Page 43 of Degrees of Acceptance
“It’s a grave concern, Baby. I don’t know how to answer it just yet. If Carlos wants you and your mom in his life he will help me make it happen, but we’re going to have to have a lot more conversation around this before I feel comfortable. We’ll figure it out, but for now, you should get some sleep. We need to be at the airport early for a meeting back in Chicago,” he says, curling me up in his strong arms.
We get off the plane, and I can’t help but feel a little anxious as we arrive at the office and prepare for the user group meetings that Renee has scheduled. Once we have this information I’ll be able to complete the simulations for the team and hopefully, alleviate the angst from the physician groups that will be practicing in the space. The helicopter ride is swift and as we land Chase helps me down and onto the helipad, guiding me into the now familiar tower entrance. Jay leads up the rear, and as we enter the building I’m surprised to see Matt here since he didn’t travel back with us, but as he gives the all clear sign, I realize precautions are still being taken, and he’s had his crew sweep the facility. I’m not sure if I will ever get completely used to it, but have to admit after the last week I’m glad they are with us.
“I have an all-morning meeting, Baby, but I’ve asked Mary to have lunch set up in your conference room. Jenny should be here around noon, and I’ll join you a few moments after that,” he says.
“I almost forgot that we were meeting her for lunch today,” I say, kissing him goodbye.
As I walk into my office, I catch sight of a stunningly large burgundy vase sitting in the corner of my desk. It is filled with dozens of white long-stemmed calla lilies nestled in green foliage. It takes me back to the day I walked into my resort room in Aruba. There was a bouquet of white calla lilies in my suite that day, too, although nothing as elaborate as this one. There is a card with my name on it nestled among the flowers, and I gingerly take it out to read.
I open the card and in impeccable handwriting it says:
Katarina…
I am going to miss having you all to myself. Join me on a trip to where our journey began. I have made arrangements for a long weekend to Aruba at the end of the month.
Love,
Chase
Message:The flowers are incredible. YES!!!!!!!!!
Reply:Glad you like them.
Message:I love them! Calla Lilies always remind me of you and Aruba!
Reply:Likewise, Baby.
I smile to myself. I should leave him alone since he’s probably in the middle of his meeting and I have so much to do. I open up the desktop and groan at the number of emails related to the exam room. I quickly sort them by subject to read the entire chain, frowning. We really need this simulation fast; it seems to be causing a lot of unnecessary angst for everyone. I flip over to Renee’s incoming messages and smile. She really is very efficient, and I can’t help but appreciate her outgoing nature.
***
From:[email protected]
Kate:
You will see a succession of meeting planners on your calendar for pre-work and the actual simulation demo. I have scheduled a brief conference call with you and IT. Tim has a few more questions related to the data extraction that I was unable to answer. I have then scheduled time for you to review each of the three architectural designs that Terry’s team has created. If I understood you correctly, we would use each model in the simulation to vet out any inefficiency at the same time.
Lastly, Mr. Prestian has asked that I put out of office holds on your calendar for the last Wednesday of this month starting at 3 p.m. through the following Monday. I have taken the liberty of rescheduling appointments during that time as he notes you will be out of the office.
P.S. If you give me administrative rights I can not only schedule these meetings but send them on behalf of you right from your calendar, as well as accept them, too. This would significantly cut down on a lot of your email, and I am happy to assist.
Thanks,
Renee
Renee Campbell
Administrative Assistant
Prestian Corp Medical Center Project
***
From:[email protected]
