Maxwell entered his hotel suite, tired from the trip. He took a closer look at the rooms. Everything was nice and stylishly decorated. He began to unpack his suitcases. As he did so, a photograph fell into his hands. It showed the children, Fran and him on their Caribbean cruise. Like a happy family, they were all beaming at the camera. He felt bad when he thought of the children. He had told them he had to travel to Los Angeles for business. It hurt him to leave them alone at this difficult time, but he had no choice. He stepped out onto the balcony and enjoyed the fresh evening breeze. He felt quite queasy when he thought about tomorrow. Under the pretext of suffering from diffuse heart problems, he had managed to get an appointment with Dr. Goldberg. At the right moment, he had brought his name into the play and his assistant had almost doubled over with awe. Sometimes being a personality just comes in handy. Maxwell pondered about his strategy for the conversation. His goal was to learn as much as possible about Fran. Maybe he should first establish a basis of trust. In any case, he was sure there had to be some connection between Fran and Dr. Goldberg.
"So Mr. Sheffield, take a seat! Dr. Goldberg will be with you shortly." After a long sleepless night, he now sat in the consulting room. Curious, he looked around. Very elegant and tasteful. The clinic seemed to be doing well. On the desk, he spotted two framed pictures. One showed a couple in evening gowns, presumably Dr. Goldberg with his wife. The other was a family portrait. Father, mother and four children. The photo was certainly from a family vacation. They were all wearing hiking clothes and were on some mountain top. As Mr. Blond said to him, the family seemed to lead a very down-to-earth life. He grinned as he pictured Fran on a mountain hike. First she would complain because she would never get everything she needed into a backpack, the shoes would be an abomination to her and late after 20 min. she would whine all the time.
"Hello Mr. Sheffield! I apologize for keeping you waiting. Dr. Gideon Goldberg!" A deep male voice snapped him out of his daydream. There he stood; tall, slim, blond hair, about his age. "Maxwell Sheffield, nice to meet you!" "To be honest, I'm extremely pleased to meet you. Musicals are my secret passion." Finally, the supposed examination began. Maxwell had prepared himself well and told of his alleged complaints. "So you feel generally listless, tired, suffer from loss of appetite, trouble breathing, and a sharp pain in your chest area." "Are you under tremendous stress or have there been any recent psychological issues?" "Well you certainly know how it is as a workaholic. Always deadlines, time pressures and lots of commitments." (Dr. Goldberg nodded in agreement) "In addition, I've been very worried about my kids lately. You know, our nanny who lived with us for five years, left a few weeks ago and the kids miss her a lot! My wife passed away many years ago and to the kids she was like a surrogate mother." "Oh I'm sorry to hear that! Certainly not easy for the kids to deal with the loss and for you as a father. How many children do you have?" "Three, two daughters and a son! Margaret, my oldest, is already in college by now." "Ah, like my two oldest. Unfortunately, I couldn't get either of them to follow in my footsteps, but I have high hopes for my second daughter. She could name all the major organs by the time she was five." Maxwell nodded appreciatively. He pointed to the family picture. "Surely not easy with four kids and your job?!" "Oh yes indeed, nothing would work at home without my wife. She is our manager and calming influence. I don't even want to imagine what it would be like without her."
Maxwell was struck by the love and affection with which he spoke of his wife and how his eyes sparkled. This man was certainly not one who would cheat on his wife. "Yes, I can understand you very well. Without Fran Fine, our nanny, my children would not have turned out so well." Dr. Goldberg picked up his pen, which had fallen down. "Yes um ... back to your health condition Mr. Sheffield. I suggest you come back here tomorrow morning and we will do all the necessary tests." "All right see you tomorrow then Dr. Goldberg." Maxwell left the clinic and sat down in a café. He had been watching Dr. Goldberg closely when he mentioned Fran's name. All at once he had become very nervous. First his pen suddenly dropped, then this stuttering and stammering and his unsteady demeanor. He knew Fran and tomorrow he would nail him. He wouldn't leave the hospital without information. He spent the rest of the day on the beach, walking the shopping strip. Always focused to see if he could spot Fran somewhere. But no sign of her.
The next day, Maxwell showed up at the clinic early in the morning for a blood draw. He was then shown to a small private waiting room, where he was also served breakfast. He was reading the newspaper when a nurse knocked. "Mr. Sheffield, I'm sorry but the tests will be delayed. Dr. Goldberg had to go into surgery unexpectedly. I'm afraid I can't predict when he will be available again." "That's all right! I have time!" The nurse nodded at him gratefully. "Please let me know if you need anything." The wait dragged on endlessly. On the nurse's advice, he took a walk in the garden. He was about to return to his rest room when his eyes fell on a patient being pushed in her hospital bed out of a treatment room toward the elevator. He was not able to see her face, but this woman must be very ill. An IV was stuck in her arm and she laid curled up like an embryo under the covers. Maxwell was about to open the door when he heard a nurse say, "Miss Fine you made it! We're going to take you back to your room now." Abruptly Maxwell stopped, turned around and his eyes went rigid with shock. As the nurses pushed the bed into the elevator, he could make out the patient's face. It was Fran. She was all pale, her hair knotted at the nape of her neck, her lips chapped, her eyes closed. She looked so different but it was unmistakably his Fran. The elevator door closed and Maxwell turned on his heel and ran out of the hospital.
This couldn't be happening! This could not be true! In a daze, he wandered around the city for hours until he was finally back in his hotel suite. Completely exhausted, he dropped onto the couch in the living area. He tried to sort out his thoughts. Fran had not left because of Dr. Goldberg. She was sick, probably terminally ill. Dr. Gideon was therefore not her lover but her doctor. In his mind, piece by piece the puzzle was coming together. Now it was clear to him why she didn't give any contact information and why she didn't want a visit. So it would have come out that she was in a hospital. But Maxwell could not find an answer to one question. Why this game of hiding? Why did Fran lie to her whole environment and hid her illness? But he would find out. Now was the time to lay the cards on the table. He would talk to Dr. Goldberg, openly and honestly. He wanted to know what exactly Fran was suffering from and Dr. Goldberg had to help him so that he could see Fran and she would talk to him. He suspected the next time would be a hard road for all of them.