The nurse handed him the phone, then immediately went over to his heart monitor.
"Hello?" he said, trance-like into the receiver.
"Healy?" Oh god, it really was her...
"Mr. Healy, I'm going to get you another nitroglycerin patch," the nurse said.
"Uh…Hang on," he said not sure if he was speaking to Red or the nurse.
"Your pulse is increased and we just want to reduce the workload on the heart," the nurse informed him as she peeled back the shoulder of his hospital gown.
"Healy, what's going on? Are you okay?" Red was growling into his ear and he felt completely untethered. It was so bizarre to be talking on the phone to Red at all, and in this circumstance…
"Where are you calling from?" He asked as the strangeness of this slid into place. There would be absolutely no valid excuse for a prisoner to make a call to a counselor. If they were caught…
"Don't worry, I'm not using the pay phone. This is a private line. Don't have a coronary or anything. Ha ha."
"Yeah, well, little too late for that, I guess," he answered weakly.
"Sorry, that was a dumb joke," she said, and her voice was thick and strained.
"No, it's fine, I'm…"
The nurse retied his gown and said, "Okay, I think that's better Mr. Healy. Just try to keep yourself calm."
He waved his thanks then scrambled with the phone, panicked. How long would she have to talk on this "private line"? And what if she got caught using a cell phone? There would be nothing he could do from the hospital to protect her.
"I shouldn't have called. I should let you go. I'm sorry…"
"Red," he barked, then lowered his voice. "Don't you dare hang up that phone unless you have to. Are you in a safe place? I don't want you to risk getting caught."
"I won't get caught." She answered. "But I don't have a lot of time. Look, all I heard from Caputo was that you were having heart surgery, tonight. I don't know anything, I can't ask any questions and I was…" her voice broke and he felt a pang in his chest that had nothing to do with blocked arteries. "I was worried about you," she whispered, all the hard edges of her normal speech suddenly melting into a soft purr.
Red was worried about him. The warmth of this spread through him and suddenly his cold hospital room was transformed into a place of light and beauty. And hope.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," he said, gently. "It's not really surgery, just your run-of-the-mill angioplasty. They just need to clean out some clogged pipes. I'll be good as new in a few days."
There was a long pause on the other line and then a rush of breath. "Oh my god, I thought you were going to have your chest cracked open." He could hear relief and tears in her voice.
How was it possible that she thought they had missed their chance?
He chuckled softly. "Sorry. It's not quite that dramatic."
She sniffled. "Caputo said that Katya told him you had to have surgery."
"Yeah, well, it's more like a procedure, I guess. But you know Katya. Her English is not that great."
"Her English is deplorable. Along with her judgment, her sense of humor and her personality."
"Woah," he said startled.
"Sorry," she answered. "I know she is your wife. But…let's just say I'm not her biggest fan."
"Yeah, well, she's not going to be my wife much longer. I think she found an apartment she likes so…"
"So good riddance, if you ask me."
"I tend to agree," he answered.
There was a long pause. "So how serious is this, really? Your condition, I mean."
"Serious as a heart attack," he answered glibly and he could practically hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone. "See, I can make dumb jokes too. Don't worry, please. This procedure should go smoothly and then I really will be good as new. "
"Okay. And when do you think you will be back at work?"
"Within a week. Honestly, this is no big deal, Red."
"I just wish…if things were different…I want you to know that I would have wanted to be there with you, you know?"
He lowered his voice and decided to take a chance. "I would give just about anything to have you here with me right now."
"Sam—I don't want you to think...I don't know how we would…how we could…"
"But we could Red. You have to see that. You're right, it wouldn't be easy. But we could."
She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe…"
He smiled. "Maybe is better than no…"
"You really are an optimist," she drawled. "I'm out of time. Please get word to Caputo so I can hear how you are doing. And Sam?"
"Yeah, Red?"
"Whatever else happens between us…I need you to know...You are my person on the other side of the bars."
He bit his lip as he remembered her words after Morello's wedding: Everybody has a soulmate. But they're usually on the other side of the bars or the wall or the planet from you...
"I know," he said and he felt the sorrow and hope and beauty and pain of it all at once. "And you're mine."