by Donna Every
He could see that she was dying to say something further so he said, “Keep out of my business, Margaret,” softening his words with a hint of a smile, “and just send the flowers.”
“I didn’t say a word,” she protested.
As Daniel was putting together the files for his meeting with the team his phone rang.
“Daniel, it’s George Aspen from Aspen Bearings on Line one,” Margaret advised him.
What now? wondered Daniel picking up the phone.
“Hi George, I was just about to have a meeting to plan your merger.”
“Well about that, Daniel, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. The Board has decided that this is not a good time to go ahead with the merger. Things have really begun to slow down and we’re going to have to let some people go, so buying that Mexican operation is not an option right now.”
‘What?” exclaimed Daniel. “We’ve already signed a contract to do this deal.”
“I’m sorry Daniel, but you know that there is an escape clause in there in case the situation with either company changed. Obviously we’ll pay you for the time you’ve put in to date but we just can’t do the deal right now.”
“I’ll send you my bill,” said Daniel disgustedly and hung up. He sat for a few minutes as the news sank in. If he lost any more mergers they were going to have to look at some cutbacks themselves. He pushed back his chair to go and break the bad news to the team.
A few minutes later the team sat in stunned silence. This was the second merger that didn’t fly in about three weeks. Things were looking bleak.
“OK, now you realize just how crucial it is that we diversify our practice. The last thing I want to do is let anyone go, so I expect each of you to get on the phone and start calling clients to see how we can help them. If things don’t improve we’re talking pay cuts!”
They continued to discuss who would tackle which clients and what strategy they would use for the next hour. After the meeting Daniel returned to his office feeling a little more optimistic than when he’d left it. He checked the e-mails that had come in during his meeting, returned some of the phone calls he had received the day before and read some M&A articles online.
His intercom buzzed. “Daniel, it’s Scott Lazerby on Line two,” said Margaret.
Scott Lazerby was his stockbroker. With a bear market being announced earlier in the year, he didn’t expect Scott to have any good news for him. He hadn’t had any good news in the last two weeks!
“Hi Scott,’ he said. “Am I poor?”
“Not yet,” said Scott seriously, “but the market hasn’t bottomed out yet. Your financial stocks are down about 35%. And they’re likely to fall some more.”
“What’s that in dollars Scott?” interrupted Daniel.
‘We’re talking about two and a half million right now. I suggest that you sell now, if we can find buyers. The general stocks like P&G and Johnson and Johnson are keepers. They’re good solid companies and will weather the storm and they’re good enough for Warren Buffet. The biotech stocks have great potential; some of those were increasing even when the market started going soft, so you should hang on to those.”
“This is crazy Scott. I’m losing my shirt here! Let go of everything that even smells like finance as soon as you can.”
“OK boss, I’ll be in touch.”
Daniel hung up and started to drum on his desk with his fingers. He was getting concerned about his stocks. He owned a couple of pieces of real estate in the city and a condo on the beach in Barbados but his stock portfolio was a significant part of his wealth. He was only half joking when he asked Scott if he was poor because that was something he had vowed he would never be again. His thoughts drifted back to the times after his father had left and he began to feel anxious. The ringing of his Blackberry brought him back to reality.
It was Angela. He guessed that the flowers worked.
“Hello, Angela,” he said.
“I got your flowers. They’re beautiful Daniel.”
“Does that mean I’m forgiven for being such a jerk yesterday? I was dealing with some unexpected personal issues and I took it out on you. Sorry.” Apologies didn’t come easily to him, nor did sharing personal information.
“You’re forgiven, but you have to make it up to me,” she joked.
“Oh, I’ve got plans to do just that. How about dinner at my place on Friday night? Pack for the weekend and I’ll be your slave for the entire time.”
“Umm, “Angela purred. “I can hardly wait.”
Daniel finished the conversation and hung up. One issue dealt with. He wished they were all as easy.
The week crawled by and while Daniel managed to make a significant dent in the pile of files on his desk, he was glad it was the weekend. He was really beginning to get worried about the firm’s finances, not to mention his own, and he’d noticed that the Receivables were creeping up. Businesses were beginning to feel the effects of the recession already and predictions for next year were pretty dire as well. He hoped he wouldn’t have to sell any of his properties to keep the business afloat because it sure as hell wasn’t a sellers’ market and he’d suffer losses. Was there any silver lining to this dark cloud?
His thoughts went to the weekend ahead and he felt a surge of anticipation at the thought of Angela coming over. He’d hardly call that a silver lining but at least it would take his mind off his financial concerns for a while. That reminded him to buzz Margaret so that she could confirm the time that the caterers were to deliver the dinner to his apartment.
Daniel’s doorbell rang promptly at 8 o’clock. He opened it and found Angela standing with an overnight bag in her hand which looked quite small for a weekend visit and wearing a mouthwatering dress in turquoise, which seemed to be her favorite color.
“Hello Angel,” Daniel said, missing nothing in his perusal of her.
“I don’t feel very angelic tonight,” she said.
“Good,” said Daniel as he took the bag from her and pulled her into the apartment. Closing the door, he pushed her back against it and began kissing her hungrily.
“I like your welcome,” murmured Angela breathlessly after a few minutes.
“Then you’ll love your stay,” replied Daniel kissing her again.
Angela’s stomach growled loudly and she said with embarrassment, “Sorry but I’m starving. I hardly ate at all today. I was so engrossed in a project.”
“OK let’s get you fed then,” said Daniel starting to lead her to the dining room. “Oh, I almost forgot, I have something for you first.”
Angela laughed. “Oh I like the sound of that, what is it?”
Daniel went back to the hall table and picked up the little box he’d left there earlier.
“Hope you like them.”
She opened the box and peered inside to see a stunning pair of turquoise drop earrings in a platinum setting. “Oh, Daniel, these are beautiful! You didn’t have to… but I’m glad you did,” she finished with a big smile. She moved closer to the circular mirror over the table and put them in. Daniel came up behind her and trailed his lips from the back of her ear all the way down her neck, taking small bites as he went. She broke out in goose bumps and fell back against him.
“Do you still want to eat first?” he asked. “Your wish is my command.”
Pulling his head down, she whispered her wish in his ear. Leaning back against him she could feel the immediate response of his body to her words and felt a thrill of power at the effect she had on him.
“Let’s go to your room,” she suggested.
“Too far,” he murmured, “the couch…” his voice trailed off as he led her to the couch and they fell onto it in a tangle of limbs.
Daniel disentangled himself from Angela and dragged himself from the couch. “I’ll go find us something to slip on,” he said. His words came out a bit slurred and he wondered at the dizziness he felt. Probably the blood hadn’t returned to his head yet. Heading to the bedroom he stumbled a little,
shook his head as if to clear it and headed over to the walk-in closet where he found some clothes for him and a robe for Angela.
He pulled on a pair of black track pants and took one of his silk robes for Angela. He turned around and began heading down the hall but a wave of dizziness hit him again followed by a shocking pain on the right side of his face. Then his face felt numb. What the hell…?
He stumbled into the living room and said “Angela, I feel kind of weird, as if I’m having a stroke or something. Call 911,” and dropped to the couch holding his head.
Angela jumped up and put her hand on his forehead. “Daniel, you’re burning up!”
She looked around in a panic for a telephone and spotted his Blackberry on the coffee table. She grabbed it and punched in the numbers with trembling fingers.
“This is 911, how can I help you?
“Pl..please send an ambulance to Penthouse Apartment 2 at East River Apartments on 59th Street. My friend might be having a stroke. Hurry! Please Hurry!”
Chapter 8
The paramedics rushed through the doors of the ER which were being held open by two orderlies and ran to the approaching ER team, pushing the trolley with Daniel on it.
“What’ve we got?” asked a doctor.
“His name is Daniel Tennant; 35 years old. He’s complaining of numbness on the right side of his face and has been dizzy. His temperature is 103o. Pulse is 78 and BP is 120 over 70.
“Mr. Tennant, I’m Dr. Halloway. How are you feeling now?”
“The right side of my face is still numb and I feel as if I’m drooling. Did I have a stroke?” Daniel mumbled.
“We have to run some tests and do some blood work before we’ll know anything definite. We may have to take you to radiology for an MRI. Thanks guys,” he said to the paramedics, “We’ll take it from here,” and started to push Daniel down the hall to an examination room.
Angela trailed behind, unsure of what to do. A nurse approached her and said, “Did you come in with that patient?” At her nod she added, “You’ll need to go to that lady over there and complete some paper work.” She pointed to the Administration booth.
“I don’t know him that well,” Angela said realizing that she really didn’t know very much about Daniel. She didn’t know if he had any family, who to contact or anything. What sort of relationship was that? She’d been out with him once, slept with him and still knew almost nothing about him. Daniel wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information about himself. It was all so empty. Dragging her thoughts back to the present situation, she wondered who she could contact. Margaret would know. Thankfully she had picked up Daniel’s Blackberry. Margaret’s number would be in there. What was her surname again? On no, she couldn’t remember. She began scrolling through the received calls, seeing her own name a few times and was relieved to see a call from Margaret Bryce. Yes, that was it! Checking through the contacts she found a home number and called it.
The phone rang three times. She hoped Margaret was not in bed already.
“Hello?” It was Margaret’s voice.
“Hello, Margaret. It’s Angela Pierce. I’m sorry to call you so late but I’m at New York Memorial on 61st Street. It’s Daniel. He felt ill when I was at his apartment and asked me to call 911 and the ambulance brought us here.”
“What happened?” Margaret asked anxiously.
“Well he went into his room and then he came back and said that he felt weird, that his face felt numb and he was burning up with fever. It was all so sudden!”
“Where did you say you were? I’m coming down right away.”
“We’re at New York Memorial on 61st Street. I’m supposed to complete some forms but I don’t even know who his next of kin is or anything.”
“I’m listed as his next of kin, although his father is still alive. I’ll do the forms when I get there. Don’t worry and thanks for calling me, Angela.”
The neurologist and the radiologist looked at the results of the MRI mounted on the wall.
“There’s the culprit,” said the neurologist. “It’s a big one. Acoustic neuroma pressing against the brain stem. He must have been getting some major headaches, but then again headaches can be anything. He’s going to need surgery and soon. I’d better go down and break the news to him.” He picked up the chart, scanned the information on it and wrote down some notes.
“Daniel Tennant. That name seems familiar,” he said.
“He’s always in the financial papers and sometimes the tabloids as well. They call him The Merger Mogul. He’s one of those big time merger consultants with a lot of money and a lot of women,” shared the radiologist.
“Well The Merger Mogul won’t be doing any mergers for a while, business or otherwise.”
The neurologist took the elevator back down to the ER and a nurse directed him to the room Daniel was in.
Walking up to the bed he said: “Daniel Tennant? I’m Gabriel Bucknell. I’m a neurologist. I’ve just gone over the results of your MRI with the radiologist.” He paused. Daniel’s heart stopped. He felt like he was at the top of a giant rollercoaster and braced himself for the drop. “You have an acoustic neuroma the size of a golf ball pressing on your brain stem and it’s affecting your right facial nerve.”
“What’s that?” interrupted Daniel.
“It’s a tumor on the nerve leading from your inner ear to your brain. These types are usually benign. You may have noticed some ringing in your ear, headaches or dizziness…”
“A brain tumor?” Daniel repeated incredulously. “It’s benign? Are you sure?”
“As I said, these types usually are and they are operable but because of its position there is a certain degree of risk.”
Daniel closed his eyes in disbelief. How was this possible? Only a few hours ago he was enjoying the beginning of what looked to be a great weekend and now he was in the hospital with some doctor telling him unemotionally that he had a brain tumor and he could possibly die in surgery? This was too much!
“Our resident neurosurgeon will be back on Monday and will be able to give you more information about the operation and the likely outcomes. You’ll be admitted to a room until then. Is there someone here with you?”
“Yes,” Daniel said vaguely, “Angela Pierce. She may be in the waiting room.”
The neurologist nodded and left the room to find Angela.
Daniel closed his eyes again. He felt a paralyzing fear come over him. It held him in its grip and refused to let go.
Margaret and her husband, Bob, arrived at the ER waiting area and found Angela sitting on one of the hard, plastic chairs looking rather lost and out of place in her revealing dinner dress. Margaret went over to her, followed by her husband. Although they had spoken on the phone several times they had never met.
“Hello, you must be Angela” said Margaret hugging her. “I’m Margaret and this is my husband, Bob. How’s Daniel?”
“I haven’t heard anything yet. They took him for an MRI. I started to fill out the forms, but here, you can complete them. I realize that I really don’t know Daniel at all,” she ended handing over the clip board.
They sat down and Margaret filled in the areas that Angela had left blank. The neurologist walked into the waiting area, looked around and said: “Angela Pierce?”
Angela and Margaret sprang up looking tense. “I’m Angela Pierce,” said Angela. “And this is Margaret Bryce, Daniel Tennant’s Personal Assistant and she’s also listed as his next of kin. Is he going to be all right?”
“Let’s sit down. I’m Gabriel Bucknell. I’m a neurologist. I’m afraid that Mr. Tennant has a brain tumor.” Both Angela and Margaret gasped. “It’s operable and there’s a good chance that he should fully recover but there may be some complications.”
“Oh no!” said Margaret, her hand going to the throat. “He’s been getting these headaches and I told him to let me make an appointment with his doctor, but he kept putting me off because he hates doctors and medicine and that type of thing. Ha
ve you told Daniel yet?”
“Yes, I have. Our resident neurosurgeon won’t be back until Monday. He’ll be able to discuss the surgery more fully with Mr. Tennant. Until then we will be admitting him to a room.”
“May we see him now?”
“Yes, of course.”
He led Margaret and Angela to the room in the ER where Daniel lay in a bed with his eyes closed. Angela started to cry softly and ran outside. Margaret felt like crying too but she held it in. Daniel was like a son to her and seeing him lying on the bed looking so vulnerable hurt more than she would have thought possible. He could be a pain but she loved him. He had so little love in his life and while on the surface it seemed as if everything was fine, she knew that inside he was really very lonely and empty.
“Please don’t let him die,” she whispered in prayer. She walked to the side of his bed. “Hi Daniel,” she said. She stroked his hair back from his brow which was now normal.
“Margaret? What are you doing here? Where’s Angela?” he asked opening his eyes
“She’s outside. She’s a bit upset to see you like this. She found my number and called me.”
“Have you heard?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, Dr. Bucknell told us.”
“A brain tumor, Margaret! Why? Why now when I’m finally living the life I’ve always wanted? Is this some sort of sick joke? I’m not ready to die.”
“Only the good die young,” she teased gently trying to ease the tension.
“Then I should live to a hundred!” scoffed Daniel. “Their big shot neurosurgeon is supposed to come in on Monday to give me the details. How the hell am I supposed to lie around here for two days without knowing anything?”
“I know that will be hard for you Daniel but you can use the time to do some soul searching. Perhaps someone is trying to get your attention. I’ll come and see you tomorrow.” Margaret kissed his brow and left quietly.