She starts wordlessly screaming, and I can’t tell if it’s joy, or what. I mean, Ihopeshe’s happy. That goes on for a few seconds and then shestarts crying. “Oh mygod! You’realive!”
“Yeah. A big fishing vessel pulled our asses off a literal rock in the middle of the damn ocean. Me and four others. We’re at a hospital in Borneo, or somewhere like that. I think. I…I honestly don’t know where the fuck I am right now.”
“Oh my god! I-I can’t believe it! You’re really alive!”
“Yeah, well, it was kind of close there, for a little while.”
I’ve never heard her sound so emotional before. “I…George, I—Ellen. She—”
“I know,” I say, choking back my own tears. I still can’t open my eyes, I’m too busy trying to picture Casey’s face. “We were sitting right behind the wing. She died instantly when it happened, her and several others.” My breath hitches. “It was quick, Case. She was there, and then she was gone. She literally never feltit.”
Casey softly sobs. “We’re having your, I mean her memorial tomorrow. I mean, today, I guess. It’s—”
“No, please.” I can’t deal with this right now. “Don’t. Cancel it. Wait until I get home. Are you with the kids?”
“I’m at home. Oh, my god, the kids! They’re all at your house, with your brothers.”
“Can you take me there?” I realize how that sounds. “I mean, this is someone else’s cellphone. Can you go over there right now? I’m… I’m afraid to hang up, and I don’t have my phone. I don’t have their numbers, so I can’t even call them.”
My tears finally break free and roll down my cheeks. “I can’t even call my damn kids, Case. Please take me to them.”
Her voice gentles. “Yeah, honey, of course. It’s okay, hold on. Let me get my keys.” I hear her up and moving, running, a doorslam, then her car door. “Don’t hang up, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Be careful.”
Now she laughs, even as she’s still sniffling. “I’m gonnakillyou when you get back…GovernorForrester. There’s gonna be one pissed off dude we need to kick out of office.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Dick Cailey.”
I snort. “Fuck that asshole.” Heisa pretentious asshole.
She’s still sniffling as she tearfully laughs.“Yeah, exactly.”
“Did they find Ed and Tina’s bodies?”
“Yeah. And John and Ceely’s.
Shit. “I tried to get them to head aft with me when I got out. I kept the lieutenant governor of Florida alive, and their tourism secretary.”
“What about the governor? Fucking slow-ass gate. George, I swear we’re getting you a new goddamned damn gate opener.”
“He wasn’t there. Connie, the tourism secretary,her husband—”
“I’m at the house. Hold on.” I hear her car door slam. She must have used her key to let herself inside, because I hear my front door slam, and the beep as she disarms the alarm. Now she screams for Chase and the kids, running up the stairs, pounding on bedroom doors, likely scaring the crap out of them.
I suspect they’ll forgive her.
She’s trying to get the story out and someonetakes the phone away from her.
“Hello?”
It’s Chase.
I manage a weary laugh. “You didn’t throw my clothes out yet, did you, jerkhead? You’re taking me shopping if you did.”
Another pause. “George?” He screams. “George! You’realive?”
