Page 43 of Free Fall (The Quantico Files 3)

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When she got to the office, Alex immediately looked over at Logan’s desk. He wasn’t there. When he still hadn’t come in a half hour later, she called him.

“Are you okay?” she asked when he answered.

“Yeah, but after thinking about it, I decided to take today and tomorrow off. I have to get ready for my stay in the hospital. It takes more planning than I’d originally thought. I need to pack a bag, and I have a few things to buy.”

“What time does the surgery start on Wednesday?” she asked.

“Bright and early at seven.”

“Should I pick you up at five, then? Or is that too early? I don’t know how much prep you’ll need.”

“You’re not taking me, Alex.”

“I ... I’m sorry. Is someone from your family—”

“No, that’s not it. I decided not to tell them.”

“Logan, your family needs to know. How could you not call them?”

He sighed. “They have enough on their plates. My dad had a stroke a few weeks ago. Mom’s busy taking care of him, and my brother’s helping her. My sister lives in Texas and is about to have her third child. I’ll tell them all once I’m home from the hospital.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your dad?” She was surprised that he hadn’t shared something so important with her.

“Mom keeps saying it was just a light one, that he’ll be okay once he’s taken it easy for a while and adjusted to his new medication. Besides, we’ve had a couple of video chats, and he seemed pretty good. I plan to visit him as soon as I can, but you can see why I don’t want them to worry about me right now.”

“I think you’re making a mistake. What if no one had called you when your dad had his stroke, Logan? How would you have felt?”

Another sigh followed by several seconds of silence. “Okay, point taken. I’ll think about it.”

“Look, I’ll be at your place at five a.m. on Wednesday to take you to the hospital. I don’t care what you say. And if you don’t get into my car, I’ll start honking my horn. Your neighbors will hate your guts. Probably ask you to move.”

This time Logan laughed. “Okay, okay. Thanks. Monty can’t drive until he gets that boot off his foot, otherwise he’d take me. He’s relying on a ride into work today from Nathan. Frankly, I’m a little relieved. I was adding up what I’d owe after leaving my car in the hospital garage. I’d probably have to take out a loan to pay for it.”

Alex ignored the joke. “So you told Monty?”

“Yeah, he noticed I wasn’t completely myself yesterday and called after you dropped us both off. Besides, it’s not like I could hide a stint in the hospital from him.”

“I forgot to ask how long you’ll be there.”

“I was told two or three days, five at the most . . . assuming all goes well.”

“And when will...” She couldn’t get the next words out, but he understood.

“The lab results take a couple of days, but my doctor said he’s fairly certain the surgeon will be able to tell once she sees the tumor.”

“Everything will be okay, Logan. I just know it.”

“Thank you. I trust God.”

“I am too.”

Several seconds of silence passed while Alex struggled with what to say. “Logan ... I ...”

“I know,” he said softly. “Call me tonight and tell me what happened today, okay? And if you hear anything about the missing women, let me know as soon as you can. I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“Me too. And I will.”

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