All Chapters of Drengr: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

I woke up in recovery and David smiled down at me as he got to his feet. “Partial thyroidectomy was a success, my friend. We found no cancer in the lymph nodes. Can you try to speak?”“Thanks,” I croaked out. My voice was still hoarse but it was to be expected. I was relieved to say the least, not that I’d been too worried about my vocal cords.“That’s great. We’ll take you to your room in a little while and check on you later,” he said.I was glad that Jack wasn’t there. He had a wife and kids and his work was important. He’d already taken three days off to look after me and I was glad that he’d listened when I told him to go home. I didn’t feel too bad. I had slight neck pain, a headache and my throat hurt, but other than that, I was fine. My surgery was successful and that was what I had hoped for. I would be on liquids for twenty-four hours but by tomorrow I could go over to soft foods and then back to my normal life.I woke up a few hours later, still a bit groggy from the anest

The minutes ticked by in silence. I couldn’t turn around to look at her. I knew what I’d see. Hate, fear, disgust. I didn’t want to see that in her eyes, I preferred her anger over fear.“Blake,” she said softly but I still couldn’t turn around and face her.“That Sunday, Jack called me and told me that I was a target after my last assignment. I extracted from the farm and came to Chicago. I hunted them all down before they could come after me,” I said. I still had my back to her. “That’s how I got shot.”“Please look at me,” she said and I felt her right behind me. I turned around and looked into her eyes.“What happened to you?” she asked me as the first tear spilled over her lids.“It doesn’t matter. You get what you get in life,” I said.Charlotte took my hand and led me back to the couch. I sat down next to her and everything felt surreal. Why wasn’t she running away from me?“Was your last job at that party with your friend? Is whatever happened there the reason you were so diff

Charlotte and June sat under the shade of a big tree a few feet away from everybody. She felt relaxed, happy and she knew that Blake was her endgame. There was no doubt in her mind anymore, no more lies, except her own dark secret.“I’ve never seen him like this before,” June remarked.“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.“He’s so relaxed and he’s smiling. You’re going to have to stick around,” June said and Charlotte smiled.“I’m glad. He still has his moments but he’s slowly turning human,” Charlotte said and June laughed.I walked toward them and June put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her laugh. Charlotte’s eyes were sparkling and I forgot all about the misconceptions of the previous night.“No, please, by all means, continue discussing me,” I said and they both started to laugh again as I sat down next to Charlotte.“I like this new you, Jericho. She’s a keeper, marry her before she realizes how weird you are and runs away,” June said and stood up when one of the kids sta

Charlotte had opened my eyes to a new world, a world where I didn’t have to be the old me. I could walk away from all of this and still be the person I wanted to be. It was a thought that had my breath hitch, a thought that should have numbed me.Then something else started happening. I thought more about what Bo had said about his sister. I missed work. It had already been three months and I was getting bored at home. I needed to stay busy and I missed the feel of a rifle in my hands.Charlotte had stayed in Epworth with the dogs because I would be leaving after I’d seen Lynda. I drove the bike to HQ and parked in my usual parking spot and took the elevator up to the twenty-ninth floor. The feelings inside me were new and I wasn’t sure if they were good feelings.The central offices were busy as usual and people greeted me like I hadn’t been gone for three months. I preferred it this way. I hate it when stuff becomes a big deal like surprise parties.I was a planner and I preferred t

The sun started to rise and I watched as it drove the darkness away and filtered through the blinds into the bedroom. I got up and went to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. She had acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I showered and walked to the kitchen. The test was still on the counter where I had left it.“Morning,” Charlotte said as she walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas.“Go pee,” I said and she looked at me. Was she that good an actress? She still looked like nothing had happened.“Fine,” she said and took the box from the counter and headed to the bathroom. I made coffee and she was back within two minutes and sat down at the counter.“And?” I asked as she took her coffee cup.“You can go check,” she said.She’d left the test on the closed lid of the toilet and I picked it up. Shit. It was positive. Maybe if I hadn’t seen what I had last night, I might feel different, but now I felt that I didn’t really know her. She had secrets of her o