“If that happens, it will be inadvertent,” Jack admitted. “All my activities were in response to a combination of my own needs and a desire to speak for the dead, meaning Carol Stewart. That’s what we forensic pathologists do.”
“I understand,” David said.
“I have one specific request,” Jack said. “Would you personally see to it that the CDC gets the rapid test and the cure for the specific gammaretrovirus first thing in the morning? I want that mini-pandemic to be a thing of the past.”
“I will see to it personally,” David promised.
Jack reached into the car and shook hands with the youthful Ph.D. student. “I hope your dreams come true in your life in China,” he said, “and it all turns out as you hope.”
“Thank you,” David said. “Be safe!”
Jack closed the car door and waved as David laid a small strip of rubber on the pavement as a final statement. Jack watched the car’s taillights quickly diminish in size and intensity before the car turned on Columbus Avenue and disappeared from sight. For a moment Jack stayed where he was, thinking about all that David had said. The main thing that Jack took from it all was that China was undoubtedly going to play a major role in his children’s lives.
Turning toward his building and raising his eyes, Jack looked up at the façade. He was glad to see the warm, incandescent light streaming out of the window in the study on the fifth floor. It meant that Laurie was most likely working, and the image filled him with a renewed sense of appreciation and love.
EPILOGUE
THURSDAY, 10:25 P.M.
With a powerful sense of fatigue and an even stronger sense that he was lucky to be alive, Jack started up the stairs in his building. Still hearing David’s warnings echoing in his ears, he seriously considered calling Detective Lou Soldano the moment he got in the apartment to find out if it might be possible to get a police detail to guard his house and family. Yet, as he rounded the first landing and started up the second flight, his mind switched to the idea of calling Warren. Jack had had the opportunity to see Warren and his boys in action on multiple occasions, and in terms of guarding the neighborhood and just knowing what was going on, no one could come close. By the time Jack got to the door to his apartment, he’d made up his mind. It was going to be Warren, not Lou, that he would count on.
Once he had his key out, Jack paused to buck up his courage. He expected Laurie to be rightfully annoyed with him for multiple reasons, including not having contacted her all day. If the tables had been reversed, he knew he would have been seeing red. Feeling appropriately penitent, he opened the door.
The first thing he noticed was a wonderful sense of calmness. Therewas no noise, and in particular there was no sound of TV. That had to mean that the in-laws were most likely in bed. Jack glanced over at the guestroom door. It was closed, and there was no line of light beneath it. He looked at Caitlin’s door. It, too, was closed, but hers had a line of light, so she was obviously still awake. But since she was in her room, the children had to be in bed.
After hanging up his jacket and slipping out of his shoes, Jack climbed the next flight of stairs. As the kitchen and great room progressively came into view through the balustrade, he could see both rooms were vacant. There was only a single table lamp burning next to the couch. He’d not seen his home quite so peaceful in the evening for weeks. Before Sheldon had shown up, Dorothy would have the great room television on until all hours, sometimes watchingThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertand evenThe Late Late Show with James Corden.
In his stocking feet and as silent as a cat, Jack walked down the hall toward the study. The door was open, and a bit of light spilled out into the corridor. Both the children’s doors were closed. When he got to the open office door, he could see Laurie bent over the desk, poring over construction blueprints. She was facing away from him. So as not to frighten her, he knocked softly on the open door. The ruse worked, as she twisted around calmly, probably expecting to see JJ. When she recognized it was Jack, her expression rapidly changed from relief to irritation.
“Where in heaven’s name have you been,” she demanded.
“Vacationing in the beautiful Garden State,” Jack said, incapable of allowing an opportunity for a bit of sarcasm to pass. It was a reflex response almost beyond his control.
“Let’s not make this worse than it already is,” Laurie snapped. “Why haven’t you called or responded to one of my blizzard of texts? Were you deliberately trying to terrify and antagonize me? What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t doing a lot of thinking, I’m afraid,” Jack said. “I was mostly reacting.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Laurie said sharply, clearly losing whatever patience she was trying to maintain. “Why the hell didn’t you contact me just to say you were okay?”
“All right, try to calm down,” Jack said, keeping his tone as soothing as he could. “I’ll explain everything.”
“I have been worried sick about you,” Laurie blurted. “And I’ve had to deal with that while trying to manage one of the absolutely worst days of my professional life, which you also bear a good deal of responsibility for causing.”
“I’m sorry,” Jack said, as sincerely as he could.
“Is that all you can say?” Laurie demanded.
“To be truthful, I haven’t had one of my better days, either,” Jack said.
“And what on earth do you mean you were mostly reacting and not thinking? And why New Jersey? What the hell were you doing in New Jersey all this time?”
“I was revisiting Dover Valley Hospital and GeneRx, and I have to say I have learned some astonishing things.”
“It’s after ten o’clock at night,” Laurie said. “What have you been doing at Dover Valley Hospital until ten o’clock without so much as a call or, God forbid, a single text to say ‘I’m still alive’?”
“It would have been difficult to call or text since my phone was confiscated,” Jack said.
“Why?” Laurie demanded. “Who took your phone?”
