Page 72 of Airborne
“Are you denying your internal reactions? Because you’re human, not a machine. We are created for relationships.”
Chad almost laughed. “I’m well familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I want to find where I fit.”
“A journey or a search?”
“For an answer to why my life is difficult and how to compartmentalize each happening.”
“I know you well,” Jordan said. “You spend far too much time shoving life experiences into mental files. You try to force them to fit instead of examining them for what they are.”
“One problem after another stands in the way of a promise I made.”
“Your commitment to medicine?”
Chad rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s part of it.”
“What is God saying?”
“You and Heather have a faith element in perspective while I look at how I can leave the world a better place. Prove to me there is a God in this rat’s nest, let me see a deity in action who cares. So where is your God, the one who supposedly loves us? ’Cause He hasn’t shown me His face.”
“You blame God or He’s not in the equation?”
“God isn’t a factor and that makes it difficult for you to comprehend my method of reasoning. I want a solid future for Heather and the baby.”
“Explain the issue to me.”
“I will sometime soon.”
“I believe God is in control of all things.”
Chad ignored the faith debate sure to come if he cleared the road.Move on. No use.“How many people vied for the CDC job?”
“Four applicants.” Jordan held up his hand. “The FBI went down the same path. They’ve been cleared.”
“Are you talking to one of them in the event I’m barred?”
“I’m not doing a thing until the virus is under control.”
“That’s fair. How long will the CDC wait for my complete exoneration?”
“Chad, why are you here?” Heather’s weak voice captured his attention.
He walked to her bedside. “To make sure you and the baby are okay. A ruptured appendix is dangerous.”
“So is boarding a plane. Did you bring legal documents for my signature?” The hand with the IV protected her womb.
“No.” He studied her vitals. “You’re making progress.”
“We’ll be fine. Both of us are fighters.”
“Jordan tells me your doctors are excellent.”
“Relax, Chad. Your future doesn’t include a funeral, at least not at this point. Do me and my son a favor and go back to Houston.”
Chad sensed a catch in his chest. He grabbed his personal items and left the room. His body burned hot with her pronouncement. Wouldn’t her signature free him of responsibility? No wife? No son? Why did he feel lost?
“Chad,” Jordan said from behind him, “where’s your hotel?”
He kept his attention on the hallway ahead. “I’ll catch the next flight back to Houston.”
