Chapter 810: Fayetteville VA Medical Center

Saturday, April 1st, Morning

The day began early. He got out of bed and kissed his still-sleeping wife. He had a light breakfast and wasn't surprised that his mother-in-law was already up. After making a travel cup of coffee, he headed out.

Keith found the streets nearly empty, as most people seemed to have chosen to sleep in. The early spring was showing, with the trees starting to turn a vibrant shade of green. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Skillz was pulling a prank. Today was April first, after all, April's Fool Day.

Finally, he pulled into the River Court parking lot. To Keith's surprise, he found Skillz waiting for him. Skillz, the older man, was not just one of his dad's oldest and closest friends but also a mentor figure who had guided Keith through some of the toughest times in his life. He stood by his car, drinking his coffee.

Keith parked his car and got out. Walking over, he looked at Skillz. The older man looked back.

"Early, Dawg, I'm surprised," Skillz said.

"What makes you so surprised?" Keith asked.

"Growing up, you were only on time for your birth," Skillz said.

"That wasn't true," Keith said.

"Yes, it was, Dawg," Skillz said.

"Not anymore," Keith said.

"That's Izzy's good influence on you," Skillz replied.

Keith shook his head, "Nah! Uncle Sam."

"Uncle Sam? I know your whole family, and you don't have an Uncle Sam," Skillz said.

"The US Army straightened my ass out in that way," Keith said.

"Right," Skillz said.

"So, what is this about, Skillz?" Keith asked, his curiosity piqued by the mysterious nature of the day.

"I remember when you used to call me Uncle Skillz," Skillz replied.

"Look, my wife is in town, and I could be home with her and my kids," Keith said.

"Relax, Youngblood, we'll be getting to this," Skillz said.

"So, what do we do?" Keith asked.

Skillz chuckled, "First, finish our coffee, then durian the lizard, and you get into the passenger seat of my car."

"Your car?" Keith asked.

"I know where we're going, and no one but me drives my car," Skillz said.

"I get it," Keith said. He finished his coffee, ensured everything was set, and entered Skillz's car. Skillz got behind the wheel, and they were off.

Skillz drove through the streets of Tree Hill until they came to I-40. They got onto I-40N and merged with traffic. Skillz was very quiet and turned up the radio. The sounds of old-school gangster rap filled the car. Keith looked out the window as they drove. Finally, Keith noticed Skillz was slowing down, and they were near Warsaw and Clinton, North Carolina. Keith noted that they were getting off Exit 364. Skillz moved his car onto NC-24W.

"How much further?" Keith asked.

"What are you five?" Skillz asked.

"No, just curious," Keith said.

"Relax, Dawg," Skillz said.

"Why?" Keith asked.

"'Cause, Dawg, it's not much longer," Skillz said.

Keith sighed and looked out the window. Eventually, Skillz steered the car into the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. After they parked, Skillz got out and looked over the building. Keith exited the car and looked at Skillz, who seemed to steel himself to enter the building. Keith didn't think Skillz was a veteran, as he had never heard of him serving in the US Military.

"Why are we here?" Keith asked.

"This is where we are going," Skillz said.

"Why?" Keith asked.

"We'll see," Skillz said, heading towards the front door. He seemed to have willed himself to move from where he stood. Keith shrugged and headed after Skillz. Once they entered the building, Keith found Skillz talking to someone behind the front desk. A few moments later, Skillz signaled that Keith would follow him as they moved through the hallway.

In the elevator, Keith looked at Skillz. The older man looked downcast now, and the tension in the air was palpable. Keith had known Skillz most of his life and rarely knew him to be this downcast.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked.

"It's a tough thing we're doing," Skillz said.

"What does that mean?" Keith asked.

Skillz shook his head, "You'll see soon," he said.

The elevator stopped, and once the doors opened, Skillz sighed heavily and stepped out. Keith followed him out. Skillz turned down and walked down the hallway. Keith followed behind, looking around the VA Medical Center.

Keith noticed the hospital scent. It turned his stomach. Was it from the patients or the cleaning chemicals they used? It always hit his nose hard when he went to the hospitals, which was another reason he avoided them.

Finally, Skillz stopped by a door. Keith caught up and looked at Skillz. The older man was leaning his hand on the doorframe, seeming willing himself to move forward. Keith noticed Skillz's face showed sadness and stress.

"What's up?' Keith asked.

Skillz sighed. " There was a group of us who met in school and played basketball on the river court," he said.

"Yeah, I remember my dad told me. It was you, him, Aunt Haley, and Junk," Keith said.

Skillz nodded. "That's basically correct, but there was one more person about whom we don't talk much," he said.

Keith canted his head, "There was?" he asked.

Skillz nodded, "Yeah, he didn't get many of the breaks like the rest of us. He tried the fire department like Junk but didn't score high enough on the test. So, as you know, he took one of the last routes for the poor; he joined the army," Skillz said.

"Okay, what brought him here?" Keith asked.

"We're not sure," Skillz said.

"What happened?" Keith asked.

"He came back; it was the height of the fighting; he came back and tried to fall back into what we used to do. He eventually shut down and ended up here," Skillz said.

Keith nodded, "I think I understand," he said.

Skillz sighed, "No, use putting this off," he said.

"I'm ready," Keith said.

Skillz walked into the room, and Keith followed. They were greeted by a private hospital room, with a man around Skillz's age lying in bed. The man lay there staring off into nothing.

"Who's this?" Keith asked.

"This Keith is Ferguson "Fergie" Thompson, the missing River Court Kid," Skillz said.

Keith looked at the man in the bed, confused.