Chapter 48B

The morning air made her feel jubilant as she walked in almost a march against the cold breeze that froze her face. She felt like every eye on the street was on her and they were saying "there she is, that girl who's in love more than any woman ever. There she is. I wish I was her." Although she was always content in her relationship with Joe, there were always lagging doubts because many of the women who had wanted him were still close. Whether it was the ring, or the way the ring made her feel, or just female maturity, she no longer felt those doubts. She was proud, she was happy and she was in love.

As she pounded up the steps of WSGG she heard the click of the lock as Deneigh let her in.

"Good morning Deneigh. Wow, I just had a brisk walk in the cold and it really woke me up and made me feel alive."

Deneigh looked side to side as is if to check is someone was there, saying "I bet Joe getting to town last night had a little to do with it too."

"Didn't hurt." Selena said with a blush as she reached for the door to the inner offices.

"Ummm, Selena can we talk a second." Deneigh said to beckon her back.

"Sure what's up?"

"Just a friendly observation from the video that got played ad infinitum on the TV last night; I've always thought you were quite beautiful, but you had to dress a little stiff to avoid coming off as a teenager."

"It's not a secret that I look like a high school kid, so I have to compensate."

"No, I know," Deneigh countered, "It's that seeing you so many times in close-up on the TV, your face is taking on a new maturity. Not that you look older, you really look like a woman now. Something about the grace in your cheekbones that's more pronounced. I was in cosmetology school nights for a long time so I would have a back up career, and your face has those classic lines and they are just becoming pronounced. I think it made your statement come across more authoritive, forceful. You read from the prompter so well, just everything! You are the change this place needed. You've made working here a joy again, and I get more respect from the five too. I'm not just "good ol' Deneigh" anymore. Thank you!"

Selena blushed at her kind words and touched her arm over the counter and smiled. She didn't know what to say so she just smiled and nodded before turning to go into the "inner sanctum". She went to her office and sat at her desk and took out a small mirror to look at her face. With her responsibilities and commitments in life she no longer felt like a kid and maybe Deneigh was right, maybe she didn't look like one, at least as much, any more. She thought about her active sexual life and wondered if that was making her more of a woman. Then the naughty little devil within her wondered if her hunger for Joe's sex and the protein in it helped the transformation. She leaned back in her chair and thought over Deneigh's words, and the thoughts Juliette had shared, and the fact she had been thoroughly fucked twice last night and drank from the fountain of her lover twice. Her life was good. Within a week she would be back in school to finish the shine she needed to make everything perfect in her job and her position in life. She had one semester left to be carefree about life, while staying serious about school, before she and Joe started their journey into a blissful life together for each other.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of others coming in.

"Good morning Miss Hanson." Ross Curran said as he popped his head in.

"I think we should all meet together right away, 9:15, OK?"

"Not a problem, Mr. Curran." She said as she got up and closed her door.

Selena went through her usual morning checks and immediately saw the reason he wanted to meet. The heavily sold indicator stocks that shocked the pharmaceutical and health care related numbers were all back, at least overseas. After hours numbers in the US didn't reflect the total bounce, but the first two hours of trading would give a better picture. The morning updates of the financial channels all screamed the bounce-back and the calming of the selling. WSGG was mentioned in each of the stories, accompanied by a small clip which would probably become network stock piece when mentioning WSGG. It was Selena speaking while gesturing as the other members stood behind. Selena wasn't sure if she liked the notoriety.

The morning meeting and the day went smooth. The markets and the stocks that were questionable seemed to have calmed after a wild cat run based on false speculation. While the prospect of a national health care system seemed good on paper, the red tape reality and litigious nature of the institution of it showed how unlikely the success of it would be. While the press screamed "free health care for all under new president", sounder minds, like those at WSGG pointed out the realities of putting one seventh of the US economy in the hands of the government. They also pointed out the foolishness of wildcat speculating of the investments you planned your whole future on based on a news story. With quiet confidence the group at WSGG felt the emergency was over. The long lists of call backs and hand holding had stopped and things seemed "business as usual" by the end of Tuesday trading. Overnight numbers might tell a better story with input from overseas markets. Selena began to look forward to going home as early as Wednesday night.

In the meantime back in their suite Joe had slept until 11 o'clock. He woke rested and a bit dazed by the late hour. He quickly showered in hopes of getting downstairs by 11:30 before they closed breakfast in the café room and opened the lunch atrium. He really just wanted a coffee and a pastry, or a Belgian waffle; something light to hold him for a two o'clock lunch appointment he hastily arranged Monday afternoon with a Trade Union rep to OK the health insurance proviso of the ownership transfer.

As he sped across the lobby he saw Juliette rushing the other way in her coat.

"Hey Jules, any chance that... "

"Sorry Joe, I'm off in a rush my self. Did you hear your page?" She asked.

"Page?"

"Yes, white phone."

Joe took the call and as he talked he saw the breakfast cafe was closed as he sighed an agreement to the caller. Knowing he may have to go elsewhere to get his coffee he went out into the brisk air.

Juliette was waiting for a cab with her 14 year old son out front.

"Miss your call?... Joe Johnson?" Juliette called out.

"No, I got it. My afternoon appointment was cancelled. My day is shot." He said disgustedly.

"I'm taking my son ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza on his last day of Christmas vacation. Why don't you go with us? I know you skate, you've brought me there." She said with a smile. "You might even meet my husband, he may join us later."

"No thanks, Jules, I'm not dressed for it and I don't have skates, at least with me."

"If you want to change for being outside we can wait. You can rent skates there, which is what we do." She offered.

Joe thought quickly that his knees have been good and it did sound like a great way to pass the afternoon.

"If you can wait, I'll go change. For some reason it sounds like fun and I haven't done anything impetuous in a long time." Joe said as he turned on his heels and went back into the hotel.

He put on leather gloves and a scarf with a sweater to go under his topcoat. He called WSGG to tell Selena about his plans, but the group had gone to lunch together, a rarity, across the street. Joe asked Deneigh for Selena's voice mail and left a detailed message.

In the matter of a few minutes the three, Juliette, Joe and 14 year old Michael, were off to skate.

As soon as they got to Rockefeller Center Juliette's husband Mike found them. He was there on his lunch and was glad to meet Joe, whom he had heard so much about. Mike didn't have the time to skate as he had to get back to his office soon, but he wanted to watch his wife and son.

In the matter of a few minutes Joe was on the ice with Jules and Michael. Although he hadn't skated in years, it felt good to glide as he once did when he was younger. Memories shot back to when he and Juliette spent many hours in the shadow of Thirty Rock skating, talking and falling in love. He remembered taking her to Lake George for Winter Carnival where they skated on the lake and watch the different events together. It seemed ironic now that the reason for their break-up was their age difference of 13 years or so; he and Selena were almost twenty years part. When he and Jules talked of marriage she always talked of having children right away since she was past 30. That scared Joe and was the first pole in their relationship tent to fall.

After the three of them got their ice legs Juliette and Michael took hands for a tandem skate and Michael insisted Joe take his hand for a 3 man tandem. After 2 slow laps they stopped to watch a couple at center ice putting on a show of sorts with axles, tosses and spins. Young Michael took both of their hands and led them around again, this time picking up speed. On the third turn as the outside person, Joe, had to pivot a bit so as not to "whip" Joe heard a sound like a hundred knuckles cracking as pain shot through his knee and he went down and slid into the dasher, back first. Joe sat in a lump at first and then reached out to grab his right knee. As he did pain shot up his back and the knee became excruciating as he tried to bend it to stand up.

While injuries were not the norm at The Plaza, New York did staff an EMT crew all during public skating hours.

"No, no, no, stay down sir!" A burly EMT yelled as he trotted across the ice toward him with a younger girl closely behind him.

Joe let the air out of his attempt to stand and slumped back into the dasher.

"SHIT! How did I let this happen?" Joe shouted to himself.

Juliette knelt beside him knowing he was upset and tried to calm him, asking him not to get excited, holding his hand and briefly hugging her face to his.

"Sir, does that knee have a history?"

"Yes, it's been torn a few times and trimmed out a few times, arthritis, ahhh... the whole mess." He said disgustedly.

While the young girl rolled up his pant leg, the burly fellow began unlacing the skates. The girl placed her little fingers in and around the knee joint and asked Joe to flex it if he could.

"Just a hunch, but I can't feel the whole posterior horn, but you may have had that cut up before. You shouldn't be in this much pain though. I want to immobilize you and get ice in there. You may have torn one of the cruciate muscles, anterior or posterior. I'm seeing that kind of pain here. You're hunching your shoulders like your back hurts, problem there? Be honest, I'm taking you to Lenox Hill anyway." The little firecracker said as she gave Joe the once over with her eyes.

"YES, god dammit, my lower back went into the wall here but... "

"Sir, I'm going to board you and immobilize the leg. Is this your wife?" She asked looking at Juliette.

"No, just a good friend. I can call my fiance." Joe said.

"Joe, I'll get Mike to take Michael. I'll ride with you and stay until Selena comes." Juliette said.

"Don't be silly, I don't want to ruin his last day of vacation."

"It's priorities Joe. I'm NOT leaving you alone. Let me go talk to Mike while they prepare you." Jules said.

A few minutes later Joe was being put on a stretcher when Jules came back.

"Both Michael and Mike insisted I go with you until Selena comes. Mike knows how special you are to me." Juliette said as they lifted the stretcher and its wheels snapped into place to easily roll him to the ambulance.

"Lenox Hill Hospital is four learning and specialty hospitals in one and Orthopedic Surgery/Sports Medicine is one of their centers of excellence and you could not be in better hands." The young little female attendant told him as she helped secure the stretcher in place and showed Juliette where to sit.

She pulled two large frozen gel mats from a freezer compartment.

"Before I get these on you to stop swelling, can you try to move it again? I know you're restrained, but just try." She asked him.

Joe winced in deep pain as she put the icy gel mats on his knee.

"I think you have a substantial knee injury here, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty good with these and that's why I want to get you a hospital right away." She said before she got on the phone with the hospital to prepare for his arrival.

Juliette had been holding his hand and she looked at Joe to see he looked scared.

"Don't worry Joe, they'll fix you." Juliette said as she leaned to kiss him on the cheek. "Now what is Selena's number at work? I'll call her as soon as we get to the hospital."

Joe told her the number as he laid and thought about how this could screw up all their plans. His mind raced as he wondered if he ended up crippled if Selena might opt for a younger healthier man. He looked at Juliette and wondered if maybe he made a mistake some 18 years ago. He was mad at himself for the second guessing, not realizing he may be going into shock and the mind does crazy things in that state.

They got to the hospital and Joe was rushed into a triage for evaluation and Juliette went to the phone.

She had a bit of hard time getting past Deneigh, but succeeded as Selena's phone rang.

"Selena, this is Juliette. Our skating afternoon went bad this afternoon and Joe has hurt his leg pretty bad. I'm at the hospital with him and... "

"IS HE OK? WHAT HOSPITAL?"

"Selena calm down, it's not life threatening. It's his right knee and maybe his back, but they think just his knee is serious. Now write this down and stay calm, OK? He's at Lenox Hill Hospital, the Orthopedic Surgery/Sports Medicine emergency and triage. I'll wait here for you." Juliette told her to try and keep her calm.

Selena picked up her intercom and called Ross Curran to explain quickly. He told her to get ready and he would arrange a car for her immediately. Selena wanted to just hail a cab but Ross insisted that he get her the car, it would be faster and safer.

True to his word, in just a few minutes a gray Mercury pulled up and before the driver could get out Selena was down the steps to the car telling the driver where she needed to go.

It only took a few minutes, less than ten, for Selena to arrive at the hospital and make her way into the emergency waiting room. There must have been 50 people there but she saw Juliette immediately.

"They just took him for some imaging, some sort of scan or MRI. They'll put him in an evaluation area when he's done while they decide if he stays or goes. We can see him then." Juliette filled her in.

She explained how it happened and told her what the young EMT had said. As she spoke an intern or nurse in scrubs came out and told Juliette that he could bring her to him now.

She and Selena were led through a couple doors and up one floor on a freight-like elevator. There was a room with 4 or 5 gurneys there with people, some in street clothes laid out with leg or back injuries. Selena saw Joe and ran to his side.

She saw his eyes and knew he had been given pain killers. She held his hand and kissed him, leaning to whisper.

"I love you and I'm here for you. We'll get this all taken care of."

Joe just smiled and was obviously a bit out of it. They had given him something to keep him still for the MRI of his knee and to stop spasms he was having in his back. The intern insisted it was something that wouldn't last too long.

Joe laid out a bit dazed but lucid enough to listen as the women talked. Jules went into greater detail of how it happened and wondered out loud if her husband and son had arrived yet. Mike had to go to his office to tie a few loose ends. Selena was more worried than she showed, but was comforted that Joe felt no pain at the time. She worried what his recovery might be, how it would dove tail with her school, she was letting things spiral a bit on her before she caught herself.

"If Joe could read my mind right now he would be pissed off to no end for not putting things in perspective. Now calm yourself down and let things fall into place and deal with them." She told herself. It had been about 40 minutes since they took the images of his knee and she hoped the radiologist had looked at the results. She no more thought about the radiologist when he came into the room.

"Hello Mr. Johnson, are you comfortable?" (Joe nodded.)

"Do you know where you are?"

"Lenox Hill Ortho. I'm a little foggy, but I'm with it."

"OK, here it is. You have a complex posterior horn meniscal tear, and it's quite severe. I also think you've strained or partially torn the posterior cruciate muscle that runs through your knee. It's all complicated by arthritis. I would recommend you have it repaired by arthroscopy as soon as possible. Dr. Wilfred Canseca is the best we have on call and can do it tomorrow morning." He explained.

"I've heard of him, but is William Payne available? He's done my knees before and I see him every few months." Joe asked.

"Dr. Payne usually just teaches here with ortho interns through Columbia-Presbyterian. His practice is in Clifton Park, New York."

"I know, that's where I see him. He's operated at Albany Medical Center for me."

"I can check to see if he's due here anytime soon, but Dr. Canseca has great credentials."