Dead and Gone by Jack Patterson (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

get this car running like a dream for whoever takes it over.”

Holmes broke his silence. “I heard it was going to be Beaumont.”

“Seriously? We got no chance now.”

“Who cares if we win or not this week,” Holmes said. “It doesn’t matter any more. We’re out of the chase.”

“It matters to me,” Dirt said. “I want to prove to someone out there that I’m the best there is—and even if there’s a driver change mid-season, I can still get a car in shape to win a race.”

Holmes rolled his eyes. “You really think any of this is all about you?”

Dirt sat up straight and glared at Holmes. “Dang straight, it is. The best driver in the world ain’t gonna win a soapbox derby without a fast machine.”

“True. But nobody cares about what we do on Sunday. It’s just window dressing at this point,” Holmes said.

Ross scanned the room, staring at his fellow crew members. He turned his attention toward Dirt. “What I really can’t believe is that you ever used to work for that scumbag Cashman.”

Dirt shrugged. “You do whatever you can to break in. I can’t say I’m proud of it, but it is what it is. You would’ve done the same, given the opportunity.”

Ross grunted. “I doubt it. I’ve always hated that SOB.”

“Now, gentlemen, is this anyway to start our Tuesday morning?” Holmes said.

Dirt grunted. He glanced back down at his phone and began to type a message.

“Whatcha doin’ there, Dirt?” Ross asked.

“Just buzz off, man. I’m not in the mood this morning,” Dirt said. His fingers flew furiously on his cell phone. He pounded out his message: It won’t be long now.

CHAPTER 7

JESSICA TANNER EASED onto the examination table while her doctor waited. She was well past the first trimester, which had taken its toll on her, and over halfway past her second. Her body had been handling all the changes just fine up until Tanner’s death. If she could’ve just locked herself in her house and curled up in a corner, that’s what she would’ve done. But her connection to her husband remained alive through the little baby growing in her womb. It was the one thing in her life that kept her from losing all hope amidst the insanity.

“How have you been feeling?” Dr. Margaret Woodland asked. “Any changes you think you need to tell me about?” She poked around Jessica’s belly.

“Not really. I mean, I’ve never been pregnant before, so I don’t exactly know what normal is. If you mean, am I still craving ice cream? Yes. But that was no different than before, to be honest with you.”

The doctor shared a laugh with Jessica as she continued the examination. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said before she stopped. She backed away from Jessica and made some notes on her chart. “You can put your shirt down now.”

Jessica sat up. “So, is everything all right?”

“Well, your most recent blood work has shown some slight irregularities and I want us to take a closer look at the baby.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a screening procedure we can do to test to see if there are any abnormalities with your daughter.”

“What kind of procedure?”

“There’s several actually. One is an echocardiogram. But there’s also a more invasive one. Have you ever heard of amniocentesis?”

Jessica shook her head. “No, should I?”

“Since this is your first pregnancy, probably not. It’s a test we use to determine if your baby might have genetic defects. We just want to make sure everything is okay, or if we need to take a more invasive approach to correct any abnormalities.”

“What do you think is wrong?”

“Well, it’s too early to tell at this point if it’s serious or not, but I think there may be some problems with the baby’s heart.”

“Fine,” Jessica said. “Let’s do it. Do them all. I want to do whatever I can to help this little girl.”

***

LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Jessica awoke from her nap when the phone buzzed. It was Dr. Woodland.

“Jessica, I’d like to schedule a follow-up with you tomorrow, if you can make it at all,” Dr. Woodland said. “I know you’re going through a tough time and have a lot going on, but this is important.”

Jessica sat up. “What is it, doc? Is there something wrong.”

“Now, these tests aren’t a hundred percent accurate, but we found some of those abnormalities I was afraid of.”

“What does that mean?”

“For now, it means that we need to keep a closer eye on your baby’s development.”

“Don’t beat around the bush. Does she have Down’s Syndrome?”

Dr. Woodland sighed. “No, but your baby does have a congenital heart defect.”

“What does that mean?”

“We need to do some more tests, but based on my early prognosis, I think we might need to perform an open fetal surgery. It’s that severe.”

Jessica dropped the phone and wailed.

No! How could this be happening to me?

She started to hyperventilate.

Breathe, Jessica. Breathe.

She stood up and started to pace around the house.

It’s okay. You’ve had bad stuff happen in your life before. You can do this.

She walked into the kitchen and began to slice an apple for a snack. She was less interested in eating a piece of fruit than she was in relieving the tension she felt welling up within her. As she concluded her nervous culinary habit, she jammed the tip of the knife into the cutting board.

“I can’t do this,” she cried aloud as she crumpled to the floor.

Snap out of it, Jessica. You can do this. Just pull it together.

She stood up, brushed her blouse off, and strode toward the living room to retrieve her phone. Just as she was about to dial her mother’s number, she noticed she had a voicemail.

“Hi, Mrs. Tanner. This is Stewart Paxton from National Insurance. We need to talk with you pronto.”

Jessica took down his number and dialed it.

“Mr. Paxton? This is Jessica Tanner. You left me a message.”

“Yes, Mrs. Tanner. Thank you so much for calling me back. I’m really sorry for your