Page 38 of Hoofin’ It

“I’m at the hospital being tested for rabies.” It wasn’t a lie. Dr. Harting had tested me for rabies. “I’m pretty sure after they determine if I’m rabid, the FBI and local police will be questioning me. Dr. Harting wanted to do a full checkup, and she’s prescribing some medications to help with the concussion. No big deal. I was just busy and couldn’t give you a call until now.”

“Lewis told us you’d texted him. It would have been nice if my son had texted me, too. Does my son like his godfather more than his father?”

“Dad, you’re whining.”

“It’s six in the morning, and I’ve been waiting for you to call me all night long.”

“Go to bed before you bite someone.”

“No. I’m not going to bed until you’re safe in my custody.”

“I’m a grown man. I don’t need to be in your custody.”

While wolves couldn’t roar, Dad’s infuriated howl came close enough my head throbbed. “I took my eyes off you for two hours, Shane Abraham Gibson! Two hours. You were supposed to go into the nightclub, have a look around, and come back out. Within two hours. Did you forget that part? Then, not only do you stay in the nightclub, the FBI raids it, setting up a cordon too far away for us to see who was coming and going. The local cops couldn’t get us past the cordon, and they couldn’t tell us who was or wasn’t in the building. What the hell happened in there?”

“Long story. It involved a fifteen hundred dollar bottle of Scotch.”

“Of course it did. How old are you again? Because that’s the sort of shit a teen would pull.”

I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I shared it with a pretty girl named Sally, but if you call her that, she’ll kill you. Good news is, she doesn’t have rabies.”

“You were actually tested for rabies?”

“Long story. Anyway, she used my phone to contact someone outside of the nightclub, thus my inability to leave.”

“And the concussion issue?”

“It’s not a big deal. Just got a bit dizzy, so it’s precautionary.”

“So nothing happened?”

While a lot had happened, if Dad wanted a confession of my evening’s sins, he’d have to try a lot harder to get it. “I’m fine. If anything changes, I’ll let you know. After Dr. Harting is done with me, I have to be questioned, so I’m going to be really busy for a while. Don’t be surprised if I don’t call for at least a few hours, okay?”

“You’re sure you’re fine? You don’t need us to come to the hospital?”

“If I need you to come, I’ll call you. In fact, you can go home, and when I need you, I’ll call you for a pickup.”

“So you want me to drive three hours home just to turn around and come back.”

“I’m going to be here longer than six hours, Dad. When I have a better idea of how long it’ll be, I’ll call you.”

“This is punishment for sending you into the nightclub, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Go away, and take Lewis with you. Tell Mom I love her, please.”

“What about me? Don’t I get any love?”

“You tried to sell me into slavery.”

Dad laughed. “You know I wouldn’t actually sell you into slavery.”

“Fine. I love you, too. Go home and text me when you get in.” Before he could start asking questions I couldn’t answer honestly, I hung up.

A soft chuckle from the doorway warned me Dr. Harting had returned and had heard at least part of my conversation with my father. “The CDC wants you in Chicago on the next flight out. A representative will escort you to the headquarters there.”

“Chicago?” I groaned. “Well, close to home, I guess.”

“That factored into their selection of cities, as you have your primary residence there. The FBI has also agreed to handle your questioning there between tests.”