Prologue

T he room was hot and airless with the windows closed, but, when you didn't have a private room and somebody else couldn't breathe in the cold air, you kept the window closed because it was the thing to do. But for his roommate's sake, Xavier would be outside, with that window open at all times. But it wasn't to be. He stared over at the man he had served with through many missions, not liking what he saw of his color. "Hey, do you want me to get you some help?"

Zander shook his head. "Nothing they can do, man." He turned to look at him and said, "I'm sure I got this virus here."

Xavier shrugged. "It would be hard not to, when it's going around."

"Yeah, before you get it, you should get outta here."

"I got no place to go," Xavier muttered.

"Get outta here, just get outta here. Find another center, find someplace where you could have the window open."

"You noticed that, huh ?"

"Yeah, man. I'm sorry, but that cold air kills my lungs every time I inhale."

Xavier nodded. "That's why it's closed."

"And I appreciate it, yet you need to find another place to stay."

"Yeah? Is there even another place?"

"A friend of mine went to Hathaway House," he shared, "and he swears by it."

"I've heard that a couple times too," Xavier noted, "but the whole process to get outta here sounds painful."

"I don't think it has to be," he said, and then he started to cough again.

Xavier winced. "Man, are you sure you don't want me to call somebody?"

"Nobody to call for this," he said. "It's why I'm telling you to get outta here."

"Yeah, but it's not as if what happened to you can't happen elsewhere."

"Right, but you know something? Sometimes it's things like this that make you decide to change."

"Sure, but you're the one who's sick, so maybe you should be getting out of here."

"I gotta get rid of this virus first. Don't wanna be spreading it around. If I could get clearance, I would," he said.

Xavier looked at Zander, frowning. "You don't have to give up though."

"I'm not giving up," he stated, "although, man, I've come to that point a couple times."

"That's one of the reasons why I'm still kinda here."

"Don't do that. You can't throw your life away, waiting on me," he replied. "Honest to God, apply for Hathaway and get out of here."

"I'll apply if you do," Xavier murmured.

Coughing and laughing at that, Zander replied, "They already turned me down."

He stared at his friend. "Why?"

"Too soon after surgery, too many adaptations still, they didn't have a bed, blah, blah, blah . They put me on a waitlist," he added, "but that's just a nice way of saying, Sorry, no ."

"Well, if they're like that," Xavier noted, "then I don't want to go."

Then Zander looked at him and shook his head. "Don't do that. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face," he pointed out. "You need this, and they can help you. If I had a chance of going, I would, and I would make the best I could out of it.… Besides, if you go, you can always put in a good word for me."

Xavier frowned at his friend. "I don't want to leave you here," he stated bluntly.

"You'll have to because staying here is not doing you any good."

Xavier argued, "We've been to battle together too many times for me to walk away now."

"Then step forward," Zander ordered. "Step forward and take one for the team."

He snorted at that. "You mean, take something good for the team? Yeah, that's not the way I operate."

"At this point in time I think you need to. And, if there is any chance of my getting there, then it won't hurt to at least have a reference from somebody who is there."

"Doesn't mean that they'll even accept me," Xavier stated. "Besides, if they turned you down, they would leave me hanging."

"And turning me down does not mean that they'll turn you down." Zander glared at him. "You need to try."

And, with that, Xavier gave in, somewhat less than gracefully.

Giving it a try was a whole different story than giving in. But he expected to receive an absolute and complete no. When he got an acceptance, although it wouldn't take effect for another couple months, he was stunned. He hated to even tell Zander. Yet Zander was thrilled.

"Good, and I'm starting to feel much better too. The last dose of antibiotics helped."

"Well, getting your lung punctured and catching pneumonia at the same time, being on a ventilator too…"

"But I am slowly recovering, and that's what's given me hope," Zander declared.

"I still think I should stay though."

"No," he snapped. "You need to go." He glared at his friend. "Sometimes you have to walk alone."

"Walking alone isn't a problem," Xavier snapped, "but I don't like walking away from anybody."

"I'm not asking you to walk away," Zander murmured. "I'm asking you to go there first, to do your reconnaissance, and to report back."

At that, Xavier burst out laughing. "Okay, I can do that, but only if you promise that you will contact them every week, saying you're still looking to come. And, I mean, every week from now on, until I tell you to stop or until you hear from them that you're accepted."

"Do you think it will make any difference?" he asked doubtfully. "Won't that just piss them off?"

"Then piss them off," Xavier said. "At least it shows that you care and that you'll do everything it takes to get there. And I'll push from my side too."

"Yeah, don't you do anything to jeopardize your healing," he warned.

"I won't, but no way will I do well and not give you the exact same opportunity," Xavier declared. "Remember that."

Zander looked at him and smiled. "I'll remember it, but—just as much as I'll email them every week—I will email you and give you a virtual kick in the butt to ensure you do the best you can while there."

"While I'm there, you know it. But I'll be pissed if you can't come and join me."

"Don't hold it against them," Zander warned. "They must have rules, regulations, and limited places for people."

"Good, depending on how long it takes, we'll ensure a spot for you, so you sit tight. You're coming, whether you like it or not."

"You know I want to go," Zander said. Then he started another horrific set of coughing. But at least it seemed productive, moving around some of the congestion. And when he stared back over at Xavier, Zander smiled and said, "I really am feeling better."

"Yeah, sure ," Xavier said in disgust.

"You need to get out of here before you catch something that'll kill you."

"Same for you," he muttered. "Same for you."

And, with that, he settled down to rest, wondering what the odds were of getting Zander into the Hathaway place while Xavier was still there. Probably not all that great odds, but he would do whatever he could. Zander had saved his life. If Xavier could return the favor now, he was up for it. In fact, he was bound and determined to do it, whether his friend liked it or not.