit,” I whisper. “That’s heavy. Why wouldn’t he tell me?” I’m more asking myself than Lincoln, but I don’t miss the way one of his eyebrows lifts like he thinks it’s obvious why.

Without saying anything to him, I pick up my phone and press the picture of Troy in the favorites section of my contacts. It rings twice and then goes to voicemail. I hang up and look over at Lincoln as he’s watching me. His head is tilted, his brow furrowed. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head.

“You have to leave.” I stand up. When he doesn’t immediately stand, I wave my hand at him to hurry him. “Now, please. I’m going to his house to see if he’s okay.”

Lincoln’s eyes widen, and the look on his face changes, making him appear even more dumbfounded. Yet, he stands. “I’ll leave, but there’s no point going to his house. He’s not there.”

My lungs immediately tighten, my heart racing in my chest when I think about where he might be in light of what I saw this afternoon.

“I-is that why he hasn’t been responding to my texts or answering my calls?” I whisper.

Lincoln shrugs. “Probably. The roads are getting bad, and it’s a two-hour drive to Pennsylvania. He’s probably got his phone on ‘do not disturb.’”

“What? He’s going to Pennsylvania. He... he wants to see Doug?” I’m shocked. He’s always refused any contact with Doug. I guess this is different, though, and I’ve not lost a parent, so I don’t know what goes through your mind when it’s happening, even if it’s a parent you’re estranged from.

“Yeah, I know. I was surprised, too. I think he only told me so someone would know where he was. He got the letter a while ago, before your test, while we were on shift. Didn’t read it right away, but he did read one from Doug’s significant other, and I could tell it shook him.”

An overwhelming sadness fills me. Troy’s been dealing with this for more than a week, and we didn’t talk about it. He’s mostly been dealing with it alone. Then it hits me—after what I saw earlier today, maybe he isn’t alone. Maybe hehashad someone to help him, and it isn’t me.

“He shouldn’t be by himself. Where is he going? Where in Pennsylvania?”

It takes a second, but it’s obvious when the realization of what I’m thinking hits Lincoln. “Oh no. No way. He’ll be furious if I tell you and you show?—”

“Did he take someone else with him?” I choke out the words, praying the answer is no.

“What? Of course not. But bad weather is coming, Shannon, and if I tell you and something happens… I can’t give?—”

“Lincoln, I swear on all that is holy that if you don’t tell me, I’m going to get in my car and start driving. I’ll call every hospital on the way to see if Doug is a patient there. I’ll be distracted and at much higher risk of an accident than if you just tell me.”

“Whatever. You wouldn’t do that. You’re all about non-distracted driv?—”

“Try me.” I narrow my eyes at him.

We partake in a stare-off that lasts a solid minute, and then Lincoln huffs. “You know, Shyley and Troy will both be pissed at me for this.” He pulls out his phone and taps away at the screen. A second or two later, my phone dings and I look at it to see he’s sent me the address of the hospital Doug is at.

“Thank you, now, no offense, but get out. I’ve got to get on the road.”

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