. can’t believe I was so thoughtless … so stupid… W three Sundays in a row building a pen for my i… all I did … give Dad a hard time …”
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Julia’s voice penetrating his sleep, Gordian stirred, opened his eyes. She was sitting with Ashley near the foot of his hospital bed, back out of the way of the tubes and electronic monitors connected to him.
He lifted his arm from his side and weakly pulled the loose-fitting oxygen mask down below his chin. The women noticed he’d awakened and turned to face him, starting to their feet.
“Get me a drink of water, everything’s forgiven,” he managed. The inside of his mouth felt dry and clotted. “Deal?”
Julia was at his bedside in a snap, her mother behind her. “Dad, I don’t know if you should be taking off the mask-”
He moved his hand.
“Breathing’s fine right now.” The words scraped out of him. “Just thirsty.”
Ashley was already lifting the pitcher from his rolling tray. She filled a paper cup halfway, passed it to Julia, and then pressed the button to raise the upper part of the bed.
Gordian reached for the water as Ash straightened the pillows underneath him, but Julia shook her head.
“Let me hold it for you,” she said. “Better take it slow. Little sips, okay?”
Gordian nodded. He wet his lips, rinsed the water over the sticky film on his tongue. Then swallowed. The coolness going down the hot, reddened lining of his throat was indescribably welcome.
“Thought you two were going out to grab a bite,” he said.
“We did,” Ashley said. She stepped closer and
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his cheek. “You were asleep when we got
looked at her. 3W long was I out?” HA while … I’m not sure …”
i shifted, checked his beside clock. Almost two afternoon. He’d been sure he had drifted off for twenty minutes at the longest. Make that a cou-t”f hours.
shifted his gaze back to his wife. Ash had put on r face, as she liked to say. Not that she needed to wear makeup. So many years of marriage, she looked i the photos taken of her when they were newlyweds. he could see dark crescents under her eyes. Small at their corners that hadn’t been there before, you feel like having lunch?” she said, gesturing his tray. “The nurse left some lunch. There’s a sandwich. Jell-O, naturally-” shook his head.
|?A little later, maybe,” he said. “My legs are cold, iitioning’s turned up kind of high, don’t you It?”
saw Ashley give Julia the briefest of glances. not so high, he thought. I’ll go ask for another blanket at the nurse’s station,” i said.
ant on me waiting right here.” ; gave him a wan smile and went out into the hall-
lian took down some more water, thanked Julia, i eased back against his pillows. The window shades drawn, but the daylight seeping in around them too bright. He let his eyes close for a second.
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Tom Clancy’.s Power Plays
When he opened them, Julia was watching him on the bed.
“You aren’t at work,” he said.
“No kidding.”
“It’s a new job,” he said. “I’d hate for you to have any trouble.”
She sat gently on the edge of the mattress.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I used the old parent-in-the- hospital scam.”
“Good one,” he said. “Let’s play it to the hilt”
She took hold of his hand, still watching him intently.
“You hear anything new from Dr. LiebennanT’ he asked.
“Not since early this morning,” she said. “He was supposed to look over your information and meet us here, but got called off on an emergency.”
Gordian nodded, felt the tender swellings under his jaw. It reminded him of when he’d had the mumps as a kid.
“Dad…”
He looked at Julia, noticed that her eyes had suddenly moistened.
“Honey?” he said. “Something the matter?”
She was shaking her head, but at some unspoken thought rather than in answer to his question.
“What you heard me saying when you woke up… I’m sorry. About how I’ve been beating you. About the way I acted the other day when you were over at the house.” She squeezed his fingers more tightly, swiped away a tear with her free hand. “I’ve been such a self- absorbed jerk since the divorce…. God, Daddy… I don’t know why I keep taking things out on you….”
“Might be because we’re two of a kind,” he said.
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[at not being good with our emotions.”
t tightened her grip on his hand, her eyes glisten-
|p like I keep my feelings inside until they fill me know?”
3W.”
they’re all mixed together, and I don’t have a r to deal with them, and instead try to push them deeper inside. Convince myself they’ll go , And men the pressure only gets worse-”
he said. He smiled at her. “Doesn’t make ‘ on the people we love. Just ask your mother.”
were quiet for a moment, hands joined at Gortside.
a’ll sort things out,” he said finally. His throat was , the temporary relief from the water he’d sipped , ‘It takes time. You’ve been through changes, ;ones-”
pras interrupted by a soft knock on the open door, both turned their heads toward Dr. Lieberman
in the corridor.
Gord,” he said. His face was drawn. “I hope [excuse my lateness; it’s been one of those days.” me about it,” Gordian said in a ragged voice. Elliot”
i’s eyes made a quick tour of the room as “I was hoping to find Ashley-” |p right behind you.”
t glanced over his shoulder, saw her standing in the a folded blanket draped over her arm, and I aside to let her move past him.
he said. “I’m glad the three of you are here.” looked at him. It went through all their minds
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Tom Clancy’s Power Plays
at once that neither Lieberman’s tone nor his expression remotely approached gladness, his chosen figure of speech aside.
He reached back and closed the door, then stood silently for what seemed a very long time.
“We have to talk about my findings,” he said. ‘Talk very seriously.”
“Here’s what little I know,” Megan said. “The boss’s condition hasn’t improved since this morning, and the tests aren’t showing what’s wrong with him. His doctor, I think his name is Lieberman, has put in a call to an epidemiologist at the Department of Health in Sacramento.”
She was looking at Pete Nimec and Vince Scull, the three of them seated in Nimec’s office at UpLink headquarters, their meeting hastily convened minutes after Ashley Gordian phoned to update her from the hospital.
Nhnee’s eyes held steady on her face. “That’s it?”
She nodded.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Scull said. “A case gets kicked up to state level, it means there’s either gotta be a rash of ones like it or a suspicion that whatever’s hit Gord is contagious… and a threat to the public welfare.”
Megan shook her head.
“That’s what I assumed, too,” she said. “But Ashley explained the contact’s strictly unofficial. Lieberman has a personal relationship with the government man, and he’s reaching out.”
They were silent for a while.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Nimec said. “And don’t tell me to wait and pray for the best.”
Megan regarded him gravely.
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she said, “sometimes you can’t charge to the
[led a breath.
I”,” he said. “Goddamn.” to silence.
1 frowned, rubbing a hand back and forth over his hairless expanse of scalp. Then he looked at
thinking maybe we ought to investigate,” he
tigate what?” she said.
: things as the white coats,” he said. “You look
bunch of dots and try to draw in the lines them. I mean, if you get right down to it,
a’t be any different than what’s SOP at my
n’t follow.”
rubbed his head again.
he said. “I’m in another country conducting I analysis from a corporate perspective, I first pre- |ra from Mars, throw every preconception I have mind. Make like a sponge and soak up every- if can. You with me so far?” nodded.
I’ve been there long enough to get a sense of ; place is about, and I notice a potential problem, political, economic, or social instabilities mat threaten our company interests,” he went on. “I the cause or causes, trace their origins. It can plicated. There are always buried issues and s. But I focus on the ones that are exposed. Fol- threads. Most often, they’ll lead to others that so visible. And then I follow them. And when I
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Torn Claney’s Power Plays
know everything I can within whatever time frame’s imposed on me, I spin the threads into a regional profile and scenario plans. Then make my recommendations on what our investment strategy should be.”
“Okay, I’ve still got you,” Megan said. “Now help my chronically prosaic mind with the rest.”