Chapter 9

May 5, 2025

The year went by quickly for Sean; it seemed as if classes had just begun,

and it was already time for graduation. Sean was beside himself with joy, he finally had his bachelors. Sean was at his apartment, which was his home, solely after Tom and Candi had been married nine months before. He was on the phone making last-minute arrangements for the party he was throwing to celebrate his success. He had arranged to borrow his father’s yacht for the weekend.

Tonight, after commencement services were complete, there would be a massive party on board. Then Brooke and he were off on a weekend getaway for two. Then, on Monday morning, he would officially be the CEO and Chairman of the board of the combined companies of Whitten Avionics and Whitten Enterprises, now formally known as The Whitten Companies. A lot had happened in a year.

He had been named to the board of directors for two major companies, Lunar Development Corporation and Whitten Avionics. Then, he and a small group of investors, who included his mother and Grace, along with the help of Thomas Hardy Sr., took control of Whitten Avionics and were successful in re-merging Whitten Enterprises back into the parent company. Blaire had acted as CEO and Chairman until Sean would be able to graduate from college. At this time, Sean would step into the role of CEO and Chairman of the Board.

Sean put the phone back on its cradle. He had to hurry; he was supposed to pick up Brooke; they were going to meet Tom and Candi for dinner before commencement. He was running late, and he still wasn’t dressed. After much debate on what he should wear, he decided on a crimson dress shirt by Armani and a pair of black Armani slacks; he decided on a burgundy tie with a hand-painted abstract design in gold. He decided to put on his new Rolex, it was a Daytona, a gift to himself for completing college. He liked the Presidential that his grandfather had given him for Christmas, but he rarely wore it. He wanted to keep it in pristine condition. This one would be his daily use watch. After he was dressed, he left for Brooke’s apartment.

Meanwhile, Tom and Candi were having problems of their own. Tom was trying to get them out the door on time, which proved never to be as simple as it sounded. Since Candi’s third month of pregnancy, she had become a woman of extreme caution; never did she rush or hurry for any reason. Tom was beginning to go wild by all of her demands. Things like never going over the posted speed limit, always having to wear a pager and cell phone any time he left her side, even if it were to go the corner store.

So, when she said that she wanted to make sure that everyone would know their schedule for this evening, she meant everyone. She was calling her mother and telling her that they were heading out the door to meet up with Sean and Brooke. Then, after going to commencement, they were going to go to Sean’s party. To say “Hi,” they would be going right home, she said while looking straight at Tom and said it forcefully enough for him to make sure the meaning was clear.

After getting off the phone with her mother, she called Sean’s apartment. There was no answer, so she tried his car phone. Sean answered the phone on the second ring.

“Sean speaking, what’s up?”

“Sean, it’s me, Candi. I said we might be a few minutes late. Go ahead to the restaurant, and we’ll meet you there. Thanks. Bye.”

The line went dead, and Sean looked at the phone with a bewildered face, “Well, I guess it’s time for dinner.” He told her what Candi had told him.

Tom and Candi didn’t make it for dinner, so Sean tried their home phone, Tom’s obligatory pager, and his cell phone to no avail. He was starting to get upset about the entire situation. “He could at least return my page,” Sean told Brooke. Then, at that minute, his cell phone rang.

“This is Sean, Tom. That had better be you!” Sean was saying even before the voice had a chance to identify itself.

“Sean, it’s me, Tom; look, I’m sorry, but there has been an accident, and Candi has been taken to Sisters of Mercy Hospital; she’s in surgery right now.”

Sean’s face went white, and he said goodbye.

“We’ve got to go,” he said to Brooke. “There’s been a serious accident; Candi is at Sisters of Mercy and in surgery as we speak.”

They left and headed across town to the hospital, and Sean had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach; the last time he went to this hospital was when his grandfather was a patient there.

The rideover was silent; they arrived and found Tom in the waiting room. His right arm was in a cast, and there was a bandage on his head. He was bruised and battered; he looked awful.

Finally, Tom spoke. “I was driving, and you know Candi, she kept saying slow down, you’re driving too fast. Well, I was only going 65 mph. We were going north on I-45, and my exit was coming up, so I eased right, and all of a sudden, this big pickup truck broadsided me. I didn’t see him, and I looked twice in my mirror and turned my head. Well, the police say that he had been driving with no headlights, and when they questioned him on the scene, they discovered that he was driving with a revoked license, no insurance, and he was drunk as well! Do you know what ticks me off? He got out without even one scratch, and my wife is hanging on to life by a thread, that’s what ticks me.”

Sean made some phone calls. First, he called the graduation committee and announced that Tom and Candi, along with Brooke and himself, would not be attending the commencement ceremonies as planned. He explained the reasons why. Next, he called his father to cancel the party and to notify the guests. He asked Tom if he had called anyone yet, especially his parents and Candi’s parents. Tom had said that yes, he had. So, the next person he called was Harry. Although he doubted that Tom would choose anyone other than his own family’s lawyer, Sean thought that Harry could make a few calls and get some information and lean on a few of his contacts within the Houston Police Department.

Sean and Brooke stayed with Tom until the early hours of the morning. It was nearly 2:00 am when the surgeon appeared before them. Sean saw the doctor’s face and knew the news was not going to be good.

“She suffered from a broken neck and severe head injuries,” he started, “Plus, the fact that she was pregnant and the point of impact being so close to her made it nearly impossible to save her. The baby died on the scene, most probably from the shock of the trauma suffered by its mother.

Your wife is out of surgery and in the ICU. She is listed as critical and is breathing with the aid of a ventilator. We also had to do various CAT scans, and we performed a PET scan of the brain to determine the extent of the damage, if any, to her brain. The most extended procedure was the surgery for the internal hemorrhaging and to repair the damage it caused. We are hoping for a complete recovery. We do know that she does appear to suffer from paralysis, though to what extent we can’t tell with absolute certainty. We are hoping it isn’t permanent; we can’t be sure of any other impairment until she regains consciousness.”

Tom was devastated. He was thrilled when Candi cautiously announced that she was pregnant. Now, his child had been killed before it even had a chance to live, and Candi’s life was hanging in the balance. He sat down on the bench, covered his face, and wept. Sean sat down next to him, and Brooke held him close and let him cry in her arms. The pain was too much to bear.

After a long time, Tom finally asked to see his wife. He was allowed into her room and cautioned not to spend a great deal of time with her, since she was in the ICU. Tom gave the duty nurse a look that said, “Try and make me leave,” then proceeded to enter the room.

The room was cold and dark. His first impulse was to turn on a light, but he didn’t. He walked over to where she lay and sat down in a nearby chair. Tom took hold of her hand and started to cry all over again. He whispered her name and stroked her golden hair. Finally, after about two hours, he whispered, “Goodnight, sweetheart. Remember, I’ll always love you.” He gave her a light kiss on her forehead and silently exited the room.

Sean offered Tom a ride and told him that it would be no problem; he could sleep in his old room, or on the couch. Sean also told Brooke he would take her back to her place first if she wanted him to. Brooke decided she wanted to stay at Sean’s just in case any news came from the hospital. They arrived around 6 am, and Tom was manic. Finally, Sean gave him a sedative that the doctor had prescribed earlier. Sean and Brooke went and fell asleep in Sean’s bed.

The phone rang, waking Sean from a sound sleep. He groggily turned over, reached for the phone, picked up the receiver, and answered it. “Hello, this is Sean. Who’s speaking?”

“Sean, thank goodness your home. It’s me, Mr. Hardy. Have you seen Tom, by any chance?”

“Yes, he’s crashed out on my living room couch. Would you like me to get him for you?”

“Yes, I’ve got some good news to tell him.”

Tom picked up the phone and listened to what his father had to say, and after about three minutes, he hung up the phone. He told Sean that his father was on his way over to pick him up. Candi was awake, and he wanted to be there as soon as possible. Tom thanked them for everything they had done for him. Sean said, “What are friends for?” and left it at that.

It was Friday afternoon, and Sean asked if Brooke was still interested in taking that weekend cruise. She decided that she might as well, even though she wanted to be there for Candi. She realized that there wasn’t a lot she could do for her. And so, they arrived at the yacht at approximately three.