Author's Note: This is a long story. This is a work of fiction and not based on sound medical practice.
The Present
"Belinda, how nice to see you again! Thank you for making the time to swing by and meet with me."
Richard Willingham III rose from his chair to greet Belinda, shaking her hand and offering his cheek for an air-kiss. Belinda, even though tall herself, had to stand on her toes to make it easy for this giant of a man, tall and broad shouldered. Richard and Bobby had met while they were together in college. They were in their mid-thirties and had known each other over fifteen years now. Moreover, Richard was not just her husband's legal advisor, but also a good friend and golf buddy.
Belinda liked Richard, and put her arms around him, pulling him into an affectionate hug. Samantha, Richard's wife, and Belinda were the best of friends, just as their husbands were. When Samantha died of previously undetected galloping leukemia six months ago, Belinda was as devastated as Richard, and their shared grief had brought them closer together.
Ushering her to a chair, Richard said, "I am so sorry to hear about Bobby's accident. I am sure it has been a heart-wrenching blow to you as well. I plan to stop by at the hospital with some of the guys from the Club when he is allowed visitors."
Belinda sighed deeply and struggled to hold back a tear. "I'm afraid you going to have to wait for a while before you can visit. As you now, Bobby is still in coma, and the doctors say it's impossible to predict when he will come out of it. I am at the hospital every day and shall keep you posted if there's any change. Given that he hurt his head badly when his car was forced off the road, I really don't know.." Belinda broke down, sobbing into her hands at the thought that she could lose her husband and the love of her life. Bobby and Belinda had been married two years now and cared deeply for each other. While they were sexually active and made energetic and passionate love almost every day, they were childless, a fact that deeply troubled them, and spurred them on to try harder.
Richard came over to Belinda's chair, offering her a handkerchief, which she accepted gratefully. Placing an arm on her shoulder, he said, "There, there, don't cry. I know it's hard -- it sure is for me. I'm 100 per cent Bobby will come out and get better very soon. You know I'm always there for you -- do not hesitate to reach out any time anywhere, should you need anything of me." "Thank You, Richard, I appreciate that." said Belinda mustering up a half-smile as bravely as she could. Richard moved over to a trolley in the corner of his office and poured two large drinks into crystal tumblers. Handing one to Belinda he said, "Here. This will make you feel less sad." Belinda took a sip from her glass. "You remember that I like my whisky! Thanks."
Putting down his glass, Richard sat down behind his desk. When he spoke, it was in a more formal lawyer-like manner. "Belinda, I am really sorry to bother you with legal and financial matters at this most stressful time, but there are important matters that you need to aware of with regard to Bobby's affairs.' Noting Belinda's slight affirmative nod, he continued, "As you may have been aware, Bobby's mother was from and extremely wealthy family. And his father did very well in his business too; as a result, by the time of their passing, they had built up a corpus of over $ 100 Million Dollars, not counting numerous estates and properties that they owned. To safeguard Bobby, their only child, they set up a number of trusts, which are governed by a set of complex rules and need careful oversight. Over the years, his parents managed the trusts, and on their untimely passing, this became Bobby's and my responsibilities, with Bobby being the active, executive trustee. I merely advised Bobby when he needed to make decisions or modify the portfolios. Now that Bobby is incapacitated, I will be taking over the day-to-day management of his affairs."
Seeing that Belinda was taking this in well, he continued, "I will make sure you have adequate funds to maintain your lifestyle and take care of all medical bills. The trusts have made generous provision for spouses as well as children, should there be any."
"Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention, should you and Bobby have children, then all the assets and monies in the trusts will automatically devolve upon your offspring when they attain the age of majority. And you, Belinda, as their legal guardian, will not only receive a much, much larger share of the estate, but will also replace Bobby as executive trustee. However, if there are no children, the bulk of Bobby's estate will go to philanthropies and charities as decided by the trustees, in this case, myself."
Belinda gasped when she heard this -- it was a complete surprise to her; Bobby had not mentioned anything like this to her.
"The other condition, my dear, is that you nor remarry -- if you do so, your allowances will be significantly smaller, and you will lose any right to manage the trusts set up for your children, if any."
Richard went on, "A specific clause states that Bobby, should he leave a Will or similar handwritten document, signed in original and properly witnessed, the trusts are bound to honor such bequests, which could include substantial changes to the operating terms of the trust, including their dissolution. However, in the absence of a Will, all remaining assets and monies will be given away to philanthropies and charities, after making generous provision for you for the rest of your life, whether you marry again or not."
Richard paused, allowing Belinda time to take this in. "From what you said, I conclude that you are not aware of a Will, am I right?", she asked.
"Yes, you are absolutely spot-on. To the best of my knowledge, Bobby never said anything to me about this, nor did he ask me to draft a Will. It is, however, possible that he might have written one on his own or used another legal firm."
Belinda took a long pull at her drink, trying to remember, "Bobby didn't say anything to me about this; however, to be sure, I shall do a thorough search to check if he did leave a written testament. In any case, this won't be operative if he gets better, am I correct?" Belinda looked at Richard intently, the question causing her to eyes to overflow yet again.
"Oh, no, I mean yes," said Richard, "Wills become operative only later, so we have nothing to worry about. However, it is necessary to know whether Bobby left a will or not, and to keep it safe for when it might be necessary."
Belinda nodded and said, "OK, I'll look for it when I can -- can't promise you anything, especially given my hospital duties and other schedules, but I will give it my best possible."
On that note, she rose, thanked Richard, and stepped forward to give him a long and warm goodbye hug.
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Flashback
Bobby and Belinda met on a cruise to the Bahamas a little over a couple of years ago; Bobby was getting over his divorce from his first wife, Agnes. Bobby and Agnes' marriage broke down after it became known that she could not have children; this was a complete deal-breaker for Bobby, who single-mindedly wanted children not only for the sheer joy of parenthood, but also to provide a line of succession and to ensure that his not inconsiderable wealth stayed with his children and the family. On the cruise Bobby fell hook, line, and sinker for the 22-year-old Belinda, who had just earned a liberal arts degree from an exclusive all-women's college. Her parents had gifted her the cruise as a graduation present; she and two of her close friends were traveling together.