Just Don't Die

The Doctor Is In

Blaine pulled into Kalvin's driveway at about 10 am the following day, confident that he was home and awake. He knocked on the door and waited.

"I'm naked," Kalvin called from inside.

"You hear from Dr. Latourney?" Blaine said, walking in and heading to the back room where Kalvin sat, hunched over his keyboard.

"He hasn't responded to my email yet," said Kalvin as he shook his head. "I usually hear from him within a couple of days after I email him, but it's been at least a year since I sent him anything. I haven't mentioned you yet, though. I was going to feel him out and see how mad he will be when he finds out I did the one thing I told him I wouldn't do."

"You would think he would be more understanding since he's the one who sent me."

"True, but he was pretty adamant about you specifically not knowing. So, we will see."

"What do you know about him? Were you guys friends for a while before he cut your toe off? I mean, that seems a little excessive, but obviously, he knows more than either of us about what's going to happen."

"To be fair, I barely knew him. He came into the unit and took the whole platoon out for drinks. We figured it was just his attempt to curry favor as the new officer of our unit. He got us all pretty drunk, and then he took me to the side and started telling me how he was from the future. I was a little more open to his story since I was three sheets to the wind, but then he pulls out a knife and throws it straight down. He took my big toe off my foot with more precision than a surgeon."

"And you were convinced because of that? What did you tell everyone?" Blaine asked.

"He rode with me to the hospital. He told me he had put 100,000 dollars in my bank account. Then, he gave me a list of stocks and collectibles with the dates to buy and sell more. He told me that he was saving me from some catastrophic event that would happen to me if I stayed in the military. The money in my account kept me quiet long enough for the first stocks to skyrocket. After that, why wouldn't I believe him."

"He didn't get in trouble for cutting off your toe?" Blaine asked, confused.

"I told everyone that it was simply a bar fight gone bad, and Adam backed up the story. Like I said, a hundred grand was enough to convince me to be quiet for a little while."

"Did he try to explain anymore, or did he just give you the money and disappear?"

"He visited me in the hospital a few more times, and we started to talk about what we were before he came back. He was never very specific, but he told me there were three of us who created the technology to shift. He told me it was imperative that you never know about it. I never pushed the subject, but I promised if I ever ran into you, I wouldn't say a word about it. He would never give me any specifics of the technology, either. Ironically, I've learned way more about it from you.

"I was discharged from the Army under a medical discharge, and I decided to use my newfound wealth to travel and snowboard every mountain in the world. After the Alps and Himalayas, I returned and started traveling the Rockies. As soon as I drove into town, I got this weird feeling that I needed to be here and decided to buy a house."

I emailed Adam a few times to tell him what was going on, but it would usually take a few days before he would respond. When I emailed him about moving here, he responded within minutes. He accused me of trying to find you. I wrote back telling him that would be impossible as he didn't ever tell me your name or where you lived." Kalvin said, reaching for a can of Mountain Dew.

"Then how did you know it was me?"

"He actually did mention your last name once, but he was so drunk I knew he wouldn't remember. I am someone who doesn't believe in coincidences, so when he freaked out, I knew my intuition was getting me close. I didn't know for sure until you walked in the other day and told me. I had my suspicions and your last name; beyond that, I hadn't a clue." Kalvin said, taking a sip.

"But why would he be so worried about me finding out? He gives you money and tips that let you do whatever you want, leaving me in comparative squaller. The least he could have done was let my family have a little benefit. He waits until I lose every person I care for and then sends me back without a single word of advice. It just doesn't make any sense. Either tell me or let me die not knowing. Do you think we could find him?"

"Funny you should mention it," Kalvin said, turning back to his computer screen, "I've attempted to search him out through the years. I found a couple of articles on him from his hometown of Albany, Oregon. His high school graduation announcement, graduation from Oregon State University, and one article about him when he commissioned into the Army."

Kalvin had brought up a few screenshots of articles about Adam, and he leaned back so Blaine could take a look.

"Anything after he joined?"

"Not much. There was a blotter report from around Colorado Springs. He was apparently taken to the hospital after his heart stopped while he was out at the bar. From what I can gather, he had just gotten promoted, and one of his fellow officers punched him in his chest as an initiation, and his heart stopped. Commotio cordis is what they called it. I couldn't find his medical records yet, but obviously, they got his heart beating again. But, yeah, apparently, he was technically dead for like 5 minutes."

"You think that's the point he shifted back to?" Blaine asked, eyes intent on the monitor.

"That would make sense. That happened in 1993. I met him in Korea about two years after that. There's nothing else I could find on him past that point."

"Strange. You would think that with him suddenly making enough money, he could drop 100k into your bank account; someone would have noticed. I suppose he figured out how to stay under the radar."

"Most likely," said Kalvin, "but you are right; hiding it completely from you is weird. I'm tempted to email and tell him you came to me." Kalvin said as he brought up a new browser and started an email.

Blaine watched as Kalvin typed up a simple email with nothing in the subject line and only one sentence in the body that read: "Blaine just told me you sent him back from the year 2023. What do you want me to do?"

Kalvin turned back to Blaine. "All we can do now is wait. I wouldn't be surprised to hear from him in a few days. I'll call you when he responds and let you know. Did you get a cell phone yet?"

"Not yet. I'll stop by Walmart... shit, it's not built yet. I'll find one," Blaine said.

"I can't wait. Any tips on which brands are... what the hell?" Kalvin sat up in his chair, staring at the computer screen, "he says he wants you to stay at my place. He will be here within the hour."

"What? How? Where is he living? Even if we assume he could charter a jet at a moment's notice, it would take him 30 minutes to get here from the airport."

The look on Kalvin's face matched how Blaine felt. "He has to be close to get here that fast. He never indicated where he lived and has never offered to meet up with me. I never even told him my address."