(I would like to dedicate this chapter to LL, for her constructive comments, Thank you.)
Over the next ten minutes I got a first hand look at why Cassie runs such a big and successful company, it seems everybody is afraid of her and the only way they can stop being afraid of her was to do exactly as she wanted.
She had already roused one of her legal team from his office and demanded he made sure he contacted the hospital board and demanded the best treatment possible, she personally would vouch for any expenses at the hospital, two helicopters where then assigned to her, one she sent here while the other was to be a medical unit and sent directly to the lake to back up the ambulance when it arrived. Whoever was on the other end of the phone must have said something about the cost.
Cassie nearly climbed the ceiling, such was her anger down the phone at the man at the other end, she gave him her company name and the man she had put in charge from her legal department. I rushed out of my office and called Beth and gave her a quick run down on what was going on, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor with the shock. I didn't have the time to pull her up so sat with her while I placed another call to Paula.
It took an age for the phone to pick up, I hurt so badly talking to her, I wanted so much to hold both of them in my arms and tell them they would both be ok, a difficult thing to do when your two hundred miles away. I told her to just hold on to Mary, keep talking to her, I had already called the emergency services and they will get there very soon. It hurt to hear Paula cry but I had to keep her talking and in turn keep her talking to Mary.
By the time all three of us had reached the hospital Mary had already been admitted, we found Paula in the waiting room, to say she was a wreck would have been an understatement, she see us come through the door and leaped at me, hugging my neck and crying.
"Do you believe me when I tell you everything is going to be alright?" I asked.
Paula nodded her head and continued to cry on my shoulder, I sat her down and nodded at Cassie, she disappeared out the door Beth in hot pursuit. I didn't need to tell Cassie what to do; she was already a woman on a mission. I sat with Paula and just held her; it was almost half an hour before she had the strength to say.
"You've been watching over both of us all along haven't you?"
"You don't think I could let you two out of my sight for to long before you end up getting yourselves into trouble do you." I answered.
She couldn't help herself, Paula laughed it wasn't much of a laugh but it was a start. We were then interrupted when Cassie came back in with a doctor in tow. He gave us the guarded version of what they had done so far and basically told us to go home, there wasn't anything anyone could do until all the test where in.
I thanked the doctor, Beth stepped forward with a set of keys, she had hired a car and had booked all four of us into a hotel. Paula refused to move, she wanted to stay at the hospital she desperately wanted to see Mary; I looked at Cassie.
She looked at her watch and said, "fifteen minutes."
I asked the doctor if he would allow her to see Mary for a few minutes, he looked at Cassie who gave him a very charming smile and winked at him, he shrugged his shoulders and said to Paula that she was to follow him, they disappeared into a room five doors down. I looked at Cassie and she left, Beth stayed with me and a few minutes later we collected Paula.
As we walked out one door Cassie and Mary's husband were walking in through the other. Paula looked at Cassie and then at me, a question formed on her lips, I shook my head and she said nothing. At the hotel Beth had put Paula and me in one room and Cassie and herself in the other, then went out to sort some clothes and toiletries such was our rush to get here we only had the clothes on our backs.
Paula sat down and said, "What just happened?"
"As far as Mary's husband is concerned she was doing an interior design job for Cassie when she passed out," I said.
Paula looked long and hard at me, somehow I knew the next question that was coming so I made myself comfortable, I knew I didn't have to answer anything Paula asked, but in her fragile state it seemed best to let her know something.
"I want to know about Calder's field?"
I shook my head, "no you don't but I will tell you this, when we again bring up that subject there will be two other people in the room, both with a vested interest in that subject and then you will learn all you need to know and a lot more."
I think she realized there was going to be no further discussion on the subject so left it alone. I sat on the couch and waited, watching Paula pace the room. After a time she curled up beside me, I put my arm around her and we sat in silence. Beth came back and let herself in, I wanted to send Paula off with Beth but she would not move from my side, so we all sat and waited.
Cassie phoned a couple of times to keep us updated and between us we worked out a plan. Within the hour Cassie came back and all four of us chatted for awhile and had room service bring us something to eat, there seemed little point in leaving the room, not for the hope of hearing any news we knew Cassie had taken care of that already, she had a pipeline into the nurses desk, she would know within minutes when Mary woke, it was more because none of us were feeling in the mood to see anybody.
Late evening brought us news, we rushed to the hospital Paula and Cassie went in to see Mary, she had regained consciousness, her husband was out of the loop up to this moment until both girls got to see Mary to smooth the way for her with an alibi. With all that now done we left to return to our rooms, both the girls kissed Paula and me goodnight and we settled into our room.
It was Paula who spoke first, I figured she had something to say so I left her to think about it, it was the stares I was getting that was beginning to annoy me, but finally she plucked up the courage to say what was on her mind.
"I need to know something,"
I sat back on the couch and she sat next to me.
"Are you going to give us back our collars now?"
I looked hard at Paula; I suppose I knew this issue was going to come so I figured it was only fair to explain things to her a little clearer.
