Home Free - Fern Michaels [83]
Maggie picked up after one ring. She listened to Isabelle and mumbled something that Isabelle took to mean she was on it.
Isabelle powered down, looked at Abner, and said, “She’s on it.”
Gus Sullivan listened to Maggie’s voice mail and winced. How in the hell was he going to call a four-star general and actually get to talk to him? There was no doubt in his mind that he would give it his all, but would he be successful? Maggie was not the kind of person who took no for an answer, and he now knew Maggie didn’t know the meaning of the word defeat. Maybe he could sweet-talk the general’s therapist. He knew for a fact the therapist had the general’s number in case of an emergency.
Since it was after hours, he had to call his own therapist at home, something he didn’t relish doing. But if Maggie needed him to do it, he would do it. He’d never complained, never bothered his therapist after hours, so maybe he would accommodate him this once and do him the favor.
When he finally reached his own therapist and told him what he wanted, John Long whistled. “Gus, I can’t do that. Listen, what I can do is call Jerry Brantley and ask him to call the general and have the general call you. I don’t know if Jerry will do it, but I’ll give it a try. I’ll tell him the general is helping you with your book. Swear to me, Gus, that this is on the up-and-up. I don’t want to mess with a four-star by invading his privacy and get written up or even lose my job.”
Gus took a huge deep breath. He was committed now. He was going to have to write a damn book whether he liked it or not. “It’s on the up-and-up, John. It’s important, or I wouldn’t have called you. I don’t want to have to wait till next weekend, when he comes in for therapy.”
“All right, I’ll call you when I know something.”
Gus struggled back to his room, flopped down, and yanked out his cell. He relayed John’s information and said he would call again when he knew something more.
An hour later Gus’s phone rang. It was his therapist. “I have bad news and more bad news and a smidgin of good news. You ready, Gus?”
“Yeah, give it to me.”
“It’s taken me this long to really track down the information to make sure it was true. When the general left us after his therapy, he slipped on some black ice, knocked himself out cold, and blew out one of his new hips. He had to have emergency surgery, and he’s four floors up. You could try to visit him. I don’t think the nurses will fight you. Hell, most of those women on that ward were the ones who took care of you when you had your surgeries. Sweet-talk them.”
“Damn,” was all Gus could think of to say. He thanked his therapist, struggled to his feet, and went out to the hall, where he eased himself down into one of the wheelchairs.
Minutes later, he was on the surgical floor and schmoozing with the nurses on duty. He stated his business and waited. “I can wait if he has visitors, or I can come back, but it’s not easy. I just need to ask him a question if he’s awake.”
A chubby nurse with fire red hair laughed and said, “Oh, he’s awake, and he’s been cussing up a storm since he came out of recovery. His wife said she wasn’t listening to him anymore and left. He might be glad of the company, but you know the rules, Gus. I have to ask him first.”
Gus slouched in the wheelchair as the nurse walked away on her rubber soles. He hated the squishing sound they made. To him, the sound was the same as nails scratching a blackboard. The nurse stepped to the door and beckoned him forward. Gus sent the chair down the hall at a fast clip. He couldn’t believe his good luck.
“He’s a little groggy, but he’s up to speed. He wants some Jack Daniel’s, and if you are packing some, hand it over right now.”
“Sorry. I came empty-handed,” Gus said as he sailed his chair through the doorway. The nurse laughed as she closed the door behind her.
Inside, the general looked smaller than he did when he was in the rehab room. Gus hated seeing all the tubes and monitors. “Hi, sir. Sorry to see you back here.”
“No sorrier than I am, son.