Chapter 6
Abbey arrived back at her office. Lilli met her at the door. "Didn't you get my calls?"
"No. The phone never rang." Abbey pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Shit! It was off. Who was looking for me?"
"The President stopped by about half an hour ago and wanted to eat lunch with you. I called and called, but got no answer. But he never asked me to contact your agents. Said he would just talk to you later."
Abbey knew that this was not going to end well. He could have asked his agents to find out where she was. And if he had, then her little secret meeting would have been blown. And it still might be. Keeping secrets was hard when you had to have the Secret Service with you all the time. "Thank you, Lilli. I'll talk with him."
She closed the door to the office and sat down at her desk. Looking through her personal phone book she found the number she was looking for and dialed it, hoping the person at the other end was in his office. On the third ring, a male voice answered "Hello, Dr. Robert Nolan speaking."
"Bob, Hi. This is Abbey."
"Hi there. Happy almost New Year."
"Thanks. But I'm not calling just to wish you a Happy New Year."
His tone instantly changed. "Abbey, is something wrong?"
"Sort of. I need a favor."
"Of course. Anything I can do, I will. What do you need?"
"Well, let me explain. I'm having some heart issues and the doctor here at the White House thinks maybe it's a good idea that I get a heart cath to check out some symptoms I've been having."
"Abbey, you?"
"Yeah, isn't that a kicker? A heart surgeon having problems with her heart."
"Tell me what's going on." His tone was all business.
Abbey explained to her long-time friend about her symptoms and what her EKG showed this morning.
"Well, yes, I think at a minimum you need to find out if there is anything that we need to be concerned about."
"I was thinking about coming home sometime mid-February, maybe President's Day weekend. There're so many public functions here in January that my absence would raise red flags, but I could slip away easily in February. And since I haven't told Jed yet, I might could even get up there, have the procedure, and be back here with him none the wiser. The procedure is outpatient with a quick recovery and that way it would especially fly under the press radar. I don't want all that media circus."
"I understand that very well. Now you know I'm not doing clinical cases any more. I devote too much time to the Medical Board to keep my skills sharp, but I know of a very fine cardiac practitioner in Manchester whom I respect tremendously. Her name is Francis Scott and I know you will like her very much. If you like, I can contact her and discuss your case with her. I know she will be glad to be available at a moment's notice to do your case."
"Anyone you recommend is fine. She will just have to be vetted by the Secret Service. I just have one request. Can you be there, in the room? I have to have my security blanket there."
Bob laughed." Sure, Abbey. No problem."
They talked a few more minutes and promised to set the date for mid-February. After they hung up, Abbey felt better. Her plans had been made and she felt at ease. Even if Jed found out, she could lay out her plans and have him feel at ease as well. Now she could focus on the final plans for tonight.