by Sloan Storm
“I’m not wallowing in self-pity,” she grumbled. “As I said before, I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Fiona, I’m going to be perfectly frank with you. What you’re doing—this behavior that you’re engaging in right now—has the very real potential of impacting the business in a negative way. This is not just something between you and me, but something far bigger. There are literally thousands of jobs at stake and hundreds of billions of dollars. Now, we—you and I—have an obligation to fulfill our commitment to the investors tomorrow. If this were something that I could manage on my own, believe me I would.”
As I finished my thought, Fiona looked up at me.
“What are you trying to say, Gabe?” she asked.
“I’m not trying to say anything, Fiona. I believe I just did. You are taking a personal issue and allowing it to affect a work-related outcome. Not only that, but the decision you’ve made affects the lives of many, many people.”
Fiona shook her head and stood from the bed. “Gabe, I know you don’t understand or you don’t want to believe that I’m telling you the truth, but I am. I can’t explain any of this to you right now. I just want to be left alone.”
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’d thought we’d come so far, but in that moment I realized that, in many ways, she was still the same scared girl I met at the bar that night. Even so, getting angry, lashing out and saying things I’d probably regret later, wouldn’t get me anywhere. And so, going against my gut, I decided to leave things as they were.
“All right, Fiona,” I said, as I exhaled an exhausted breath. “Let’s forget about this for the time being. I’ll leave you alone and give you some time to think.”
Fiona nodded as she looked at me. “Thank you, Gabe I really appreciate it, and believe it or not, I’m very sorry.”
I nodded my head. “Let’s hope we don’t all wind up sorry as well.”
FIONA
I awoke to the sound of my cell phone vibrating on the night stand nearby. Through half-opened eyes I groped for it, grabbing it and bringing it towards my face for a closer look. Swiping it on, I noticed I’d received an email from the lab.
I opened it, read through it, and shot into a seated position.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, covering my mouth with my hand.
Reaching down, I ripped the sheets away from my body and within seconds I’d exited the bedroom.
“Gabe!” I called out. “Gabe! Where are you?”
Frantic, I scanned the interior of the suite but didn’t see him anywhere.
“Gabe!”
Just then, from out on the veranda, he yelled back, “I’m here!”
I walked as fast as I could, nearly to the point of jogging, as I exited the suite and made my way out into the warm night air. I noticed Gabe at the far end of the veranda, leaning against the railing and looking out towards the bay.
“Hey, you’re up,” he said, as I approached. His tone, far from sounding annoyed, carried a hint of concern. “Feeling better?”
I’d continued to walk towards him, only half-listening. Still flabbergasted by the email I’d received, I stuttered in response, “What?”
Gabe frowned at my frazzled demeanor. “I asked you if you are feeling better.”
By then, I’d closed to within a foot or so of him. “Yes. I-I’m feeling better.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Do you want…”
“Gabe, please be quiet.” I said, interrupting him. “I have something very important to tell you.”
His frown deepened across his forehead. “Okay, what’s going on?”
I spent the next five minutes or so explaining to Gabe that I received word from the lab that the last of the clinical trial data had come back with some troubling results. In essence, what was discovered meant that the presentation as it stood now would be inaccurate and incomplete.
In my judgment, there was only one way to fix it.
It meant I had to go back to the lab and deal with it myself. Gabe asked me a series of questions, clarifying every detail. I knew full well he had no intention of allowing me to leave the island ahead of the presentation.
“This is ridiculous, Fiona,” he said, dismissing my pleas with a curt tone. “Just talk to Andrew and the team can get the work done. I need you here with me to deal with the investors. You know that.”
I shook my head. “No, Gabe, I can’t do the presentation, not knowing what I know now. And besides, it would take far too long to involve the team. If I could go back to the lab, I can have the situation fixed in less time than it would take to try and coordinate it with the team. Left to work through this without me there, it could take them weeks… or more.”
“No, Fiona,” he said, as he pushed himself forward from the railing. “That is absolutely not going to happen.”
“Why not, Gabe? I know you know I’m right about this. There’s no way in good conscience you can have me get up there and do the presentation with the problems from the trial unresolved. Am I right?”
Gabe grimaced and stared at me in silence for several seconds. Reaching for an empty beer bottle along the railing, he snatched it, and holding it by its neck he hurled it into the nearby trees and shrubs.
“God damn it,” he grumbled.
I watched him as he continued to look out into the darkness. He reached up and slid both of his hands into his long curly hair, grasping it into fistfuls as he rounded the back of his head.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “Un-fucking-believable.”
I swallowed, and while still clutching my cell phone in my hand, I walked towards him. I reached for the middle of his back. Placing my palm flat on it, I began to massage and rub it with small circles. We stood there together without speaking for perhaps a minute or so.
“I have to do this, Gabe. We both know it.”
Just then, Gabe let out a prolonged, sputtering exhale as he turned to face me. Dropping his hands to his sides, he replied, “Yeah, I know you’re right, Fiona. But that doesn’t make this any easier.”
I looked up into his eyes, now darkened with concern.
“I know it doesn’t, but what choice do we have?”
My statement caused him to look away. It was as if he was considering all of his options, perhaps some that I was unaware of.
I shook my head as he stood there in silence. “Can’t we just postpone this for a while? The presentation I mean?”
Gabe thinned his lips. “I-I don’t want to think about that right now. Fuck.”
“Well…” I began, as the moment for a decision had arrived. “What do you want me to do?”
He shook his head in disgust. “Let’s just get this fucking thing handled as soon as possible. You got me?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied. “You have my word that if the problem is solvable, I’ll do everything I can to fix it.”
“No, that’s not good enough, Fiona. You have to fix this. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to find someone who can.”
GABE
It was a hell of a long night.
As poorly as things had gone with Fiona in recent days, the way in which the Link Protocol ground to halt made them seem almost insignificant. Unfortunately, whether I liked it or not, I’d have to rely on her to straighten things out.
I hadn’t enjoyed giving her the quasi-ultimatum about her position, but I really had no choice. If the whole thing imploded, the board would demand accountability. And like it or not, this happened on Fiona’s watch. I hoped by making her aware of the consequences, she’d get things handled. This was the first time I had my doubts about her getting the job done in the lab, and I didn’t like the feeling of it—not one bit.
Fiona left just after sunrise the next morning, taking my private jet back to the States.
As for me, well, I was left in the unenviable position of having to stall for time. The investors had arrived and were expecting big things from us. I had the trust and respect of at least half
of those I’d lined up for the meeting. The other half, I had no personal rapport with just yet. And now with the latest developments, it made the challenge of establishing a trustworthy bond all the more difficult.
Worst of all, most of them would likely see it as a huge insult, since nothing on Earth is more valuable to a wealthy person than his time.
I spent a good part of the day glad-handing and milling about the resort, chatting with the attendees I did know and doing my best to acquaint myself with the ones I didn’t.
Many had taken the opportunity to turn it into a family getaway, so in some cases at least, I’d been able to keep the conversations devoid of business chat. In instances where I couldn’t, I assured them that the evening ahead would be worth waiting for and begged off divulging any details. There was only one person I was concerned about when it came to coming clean about Fiona. And just after lunch that day, he approached me poolside after arriving on the island.
“Don,” I began, as I shook the hand of my Chief Financial Officer, Don Cabot. “How was the flight?”
Don’s pale skin shined under the bright glow of the tropical sun overhead. Squinting at me, he replied, “Flight was good, Gabe. How are things going here so far?”
Before I got into it with him, I gestured with my chin for him to follow me to a secluded area away from the poolside festivities.
“What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?” he asked, as we walked.
Without turning back to face him, I said, “I’ll explain everything, Don. This is not information that I want getting out at the moment.”
“Oh hell… I don’t like the sound of that one bit, Gabe.”
“I know, Don. Believe me I know.”
There was no getting around the truth with him about what happened with the clinical trials, and as a result, why it meant Fiona had to leave the island. Don’s face communicated an escalating mix of frustration and bewilderment, as I explained the situation to him.
“So, what the hell does this mean for the presentation, Gabe?”
Reaching up, I wrapped my hand around the back of my neck and rubbed it. Squeezing the sore muscles of it between my fingers, I looked back at him and said, “I’m not sure about that, Don. I’m making this up as I go.”
Don shook his head in disbelief. Looking past me, he gestured towards the gathering of investors as they and their families relaxed and enjoyed themselves at the pool.
“Making it up as you go?” he said, with an exhale of disgust. “That’s insanity. Point to any one of those men and women, and tell me which one of them is going to be satisfied with this situation.”
“Well, Don, if you’ve got any ideas, feel free to share them. As of right now, I don’t have much choice, other than to beg for forgiveness here.”
“Shit, Gabe. I hate to say I told you so but…”
“No,” I began, as I shook my head. “What you said was Fiona wouldn’t be ready for the presentation. That’s not what happened here, Don.”
He narrowed his gaze at me. With a tone of suspicion in his voice, he reached up and stroked his chin for a moment or two before trying to pin me down with his probing question.
“Was she ready, Gabe?”
It wasn’t hard to tell from his body language and the cadence of his voice Don still harbored deep suspicion about whether or not Fiona could’ve pulled it off. The last thing I needed to do, however, was to tell him he was right. I’d find a way to get Fiona past whatever it was holding her back, but for now, I needed Don and his team to help me keep things under wraps here on the island.
So I lied.
“Yes, Don, she was more than ready, but because the data is flawed there’s no way we can go ahead with things as they are.”
Unblinking, Don just looked at me and shook his head for several seconds.
“All right, Gabe. Um, it sounds to me like we need to do a bit of damage control then, don’t we?”
I nodded and reached towards my longtime employee, wrapping my fingers around his shoulder.
Looking him in the eye with as much conviction as I could muster, I replied, “That we do Don. So let’s not waste any more time standing here talking to each other about it. We’ve got work to do.”
Hours later, everything was set to go that evening as we gathered in the resort’s ballroom. There was no question why we were all there and what was to come.
Fortunately, none of them knew of Fiona’s role in the presentation, so when I took the podium, it didn’t raise any suspicions. Shuffling a bit of paper around in front of me, I waited for a few moments as the attendees turned their focus in my direction. Not since I started my business years ago had I been in a position where I literally had no idea what the next word out of my mouth would be. In a situation like this, all you can do is trust your instincts.
And so, with that in mind, I began…
“First of all,” I said, as I drew my eyes upward and began to scan the assembled throng of faces. “As I have expressed to each of you one-on-one, all of us at Hawkins Biotech are extremely grateful to you for taking time away from your own businesses to be here. As you all know, we’ve been working very hard the past several months to ready the research behind the Link Protocol for government approval.”
I paused for a moment, flipping over one of the pieces of paper before I continued.
“In any event, I’m very pleased to announce that most of the work is complete and what remains is on schedule and looking every bit as promising as we had hoped. Now I know that you’ve all gathered here this evening expecting to hear from our Director of Lab Research as to the current state of the project. Unfortunately, we’ve had… a minor delay. As a result, I’ve been left with no alternative but to temporarily delay the presentation.”
Just as I finished my thought, there was an audible cacophony of frustrated throat clearing and shuffling in seats from the assembled group. Feeling as though I might lose their attention, I continued without wasting any time.
“Although it’s regrettable, I have assurances that sorting out the details is coming together nicely. That said, it’s with my regret that I offer all of you a collective apology--because although we are close, we aren’t completely finished. Presenting you incomplete results and expecting you to invest because of it is a combination that I, as the leader of this company, am not comfortable with.”
A palpable silence fell across the room as I concluded.
It was about as I expected, but somehow or some way, I had to find a solution that would keep them all here until Fiona could return, without inviting a series of probing questions from any of them. That was an extremely risky proposition, and probably overly optimistic on my part, to assume that a room full of billionaires wouldn’t ask questions of me.
In spite of their collective wealth, most of the attendees built their fortunes from scratch as I had. And if there’s one thing which holds true about people who start with nothing, it’s that most of them never lose sight of the value of a dollar.
Reaching out, I wrapped my fingers around the sides of the podium and looked out into the crowd to share what I hoped would be an acceptable olive branch.
“As I mentioned, I don’t expect much of a delay, but to compensate you for it, I’d like to offer you something as a token of my company’s appreciation. Of course, we are already paying for you to stay here and enjoy the resort during the time of presentation. But, for your trouble, I’d like to offer to pay for each one of you to come back to the resort at any time in the future for a one-month stay on me. Of course, this includes anything that you like to do while you’re at the resort, not to mention your accommodations and all meals. I hope that this small gesture communicates to you how much I regret the delay and how much I hope you can find some flexibility in your schedule to allow you to stay for a couple more days.”
As I finished my statement, I looked out into the sea of unimpressed faces… and swallowed.
FIONA
I’d kept in r
egular contact with the in-home nurse caring for my grandmother while I was away in St. Barth’s.
After I returned home to deal with the clinical trial data, I continued to do so. I did it because instead of going back to the apartment and having to explain to her why I was there and what was happening, I made the decision that it would be easier to just stay at a hotel near the office and fix the problem with the lab results.
I wasn’t happy about doing it, and lying to my grandmother in the process, but I didn’t really see any alternative. Everything was on the line, and I’d left Gabe in an absolute mess with the investors. I felt terrible about doing it, but we both realized that unless I could get back to the lab and get to work, there would be no fundraising and the Link Protocol would die a horrific death.
At least, that’s what I had hoped the outcome would be, for the first day or so after my return. However, it wasn’t long until I began to receive increasingly urgent messages from him, threatening me with all manner of things, including dismissal, if I couldn’t figure out a way to fix the problem in time.
I did my best to ease his concerns and keep him up to-date with periodic reports. And in spite of what initially looked to be an almost impossible scenario to overcome, after a bit of work on the problem, I suspected there might be a solution. The challenge I had was that I needed the one thing I couldn’t spare——time. To make matters worse, on only my second day back from the islands, I received a phone call from the in-home nurse.
“Miss Matthews?” the nurse said, as I answered the call.
“Yes, Julie?” I began, as I cradled the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Is everything all right?”
Just then, I heard the sound of Julie swallow hard through the receiver of the phone. In an instant all of my concerns with regard to the Link Protocol disappeared. Instead, I focused my attention on her.
“Julie… What’s going on? Has something happened to my grandmother?”
She remained silent for another moment or two, before at last answering me. “Yes ma’am. She was admitted to the hospital this morning.”