Chapter 16
NAS Jacksonville, FL
MICKEY SAT IN the surgical waiting area for a while; then he paced the floor for a while; then he sat again and settled down with the paperback book he’d brought with him. He quickly realized he couldn’t concentrate, so he put the book down with a sigh. He sat for a long while, lambasting himself for not having revealed his feelings to Chris years before. Then he thought about Chris and what he was facing, and it gave him the willies just thinking about it. Finally he thought about their future together and what it might bring. There was a sofa along one wall of the room, so he eventually stretched out on it full-length and dozed off.
He awoke because someone was shaking his shoulder, so he sat up and looked in their direction.
A nurse said, “Mr. Bottoms
