Vampires of a Certain Age by Stella Fosse

Author:Stella Fosse [Fosse, Stella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950227082
Publisher: Baubo Books

A CALL FOR RACHEL

CHAPTER TWELVE

Marion recovered herself sufficiently to bring a stack of company records back to the conference room. But as she approached the doorway, she heard Rachel’s phone buzz and stopped just outside the door.

“Yes? Dr. Miller?”

The call was not on speaker, but with her heightened hearing Marion could make out a few words from the physician on the phone: Malignant… Metastasis... Liver... Possible neurological involvement…

“Oh. I see.” Rachel kept her voice steady. “Can you say more about treatment?”

Next Tuesday... Surgery then radiation... Possibly chemo depending on…

“Alright. Understood. I’ll clear my calendar. And prognosis?”

Wait and see. Best to get affairs in order. Sorry not to have better…

“My affairs are always in order, Doctor. Right. See you Tuesday, then.”

Marion backed up so that she could stride into the room as if she had not heard, but she could not keep the look of concern from her face. She heard herself saying, as if someone else were talking, “Here are the records you requested.” She set the stack of folders on the table. “But it’s almost five o’clock. Maybe you’d like to hold off until tomorrow?”

Rachel laughed, a short sharp laugh. “Not sure anything can wait for tomorrow.” She looked at Marion. “You know, don’t you? How much did you hear?”

“Too much. More than I wish I knew.” Without thinking, Marion sat down and grasped Rachel’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. Let me know how I can help.”

As much in shock as Rachel was, she felt a frisson of joy at Marion’s touch. And just as suddenly she was filled with a sadness so profound that it bent her body forward; grief for the life she would never live, with this woman or with any lover.

Marion patted her back, murmuring soft reassurances as if her adversary were a frightened child.

Rachel sat up and shook her off, wiped away tears, straightened her shoulders. “I cannot give in to this,” she said, not knowing whether she meant this terrible diagnosis or the completely inappropriate attraction she felt to the head of a company she was inspecting—a company about which she had serious misgivings. She wanted to ask, flat out, What are you doing here? What are you hiding? Just tell me. There is no time to hide.

But no. She had to find out for herself. She had to come back from this fascinating and dangerous woman with evidence—evidence she could give to FDA, regardless of her own health. It dawned on her that this might be the last assignment she would ever work on. At that thought she almost shed tears but then was gripped with a steely determination to see it through. Next Tuesday? That was four days away. She could find out a lot in four days.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.