Meeting Dr. Gideon Goldberg!
Maxwell enters his hotel suite, tired from the trip. He takes a closer look at the rooms. Everything is nice and stylishly decorated. He begins to unpack his suitcases. As he does, a picture falls into his hands. It shows the children, Fran and him, on their Caribbean cruise. Like a happy family, they are all beaming at the camera. He feels bad when he thinks of the children. He told them he had to travel to Los Angeles for business. It hurt him to leave them alone at this difficult time, but he has no choice.
He steps out onto the balcony and enjoys the fresh evening breeze. He feels quite queasy when he thinks about tomorrow. Under the pretext of suffering from diffuse heart problems, he managed it to get an appointment with Dr. Goldberg. At the right moment, he brought his name into the play and the assistant almost doubled over with awe. Sometimes, being a personality just comes in handy. Maxwell ponders about his strategy for the conversation. His goal is to learn as much as possible about Fran. Maybe he should first establish a basis of trust. In any case, he is sure there has to be some connection between Fran and Dr. Goldberg.
"Mr. Sheffield, take a seat! Dr. Goldberg will be with you shortly."
After a long sleepless night, he now sits in the consulting room. Curious, he looks around. Very elegant and tasteful. The clinic seems to be doing well. On the desk, he spots two framed pictures. One shows a couple in evening gowns, presumably Dr. Goldberg with his wife. The other one is a family portrait. Father, mother and four children. The photo is certainly from a family vacation. They are all wearing hiking clothes and are on the top of some mountain. As Mr. Blond mentioned, obviously, the family seems to live a very down-to-earth life.
He grins as he pictures Fran on a mountain hike. First, she would complain because she would never get everything she needs into one 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 snaps him out of his daydream. There he stands; 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 begins. Maxwell prepared himself well and reports of his alleged complaints.
"So you feel generally listless, tired, you 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 pressure and lots of commitments." (Dr. Goldberg nods in agreement) In addition, I'm very worried about my kids lately. 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 mother."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that! Certainly, it's 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."
"Ah, like my two oldest. Unfortunately, I couldn't get either of them to follow into 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 nods appreciatively. He points 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 has a calming influence. I don't even want to imagine what it would be like without her."
Maxwell is struck by the love and affection with which he speaks of his wife and how his eyes sparkle. This man is 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 picks up his pen, which fell 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 leaves the clinic and sits down in a café. He watched Dr. Goldberg closely when he mentioned Fran's name. All at once, he became very nervous. First, his pen suddenly dropped down, then this stuttering and stammering and his unsteady demeanor. He knows Fran and tomorrow he will nail him. He will not leave the hospital without some information. He spends the rest of the day on the beach and taking a walking along the shopping mile. Always focused if he can spot Fran somewhere. But no sign of her.