Page 53 of Near Miss

“Don’t be late.”

Chapter 29

Earlier that day, Joan walked into Stone’s office. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“Your follow-up doctor appointment.”

“Follow-up for what?”

She picked the blackjack up off his desk and mimed hitting herself in the back of the head with it. “Ring any bells.”

“If memory serves, it rang a lot of bells,” he said. “I don’t need to go to the doctor. I feel fine.”

“And we want you to stay that way, don’t we? Now, come on.” She moved around his desk and shooed at him until he got up. “Fred’s waiting for you in the garage.”

“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

“What do you think?”

“Fine. I’m going. I’m going.”

A few minutes later, he was riding in the back of the Bentley.

“Fred, we haven’t picked up any new friends, have we?”

Fred glanced at Stone, in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry?”

“I mean, like last night.”

“Oh.” Fred used his mirrors to check the road behind them. “No. We are quite alone. Are you expecting more attention?”

“I’m afraid that may be a possibility.”

“Then I will keep an eagle eye out.”

“Thank you, Fred.”

Stone arrived at the hospital right on time and was soon joined in an examination room by Dr. Herbert.

“You look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you,” Dr. Herbert said.

“I feel a lot better than last time.”

“Any more headaches?”

“Not for a few days.”

“Dizziness? Vertigo?”

“Same.”

Dr. Herbert checked the back of Stone’s head, then placed his stethoscope against Stone’s chest. When he finished, he said, “And you haven’t hit your head on anything?”

“Just my pillow when I go to bed.”

“Keep it that way, and you should be fine.” He wrote something on a tablet computer, then said, “I’d like to see you again in another month.”

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