“Yo, Srey!” I called over to my assistant not too far away. “Call 911!”
At that moment, Quincy fell onto the table. I jumped out of my seat and over to him to pull him from the booth and flat on the floor. I heard the gasps and murmurs of the other patrons.
“CALL 911 NOW!” I demanded to anyone in earshot. His mouth slackened. “Who knows CPR?”
~~~~~~~~~~
He didn’t make it. Quincy Hunter. My friend of over ten years died of a massive heart attack. That astounding fact scared the shit out of me. As I stood in the waiting room of the hospital, rolling this shit over in my mind, I felt a small hand at my back.
“Sir, Jackson is resting now. He’s been sedated for his safety,” Srey informed. I nodded. “You need rest. Can I call you a car?”
“No.”
“Pardon, sir? I can give you a ride if you’re worried about the news reporters downstairs. I can pull into the other side of the building. The admin staff has already recommended a pick up spot to get you out of here clandestinely.”
I shook my head, turning back to the city view. There was a long pause.
“Well, sir, who can I call to assist you?”
I knew she was referring to Jenna, whom she knew was out of the country. I couldn’t think of anyone. I’d sent Alton home about an hour ago. One of his little girls was sick. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to be alone with these thoughts. My fucking friend died in my arms less than six hours ago. He’d died in my arms. And Jackson… He’d pretty much been an even tempered kid, but when we learned just after arriving here that Quincy was DOA, he lost it. Unable to accept the truth he turned violent and had to be restrained and then sedated. Hell no, I wasn’t going to my apartment or to a big ass empty mansion in Alpine. I needed to be around life. And there was only one place I could think of.
“Please call Zoey.”
With a bit of hesitation, I heard Srey sputter, “Ye-yes, sir. I’ll go call her now.”
Would she come, was the question I tossed in my mind. I hadn’t seen Zoey in over a month. She’d become so entrenched in the bakeries. I’d even missed her at functions her family held. All I had available to observe what was going on in her world was Facebook. I never made reference to us still being friends because I didn’t want to remind her of the connection and end it.
I’d turned manipulative when sending her on vacations over the past two years now that Jordan was old enough to have an opinion and influence. This was to Ezra’s dismay, but I continued on my mission of sending her away, sometimes twice a year. I’d have Jordan present her with a gift from us, being sure to get him pumped up about going so she couldn’t turn away his gift. It was all I could do to feel connected to her, to feel useful in her world.
Since Brazil, she’d shut down even more, drawing thicker barriers between us. What the fuck could I do without intruding? Expending her favorite pastime felt like the only connector. She was still posting pictures from her Tokyo excursion in June. Viewing those pictures on my birthday a few months back, stirred something within. My family seemed to be having a blast without me. And Zoey… She looked amazing in each picture she posed for. She looked strong, unbothered, and sexy as he—