Friends and Family Series

Sandy & Dan

By: Ron Robbins
(© 2011 by the author)
Editor: Frank Perry

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 16

Saturday afternoon, Sandy, Dan, Pete and the boys were having their lunch on the after deck. Pete said, "I am really going to enjoy this yacht, Sandy. It's very relaxing and the boys love the ocean. I plan to take Penny and the kids on a cruise for a couple of weeks when school is out."

Sandy said, "That's great Pete.  I think Penny will really enjoy sailing. I think you have a fine crew and your captain has done a great job in picking the right men for his crew."

Pete said, "I'm looking forward to our first trip on the Danny Boy. That should be quite a cruise with the whole family on board. I just hope they are all good sailors."

Sandy's security chief walked over to Sandy and said, "Boss, we just received word that Ryan Templeton's helicopter crashed last night on the way to Templeton Manor."

"Excuse me, folks," Sandy said, "I need to call Templeton Manor and find out who was on that bird."

"Oh my god," said Dan, "I hope Ryan wasn't on that aircraft."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Sandy said.

Sandy walked to his cabin to make the call to Templeton Manor. He was asked to contact Ryan's office. He called and found out that five people were on board the aircraft when it exploded. Only two bodies have been identified, Dale Spencer and the pilot, The FAA was still trying to identify the other passengers. Sandy was in shock, he sat on the bed for a few minutes before he stood up to go back to the upper deck. Just as he was walking out his cell phone rang again. He picked up the phone but could not identify the calling number. He answered and said, "This is Sandy."

Ryan said, "Hi, Sandy, this is Ryan. I was not on the aircraft. I wanted to call to let you know that Murdoch and I flew to Scotland with our children last night. No one knows that I'm still alive. We want whoever planted the bomb on the aircraft to think they got me. My brother-in-law, Dale, my pilot, and a college buddy of Murdoch's were killed. In addition to two other of my executives who were flying home on that shuttle. I want you to know that I am pushing ahead with our joint venture and I'll be working on that over here with Murdoch and the Nippon group. I should have something for you on Monday, so stick close to your video equipment so we can have a video conference."

Sandy said, "Thank God you and your family are safe and sound. I was sitting here in shock after calling your PR people at your office. Pete, Dan and I are finishing up a weekend cruise and we should be back in Dunnlap tomorrow afternoon. We will expect your call on Monday. Thanks for letting me know you and Murdoch are alive and well. Talk to you again on Monday."

Sandy headed to the after deck and sat down with Dan & Pete. Sandy told them about the crash and about his conversation with Ryan.

"Thank God they didn't get Ryan," Pete said. "Can you imagine what would happen to his children if he died? I think Murdoch would have been devastated."

Dan said, "I hope they catch the people responsible for the murder of those five men."

"Ryan will call back again on Monday, Dan. So I will need to stick around the mansion. I hate to say this, but I'm glad that Ryan and Sandy are in Scotland, I think they can accomplish a lot more over there on the new joint-venture."

Pete said, "At least something good has come out of this unfortunate incident, Ryan and his family are out of harm's way now that they are in Scotland."

"Well," Sandy said, "the weather has cooperated with us this weekend. Today was a perfect day for sailing. I know the boys are enjoying themselves and they all look healthy with their nice tans. They sure like water-skiing; they are fast learners. Even Lloyd can hold his own on the water."

Pete said, "They are great kids; you and Dan are very lucky. That's all going to change soon when you are both going to change dirty diapers and feed the babies in the middle of the night, until they are old enough to sleep through the night."

"It may interrupt our normal routine for several months," Dan said, "but to know the baby is your own flesh and blood makes it all worthwhile. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Pete smiled, "Yea, your right, Dan, I took my turn getting up in the middle of the night, yet, to hold those defenseless little infants in your arms while they eat, is the most satisfying thing in the world. Now, when I look at my boys, so handsome and smart, I know in my heart that it was all worthwhile; they are our future. Dan, you and Sandy will feel the same way when your babies come home."

Sandy said, "I know I will, every time I look at my adopted sons, I feel I am blessed. They have a way of worming their way into your heart. Every day they are with me, I love them more and more. They are wonderful boys and we are blessed to have them.

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Sandy and Dan were finishing last minute details before heading up to their bedroom. Sandy said, "I'm relieved that Ryan and Murdoch are moving ahead on the merger. Each of our companies has put together a team to hammer out the details, and should be able to come up with a venture that will be acceptable to our three companies. Ryan has enough on his mind now with the murder and kidnapping cases, and has asked Murdoch to handle his end of the deal. It makes it a lot easier now with just Murdoch and me making the final decisions. Don't get me wrong, Ryan is one very savvy businessman, but right now he is too preoccupied to concentrate. Our little company is peanuts to him when you realize the multi-billion dollar empire he is running."

Dan said, "If that is not enough, think of what must be going through his mind about that plane incident. But for the grace of God, he could have been on that helicopter when it was blown-up. That would scare anyone."

"That would scare the hell out of me," Sandy said, "that's for sure. Murdoch and Ryan cannot leave Scotland right now, and Murdoch would like us to fly over to Scotland to stay with them when it’s time to sign the contract on the new venture company."

Dan said, "I can see his point; I have no objections to spending a week with them. I've never been to Scotland and it would be nice to see some of the country. Chet Williams said the children's staff all checked out fine. All that remains now is to sit down with your HR department to work out the salary package for each one. I expect to do that tomorrow."

"That's great, Dan," Sandy said. "They'll be able to take care of the boys while we're gone. I feel relieved about that. I don't want to put too much on Craig's shoulders at this time. Of course, the boys can always stay with Penny and Pete. But, I prefer that they stay in their own home."

"Sandy, I've been thinking about our commitment ceremony, and I would like you to hear what I have in mind. I know you wanted to do this up big, but I think with all that is going on right now with the business, Craig, and this mess with Brian Neely, that I would just like to fly up to Boston and have a private commitment ceremony for just our families. When everything settles down a bit, we can take our time and plan a proper reception with family and friends."

"I was worried about the timing on that myself. I agree, the timing is not right for a large party. I think that party can be postponed until everything had settled down. However, we should go ahead with the commitment ceremony as soon as possible. As far as I know, my mother has already applied for the license, and all we need to do is set the date and notify the family. How about the week after next?"

"That's fine with me, sweetheart. You check it out with your family and I'll contact my mother to see if that date is okay with her."

Sandy stood up and kissed Dan. "I'm glad we are getting hitched; I don't want to loose you. What do you say we head up to bed and fool around a little?"

Dan chuckled and said, "I hope it's more than a little." They turned off the lights and headed up to the second floor. They checked on the boys who were all asleep and walked into their suite. Sandy picked up the house phone and called Brian. "We're in for the night, your man can check the place out and set the alarm."

Brian said, "We'll lock it up for the night; goodnight, boss."

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At one AM the house phone rang, waking up Sandy and Dan. Sandy picked up the telephone, "This is, Sandy."

Jeremy said, "Dad, I'm sorry to wake you, but I don't feel good. My stomach hurts real bad."

Sandy said, "I'll be there in a minute, son."

"What's wrong, Sandy?" Dan asked.

"Jeremy has a stomach ache, and he sounds like he's in a lot of pain. We need to check on him."

Sandy and Dan put on their robes. Sandy walked over to the security alarm pad and punched in the code. He opened the door and they walked down the hall to Jeremy's suite and into his bedroom. Jeremy's lamps were on. Sandy and Dan walked over to the bed. Sandy sat next to Jeremy and felt his forehead. "Dan, his head feels hot, would you get the thermometer out of his medicine cabinet. We need to see if he is running a temperature."

Dan walked into the bathroom.

Sandy said, "Show me where your stomach hurts, son."

Jeremy pushed the covers off and put his hand on the lower right side of his stomach. Dan returned with the new thermometer and stuck in Jeremy's ear to take a reading. "Sandy he is running a temperature of 102.5."

"Jeremy, please show Uncle Dan where you hurt," Sandy said.

Dan said, "Do you want to call 911, or drive him to the emergency room ourselves?"

"I think it would save time if we took him ourselves."

"I agree" Dan said. "You stay and comfort Jeremy and I'll call Brian from our suite and get dressed, then come back and relieve you so you can get dressed."

Sandy said, "Thanks, Dan."

Brian pushed a wheelchair into Jeremy's bedroom. "The SUV is parked at the front entrance, boss."

Dan wrapped a light blanket around Jeremy and helped him into the wheelchair, then pushed him down the hall into the elevator. Brian and Sandy used the stairs and were waiting as Dan pushed Jeremy out of the elevator. Brian held the front door open. Jim, the other security guard, opened the side door of the SUV and helped lift Jeremy onto the seat. Dan and Sandy took their seats next to Jeremy. Brian and Jim were in the front.

Brian said, "I've contacted the emergency room and they will have a team meet us. We should be there in 8 minutes, boss. I told them that you thought it might be appendicitis"

"Thanks, Brian," Sandy said, "that will speed things up a bit when we arrive."

They pulled up to the Emergency entrance of the Dunnlap Memorial Hospital. The ER folks were there to take care of Jeremy. They placed him on a gurney and pushed him into the ER. Dan and Brian followed Sandy into the hospital and up to the admitting desk, while Jim stayed with the SUV. Sandy gave them the information, and the three walked into the waiting room.

A young doctor dressed in scrubs walked over to the group. "Mr. Dunnlap, I'm Dr. Grant. I've examined your son and the tests confirm that he does have appendicitis. I've spoken to Dr. Boris, your family physician, and he in turn has consulted with your son's pediatrician, and we all agree that Dr. Hanover, our chief of Surgery should remove Jeremy's appendix. Dr. Hanover is on his way in and he should be here in a matter of minutes. He is the best, Mr. Dunnlap, and this operation shouldn't take long. It will take longer to prep the patient than to do the operation. Jeremy is still awake if you would like to see him before we take him up stairs to the operating area. You can stay with him until he is wheeled into the operating room."

Sandy said, "Thank you, doctor. I would like to take my partner, Dan, along with me as well."

Dr. Grant said, "That should not be a problem. Your security guard can accompany you, but the prep area is not that large so he will need to wait in the corridor."

Brian said, "That's okay, as long as I can keep an eye on my bosses."

Dr. Grant led them back to the ER cubical where Jeremy was. Sandy walked over to the gurney and patted Jeremy's hand and kissed him on the forehead. "You look a little frightened, son. Don't worry, you're in good hands, everything will be fine. Did the doctor tell you what is wrong with you?"

Jeremy said, "No, dad. They hooked me up to that IV, took some blood, listened to my heart, took my temp and blood pressure, and stuck a tube in my penis."

Sandy smiled and said, "Well, it looks like they have been busy. The doctor told me that you have appendicitis, and they must remove your appendix or you will be a very sick boy. In a few minutes they will be moving you up to the surgery area to prep you for your operation. We'll stay with you as long as we can. I understand that the operation should only take a half hour and you will be in the recovery area for a short period. Then they will move you into a private room."

Jeremy got teary eyed and said," I'm sorry I've caused you and Uncle Dan all this trouble."

Sandy smiled, "It's not a problem, Jeremy. Dan and I are glad they discovered what was causing you all this pain and that they can treat you. You're our son and we love you, and our job is to take care of you. We don't want you to feel that you are causing us any trouble for something you had no control over. It could happen to any of us."

The Anesthesiologist came in to talk to Jeremy and the men. She needed to know if he was allergic to any medications. Of course, Dan and I were in the dark about his medical history. Jeremy answered the questions that he could remember.

The Anesthesiologist said, "I'm going to give you some medication that will help you to relax. I'll see you again upstairs in a little while." She injected the medication into his IV and left.

Dan could see that Jeremy was getting drowsy and said, "Hey, tiger are you feeling a little sleepy?"

Jeremy smiled and said, "I can hardly keep my eyes open."

Sandy said, "That's good, Jeremy, if you feel sleepy don't fight it. Close your eyes and take a nap, we won't mind."

Jeremy was asleep when the orderly came to wheel him up to the operating room. Dan and Sandy went along with him. The orderly said, "The waiting room is through that door, sir. They should be here in a few minutes to move him into the operating room. The Anesthesiologist returned again and said, "Good, he's sleeping." Two nurses dressed in green scrubs, hats, boots, and masks came to wheel Jeremy through the double doors into the operating room. A nurse came in and said, "Gentlemen, let me take you to the waiting room for the surgical floor. When Jeremy's operation is over, the surgeon will come out and tell you how everything went."

The nurse led them to a large comfortable room with lounge chairs and several recliners. They took three recliners and sat. Sandy said, "I guess this is a slow night, we are the only visitors here. This is quite comfortable; it's nice to know my money is being well spent."

Brian said, "Mr. Dunnlap, since we'll be here a couple of hours, there is no need to keep Jim sitting around in the parking lot. I think I'll send him back to the Manor. He can be back here in a matter of minutes when you are ready to leave."

"I forgot all about Jim," Sandy said. "I agree with you; send him home. Ask him to tell Ludlow what happened and where we are."

Brian pulled out his cell phone and gave Jim his instructions.

Dan said, "Thank God it wasn't food poisoning. I think we should try to locate Jeremy's medical records."

Sandy said, "I agree; we should know what childhood diseases he has had and also if he is allergic to any medications."

A young, well-dressed man walked up to the group and asked for Mr. Dunnlap.

Brian stood and said, "Who are you and why are you inquiring about Mr. Dunnlap?"

"My name is Jay Howell, and I am the Assistant Hospital administrator. I was told that Mr. Dunnlap was here and I wanted to welcome him and offer any assistance he may require."

Sandy turned to Brian and nodded his head said, "I am Sandy Dunnlap, Mr. Howell, I appreciate your taking the time to introduce yourself and to offer your assistance."

Jay said, "It's my pleasure, Mr. Dunnlap. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Sandy said, "If it's not too much trouble, we would all like some coffee, and sweet buns or muffins, if you have any."

Jay said, "I'm sure the kitchen can take care of that for you. I'll see to it. If you need anything else, please let me know. You can use that courtesy telephone over there to have me paged."

Sandy said, "Thank you, Jay, it was nice to meet you and I appreciate your time, I'm sure they keep you busy around here."

"Yes, sir," Jay said. He turned and left.

Twenty minutes later a food server wheeled in a cart that had an assortment of sweet buns, muffins fresh fruit salad, and two carafes of fresh coffee. The three helped themselves and waited for the doctor.

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An hour later, Dr. Hanover walked into the waiting room and said, "Mr. Dunnlap, gentlemen, Jeremy is doing fine; the operation was a success. I removed his inflamed appendix and he is resting in the recovery room. They will be moving him into a private room in about an hour, maybe sooner."

Sandy said, "Thank you Dr. Hanover, we're grateful that you were available to perform Jeremy's operation. We'll check with Jay Howell to find out which room they are moving Jeremy into."

Dr. Hanover thanked them and left. Sandy used the house phone to reach Jay. Jay said, "They are moving Jeremy to room 310 and you can go there now and wait for him to come up from recovery."

Sandy said, "Thank you, Jay." Sandy, Dan and Brian took the elevator to the third floor and into Jeremy's private room.

Dan said, "This is a very nice room, Sandy. I like this lounge area. I could take a nap myself."

Sandy said, "After we've seen Jeremy settled in, we can all head back home and catch up on the sleep we've missed. I don't think he will be fully awake and ready for visitors until sometime this afternoon. I think we can bring his X-box and some books back when we visit him this afternoon. I'll have Craig call him later to see if Jeremy would like the boys to stop by for a visit."

Dan said, "I think I'll walk down and speak to the supervisor to find out if there are any restrictions on visiting and what the hours are."

"I think I'll join you," Sandy said, "I hate this waiting; I should have brought along my laptop."

The three walked down the hall to the nursing station. "Excuse me," Sandy said, "are you the night supervisor?"

The nurse said, "Yes, I'm Mrs. Doblin. How may I help you?"

"I'm Sandy Dunnlap, this is Dan Kelley, and my security guard, Brian. Jay Howell told me that they will be moving my son, Jeremy, into room 310 from recovery. We wanted to check with you to find out your visiting hours and patient rules on young children. My nephews will want to visit my son. I wanted to make sure we obeyed your hospital rules."

"Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Dunnlap, Jeremy is in a private room and the visiting hours are from 10AM to 9PM. There are no restrictions on the age of the children that visit your son as long as they are restricted to his room. We only allow four visitors at any time."

Sandy said, "Will you ask Dr. Ross, if Jeremy should have private nurses for the first couple of days?"

"I will make a note on Jeremy's chart for Dr. Ross," Mrs. Doblin said. "He usually makes his rounds between 7 and 8AM. If you'll wait a minute, I'll call up to the recovery room to see how Jeremy is doing." Mrs. Doblin hung up the telephone and said, "The will bring Jeremy down in ten minutes, Mr. Dunnlap."

Sandy said, "Thank you, I will try to reach Dr. Ross later today."

They walked back to Jeremy's room to wait. Soon, a nurse and an orderly wheeled Jeremy's bed into his room and hooked him up to the monitoring equipment, then left.

Sandy and Dan walked over to the bed and patted his arm. Jeremy opened his eyes and smiled. "Well, it looks like I made it okay."

Sandy and Dan chuckled, "You sure did, tiger. The surgeon said he removed your appendix and everything looks fine for your recovery. I know you're still groggy from your meds and I'm sure the nurse will be giving you some more medicine to help you to sleep. So you hang in there and have a good long nap. Now that we know everything is under control, the three of us will be heading back home to catch up on some sleep."

"Thank you for being here for me, I love you all. Sorry you had to stay up so late."

Dan said, "That's okay champ, we love you, too." Dan bent down and kissed Jeremy on the forehead.

Sandy said, "I love you too, son, we'll see you later." Sandy bent down and kissed Jeremy on the forehead.

Jeremy closed his eyes and was asleep again. The three men left as the Mrs. Doblin walked into room to check on Jeremy.

Sandy said, "Good night or morning, Mrs. Doblin; take good care of my son."

"We will, Mr. Dunnlap."

Brian said, "I called Jim while we were waiting and he is parked in front of the building."

"Thanks Brian," Sandy said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm spent. I can't wait to get back into bed."

Dan laughed, "I feel the same way, but I'm sure Brian can go another twelve hours and take it in stride."

Brain chuckled, "Maybe another eight, tops. I used to be able to go twenty-four hours, but that was a few years back when I was in training. Now a comfortable bed would be welcome about now. By the way, boss, Jim told John to let the Director of security, Chet Williams know about Jeremy. I'm sure Chet will want around the clock security in Jeremy's room? What do you say, boss?"

Sandy said, "I haven't given that a thought. I'll leave that up to Chet, but I would feel more comfortable knowing someone was keeping an eye on Jeremy. You never know what that crazy Aunt is liable to do."

Brian said, "In that case, Jim can stay with Jeremy, and we'll let Chet work it out, while I drive us back home."

Sandy said, "Good, I feel better knowing Jim will be there."

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To be continued...

Posted: 06/29/12