I waited while the Secret Service checked out my limousine for bombs or terrorists hiding under my seat. I had slept well, but my energy was slipping fast. The weight of the ceremony, the sadness, and the daunting prospect of traveling for weeks around the world made me want to crawl back into bed with Greg and not get out.

Daddy would have loved the ceremony. He enjoyed his power and his importance. The fact that every continent was represented as well as fifty countries, made a big splash with the media. They had to shut down the center of Philadelphia to let the procession through. My father had been cremated, so it was a procession to the Country Club for a reception, not to the cemetery. The Secret Service was crawling all over everything. Even MI6 had representatives there to protect the Foreign Secretary who had been dispensed to the memorial at the behest of the Queen.

The country club looked like a florist's shop. The rather sophisticated reception room was overwhelmed by huge floral displays sent by dignitaries and millionaires from around the world. I was informed by three women that a scholarship at the local Battered Women's shelter had been set up in honor of my Dad who had apparently built a small dormitory to house twelve families. I was amazed at the things I learned about him, especially how many women came up to explain to me that they had a "special" relationship with my father, including a few married ones.

Greg took care of me better than I thought he would. He assisted me in and out of the car. He held me when I was weak, comforted me when I was sobbing and made me laugh when I was vulnerable. He did better than I expected, making me realize that buried inside of the arrogant jerk was a decent human.

Stephen caught me at the reception, "Philly, can I talk to you in private?" He looked over at House who rolled his eyes and walked over to the bar.

"Stephen, Greg and I are engaged. He asked me last night. You can say what you want in front of him from now on. Oh, and could you get a prenup drafted for me?"

I could see he was aggravated, "Sure, I'll just put in on my ever expanding list of things to do. Philly, we need to move the schedule around. We're going to have to go straight down to Paraguay to address the walk out. The plane is waiting for us. I told them we'd be there in an hour. Your servants have packed your bags." He looked nervous.

"It's that bad in Paraguay?" I asked.

He nodded, "Worse than we expected. I'm sorry to drag you away so quickly, but your father would have gone."

"Of course I'll go."

He paused, "There's one more thing. When we get back from our trip, you need to find yourself someone in the company who can counsel you in my absence. I have my own companies to run and I've let them slip while I've been helping you and your Dad. I suggest that you work with Dana Wilkie. She's bright, she knows a lot and I think she can be very useful. She's Vice President of Operations."

I felt so guilty. I had been using Stephen as my lackey, forgetting that he was a powerful and important man in his own right. I nodded, "I am so sorry Stephen, I've been out of line. You've been so good to me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."

He gave me a quick hug, "I think the world of you. I'll still be there, just not 24/7. I can see how much House means to you and I just hope he can make you happy."

It hit me, "Oh crap, he's going to be pissed. He thinks I'm ill and wants me to get checked out. And I made a big deal of getting him time off; I didn't think we'd be leaving until Monday. Oh, now what do I do?"

"Does he really think you're sick?"

"Yes, but he doesn't know the stress I'm under. I think that all my symptoms are related to the stress. I can go get checked out when I get back."

"Okay. We have to be at the airport in an hour. I'll meet you there, I have to run by my house and get some papers."

"Did they pack my passport?"

He nodded. "Now go appease your fiancé."

"Oh Lord. Can't we just leave?" I sighed as I walked back over to Greg. I pulled on his arm. "Honey, there's a crisis in Paraguay and I'm flying down to take care of it."

He was still rather calm, "When?"

"Now." I closed my eyes to wait for it to him.

He screamed, "What?"

Secret Servicemen pulled their weapons and started scanning for bad guys. I put my finger up to my mouth, "Please, let's go into the hall."

"You need to be examined. You're ill. Tell Stephen that you can't go until you get checked out!"

"Lower your voice please. I'm a doctor too. If I thought I was about to collapse, I would go straight to be examined. But it comes and goes. Right now I'm okay."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head in anger, "When are you coming back?"

I scrunched my shoulders again, "In a month?"

He was shaking all over, "Where's Stephen?"

"He left for the airport."

Greg clenched his jaw, "You have to trust me. I know what I'm saying. You're body, your hormones have gone wild. If you aren't pregnant, then you may have a tumor interfering with your hormonal balance. Please, if you love me, stay and get checked."

My heart tightened. "Greg. Please don't pull that on me right now. I'm so stressed. I just have to take this trip and I'll be back. I promise, I'll come back and we'll pick out a wedding date. Okay?"

"Don't bother." He turned to walk away, but I caught his arm.

I was fading quickly,"What do you mean?"

"I can't be with another woman who won't listen to my medical advice or take me seriously when I say something." He looked serious, like he meant it. I realized he was comparing me to Stacy.

"Greg...I have to go. People's jobs...their lives depend on me. If I don't get that plant up and running, families will starve. I can't let that happen. Honey? Please?"

He slowly shook his head, "Have a nice trip."

He said it, but it wasn't said in a positive way. It was as if he was saying, 'we'll finish breaking up when you get home.'"

I followed him to the curb. My chauffeur was waiting for me, door open. "Greg, come with me to the airport, please. My chauffeur will take you anywhere you want after that."

"That's okay, I'll get a ride...I'll call a cab." he said coldly.

I don't know what hit me, but I hit the proverbial brick wall. I couldn't take it anymore. I turned to him, slapped his arm and started yelling, "Screw you, screw you! Screw Mechwave, screw Daddy, screw Peapatch, screw everyone." Every "screw" was emphasized with a fist against his chest. " I'm just one friggin' person here trying to please billions of friggin people. I can't do it!" I turned to the chauffeur, "Take me to the airport."

As we drove from the curb, all I could see were people lining the curb watching me drive out of sight, their mouths open to their knees, including Greg. It was only then that I realized that I was the Phoenix rising.

I got to the airport and boarded the plane. Stephen boarded a few minutes later.

"I heard you had a meltdown after I left." He said.

"Yeah, well you're my next target, so hold on. I'm turning over Mechwave to you for the next year until I deal with all these changes in my life. There's no way in hell that I'm ready to be the CEO. I'm a doctor. I like being a doctor. Here, I'm a fish out of water. I'm not going to Paraguay with you. Send that woman, Dana, the one you wanted me to pair up with. Tell her she has my blessing and she can do whatever she thinks is right. You and I are going to Peapatch. We're going to work out a way to make it worth it to you to handle Mechwave for the next year."

It became very clear to me that I had enough money and power to do what I wanted to do and I was being an idiot for not taking advantage of it. What I wanted to do was to go back to Peapatch. I was so stressed out that I couldn't deal with Mechwave, my father's death and my short-lived engagement all at once. I needed to sleep and take care of myself.

I worked out a deal with Stephen. He would receive my proxy for a year. If he did well, I'd make him the longterm CEO of Mechwave and give him an additional 10 of the company's stock as his compensation. I would retain the majority stock and a seaton the board. We built in some goals that he had to reach, the goals that my dad had set for the company, but Stephen seemed to think he could do it. Stephen loved challenges and this would be a challenge. He left that afternoon to go back to Beckley and then down to Paraguay.

I slept for a week and then I hired a temporary nurse at exhorbitant wages and gave her free use of the studio. I grabbed Mildred and took off for Europe; Rome was first.

Mildred reminds me of a Jane Russell incarnate and the men in Italy certainly responded to that. We laughed so hard wherever we went and that also seemed to attract the men. I often woke up in our suite to find a man sneaking out of Mildred's room. She was having a great time screwing her way through Italy. I was off men. Oh, I flirted and had fun talking to them, but I didn't take them home. I'd had enough to last me a lifetime.

It was the beginning of October and the weather was cool and pleasant. Every day we had a massage at 2:00 pm, a nap at 3:00 pm, dinner around 8:00 pm. I started to get my appetite back and enjoyed eating the delicious food in the Italian restaurants. I also discovered that pasta puts the pounds on. Both of us moaned about our expanding waist lines.

I realized I had been right. My problems had been related to the stress I was dealing with. I felt happier than I had felt in years. And Mechwave thrived in my absence. I had made a wise choice for everyone concerned and I was very proud of myself.

Mildred and I spent two weeks in Italy before spending a week in Spain, a week in France and two weeks in Britain. By this point it became obvious to Midred and I, needed to go home. We flew home to Peapatch exactly six weeks after we left. We were on my jet, enjoying a movie when Mildred patted my hand.

"Thank you Philly."She started chuckling, "I knew you were from a well-off family, but this trip went beyond my wildest imagination. It really makes me appreciate what you gave up for us. But it's time you made up with Doc House. You two need each other. You're gonna have a lotta people telling you what you wanna hear. He's the only guy I know who will tell you what you need to hear."

"I don't need him, when I've got you. You'll tell me what I need to hear."

"I'm in Peapatch. Your life is going to be stretched between different states and continents. He knows about that kind of life. I don't. You need someone who can give you advice for the world you live in."

I sighed, feeling the pressure of my future coming back and engulfing me. I started to cry, "I don't want it. I want my one room house back. I don't want the world if it means every minute of every day I feel like I'm in a vise."

"Honey, it feels that way because you're just getting used to it. Take it slow, do what you can. You have money...get others to do your dirty work. You're a good person, your father would have understood. The money, the power, it made him happy. If it makes you miserable, I'm sure he'd tell you to figure out what makes you happy and do it. He loved you."

"Mildred, how come we're the same age and you're wiser than me?"

"Cause I grew up sleepin' on 180 count sheets honey."

We both cracked up.

When we got back to Peapatch I went up to check out the construction plans on the new clinic. The clinic was going to have a real surgery and four beds for overnight patients. I was going to make Mildred the clinic administrator, hire someone to clean, contract two doctors and hire a nurse's aid. Mildred suggested I send Cora to train as a nurse's aid, so I did.

I had given Stephen my proxy for all decisions under $50 million, which meant I stayed out of Mechwave's business most of the time. I was only called in for the big decisions. However, I did insert myself into one issue. Since I had the majority vote, it went my way. I changed the location of the new Lithium battery plant from Raleigh, NC to Princeton, West Virginia. It meant a delay of a year, but I was going to give back to the community what we had taken years before. The plant would employ over 100 people and become the largest employer in Princeton.

As soon as we got home I tried to go on a diet, but it didn't work. Mildred seemed to shed her pounds easily. But I didn't and I started to think it had something to do with me missing Greg. I just kept eating. I hadn't allowed myself to miss him in Europe, making sure that as soon as he snuck into my thoughts I piled Mildred into a cab and we took off on a new adventure. In Peapatch there were memories everywhere I turned.

Greg hadn't tried to contact me while I was gone and that pissed me off. Just to show him, I didn't try to contact him either. That would show him. Months rolled by and I hadn't heard from the man who had held me in his arms and told me he loved me.

Dear Readers, One more chapter and our story comes to an end. I hope you post a review and let me know if you enjoyed the journey. Thanks, Gorblimey2