The Sequel Read Online Free PDF Page B

overtakes him. He pounds on the window with both fists.
    They turn, surprise then alarm on their faces. Before they can jump up, Zachary is through the door, past the group of people at the cash register waiting for a table.
    His fists cut the air as he strides up to their table. His head feels ready to explode. He can feel the blood pulsing at his temples. He glares at them, his eyes moving from Cardoza, to the baby, to the woman.
    He opens his mouth to speak—and stops. He suddenly feels like a balloon deflating. He can feel the air whoosh from his lungs, feel his whole body sinking … shrinking.
    He lowers his fists. His breathing slows. Finally, Zachary finds his voice. “I made you up, didn’t I,” he says softly.
    They both nod, faces blank.
    â€œI made you both up. You’re not real,” Zachary repeats.
    â€œYes,” she answers in a whisper. “You imagined us.”
    â€œYou’re in my mind. You’re a fairy tale. You’re not really here.” Zachary murmurs.
    They watch him expectantly. She holds the baby against her shoulder, her eyes, unblinking, on Zachary.
    â€œI imagined you,” he says. “And if I shut my eyes …”
    He doesn’t wait for them to respond. He shuts his eyes.
    And when he opens them, he sees faces—unfamiliar faces—staring down at him. Faces hovering over him, features tensed, as if they’ve been waiting for him to do or say something.
    He’s lying on his back. He raises his head. “Where am I?” he asks.
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    â€œWe put you in this room, Dr. Striver,” a chocolate-skinned woman in a pale green uniform replies. Her curly white hair pokes out from her nurse’s cap. “We thought you’d be comfortable here.”
    He nods and settles his head back on the pillow where it had been resting. Cardoza and Rumpelstiltskin linger in his mind.
    A woman bumps the nurse out of her way. Her face hovers above his, her eyes disapproving, cheeks wet with tears. “You did it again, Howard,” Debra, his wife, says. “I … don’t understand. Can you explain it to me? Is living inside your own mind so much better than being with me?”
    â€œNo,” he replies quickly. He reaches for her but she eludes his arms. The tears glisten on her cheeks. She makes no attempt to rub them away.
    â€œHow long have I been out?” he asks.
    â€œTwo days,” Debra says. “But we had no way of knowing how long you would be away this time.” Before he can reply, she continues. “Why do you keep doing this, Howard? Retreating into your own mind. You’re trying to escape from me. Just admit it.”
    â€œNo,” he says again. “No. Really.” He pulls himself up to a sitting position. He gazes at the doctors and nurses who have retreated to the walls so that Debra can confront him. “The baby,” he says to her. “Is the baby okay?”
    She narrows her dark eyes at him. “Howard, we don’t have a baby. What’s wrong with you?”
    He’s trying to get clear. He has to sort things out before he can assure Debra, before he can win her back. “What about my book?” he asks.
    She shakes her head. “You keep threatening to write a book about your discoveries. But you’ll never have time to write if you keep disappearing into your own mind.”
    He nods. He’s starting to feel stronger. He takes her hand and squeezes it tenderly. “I’m ready to make a new start, Debra. I’ll try not to escape again. I promise. Let’s make this a new beginning. Part two of our lives. The sequel. Yes, let’s start the sequel today.”
    She eyes him doubtfully, but she doesn’t let go of his hand.
    â€œDr. Striver,” the white-haired nurse interrupts. “Those men from the Pentagon have been waiting for two days.”
    He scratches his head. “What do they want?”
    â€œRemember? They want to