"Brody, I have a little problem and I could use some advice."
"I'm listening."
Tony quickly relayed everything he'd learned in the last hour. He knew some of his words came out a little bitter, but he felt as if everything he'd been hoping for since the moment he met Lex was going up in a puff of smoke.
"Well, it sounds to me like you need to go talk to this guy."
"He's in a coma, Brody."
"It wouldn't hurt to check. If he is in a coma, then you'll have to wait until he comes out of it. If he's already come out, then you'll have a chance to talk to him. But, I got to say, Tony, from what you've told me of this guy, he doesn't sound like the type to two-time someone."
Tony's shoulders slumped, but it was more relief than anything. "Yeah, that's what I thought, too."
"So, go talk to him."
"What about his fiancé?" The mere word made Tony's stomach roll.
"If Lex is actually engaged to someone, you're going to have to find a way to deal with it, Tony. Pretending or wishing aren't going to help."
"No, I know you're right. I just…I feel like a chump."
Brody chuckled. "You're only a chump if you let yourself be a chump."
Tony wasn't sure he agreed with that assessment, but Brody knew more about this whole dating thing than he did. It wasn't that the man was that much older than him, but more that he'd lived more. Brody had been all over the world. Tony had kind of stuck close to home for most of his life.
"I guess I need to find out where this damn hospital is located."
"Type it into your phone and use the GPS. That's the easiest way to get around those big cities. Either that or take a taxi."
Tony growled. "I'd rather eat dirt."
Brody chuckled. "Go find your boy. I'll hold things down here."
"Thanks, Brody." Tony hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. He knew he had no other choice. He had to go to the hospital and see if Lex was awake. He had questions and Lex was the only one with the answers.
Tony turned on the car and started to pull away from the curb when a red sports car cut him off and then did a U-turn in the middle of the street before parking right in front of Lex's building.
The brown-haired man who climbed out looked vaguely familiar, but Tony couldn't place him. He still got an uneasy feeling deep in his gut as he stared at the man. He was bad news and Tony was very much afraid that he was the man claiming to be Lex's fiancé.
Tony watched as the man went inside the building before pulling out into traffic. He waited until he reached a stop light before typing in the address for the hospital then followed the GPS to the location he was directed to.
It took him over an hour to reach the hospital, and he had a lot of time to think during that hour. Lex was uppermost on his mind. He had to believe the man hadn't lied to him, hadn't cheated on him or used him to cheat.
Unfortunately, that left him with the worry over who was pretending to be his fiancé and why. Someone was obviously messing with Lex, or maybe they were trying to mess with him. Tony didn't know. But someone was messing with someone.
Tony tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His nostrils flared as his anger renewed. If someone was messing with Lex, just how much were they messing with him? Was this the person responsible for him being in the hospital?
Tony found a parking spot then turned off the engine and climbed out. He cast a quick look around before heading for the hospital. When he got inside, he walked to information. He smiled at the lady behind the counter.
"Hello, can you tell me which room Lexter Mathis is in?"
The woman smiled back before typing into her computer. She still had a smile on her face when she looked up. "I'm afraid we don't have a Lexter Mathis here. Is he a patient?"
"That was my understanding." Tony swallowed tightly. "I was told he was brought in after he was attacked, that he was in a coma."
"Hmm." The woman picked up the phone and dialed a number. "This is visitor information. Do you have a Lexter Mathis up there?" She nodded a couple of times, which Tony found odd as the person on the other end of the line couldn't see it. "Okay, thank you."
She smiled again. "Mr. Mathis was a patient here, but he's been released."
