Resonance - J. B. Everett (best novels to read for students TXT) 📗

better, that he was going to make it. He put the weight back on. Grew some hair, was fine… we thought.”

 

Jordan wracked his brains. He couldn’t talk medicine with his Dad, but he had with Eddie. They had finally seemed to be on more even footing, and Eddie now spoke some med-lingo from his time in the ‘slammer,’ as he referred to the hospital. He had seemed fine at the family Fourth of July picnic, only a few months ago. “So, do you know what happened?”

 

“Don’t think anyone really does. He got some stomach flu. Next thing you know he’s in a coma and then this morning he died.”

 

That didn’t sound like anything Jordan had ever heard of. He wanted to drill his Dad. Get answers. Because that sure didn’t make a shitlick of sense.

 

“Funeral’s Friday. You should be here.”

 

“I will, I’ll be there sometime tomorrow. I’ll call and let you know when I get in.”

 

And that was the end of the conversation. He stood with the cordless phone loose in his hand, shoulders slumped, one hand running down his wet face.

 

In a few moments he was on the line with Jillian, briefly wondering if she was also wrapped in a towel, bothered mid-bubble bath by his call. But the thought was momentary at most. Her sympathies were heartfelt and he was told in no uncertain terms to leave for the funeral right away, she’d be fine inspecting the latest staph infection by herself. She even offered to drive him to the airport. He almost told her ‘no’, then thought better of it. Between low level pay, student loans, and now a last minute plane ticket, he could use the savings from not parking.

 

Next he called Landerly and left a message. Then hopped online, and even called the airline, getting all the requirements for the grievance discount. Thank god for credit cards. Lord knew, none of it was in his account right now.

 

Becky protested. “You’re trying to distract me from my frogs.” She sounded like a petulant teenager and she knew it. But that was the politics of the professional academic world. Gain your footing and hold on for all you’re worth.

 

“Rebecca, what, really, have you found out about those frogs?”

 

“Nothing unusual-”

 

“Exactly. So I don’t understand why you are so determined to miss out on this great opportunity.” Warden sat back in his chair. If he was the villain in a film, he would look just like this. Only creepy music would be playing in full digital surround sound.

 

She hadn’t told any of them about the directionality of the frogs. Probably because she couldn’t explain it.

 

And she didn’t want anyone else explaining it before she found a suitable solution. Not that she had found even an unsuitable solution in the last week. Her mouth opened, but there wasn’t anything to come out. She closed it again. Biodiversity was her job. She traveled all the time to collect and study animals. She would pack all her frogs home first. They would be in better hands with Brandon and Melanie, even if they would be slightly tormented.

 

“All right. Where are these birds, and why do I need to see them?”

 

“I knew you would realize that this is the right thing, Rebecca.”

 

That’s Doctor Sorenson to you was the first thought that entered her head. He called her by her birth name, Rebecca. Which she thought sounded far too mature for herself, yet he treated her like a child. An idiot child at that. The second thought that went through her head was, Bite my ass.

 

“It seems there’s a flock of warblers in Dalton, Georgia.”

 

She waited the briefest of moments. “This is an odd time of year for them. Did they just never leave? They should be in Canada.”

 

“They did leave. But the local birdwatchers say they’re back, and they’re nesting.”

 

“Nesting?” This was maybe as interesting as the frogs. “All right. I’m hooked. What do I do?”

 

“When can you go?” His fingers still steepled in front of him. His hair was still on the greasy side and she still trusted him about as far as she could throw him.

 

“Tomorrow.”

 

“You’ll drive down, make a preliminary assessment and let us know if we need to assemble an ornithology team, or if there’s a fluke or an obvious issue.” He handed her a three by five lined card. The cheapest paper for making small notes on, by his own statements. “Call this man at this number when you get in; he’ll be more than happy to show you the birds and their newly chosen habitat.” Warden dismissed her with a disdainful wave of his hand, and gave her his back even before she could have possibly started out the door. But that was okay, his front wasn’t his best side.

Chapter 3

Jordan looked around the living room. It was cozy and warm, and the deep-toned plaid couch screamed everything but ‘Eddie’ to him. Kelly must have done all the decorating.

 

The room was a definite step up from his own place. One, that it was in a house, on a lot with a yard and a swing set even. Two, the carpet was lacking in the stains his had come with. Three, the kitchen was fully functional.

 

He’d never been here before. After all the time he and Eddie had spent blowing things up together as kids, somehow he had never seen the house his cousin had built with his own hands and his own construction crew. It seemed a shame to see it only now that Eddie was getting buried.

 

Kelly sat on the couch, taking all of it much better than Jordan had expected. So when Aunt Agnes left her alone, he tried to casually saunter over with his soda in hand and position himself next to Kelly.

 

“How are you holding up?” It was her voice asking him that question before he could ask it of her.

 

“I’m all in one piece.” And before he could ask anything, she started in.

 

“Eddie was always telling me stories about the two of you and the M-eighties, or the illegal fireworks. Were they true? Could he have really walked into your medical school and convinced them that you had a sordid past and shouldn’t have been admitted?”

 

Jordan laughed. He hadn’t expected laughter and not from Eddie’s widow. “Yes, it’s all true.” And Jordan tried to use his opening. He had to know. “What happened? I thought he was in remission.”

 

“He just caught this stomach flu. It got worse and worse. The E.R. and his regular doctor told us that it would pass. Then he passed out, and by the time they admitted him he was in a coma.” She took a sip of the gin and tonic that she was holding in both hands, unaware that it had sweated a ring onto her linen skirt.

 

Jordan waited, seeing that she was just steeling herself for something important. “Before … with the leukemia … he had made me promise to pull the plug. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it. I just knew he’d come back around. But three days later he flatlined and there wasn’t anything they could do. He was gone.”

 

For a moment, her hand shook, rattling the small cubes of ice exposed above the level of liquid in her glass.

 

But then it stilled.

 

“Kelly, I don’t get it. That doesn’t sound like Leukemia at all. And I never heard of a stomach flu that put anyone in a coma. How was his white count?” He had leaned forward, elbows on knees, soda clenched in both hands.

 

This time when she looked at him her eyes saw his face, but no further. “Jordan, what are you doing?”

 

“I just want to find out what happened.” He reached for her arm, but she was already jerking it back out of his way, standing in one fluid motion, her hands raising.

 

“Why!?” Her voice was as loud as it was high pitched. “Why! What can you do? He’s gone. Just when I was getting comfortable with the thought that I might get the forever I signed on for. In five days he went from healthy to dead.”

 

Jordan opened his mouth to apologize, but she didn’t let him.

 

“Can you bring him back? I know that he’s dead. But stop asking me these goddamn questions. I don’t know what his blood count was. I just want him back.” She dropped the glass then. It fell in almost slow motion, and even as he was aware of everyone in the room staring at him like the leper he was, he reached for Kelly and set her back on the couch to keeping her from falling.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She was in tears now, full streaming tears, the fallen glass unnoticed.

 

Even if everyone else hated him, Kelly didn’t seem to. Although he would have understood. He shouldn’t have pushed her like that. With a great sigh Aunt Agnes picked up the glass, luckily still in one piece, and sent her husband, Bill, running for paper towels. Kelly stayed there, crying into his shoulder, while slowly, everyone around him went back to their business.

 

He had forgotten the cardinal rule. That these were people. He could always remember that when it was strangers. But with his own family he pushed. And he shouldn’t.

 

And he had ruined it. As much as he regretted hurting Kelly, and pushing her past whatever safety barrier she had found, he more regretted that he wasn’t going to get his information that he wanted.

 

They were all still looking at him. Why had he done it? He could answer but they wouldn’t like it. They were all blue collar by choice, and he had gone out and paid through the nose to educate himself, to do what he wanted. But he had learned a whole new language, and they didn’t speak it. Jordan didn’t fit. And he’d upset one of the people who did. One at the center of the circle.

 

He rode home with his Dad in silence. Anyone else would think his father carefully schooled and stoic in his lack of expression these past few days. But Jordan knew better. Dad simply hadn’t had it in him since his Mom had died.

 

He was in his old easy chair within moments, tonight. There was no reproach for Jordan’s behavior, as he might have gotten when his mother was alive. Even though he knew his Dad didn’t approve, he didn’t hear about it. “’Night, Dad.”

 

His father didn’t answer. Just a quick look in his direction and a nod let him know he had even been heard.

 

Jordan lay on the bed, his hands laced behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. His thoughts turned to Jillian briefly, wondering if her day at Grady Hospital had been horrifyingly long. But he realized that she had probably done just fine without him. A small smile played across his lips before it was erased by his medical mind.

 

Eddie had died of the stomach flu and a coma. And none of it added up. If anyone here would know that something was off with Eddie’s death it was Jordan. But no one was listening.

 

Kelly’s words haunted him.

 

Why! What can you do?

 

In five days he went from healthy to dead.

 

He couldn’t bring Eddie back. He just wanted to understand. But there wasn’t