Page 67 of Acting on Instinct
“My guess is that they wanted medical hands on him and what support they could provide in a helicopter. Oxygen. IVs. Something like that. Also, the helicopter can land at the hospital, and a plane might take longer in the end because it would need to land at an airport, then transfer to an ambulance, and then drive to the hospital. Moses is a professional. You can trust that he did his very best to support your dad. My thought is that they pulled in a helicopter from a closer hospital and then flew on. My Uncle Nadir is in Tanzania. You didn’t speak with him?”
“Moses said that Dad’s guests elected to take the Range’s SUV.”
“Take the SUV where?” Kira asked. “Not Dodoma, that would be like a thirty-hour drive. That’s like driving from D.C. to Denver. I know you know this. Sorry.”
“I didn’t know Dodoma was that far.”
“By air, it would be about an hour and a half, as I remember it. Ty likes to talk about the golden hour. But they’d be pretty close. I’m so sorry. This must feel really scary.”
“The reason why Moses called me was that I’m the one listed on my dad’s medical directive. He switched his forms after London was shot and Karl was incarcerated. I’ve faxed the paperwork to the hospital—Moses gave me the name and number. I’m calling because this leaves me in an awkward position. London should know, of course. But I understand she’s pregnant, and given everything, I just don’t know what to do here. I’m looking for your advice.”
Kira had her hand on her forehead, her gaze searching the sky. London. William was London’s entire world. This was going to devastate her.
“Christen, it’s nighttime in Qatar. If you felt comfortable, I would wait until you had more information—a reason why William is unconscious, a prognosis. In the meantime, I’ll call my Aunt Fatima, whom London thinks of as a mother figure. If my family knows, they can support London. They’ll probably insist on moving London to the family compound, so they can care for her. I’ll text you my aunt’s number when I get off the phone.”
“That’s the plan then,” Christen said. “Thank you for your help. Gator is going to take good care of you.”
Kira moved her gaze to Gator’s.
“D-Day,” he said, “you okay? Do you need me out there with you? Lynx and Deep can be here for Kira.”
Kira nodded to show that she was in complete agreement.
“I’m going to follow Kira’s plan and sit tight until I know what’s going on. I’ll call you, and then we can talk about it. I need to head into a meeting. I’ll reach out later. Love you today.”
“Today, I love you too,” he said, then hung up as Kira pulled her phone from her bag, tapping her aunt’s icon, and hearing the call go right to voicemail.
Kira looked at the time. “It’s early for her to go to bed. Here, text this number to Christen.” She held out her phone. “Fatima with an F.” When he was done, she turned her phone back to face her. “Let me call my cousin.” She tapped the rose icon. It picked up on the first ring. “Amara? It’s Kira.” She spoke in English, so Gator could understand. “I was trying to reach your mom.”
“No, you won’t be able to. She went to Tanzania with Dad. Cell service is touch-and-go.”
“Okay, so they both already know.” Kira wished Aunt Fatima were at home; she was the right person to support London.
“Know what?”
“Amara, I need you to keep this between the two of us. But it will fall on you and the other women to help. Please don’t say anything near London until you hear from William’s daughter, Christen. I’m going to text her your number.”
“Christen?”
“Yes, listen. William was taken by helicopter to the hospital. Your mom and dad have left by car.”
“Car? Why?”
“That I don’t know,” Kira said. “I’m sending you a big hug and hanging up now.”
“Mutual support,” Gator said with a grin as he typed Amara’s cell number for Christen and texted what they’d learned from the phone call.
As they arrived at the gunmetal gray Iniquus SUV, Lynx stepped out of the vehicle and wrapped Kira in a warm hug. “I’m so glad you came to us,” she said, and Kira believed her. “Look,” she said, opening the back passenger door, “I brought Houston along for the ride. She’s a PTSD support dog and is great at snuggles. I thought you could use some stress relief after your harrowing night.”
Gator moved to the back and loaded Kira’s luggage into the hatch.
“Have you eaten anything today?” Lynx asked, and Kira looked at her feet, wondering if she had or not.
“If you can’t remember, it means you need to eat something. When’s the last time you slept?” Lynx asked as Kira turned and climbed into the back seat. Not last night, from what Christen said.”
“No, not last night.” Kira pulled her seat belt into place. “Poorly the night before.” The beautiful German shepherd with the softest hair and the most caring eyes crawled forward to put her head in Kira’s lap. Kira leaned down to smell the clean musky doggy scent, then laid a kiss near Houston’s ears.
“We’ll take you to the hotel where we have a room reserved for you, and you can settle in.”
