Chapter 6: Pick Another Day

August 13, 1996, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

“Doctor Mary Whittaker, meet Maria Cristina Ochoa Coulvert. Maria Cristina, Doctor Mary Whittaker.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Doctor,” Maria Cristina said.

“And you. Steve told me you were Kara’s mentee and that Doctor Jessica has taken you under her wing as well for pre-med and medical school?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Thank you for allowing me to participate.”

Mary smiled, “Thank Steve. He was very persuasive. Steve, I will need you to sign a release to allow her to be in the room when I do your physical. Mayo requires it when there are female medical students and male patients. And before you protest, she’s officially a medical student today and tomorrow.”

“Whatever you say, Doc!” I grinned. “And yes, of course I’ll sign the release.”

“Maria Cristina, has he described his medical condition, and the tests we’ve done?”

“Yes. I heard the whole story yesterday, both on the plane and while we had dinner.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“Not right now. He did a good job of explaining the medical terms. Doctor Jessica said I should just watch and ask questions later.”

“That usually works best with groups of students, but it’s just you and me, so you can ask as we go along. The first thing we do is take a medical history for the past year. Steve, do you have your medical journal with you?”

“Yes. I have a floppy disk with the files, plus a printout.”

I extracted them from my bag and handed them over. Mary scanned them, made a couple of notes on the paper then set it aside and pulled a form from her desk drawer.

“So the only instance of any kind of syncopal feeling or dizziness was one incident where you had an adrenaline rush in a stressful situation?”

“Yes. And that episode was nothing like any of the syncopal episodes. The only thing I can compare it to was the weak-in-the-knees feeling I have when I make public presentations.”

“Which is odd for an extreme extrovert.”

I laughed, “Don’t give up your day job, Doc. I’m an introvert. I over-compensate with forced extroversion. And I’m much better one-on-one or small groups than I am with large crowds.”

“And right there is why we ask so many questions over and over,” Mary said to Maria Cristina. “I missed his entire point for being here the first time I did a medical history on him.”

“How?” Maria Cristina asked.

“Because I didn’t ask the right questions. I missed several other things, too. I think the thing to tell you is to ask everything you can think of, and then think some more. And after that, think some more again. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with very rare conditions. You never know where you might find clues to a diagnosis and course of treatment.”

“But there isn’t one for Steve, right?”

“None we know of. That said, we can manage it with proper diet, exercise, and sleep. His visits here now are part of my research. I actually have another patient with an equally baffling condition. It’s my lot in life for choosing this specialty.”

“You’re a Resident, right?”

“Yes. You’ll meet my Attending, Doctor Alston, once we’re done with this review. Steve, any changes in diet, sleep patterns, or exercise?”

I shook my head, “No.”

“No sexual dysfunction?”

“No,” I said.

I was watching Maria Cristina from the corner of my eye and was impressed that she didn’t blush or flinch.

“No illnesses?”

I shook my head, “None. I’ve actually not been sick since I started the vitamin and supplement regimen which was prescribed by the medical cabal in Chicago.”

“No injuries?”

“Not since the broken wrist and concussion.”

“And you’ve been following the prescription against sparring?”

“With one exception which put me at zero risk. Al and I debated it ad nauseam, and Jessica and I had a serious discussion about it.”

“I can imagine. I also know you understand the risks. I’d strongly advise against doing it, but in the end, you have to make your own decisions.”

“Wait!” Maria Cristina protested. “You know it’s dangerous but you don’t get on his case?”

Mary smiled, “I’d rather he listen to me, and as such, I let some things go. You’ll see that with the next question, too.”

“Smoking,” I chuckled. “Three cigars and four bowls of pipe tobacco since the last time I was here.”

“Also something I know Doctor Barton and Doctor Jessica have taken you to task on, so I’ll simply note it in your file.”

“They have nothing on Birgit,” I chuckled, then simpered, falsetto, “Smoking is bad for you, Dad!“

“You know the risks. I think it’s foolish, but again, it’s up to you. Drinking?”

“Same as always - wine with dinner occasionally, but I’m careful because it can affect my blood sugar. Whisky casually with my friends and occasionally when I’m relaxing at home. No more than four ounces a week, though.”

“Good. You do need to watch the wine as you say. Anything else you need to tell me?”

I shook my head, “Not that I can think of.”

“Then let’s go see Doctor Alston. After that, I’ll do your physical.”

We got up and walked down the hallway.

“Why not just use the results of Steve’s physical by his doctor in Chicago?” Maria Cristina asked.

“The point of the physical is to look for abnormalities or changes. It comes down to statistics - looking for the most likely evidence of a medical problem. And I compare what I’ve done each time with the new results. My observations won’t be identical to Doctor Kulczycki’s, and as such, we each compare to our own previous results. Any changes warrant further investigation.”

We spent about five minutes with Doctor Alston, and then went to an exam room where I stripped down to my boxer-briefs and waited while the nurse drew blood. Once she finished, Mary did the exam, explaining what she was doing at each step to Maria Cristina. There was no doubt in my mind that Mary was going to be a good teacher. She’d have her medical student starting in September, which was unfortunate, as that meant they missed my visit.

Once the exam was finished, I had a new set of tests - a complete vision exam and a complete audiological exam, both by specialists.

“New avenues of investigation?” I asked.

“More baselines,” Mary replied. “Given that we don’t know what’s wrong or how it might progress, the course of investigation needs to look at literally everything. I wasn’t surprised that your vision is very good and that your hearing is excellent. I take it you weren’t into loud rock music as a teenager?”

I shook my head, “Not really. And I never cranked it up so loud that it might cause damage.”

“OK. We’re going to do some dexterity tests after lunch with one of our physical therapists. Again, it’s just baseline. We’ll repeat the cognitive ability tests, though I’d say it’s unlikely there’s been any change.”

“Just don’t ask Birgit,” I grinned. “She says I’m a shithead!”

Mary and Maria Cristina both laughed.

“I think most daughters think that of their dads at some point,” Mary said. “Usually around fourteen or fifteen when boys are involved.”

“Boys have been involved since Birgit was about two,” I grinned. “You’ve met her!”

“True. Last thing today will be a full cardiac workup. The EEG-MRI is set for tomorrow morning, and after that the full stress test. Then the pulmonologist will evaluate you. And finally, a psychiatric exam.”

“My kids and wives will certify I’m crazy,” I chuckled.

“May I ask who pays for all of this?” Maria Cristina asked.

“My research budget,” Mary replied. “His health insurance covered the initial investigation and diagnosis, but now we’re into research.”

“What other kinds of patients do you have?”

“All manner of endocrine problems from glucose homeostasis disorders to thyroid disorders to pituitary gland disorders. There are a wide range of diseases and conditions which range from diabetes to Cushing’s disease. You plan on oncology, right?”

“Yes.”

“I also deal with tumors of the various glands. I think you’ll find quite a bit of overlap in your training with mine.”

“What made you choose this specialty?”

“Partly it was Steve,” Mary laughed. “I wanted to do research and I wanted to work here. I met him when I was a medical student and he insisted I be allowed to do many of the procedures and present the case. Between that, and the encouragement from Doctors Ross and Alston, I decided to list Mayo Endocrinology first on my Match form.”

The day went along as ones at Mayo usually did, and besides the tests, we had lunch with Doctors Ross, Alston, and Schultz. At the end of the day, I asked Mary to join Maria Cristina and me for dinner, which she did. We had a good meal and a nice chat before Maria Cristina and I headed back to the hotel.

“Good job not blushing or reacting when she asked about sex,” I chuckled as we walked into our room.

“Jessica warned me that Doctor Mary would ask that question.”

“So what did you think?”

“That it was totally cool and I’m sure I’m going to like being a doctor!”

“Well, that’s a good thing. Of course, there’s a long way to go between here and there.”

“I know. I do have a question for you?”

“What’s that?”

“Can I do a thorough physical exam?” she smirked.

“You want to play doctor?”

“Absolutely!”

August 15, 1996, Chicago, Illinois

“How were things while I was away?” I asked Kimmy on Thursday morning.

“No issues. Terry will report here for work on Monday morning. His lease in Colorado has about four months to go, so we’ll take care of that for him. We’ll get his things moved here sometime in the next thirty days. I’m putting him up in the NIKA loft apartment until we can find him a place.”

“Good plan. What’s on my calendar for today?”

“Jackie Phelan will be here at 10:00am to meet with Eve to look over expansion plans. Eve thought you might want to review the preliminary plans.”

“OK. I think I’ll do that. Any fallout from Monday’s Town Hall?”

Kimmy shook her head, “Nobody has called and none of the members of the Executive Committee have said anything to me or come looking for you.”

“Good. I take it everything is set for tomorrow?”

“Yes. All the catering is arranged, with each office selecting their favorites. We’re getting a mix of Aurelio’s and Portillo’s.”

“Sounds good to me! Did you hear from the Board members and Doctors Bauer and Driesson?”

“Yes. Doctor Barton and Karl will be here, as will the professors, but the others sent their regrets as you expected.”

“Thanks.”

“Did Ben Jackson get in touch?” Kimmy asked.

“Late on Monday evening,” I replied. “He was in meetings all day. He was concerned, obviously, but I allayed his concerns. He was happy with the transition plan. His obvious concern was for Julia, but I asked him to call her directly to hear from her own mouth she wasn’t going anywhere. She called me to let me know he’d done that. I don’t think we have any issues.”

“That’s it, then. The paperwork for Terry and Skye is completed, new business cards have been ordered, along with nameplates. The requisition for the replacement programmer was approved by Elyse and I signed on your behalf.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“You don’t do anything WITH me!” she teased.

I winked in acknowledgement, then went to my desk to deal with my mail, electronic and physical, as well as other items in my ‘IN’ box on my desk. Most of it was simply for my review, with only a couple of items needing actual attention. I worked until 10:30am, then Kimmy and I went to the conference room where Jackie and Eve were meeting.

“Don’t mind me,” I grinned. “I’m just observing.”

Jackie laughed and we exchanged a quick hug, then she and Eve continued talking while I observed.

“As we talked about when this first became a possibility, we can reconfigure the fire escape. The drawing I’m showing you has it extending down from the new walkway. There would be a door with a crash bar just as there is now, but you’d need to make a left turn to go down the fire escape.”

“And that’s within code?” Eve asked.

“Yes. I actually spoke to the Fire Marshal to verify that he would sign off on it. The concern was having to turn, but before, you had to turn as soon as you were out the door, so it’s not materially different. There will need to be emergency lighting, signage, and so on, but that’s no different from what you currently have.”

“What about the other building?”

“Their fire escape stays in place. We just have to ensure whatever interior design you select has a clear passageway. The other building is also considered a fire exit, by the way, as you could cross the bridge and go down inside stairs to reach the street.”

“We won’t have access to the first floor, will we?”

“Only via the emergency exit,” Jackie said. “There is no elevator in the building behind you, but there are emergency stairs which lead down to a street-level exit. Basically, you need two exit paths, and each second floor will have three.”

“All of these interior walls are modular?”

“Yes. Given you want maximum flexibility, everything is modular, including the furniture. We can configure high or low cubicle walls, and create closed offices with opaque or see-through walls.”

“What would the maximum capacity be?” Eve asked.

“Well, if we configure a break room, and upgrade the bathrooms, the maximum capacity would be 42. With hoteling, the actual staff count could be somewhat higher than that. I have several configurations drawn, but we can assemble or reassemble the modular items at any time.”

“Will this be the same modular furniture we use now?”

“Yes. We have quite a few pieces in storage which we’ll be able to reuse. The main costs are going to be the sky bridge and the ADA modifications for the bathrooms.”

“What’s the next step?”

“We’ll have Gerald Brown come out to review the space on Monday. We’ll have a full estimate for you by the end of next week.”

“Steve? Kimmy? Any questions?”

I shook my head, “None from me.”

“Or from me,” Kimmy replied.

“Then that’s it,” Eve said to Jackie. “Let me know what time Mr. Brown will be here on Monday.”

“Will do!”

Jackie shook hands with the women and gave me a quick hug, then Eve walked her out. Kimmy and I went back to my office and Eve came in about two minutes later.

“Any issues?” she asked.

I shook my head, “No. We’ll need to see what it’s going to cost, but I think, in the end, our options are limited unless we’re prepared to move. And I am not prepared to move.”

“What if we could buy the building behind us?”

“Is it for sale?” I asked.

Eve laughed, “You know everything is for sale if you can create the right value proposition! In fact, that’s YOUR philosophy!”

“True,” I agreed with a grin. “What I meant was, is there a value proposition which makes such a thing favorable? What are you thinking?”

“That having both properties gives us serious flexibility. We could continue to rent out the first floor of that building until we needed it, and if we wanted to, eventually tear down one of the buildings and build a single building big enough for the entire staff.”

“I don’t even want to THINK about what that mess would look like,” Kimmy said, shaking her head. “But if we like this location, I’m not sure we have much choice in the long run.”

“Go ahead and investigate,” I replied. “Work through Alec Glass, please.”

“OK,” she said, not sounding convinced.

We exchanged a look and I knew she wanted to talk about the situation.

“Kimmy, would you excuse us for a moment, please?”

She nodded and went to her desk, while Eve and I went to the «yōshitsu» room.

“You’re concerned about the whole thing with Noel Spurgeon?” I asked.

“We still don’t know what’s going on with Lisa, nor who all is involved in Noel Spurgeon’s scheme.”

“If Alec Glass is involved, then I’d have to suspect Samantha as well, and I just can’t see that.”

“Why not? I’m not accusing her of anything; I’m just saying you can’t rule anyone out at the moment.”

“Or in, for that matter,” I replied. “I’m OK if you tell Alec you only want to work through him personally. He won’t be upset about that because Lisa doesn’t have, and can never have, a real estate or securities license.”

“You haven’t heard anything from Matheson?”

“No. I’m actually a bit surprised by that, but I have no idea what they’re planning or their timeframe. We know their desired end result, but that’s it.”

“Steve?” Kimmy called out from the door of the «yōshitsu» room.

“Yes?”

“Sorry to interrupt, but Michelle York is on the phone. Do you want to take the call?”

“Not without talking to her attorney first,” I replied. “Melissa said it was taken care of, but I haven’t heard from Jonah Goldblum nor received a notice that she’s withdrawing her ‘no contact’ demand. Kimmy, tell her I need to hear from her attorney before I can speak to her, even if she initiated the call.”

“Will do,” Kimmy replied, and went back towards her desk.

“Playing hardball?”

“I think I have to,” I replied. “I have no clue what she’s thinking and all I have to go on is what her attorney wrote in his letter. Gwen Meyer was clear on that.”

“So an abundance of caution?”

“Exactly. And as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I need to head to O’Hare to retrieve a daughter!”

“Birgit?”

“Yes. She’s been in Vermont and I’ll be in the doghouse if I don’t meet her at the security exit when she comes through it!”

“OK. I’ll give Alec Glass a call and continue to work with Ms. Phelan and Brown Construction.”

“Good. Thanks.”

We walked out together, with Eve heading back to her office while I stopped at Kimmy’s desk to get an update on what Michelle had said.

“She was frustrated, but she said she’d have her attorney fax something over. Are you heading to O’Hare?”

“Yes. There will be absolute hell to pay if I don’t meet my daughter on time!”

“Oh, I’m just waiting for Monday morning,” Kimmy smirked.

“I figure Sunday afternoon. She’ll come home, hear from Bart and her mom that Terry is moving back and I’ll have a very volatile Penelope Margaret Penfield on my front porch, pounding on the door! Well, assuming she doesn’t simply barge in and beat me senseless!”