Passions of the Grande Dame Hotel by Deby Eisenberg

Author:Deby Eisenberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Novel set at The Breakers of Palm Beach
Publisher: Deborah Eisenberg
Published: 2022-07-28T19:43:38+00:00

Chapter 15

Palm Beach 1975

After a few days in the hospital, Kathryn Morgan had improved enough to complain about missing the plush decor of her suite at The Breakers Hotel. She was impatient for her daughter’s visit, as she fought with the nurse over the day’s first round of blood draws and temperatures and blood pressures. She knew that the doctor had asked Beth to be at her room around ten o’clock. He wanted both women present at the end of his morning rounds when he would give an assessment of her condition.

Awaiting his arrival, Beth described the beautiful dinner the night before with Bear and the Bernsteins, Addie and Nate. She told Kathryn that Bear considered them an aunt and uncle. “They were bragging about him,” Beth said. “Bear had already told me he had a PhD, but they told me more.” She paused, knowing the next piece of information would impress her mother. “He went to Yale,” she said. “Turns out, being a docent at The Breakers is one of his part-time positions, while he is working on turning his dissertation on Henry Flagler, the founder of The Breakers, into a book.” Beth laughed a little to herself. “Your new doctor is his biggest fan. He said Bear already has a couple of college teaching offers on the table.”

Kathryn was obviously enjoying Beth’s accounting of the evening, but then she suddenly grabbed at her arm as she had done in her most agitated state when she was admitted to the hospital. “Remember Beth, I needed to speak to Bear about what he said on the tour. You know I gave him my card.”

“Yes, Mom. That’s why Bear called our suite, but it was on the day you became ill. Believe me, he’s been waiting for the doctor’s okay to speak to you.”

When Nate entered right on time, Beth smiled to herself at the power of his hospital jacket and professional clipboard. Last night at Ta-boo on Palm Beach’s famous Worth Avenue, he blended in with the society group. The restaurant patrons were a homogeneous crowd – good-looking, successful people, likely ranging in status from affluent to extremely wealthy, all well dressed and impeccably mannered. But now, when he entered the room as Dr. Nathan Bernstein in his white hospital lab coat, taking a second chair from the corner and bringing it next to Beth’s, she was compelled to stand. It may be true that “clothes do make the man,” but this wrinkled, pen-marked jacket, with Chief of Medicine embroidered under his name, inspired more respect than the most elegantly tailored dinner suit seen the night before. He was a physician, a leader even among his colleagues. Nate motioned for Beth to sit down. He directed his words to her mother. “Kathryn, may I speak freely now, to keep Beth in the loop with your medical history and current condition?”

Reluctantly, almost ashamedly, she nodded and said, “Yes.”

“I’ll tell you what I am thinking,” Nate continued. “I’m not releasing you now. We will be running some more tests.

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