by M T Stone
“I knew that it was too soon,” I said springing to my feet and running toward him.
Jack burst out laughing and swept me up in his arms just as I reached him.
“You worry too much. You should’ve seen your face,” he teased. I failed to find the humor in it.
“I can’t believe you thought that was funny. I worry about you every time you work out. It seems like you have some sort of death wish or something.”
“It’s not a death wish Kate; it’s more of a life quest. I’m sorry if I have been insensitive or have seemed flippant about my recovery. I’m not being as reckless as you think. I’m comfortable with what my heart can handle and most of all I can feel my energy coming back,” he explained.
“I don’t know how you can possibly know what your heart can handle,” I replied in frustration.
“I just know. I really believe the message that I received about it being ‘all in my head’.”
“So that was actually real? I thought maybe you had set that up, to make me believe that you were alright,” I confessed still not convinced that it had really happened.
“Is that why you searched my computer history the next day?” he asked with a stern look.
“You know about that?” This is awkward.
“Of course I know. You could’ve just talked to me about it. Besides, how would I have made up such a wild story? That sentence just came to me and I typed it in. I couldn’t type it again if my life depended on it. It was some kind of impulse that just came to me in the moment,” he said convincingly.
“Okay, I’ll have to take your word for it. But would you try to be a little more sensitive? We would all be devastated if something happened to you.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not going to back off on the workouts. You’ll see I’m right,” he replied with his usual conviction.
“Have you always been so damn stubborn?”
“That will be a good question to ask when you meet my mother,” he replied, before giving me a kiss and heading to the shower.
If he really wants to test his heart, I should do a sneak attack in the shower again. On second thought, I would rather wait to see his test results first.
Jack
As I got in the shower, I thought about how motherly Kate had been the past two weeks. I hadn’t wanted our relationship to change, but it was inevitable. I feel bad for scaring her. I don’t want her to worry about me. She had proven to be such a supportive and caring person. That was something I valued more than any other trait. Hopefully she will be more at ease with each passing day.
“This is my last day of egg white omelets,” I informed Kate, as we ordered breakfast.
“I knew that was too good to last,” she scoffed.
“I was reading that the egg yolk is the most beneficial part of the egg. They definitely make it taste better. I’ll avoid adding butter and cheese for now, though,” I compromised.
“We’ll see how long that lasts.”
“I’m 100% committed to getting in great shape, but I still want to enjoy what I eat,” I tried to explain.
“We better finish up. It’ll take us some time to get to your appointment,” Kate said, changing the subject.
“No problem. Tommy is ready to go, and our limo is waiting at the airport.”
“See, you can function without Kristen doing those things for you.”
“I haven’t heard from Kristen all week. I’ll have to send her a text later.” I don’t think we’ve ever gone a week without talking.
“I’m betting she hooked up with Nico and he’s been keeping her busy ever since. You know what they say about Brazilian men,” Kate replied with a gleam in her eyes.
“No. What do they say about Brazilian men?” I asked, not having a clue.
“Let’s just say they’re persistent and they get what they want.”
“Hmmm, I guess I haven’t dealt with many businessmen from Brazil.”
“Oh… I wasn’t talking about business,” Kate giggled.
“Okay, got it. Well, kudos to Kristen. She definitely needs a Brazilian man in her life.” She has some making up to do.
Kate
“This shouldn’t take long,” Jack said when the nurse called his name.
Yeah right, there’s a reason clinics have huge waiting rooms. After fifteen minutes of looking through really old magazines, my thoughts drifted back to Kristen and Nico. Curiosity was killing me so I sent her a quick text:
Me: Hi, Kristen, how’s it going?
I was surprised by an almost immediate response.
Kristen: Incredibly well. Tell Jack I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch. Nico just went back Wednesday and now I’m at JFK waiting for a flight to Rio.
Me: Wow, so you went for it?
Kristen: I didn’t have to go for anything. He was relentless. It only took a long weekend for him to wear me down. I’m so glad he was persistent.
Me: A long weekend? From what I’ve heard, that’s moving really slow for a Brazilian man.
Kristen: Have you ever dated one? My head is still spinning.
Me: I haven’t, but I’m so happy for you. Have fun in Rio! Don’t worry, Jack is fine. He even reserved a limo today using an app on his iPhone.
Kristen: Wow, now my head is really spinning. : )
“Excuse me, Kate?” Dr. Salvatore said as he came up behind me.
“Yes?”
“Jack is doing fine, but a couple of enzymes were highly elevated,” he explained.
“Well, he hasn’t exactly been taking it easy. I told him…”
“Yes, I’m aware. I told him that this is either really good news or very bad news. These enzymes only elevate to this extent under very extreme conditions. That’s why we sent him in for additional testing. You’ll be able to see him as soon as we finish,” he said, slapping his clipboard against his hand before once again disappearing down the hallway.
God, I hate this place. Why couldn’t he just relax and let the stem cells do their thing. As my stomach began to twist into knots, I caught myself and intentionally redirected my thoughts in a positive direction. The doctor said that it’s either really good or really bad. Why would I automatically assume that it’s something bad? I began to focus on his doctor telling me that it’s the most amazing recovery he had ever seen.
Ever since Jack had initially told me to focus on what you want instead of what you fear, I had seen its power. I had written down exactly what I wanted about a month ago. That was when I first started feeling insecure about our future together. As I pulled it from my purse and began to read it, I couldn’t help but smile.
- I want to design and sell a clothing line for working women
- I want to build the business with Jack
- I want to get spend less time in New York
- I want to see the world with Jack
- I want Jack to become more health conscious
- I want to marry Jack
- I want to have three or four children with him
The first five items on my list were all coming true, so I quickly added one more to the list.
- I want Jack to be 100% healthy
I know that he will want to get married and have more kids if he gets a clean bill of health. I thought back to the conversation that we had on the helicopter, as we flew to that deserted island. He mentioned several couples who had a wide age spread, and almost all of them had kids together. That has to mean that he has been thinking about it himself. He will be an amazing father. We will have to bring tutors along, so the kids can travel with us. I suppose we’ll have to settle down somewhere, though, so they can be in sports and make friends. I wonder where he will want to live. I don’t really want to raise kids in Manhattan. I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad if we lived across from Central Park. Maybe we could combine the two co-ops and make a nice sized home. Brandon can have Jack’s house. I couldn’t see myself living there anyway.
Our entire life was planned out in my head by the ti
me Jack returned to the waiting room.
“Sorry that took so long,” he said, as he took the seat next to me.
“What was the problem?”
“My body is rebuilding itself too fast. It’s scaring the cardiologist,” he joked.
His answer pretty much sums up Jack’s mindset at the time. Ever since the day that he decided he was going to live to be 93, nothing had stood in his way. It seemed as if he truly believed that he could make anything happen. Maybe that’s why things happen for him; because he believes it. I glanced down at my list once again. All eight of those things are going to come true.
“Kristen is on her way to Brazil,” I mentioned, as I glanced through my messages.
“Good for her,” Jack replied with genuine enthusiasm. “I hope she’s having a great time. She deserves it.”
Jack seemed truly happy to hear about Kristen, because it was one more person that he wouldn’t have to worry about. He might have been tough on competitors and adversaries, but he was always a softy when it came to his family and friends. I love that about him.
“Jack would you come with me?” Dr. Salvatore asked as the door swung open.
“Good luck,” I said squeezing his hand and giving him a smile.
As they stepped into his office, the doctor asked him something about anabolic steroids. I hadn’t been listening that closely but those two words grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the door closed before Jack had a chance to answer. He better not be using steroids. He promised that he was going to quit using testosterone. Steroids are even more dangerous. Maybe it’s something he did back in his younger days that’s coming back to haunt him.
My phone buzzed again and this time it was Mom calling. I should’ve probably stepped outside and took her call, but I wanted to be there when Jack came out. I’ll let it go to voice mail and send her a quick text. As I was writing a text, my phone buzzed again, so I knew that she had left a message.
Me: I’ll call you later. I’m at the clinic with Jack.
Mom: Have you talked to your father? He’s driving me nuts.
Me: No. I sent him a text telling him I’m fine.
Mom: Listen to the voicemail. I’m sorry he’s such an ass. Call me later.
I knew that the message from Mom wasn’t going to be good when she started out with an apology. She also admitted that she had given Dad my cell number. It appeared that his call had nothing to do with me, but was actually about him. I felt that familiar pain in my chest as she explained that he was in serious financial trouble, and had borrowed money from the wrong people. Now I see how Mom felt when he did this to her. He makes bad choices and then expects us to bail him out. He’s old enough to know better. At least he should by now. Mom’s wrong... I might be an optimist, but I’m definitely not like my father. Once again, I had tried to forgive him, only to be crushed by the reality of who he really was. He will never change.
As I sat there determined not to shed another tear, I once again heard voices out in the hallway. It’s time to leave my issues with Dad in the past.
“We’ll need to run those tests again in 30 days to see if they’ve stabilized,” I heard the Dr. Salvatore telling him.
“I’m sure they will be fine,” was Jack’s confident reply.
“At that time, we can talk more about doing a reversal as well,” Dr. Salvatore added. “I have a colleague who has a great success rate.”
A reversal? I only know one kind of reversal. Oh my god, Jack!
“Sure. It’s not a rush, but I want to explore my options,” Jack replied in a hushed tone.
“Alright, I’ll see you in a month. Good luck, Jack.”
A couple of seconds later, the door to the waiting room swung open once again. I looked down at my phone, pretending to be distracted. I didn’t want him to know that I had overheard their conversation. My eyes were still misty, but I was overcome with joy on the inside.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked immediately when I looked up at him.
Despite my efforts to contain all of the emotions I was feeling, I instantly burst into tears. They were mostly tears of joy, but there were a few tears of a brokenhearted little girl mixed in as well. Two men in my life were both 49 years old; their age, however, was the only common thread between them. I had witnessed first-hand how Jack nurtured his children, helping to guide them on a path that he felt would best serve them. My father on the other hand, was a taker; always expecting others to pay for his mistakes. I’m embarrassed to even admit that I’m his daughter.
“Talk to me,” Jack coaxed, as he took the seat next to me and reached out for my hand.
“It’s my dad… I really don’t want to talk about it right now. Are you okay?” I asked, diverting the topic.
“I’m great,” he replied with that sparkle in his eyes.
“The cardiologist sounded pretty concerned,” I countered.
“He’s only concerned because he is unfamiliar with what he is seeing in my test results. I’m not the least bit concerned,” he assured me with a squeeze of my hand.
“What do you mean?”
“People just don’t start an aggressive cardio program days after stem cell treatment; however, my intuition told me to do it. My body is reacting in a way that he has never seen before, but I guarantee you that it’s all good.”
“But, he’s not convinced?”
“Actually, he thinks I’ve been taking anabolic steroids. How ridiculous is that?” Jack laughed.
“Yeah, that’s crazy.” However, it would explain a few things.
“What’s wrong with your father?” Jack pressed, still not quite understanding my mixed emotions.
“It’s nothing, Jack. I’ll have to deal with it later. Let’s get out of here,” I suggested, not wanting to have such an embarrassing conversation in the waiting room of a clinic.
~~~
Chapter 21 – Settling Unfinished Business
Jack
With a fresh batch of stem cells in my system, I was ready to say goodbye to Freeport. Even though I enjoyed the laid-back environment of the Bahamas, I was ready to move on to bigger and better things. Kate’s right, I would’ve been terribly bored if I had actually retired.
I didn’t press the issue concerning her dad, because I already knew that he was in financial trouble. Anthony had done a little digging for me, and he found exactly what I had suspected. I would have access to her phone when we arrived at the airport, so I could retrieve his number at that time. I’m going to put an end to whatever game that cocksucker is playing with her. He made Cynthia’s life difficult for years, and he’s not going to do the same to Kate.
As our car made its way onto the freeway, I glanced up to the left. The same helicopter we had seen a few days earlier was flying just along the coastline. Sight-seeing I’m sure.
“Would you be against having dinner in the city tonight?” I asked much to her surprise.
“Not at all… Why? What’s going on?”
“It appears that we still have company, and I want to be certain that they are convinced that we have left the island.”
“So we are actually going to leave?”
“Yes. We’ll go back, and I’ll take you to Le Bernardin tonight to celebrate my clean bill of health.”
“The clean bill of health you gave yourself?” She rolled her eyes, seeming unfazed by the fact that someone was still following us.
“Don’t worry. The doc will come to the same conclusion in 30 days. In the meantime, I’ve been craving filet mignon with mushrooms and mole sauce.”
“Filet, huh? You are really stepping outside of your comfort zone,” she teased.
“Have you backed up all of your contacts?”
“Yup, they’re already on my new phone.”
“Good. When we get to the city, send a text to all of them. Let them know that you will no longer be using that phone.”
“There will probably be a few that I won’t want to reconnect with,” she replied with a sad s
mile.
“This is a good opportunity to clean them out,” I assured her.
“I’ve always had a hard time breaking ties.”
“It’s not easy, but I’ll help you. You can start by giving me your father’s phone number.”
“Why… what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to help him out.”
“Really… you guys don’t even get along.”
“But he is your father, and I love you. I want him to leave you and your mother alone, in exchange for my help.”
“You have no idea how much Mom would appreciate that,” she said with a look of relief.
“I know that he has been tough on her over the years, and I have always felt bad for her. She did a good job of shielding you and your sister from him, though.”
“That’s true. Only recently have we started to realize just how horrible he was to her,” Kate admitted with a look of sorrow on her face.
“Cynthia is a strong woman, and I’m sure that you will find a good role for her as our business flourishes. For now, I’m going to help both of you by getting him out of your lives. If either of you choose to re-establish a relationship with him later on, that will be completely your choice.”
“How much trouble is he in?” she asked with a growing look of concern.
“He’s totally fucked, and that’s putting it mildly.”
“Alright, here’s his number,” she said handing me her phone.
Kate
Even though I was really relieved by what Jack was doing, it still left me with mixed emotions. I can’t believe Mom never explained things to us. She always led us to believe that he was a good father, right to the bitter end, and we just took her word for it. Even after he left, she continued to make excuses for why he hadn’t contacted us on our birthdays or at Christmas. I know that she thought she was protecting us, but she should’ve just let us know what was really going on.
Once we got onto the plane, Jack immediately excused himself and went into the small office in the back. I stayed up front, because it was obvious that he didn’t want me to hear the conversation. I hope he can somehow get Dad to change his ways before it’s too late.