“How old is he?”
“Sixty-four.”
“And they are saying that is too old?” The look on Clay’s face was incredulous. “That’s a load of shit. Please keep me informed. If you remember, I met your parents one Christmas. I liked your dad.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She replied and he disappeared inside of his office.
* * *
Clay returned to his office. He might not be able to corral a difficult filly named Sophie, but there was something else he might be able to do. At twelve years old and not a penny to his name, he hadn’t been able to save his own father, but maybe... He picked up the phone and contacted the aviation station at the ranch, asking them to ready one of the private plans for immediate departure. Destination: Cleveland, Ohio.
* * *
When Sophie arrived at the office the next day, she was surprised to find Clay was not there. A brief, scribbled note said he would be gone for a few days and for her to continue with the basic work. How long was a few days? And what was she going to tell the people who called, given the recent crisis with Everest? She wasted no time picking up the phone and ringing his cell. After several rings, she finally heard his voice on the other end.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yep. Doing fine. Had something I had to take care of. I should be back in Royal sometime tomorrow. If you want, go ahead and forward my calls to the service and take the day off.”
“Okay,” she said, then disconnected the call. Sophie was puzzled. Normally he told her of any meetings, especially the ones out of town. She shrugged, writing it off to his temperament of late. She straightened her desk and was on her way.
As soon as she walked through her front door, she called the hospital in Indiana only to find her father had been discharged. That should have made her happy but she sensed all was not right. She next called her parents’ home. Susan, her younger sister, answered on the fourth ring, her voice sleepy.
“Hey, Susan, it’s me. I called the hospital and they told me Dad had been released. Is he at home?”
“No. At least not yet.” She yawned. “He was transferred to another hospital. And before you start, I don’t know why. You’ll have to talk to Mom. She said if you called to tell you not to worry. He was doing better, it’s just that they wanted him to see a specialist.”
“Is Mom there?”
“No, she’s with Dad. She said she would call around noon. If you want, call back this afternoon and I’ll tell you what she said.”
“I’ll just call her myself.”
“She won’t answer. Something about the hospital rules prevent the use of cell phones in the area he’s in. Just call me back this afternoon and I’ll tell you what she says.”
“Okay. Susan...”
“That’s all I know to tell you, Sophie.” Another yawn. “Sorry, I was out late last night.”
“Well, okay. Sorry I woke you. I’ll call later.”
“Don’t worry about Dad, Soph. He’s in good hands.”
Susan ended the call.
She would call Susan this afternoon and maybe find out what was going on. Something else... Susan was a bookworm, rarely going out, and even then she was normally home by ten o’clock. Where had she been so late that it would cause her to still be asleep at eleven o’clock in the morning?
That afternoon, before Sophie had a chance to call Susan again, her mom called her.
“We are fine, Sophie,” her mom assured her. “Your father is in good hands. He’s in the Cleveland Clinic and is undergoing some specialized testing. I’ll know more in a week or so and I’ll be sure to call.”
“Mom? How did you get to Cleveland? Why is Dad there? What specialist is he seeing?”
Before her mother could answer, Sophie heard voices in the background.
“I have to go, sweetheart. Just don’t worry. I will call you immediately if anything bad should happen, but I think it’s going to be okay. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”