“Sam,” Katherine cut in, her voice firm. A bit softer, she continued, “I’m sure everything is fine. He texted me just about an hour ago. I’d invited him to go hiking with me in the morning. Do you want me to try calling him? Maybe he went to sleep already? You said he hasn’t been sleeping well.”
Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She was right. Ollie was probably fine, probably just sleeping or something. But he couldn’t shake his unease. He nodded and cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, could you? Call him, I mean? I just... I’m really worried, and it would...”
“Sure, honey, sure,” Katherine said. Sam could almost hear the understanding smile in her voice as she added, “I’ll call you right back, okay?”
“Thanks, Mrs. E. You’re the best.”
Sam hung up, checked that the ringer volume was turned all the way up on his phone, and then set his phone down on his desk and tried not to just stare at it, willing it to ring. He forced his eyes away, back up to his computer, where he’d been reviewing some design changes his boss had requested. According to their schedule, he really needed to get at least this done tonight. But realistically, if he wanted a chance to meet his deadline on Wednesday without having to put in several sixteen-hour days before then, he also needed to finish some of the other items on his list as well—like maybe calculating the final materials cost or reviewing Eduardo’s notes on resizing several of the office suites from their original design proposal.
None of that mattered, though, if Ollie needed him now. He’d drop everything if he needed to. Nothing was more important to him.
Sam closed his eyes and lowered his head into his hands for a moment, steadying himself again with another deep breath.Sometimes it was almost too much—the strength of his love for Ollie, and even after almost two years, it could still sneak up on him, surprise him with these moments of overwhelming emotion. Like now.
He nearly jumped out of his chair when his cell phone rang, and he snatched the phone up and quickly hit the answer button as he pulled himself to his feet, instinctively starting toward the door.
“Did he answer? Is he okay?”
“Now, don’t worry too much, Sam, but no, I tried twice, and it rang a few times before going to his voicemail. So I’m—”
“God. I-I can’t—I mean, if—if I leave now—”
“Sam.”
“—it’ll take me at least thirty, thirty-five minutes, but—”
“Sam!”
He stopped mid-stride, his hand reaching toward the door, and his stomach twisted in a knot as he let his hand fall back to his side.
“S-sorry, Mrs. E, I just... with his nightmares this week and then that flashback this morning, and I don’t want him to be alone if it happens again... Not like—not like that last time...” He let out a shuddering breath as he turned and sagged against the wall, running a hand through his hair. From the other end of the line, he heard a car door close.
“I know, honey. Believe me, I know and understand why you’re worried, and that’s why I’m going to check on him now,” Katherine said gently. “I’m leaving my house, so I’ll be in Issaquah in fifteen minutes. I’ve got my key, so I can let myself in if he doesn’t answer. He’s fine, Sam. I’m sure of it. Probably just sleeping and left his phone downstairs. He’s done that before.”
“P-please call me as soon as you . . .”
“Of course. Fifteen minutes, okay?”
“Okay.”
After she hung up, Sam stumbled back to his desk and collapsed into his chair. Fifteen minutes. That was optimistic, even knowing Katherine didn’t necessarily respect the speed limit like he did. And even then, Sam expected it might be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.
Well, except forthatfifteen minutes...thatfifteen minutes onthatday, after Sam had receivedthatawful phone call...
God, he didn’t want to think about that now. Not ever again, really. But as he rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall—8:22 p.m.—he couldn’t stop the memory from replaying. The phone ringing in his pocket, so innocent, just like any other phone call. Then Ollie’s voice, hysterical, crying as he asked Sam to come pick him up on campus. Then the drive—getting stopped at every single stoplight between his apartment and campus, talking with Ollie on the phone the whole time, trying to gauge whether he needed to hang up and call 911, trying to keep Ollie breathing evenly, and... trying to figure out what exactly had gotten Ollie so upset. The drive had taken thirteen minutes, then the sprint from the parking lot into the building had taken just under two minutes. Then...
Sam shook his head. No. Not now. He wouldn’t go there now. Shivering, he stood, shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned to stare out the window. The view of the Puget Sound usually calmed him when he was stressed, but right now, as he gazed out the window of his twentieth-floor corner office in downtown Seattle, the view seemed almost chaotic—lights from the city beginning to reflect off the water with the oncoming darkness of the evening, boats moving around in the harbor, thin wisps of clouds coming in from the west.
He glanced at the clock again—8:24 p.m.
God, how long was this going to take?
After forcing himself to take two slow, measured breaths, Sam sat back down at his desk and picked up his phone with trembling hands. He opened up his messenger app, like he had countless times in the last few minutes, but he still had no new messages and no new voicemails.
And then he set his phone down and stared blankly at his computer. His eyes flickered to the clock in the corner of the screen what seemed like every few seconds, even as he tried his best to refocus on what he was supposed to be doing.
At 8:35 p.m., only two minutes from the fifteen Katherine had promised, Sam finally couldn’t sit anymore, and he pushed his chair back, stood, and started pacing along the wall of windows. He alternated between glancing at his phone—he still had the ringer turned on and up, right?—and at the clock on the wall. But even the seconds seemed to tick by in slow motion, and after the fourth time he’d looked without the number changing to 8:36 p.m., Sam stopped pacing and turned toward the windows again.
The sun was just setting on the horizon, its light painting the clouds brilliant shades of bright orange and pink.
