Brandt smiled. “Trouble everywhere these days, Jack.”
Even though Jack got a regular and powerful cocktail of painkillers, he could still see things… notice things.
Now, he locked on his captain’s eyes. He saw Brandt look left, as if the question might be dodged. He blinked.
More of Red Hook abandoned? The circle of Safe Zones tightening?
“Can’t we leave this for later?”
Jack nodded. He couldn’t demand that his captain talk about it.
The doctors must have told Brandt: no shop talk.
A nurse walked in, smiled at the two of them, looked at Jack’s drip, and then walked out again.
Jack locked his eyes right on Brandt’s.
“You heard my radio?”
“Yeah. No response when we pinged you back.” Brandt took a breath. “The guys didn’t know what they’d find. Pretty surprised. You alive, and a whole lot of dead Can Heads.”
“And Rodriguez.”
A nod. “Yes. Rodriguez dead, too.”
“I… I…”
“Jack. Easy. Let it rest. For now, hm?”
Now Jack looked away.
Suppose I should be grateful.
To be fucking alive.
He didn’t feel that way.
Are we losing this fucking war?
“I guess… I should just say thanks.”
Brandt nodded, shrugging.