Final Crossing: A Novel of Suspense Read Free

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    Jonas had been dreaming. Had to be, because his mind simply could not grasp the reality of where he was. It was too unfamiliar.
    In his dream, he had been back in the Mog. The images so long ago repressed came back to him in a grainy but pure reality.
    A nurse walked by his open door. She was heavyset with a slight limp, her body bowed heavily to the left side as she shuffled. She glanced into Jonas’s room and he stared at her.
    She stared back and stopped walking.
    “Oh my,” she said. She shuffled into the room, walking with more purpose now. “You’re awake.”
    Jonas tried to nod but couldn’t. It was then he realized he had no power over his muscles. A massive thirst struck him.
    “Let me get the doctor.”
    • • •
    “It’s a cliché, but you’re lucky to be alive.” The doctor spoke with a thick Indian accent and his smooth brown complexion was marred only by dark streaks under his eyes. Jonas guessed him in his late thirties—like himself—though hints of gray were already dotting his thick black hair. The doctor had introduced himself but the name had already flown from Jonas’s memory.
    “In fact,” the doctor continued, “it’s amazing there isn’t more damage done.”
    “What...” Jonas murmured.
    “Car accident,” the doctor interrupted. “And don’t strain yourself trying to talk. You are going to be here for at least another day, so you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions.” The doctor looked down at the chart in his hand. “Long story short—you had a one-on-one with a Chevy Impala. You lost. Somehow you came out of it with a broken wrist, a concussion, and a canvas full of bruises. How you didn’t die, I can only attribute to you being a tough son of a bitch. Or just plain lucky.”
    Jonas felt the words coming easier. “Army Rangers...don’t break,” he rasped. “Only dent.”
    The doctor nodded. “Yes, I heard you were a Ranger in a former life. Well, maybe that’s the reason.” He paused. “Or maybe the Impala is just a real piece of shit car.”
    Jonas smiled. A familiar figure appeared in the doorway. The doctor turned to see who Jonas was looking at.
    “Hello, Senator.”
    Senator Robert Sidams offered a thin but warm smile to the doctor. It was a smile Jonas had seen a thousand times before. It said: you’re not the person I’m here for .
    “How’s he doing?”
    If the doctor was surprised by the presence of the Senior Senator from Pennsylvania, he didn’t show it. “He woke up just an hour ago.”
    “I know. I got the call. Can I talk to him?”
    Jonas took another deep breath and spoke. “I’m right here, you know.”
    They both looked at him, as if his statement was a matter for debate.
    “He needs his rest,” the doctor said.
    The Senator stared him down. “I need my rest, too.”
    The doctor nodded. “Just a couple of minutes, okay?” Turning to Jonas: “How’s the pain?”
    “Manageable. How long was I out?”
    “Just over a day. Not a coma, but more than just a good sleep. We will need to run some tests just to make sure your brain didn’t get scrambled. That’s medical speak.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    The doctor walked out of the room.
    Senator Sidams placed the palm of his right hand on Jonas’s shoulder. “Good Lord, Jonas. You scared the hell out of all of us.”
    “Just trying to be selfish. You know how I need everyone to be thinking about me at all times.”
    “I thought it was supposed to be all about me ,” the Senator said.
    “But you’re too fragile to get hit by a car.”
    “You’re saying you’re more of a man than I am?” Jonas smirked. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
    Jonas had been Sidams’s senior aide before being promoted to Chief of Staff after the Senator’s most recent election win. He had known the man for eight years and Sidams was almost a father figure to him, though Jonas would never be ready to let go of his real father.
    Jonas sipped on a plastic cup containing