Tomorrow We Die Read Online Free

“Hello?”
    “Jonathan?”
    “Yeah?”
    “It’s Joseph Kurtz.”
    I should have recognized his voice. It was Doctor Joseph Kurtz, dean of the University of Nevada, Reno, Medical School. It was he who had first convinced me to pursue paramedic school – and more recently, med school. He’d coached me in my preparations for the MCATs.
    With his ponytail and round spectacles, he’d always struck me as something of a misplaced beatnik. Decades ago he’d traded his beret for a stethoscope and in recent years had become the medical-school dean, bringing an out-of-the-box style of leadership that had garnered national recognition for the med school’s programs. He also happened to sit on the board that was considering my application for scholarship.
    “Hey, Doc. Good to hear your voice.”
    “You too, Jonathan. What’ve you been up to?”
    “Oh, just happened to be checking up on a patient.”
    “Right, right. That’s my good medic. Well, I won’t keep you, but I do have some very good news.”
    My heart hopscotched.
    “The board reviewed your MCAT scores, and they were very impressed. I am not sure if you’re aware of how few people in the country actually score in the ninety-eighth percentile. We examined your financial application, and I am happy to tell you that you’ve been approved for a full-ride scholarship.”
    I held the phone out and looked at it in disbelief. Yep, Dr. Kurtz’s number. There was no way I could afford med school on the $11.70 an hour I was bringing home as a paramedic. My hopes had rested entirely on scholarship applications.
    A full ride . “I can’t believe it. Out of all the applicants?”
    “You outshined them all, bud. Congratulations.”
    “Wow. That . . . that makes my year.”
    “Just thought I’d pass on the good news.”
    “Thank you so much.”
    “Hey, you earned it. Made my personal recommendation easy. But, look, the scholarship is provisional, based on an ongoing evaluation.”
    “Like with grades?” I glanced out my side window and merged into a lane.
    “That . . . and the board wants to make sure that its scholarship recipients are examples of the professional caliber that the med school produces.”
    “How do they measure that?”
    “It’s difficult to quantify. But for starters, I’d recommend that you enroll in the summer prep courses.”
    “That’s all stuff I’ve pretty much taken.”
    “I know. I know. But it shows the board that you’re serious and committed. This is a huge gift, and you don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it, right?”
    Summer prep was a full-time commitment. I doubted that I could even keep up per diem hours on the ambulance. “What about meals and lodging? The scholarship program only covers that during the main school year.”
    “We discussed that and have decided to make an exception for you.”
    That only gave me a month. I’d have to give notice on my lease, move everything out, put some stuff in storage. And my dad –
    “Jonathan?”
    “Yeah? Sorry. Just taking it all in. I’m definitely on board.”
    “That’s what I like to hear. Well done, bud.”
    “Thanks again.”
    After hanging up, I went on autopilot for the next couple of miles, blinking out of my reverie when I pulled onto my driveway. The glow I felt inside dampened a bit as I parked in the cave-like garage. The walls of my house had been built with stones that came out of the hole the original builder dug for the basement back in the thirties. My house only because it had come to feel that way after renting for the past four years. My dad lived there too. And I always had to qualify this – no, I didn’t live with my dad. Yes, I did live with him. He rented a room from me. In the house that I rented.
    Street light stretched through open blinds, lending the only light inside. I sat in the dining room and stared out the back window. Closer than in winter, Orion ran up from the mountains into the night sky, Ursa Major still eluding him at an