David Baldacci: The Sixth Man

“I’d like some of this to go to Eric Dobkin’s widow,” said Sean.

“You can do whatever you want with it,” said Harkes. “You earned it.”

After the three of them left Sean continued to sit by the bed. He planned to sit here until Michelle woke up or… Well, whatever happened, he would be there.

He gazed around the room. They’d been through so much together. A maniac from his past who had blown up his house. A serial killer that had very nearly finished them both off. A CIA rogue agent who thought torturing fellow Americans was an entirely legitimate exercise. And political leaders who thought they were above the law. During these times the only person he had really counted on was Michelle. She had saved him countless times. She had always been there for him. Their bond was like a million diamonds strung together and then sheathed in titanium, nothing stronger.

He sat back and listened to the machines keeping Michelle alive. She was young. She was strong. She had survived so much. She shouldn’t lose her life because a traitor had literally stabbed her in the back. She just shouldn’t.

He put his head on the cool bed rail and gripped her fingers with his. He would stay here until one of them stopped breathing.

I hope it’s me.

Night turned to day. And day turned to night.

And Michelle still lay there.

And Sean still sat there.

The machines made their funny little noises.

Sean waited for a miracle.

The nurses and doctors came and went. They would look at him, smile, say some encouraging words, check Michelle’s vitals and charts, and then scurry away.

Yet he knew that each day she didn’t wake up lessened her chances of ever waking up at all.

Fluids pumped in and fluids pumped out.

The clock ticked.

The machines hummed and hissed.

The doctors and nurses came and went.

Sean sat. His fingers intertwined with hers.

He had imagined her suddenly rising up from the bed and smiling at him. Or him coming back from the bathroom to find her sitting in a chair reading a book. Or more likely, knowing her, performing push-ups and eating power bars and sucking down G2 by the quart. Occasionally he would dream that he would find her bed empty because she had passed, but he had mostly willed that thought away.

He lifted his head and looked at her. He blinked to clear his eyes.

He looked down at her hand. He looked at his. He shook his head and laid it back down on the rail.

That was the only reason he didn’t see Michelle open her eyes.

“Sean?” she said in a voice that was crusty and weak from long disuse.

He lifted his head once more. His gaze met hers.

The tears came.

From both of them.

“I’m here, Michelle. I’m right here.”

He had his miracle.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Michelle, Novel # 21, ready, load, launch! We did it again.

To Mitch Hoffman, my “Sixth Man.”

To Emi Battaglia, Jennifer Romanello, Tom Maciag, Martha Otis, Chris Barba, Karen Torres, Anthony Goff, Kim Hoffman, Bob Castillo, Michele McGonigle, and all at Grand Central Publishing, who support me in every way.

To Aaron and Arleen Priest, Lucy Childs Baker, Lisa Erbach Vance, Nicole James, Frances Jalet-Miller, and John Richmond, for helping with everything from A to Z.

To Maja Thomas, for realizing long ago that ebooks are definitely for real.

To Maria Rejt, Trisha Jackson, and Katie James at Pan Macmillan, for helping me to roll in the UK.

To Steven Maat at Bruna for taking me to the top in Holland.

To Grace McQuade and Lynn Goldberg, for superb publicity.

To Bob Schule, for your eagle eye.

To Kelly Paul, I made your character really tall, which you’re not, and also really smart and cool, which you definitely are.

To Eric Dobkin and Brandon Murdock, I hope you enjoy your namesakes’ roles, and the various charities certainly benefited.

To the Harkes Family, for the use of your name and for being great friends.

To Lynette and Natasha, and you know why.

And a special thanks and welcome to Kristen White, as the newest member of the team.

ALSO BY DAVID BALDACCI

Absolute Power

Total Control

The Winner

The Simple Truth

Saving Faith

Wish You Well

Last Man Standing

The Christmas Train

Split Second

Hour Game

The Camel Club

The Collectors

Simple Genius

Stone Cold

The Whole Truth

Divine Justice

First Family

True Blue

Deliver Us from Evil

Hell’s Corner

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2011 by Columbus Rose, Ltd.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: April 2011

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ISBN: 978-0-446-57307-8