Chapter 66: I Guess We’ll Find Out

July 19, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“Hi, Steve!” Elena exclaimed throwing her arms around my neck.

“Hi, Elena!” I replied, wrapping my arms around her.

We hugged and she touched her cheek to mine.

“Where are you taking me for dinner?”

“The Berghoff. It’s a Chicago landmark, and I figured it was a nod to our meeting in Munich.”

“Then lead on!”

We left the hotel and walked along Adams Street toward The Berghoff.

“Paola said to say ‘hello’.”

“How is she doing?”

“Their boutiques are doing well. May I ask why you simply held up your hand with your ring when she asked you for a drink?”

“Time, really. I was only going to be in Colombia for a short time, had a lot of work to do, and had a dinner planned with the client. I did find her quite attractive and I was tempted.”

“I thought perhaps you’d forgotten the lesson I taught you in Munich.”

“No, it really was just a matter of available time, though she certainly reacted to the wedding ring.”

“Because of how you displayed it. But there’s not a need to go over it. You know I limit myself to two or three partners a year, and sometimes things happen and I can’t be with the one I want!”

My cell phone rang and I fished it from my pocket to check who was calling.

“It’s work and I need to take the call,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK.”

I opened the phone and said, “Hi, Nathan. What’s up?”

“According to Ben van Hoek, you were willing to withdraw your offer if EB countered lower?”

“Yes, so long as the number works for you, which I estimated to be around seventy percent of my offer.”

“It’s close, and it’s a number I can live with, especially if they agree to drop all the suits that involve me personally, which they would.”

“Then yes. I’ll send over a contingent release tomorrow. They have to pay in cash for my release to be valid, fully escrowed before you sign anything.”

“Ben made that clear to Braun’s attorneys. Thanks so much. And I’m sorry about the other lawsuits.”

“It’s down to only the DMCA suits, so you and Samantha are free and clear. We’re dealing with that, and ultimately, no matter how it ends up, EB is toast, which was the point of the entire exercise. Enjoy your new job! We’ll have lunch soon.”

“Thanks, Steve. You have no idea how relieved I am to be out from under that situation with Volstead and Braun. And my wife is extremely happy.”

“Good. Don’t forget to let me know about hockey.”

“Bo DeWitt suggested a private school which I believe has a relationship with your son’s school.”

“Do that, and I promise your kid will be on the team. I’ll make it happen.”

“Thanks.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I snapped my phone shut, and put it back in my pocket.

“A hard-nosed, ruthless businessman!” Elena declared. “A side of you I hadn’t seen.”

“Because I was playing the role of a Systems Engineer in Europe. Today I had to be the businessman. And if you think I’m hard-nosed and ruthless, you should meet my sister, who is the CEO!”

“Perhaps another trip.”

We arrived at The Berghoff where I had reservations, which allowed us to be seated quickly. We reviewed the menu and Elena ordered a glass of their specialty beer while I ordered San Pellegrino with a lime.

“No drink for you?”

“I’m on medication that doesn’t mix well with alcohol. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stop taking it next month after my trip to Mayo. I explained in Munich about my health conundrum.”

“Yes, and here we are, years later, and no solution.”

“Which will potentially be true for the rest of my life. But we did discover that a class of drugs called ‘beta-blockers’ attenuates my adrenaline response which seems to make the symptoms go away. The goal now is to only have to take that drug if I feel a manic phase coming on. The drugs aren’t psychoactive, but they do affect my mood by keeping the adrenaline in check.”

“Then perhaps drinks after dinner aren’t a good idea.”

“It won’t bother me to drink sparkling water with lemon or lime.”

We had a good meal, and we did go for drinks. And, as I’d suspected, Elena didn’t invite me to join her, and for a reason, I probably could have guessed - a new lover with whom she had only used a condom, not asked for an STI test. When we parted, she hugged, exchanged a ‘society’ kiss, and then I headed home to be with Suzanne as I’d planned.

July 20, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

“I have to hand it to you, Steve,” Stephanie said late on Friday morning. “It worked out exactly as you planned.”

“Well, minus the DMCA troubles caused by the arrest in Vegas the other day.”

“Nobody could have predicted that! And we’re working around it. According to Cindi, EB won’t have the manpower to dump all the databases, so they’re either going to have to unlock them all, or allow some third party to do it. The press release has generated calls from some of our former clients who are seeking to come back.”

“They get the same deal we offered any EB client, Squirt. And before you or anyone else objects, they all paid us our licensing and support fees and we provided services in exchange. Nobody was screwed, except perhaps our former clients by EB.”

“A couple of them expressed concern that we basically had them over a barrel.”

“I once told Dante that it was bad business to bend him over, and I continue to believe that. I obviously can’t force you, but I believe you agree we should welcome those clients back with open arms.”

“I’ll kill the fatted calf and get rings ready for their fingers!”

I chuckled, “You managed to remember at least a few of the parables.”

“When does the Swedish contingent arrive?”

“Late this afternoon. They’ll check into their hotels and we’ll see them tomorrow morning. They decided to rent two minivans and a car between the four families. That gives them flexibility. The guys are joining me for breakfast and the girls are having breakfast at the house. You’re welcome to join.”

“Suzanne let me know about breakfast, she just wasn’t sure when they were arriving. Jesse comes home today, right?”

“Straight from his Russian girlfriend to his Swedish girlfriend!”

“I bet Libby is unhappy.”

I shook my head, “No. She and Jesse are friends like Bethany and I were friends. They’re just smart enough to know better than to try to get married! Anyway, I have work to do before I leave to get Jessica at the airport.”

I left Stephanie’s office and went back to mine. I worked through lunch, eating a salad which Kimmy had picked up for me, and got quite a bit done before I had to leave for O’Hare to get Jessica.

“Hi, Babe!” I exclaimed when she came through the security doors.

“Hi, Tiger!”

We hugged, exchanged a kiss, and then headed for the parking garage.

“How was your conference?”

“Good. Dad’s presentation about the ER expansion project was well-attended, and our panel discussion afterwards was interesting. The presentation Doctor Michelson did on the birthing center was excellent, and in states where they can use midwives, it’ll really bring down the cost of childbirth.”

“Until some OB/GYN group or government group decides to object,” I countered. “How were the trauma seminars?”

“Good, though we’re ahead of so many places that they’re a bit boring. But we can’t present every year!”

“Did you do any sightseeing?”

“Just Faneuil Hall to do some shopping. I also went to Legal Seafood with some doctors from California and swung by The Bull and Finch with some doctors from Florida. How was your evening with Elena?”

“As expected - just a nice dinner with a friend.”

“Did the Swedes arrive safely?”

“About two hours ago. Katt called to say they had arrived and were heading for the hotel. They’re going to eat, then crash, and we’ll see them all early tomorrow.”

“I’m very glad I’m on the new schedule and have weekends free!”

“You don’t have to make up the time you missed, right?”

“Correct. The conference provides some of the Continuing Education credits I need to keep my license and certifications, and the hospital hired a free-lancer. The guy who covered for me specializes in covering for ER docs. I could even use him to cover shifts, so long as I forfeit my pay.”

“That sounds like a good deal for those insane trades.”

“Except only Attendings can make those kinds of trades, and we have a diverse group so pretty much everything is covered. And there’s bonus pay for holidays for Attendings, too. Some of the docs need or want the extra money, so they take those shifts.”

“I just realized we never really talked about this once you became an Attending, but given your chosen shifts, it didn’t really come up.”

“It’s actually only available once you’ve done your first year - I mean, bringing in someone from the outside. They have to be approved, of course, and have the right certifications to be a locum tenens.”

“I know it doesn’t directly apply, but you’re more in management now, if you will. You have a large team of Residents and medical students you have to watch over. And all the paperwork to go with it.”

“It’s not as bad as Dad’s job, but there are days when I think being Chief Resident is the best possible job for a doctor who likes to practice medicine full-time. The Attendings leave you alone, you don’t have any scut, and you’re basically teaching full-time. Sure, there’s a bit of what amounts to HR paperwork and doing the scheduling, but it’s really minimal if you’re efficient.”

“Which you are!”

“Any major events while I was away?”

“Not really. We talked all but one day.”

“Did the wedding gifts for María Cristina and Mike arrive?”

“Yes. They’re in our walk-in closet.”

“Good.”

July 21, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

“Ready to go, Jesse?” Dad asked through the open back door of the coach house.

“Yes!” I called out, then said “Bye, Moms!”

I went out to the car where Albert was already sitting in the back seat and got in next to him.

“Did you see Marta?” Albert asked.

“Not yet,” I replied. “I’ll see her when we get home from breakfast.”

Dad drove to the usual restaurant where he had breakfast with his friends. I didn’t get to go very often because of hockey, but I liked to go when I could. Albert could go more often, though sometimes Scouts interfered. When we arrived, Mikael, Harry, and Nils had just walked in.

“Some of you know my friends from Sweden,” Dad said when everyone had arrived, “but for those of you who don’t, please meet Mikael Westerberg, Harry Pierce, Kristian Kjellson, Nils Karlsson, and Kjell. I’ll let everyone give their names, though I suspect remembering them will be tough!”

The men all introduced themselves, and Janice quickly and efficiently took everyone’s orders. Breakfast was good and I enjoyed talking with the men, but I was really anxious to see Marta. She’d sent me a school picture and she’d totally grown up. She was going to hang out with me and my friends as much as possible, as was Kjell. Kristina was only eight, so she’d spend more time with my sister, which was also true of Anna, who was eleven. Of course, I knew Kjell liked Birgit, so they might hang out together some as well.

After breakfast, Dad confirmed the directions to the house for Kristian, who was driving, and then Albert, Kjell, and I got into Dad’s BMW. I was very happy Kjell spoke English because I really hadn’t had time to learn Swedish. I’d always wanted to learn Russian, but even there I had so little time, that it had never happened. The fact that Larisa and Marta both spoke English now basically made it less important. Not to mention I had to put so much effort into Spanish.

“I heard you’re going to Disney World next week,” I said to Kjell.

“Yes. We’re here for five days then everyone goes to Florida. Have you been?”

“Yes. A couple of years ago the whole family, along with some friends, went to Florida. We went to Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Daytona Speedway, and some other places. It was a lot of fun!”

“We’re not going to the race track, but we are going to the other places, and the beach! Albert, Mom said you’re learning to fly.”

“Yes. My friend Aimee, who is in the Navy, brings her plane here to teach me.”

“Whoa! A fighter jet?”

Albert laughed, “No. Her own plane, a Piper Archer. It’s a prop plane. Her job in the Navy is researching surface warfare systems.”

“Kjell, is there anything you want to do in Chicago?” I asked.

“Have pizza and go to the Sears Tower!”

“Today after my hockey game some of my friends, my brothers, and I are meeting at Bacino’s in the city. You can come with us.”

“How do we get there?”

“On the South Shore train if you come from my house. If you come from your hotel, I think you can walk, right Dad?”

“Yes,” Dad replied. “It’s about a kilometer from the hotel.”

“Or you could come to the hockey game,” Dad said. “And go from there.”

“I want to see you play, Jesse,” Kjell declared.

“You’re going to be disappointed,” I replied with a sigh. “The team really sucks.”

When we arrived home, all the girls were in the sunroom chattering away, but when Marta saw me, she jumped up and came to me for a hug. She was even prettier than she had been in her school picture, and had grown up even more.

“Hi!” Marta exclaimed.

“Hi!” I replied. “You should come for pizza with my friends and brothers later.”

“After your hockey game?”

“Yeah, but seriously, you do not want to waste your time.”

“I want to see you play!” she declared.

“That’s what Kjell said. You can come, but it’s going to be pretty bad.”

🎤 Steve

“«Hej, allihop!» I exclaimed when I walked into the sunroom. (“Hi, everyone!”)

“«Hej!»” came a chorus from all the women. (“Hi!”)

Katt hopped up and basically jumped into my arms and gave me a soft kiss.

“«Mamma, kan jag få en kyss som den där?» Kristina giggled. (“Mom, can I get a kiss like that?”)

“«Nej!»” Katt and Mikael both declared, laughing.

“I see she takes after you,” I chuckled, switching to English.

“Mikael said the same thing to me just last week, and said he agrees with my dad that there are just some things a dad doesn’t need to know!”

“Like what?” Birgit, ever the troublemaker, asked.

“That your dad curled my toes when I was fourteen!” Katt replied, causing every adult woman in the room to roll her eyes, groan, or both.

“And not just hers!” Pia added, “though I was seventeen!”

“Any chance I could get cuddles?” Katt asked.

“Absolutely, but I need to head to karate now. I teach on Saturday mornings.”

“Mind if some of us come to watch?” she asked.

“Not at all. Kara, Jessica, Birgit, Stephie, Ashley, and I all participate.”

Ten minutes later, a troupe was walking south on Woodlawn Avenue in the direction of the dojo, with the guys seriously outnumbered by the girls, as only Mikael had elected to join ALL the women. Kristian, Harry, Nils, and Kjell had elected to stay with Albert and Jesse, and check out Albert’s flight simulator.

“OK, now this is just ridiculous!” Sensei Jim said when we walked in.

“Jim Miller, my friends from Sweden, Katt, Karin, Tina, Kristina, Pia, Marta, and Mikael.”

“Dad dated ALL of them,” Birgit giggled.

“Shush, you little scamp!” I ordered.

“Adams...” Sensei Jim began, but then just shook his head and greeted everyone.

“Hi, Mr. Felipe!” Birgit exclaimed as he walked into the dojo. “These are my friends from Sweden!”

“Such heavenly angels who have been allowed to grace this world!” Felipe said.

He first took Kristina’s hand and kissed it, similar to how I’d once kissed Mitsuko’s. I nearly burst out laughing because the look on Birgit’s face was almost identical to Crystal’s. She glared at Felipe as he moved from woman to woman, completely ignoring her, which was again, what I’d once done to Crystal. One thing was certain - Mr. Felipe was going to be in deep shit with Birgit.

Mikael smirked, “«Han är smidig! Och din dotter verkar redo att mörda honom!» (“He’s smooth! And your daughter appears ready to murder him!”)

I nodded, “«Hon är svartsjuk på uppmärksamheten som han ägnar dem! Och ja, han är smidig!»” (“She’s jealous of the attention he’s paying them! And yes, he’s smooth!”)

After kissing Karin’s hand, Felipe turned, winked at me out of Birgit’s line of sight, and went into the training room. Sensei Jim, having seen Birgit’s withering gaze, retreated to his office and closed the door. The muffled laughter made it clear he understood exactly what Felipe had done.

Birgit, Stephie, Ashley, and Jessica went into the training room and I knocked on Sensei Jim’s office door, and he called for me to enter.

“Done laughing?” I asked with a grin.

“First, if you actually DID date all four of those Swedish women, I want to know what I did wrong in a past life! Second, Felipe is playing with fire!”

I chuckled, “I think he has her number exactly, and knows exactly what he’s doing! Shall we go teach?”

“Yes. Your daughter was telling the truth?”

“That she was,” I replied.

He shook his head, we left the office, and went to the training room to begin the class. Just over an hour later, we headed home, with a daughter who was clearly annoyed at not being the center of Felipe’s attention, but also about something I hadn’t thought about, and which might be the true source of her mood.

“You should have come to karate today!” Birgit said when Kjell came down to lunch.

“I wanted to see Albert’s computer! I got to fly a plane!”

Birgit’s eyes narrowed, “Video games are boring and dumb!”

Albert wasn’t having any of it.

“Just because you don’t like them, Sis, doesn’t mean nobody does! And besides, it’s part of flight training!”

“Kids, let’s not fight, please,” I urged gently. “There is plenty of time to do things over the next five days.”

“What time is the hockey game?” Mikael asked.

“3:00pm,” I replied. “The older kids are going for pizza afterwards.”