A Real Family

Chapter 4-2

When he got to the office, Russell presented Denise with her rose. She sniffed the flower and commented on Russell’s smile. She squinted as she scrutinized her boss before mentioning the love bites on his neck. Russell pulled his collar up, hoping to cover the evidence. He had a court appearance that afternoon. It was a contract dispute between a small construction firm that was supposed to build a deluxe doghouse and a wealthy lady who was suing for failure to fulfil the agreed specifications. He shook his head as he wondered how the justice system could function when it was clogged with stuff like this. He represented the construction company and had carefully reviewed the blueprints and written requests from the dog-owner.

“Russell, I asked how those marks got on your neck. I could get a forensics expert to check, but I’d be willing to state under oath that they’d match the bite marks left by Peter Wilson.” She frowned when Russell’s face became solemn. There was something underlying his glow.

“What’s wrong? I hope you realize I’m teasing you.”

He forced a strained smile as he shook his head. “It’s nothing to worry about, Denise. Thanks for your concern, though. And yes, under oath, I would have to say Peter was responsible for those marks. ‘Irresponsible’ would be the more appropriate way to put it. After all, he is a grown man.”

He went into his office and called the senior partner. After a brief chat on the phone, he went to Winston Sharpe’s office. Mr. Sharpe had built the firm from the ground up into a respectable and sought-after business.

He stood to greet Russell, and they shook hands. “So, tell me more about this Mrs. Grady? Of course we’ll take her case, pro bono. I know enough to respect these types of decisions when you make them, Russell. I also hate it when I see a large, impersonal corporation try to use loopholes to deny legitimate claims.”

Russell filled Winston in on all the information and gave him a copy of the policy. It had been almost nine months since Mr. Grady passed away. The insurance company sent Mrs. Grady a cheque for the amount of premiums paid over the past five years, but Mrs. Grady never cashed it. They’d bought the policy almost thirty years ago and the pay-out value on death should have been almost three-quarters of a million dollars. Russell asked to have one of his colleagues take on the case. He was evasive when asked the reason, but Sharpe knew there was something not being said. He persisted and finally Russell told him of the recent test and the result.

“I want this to be handled consistently. If I begin and can’t continue because of the cancer, it could jeopardize her case. Mrs. Grady deserves the best care we can provide. I can’t guarantee that with my situation.”

Sharpe narrowed his eyes, and his fingers formed a steeple as he thought. “I can only imagine how you must feel with this diagnosis. You’re presently healthy and still able to pursue this case. I can’t take something you agreed to do free of charge and assign it to another member of the firm. What about all the other cases you have on your books? You can’t abandon them, and you can’t shove them off on others. We all have a full load. I’m sorry, Russell, but you’ll have to do this. If you became ill to the point where you can’t continue, I will personally take over. But, only if it gets to that point.”

Russell thanked his boss and went back to his office. Denise had a coffee waiting for him on his desk. He gave her the Grady file, briefly explained the situation, and sat to contemplate life. His intercom brought him from his reflections.

“Doctor Mills is on line two for you, Russell.”

He took the call and while Trevor spoke, he checked his appointment calendar. He saw that two spots, where he’d previously had clients booked, had been cleared. Denise was up to something. “Hi, Trevor, It appears my schedule had been conveniently rearranged, so I can meet with you tomorrow morning at ten. And, by the same coincidence, I can meet with an oncologist Friday afternoon at three-fifteen. Who knew such things could mysteriously fall into place?”

Russell finished the call, and was about to go talk to Denise when the intercom buzzed again. “Peter Wilson for you on line one. Go get ‘em, Tiger.” She giggled and disconnected.

“Hey, handsome lawyer, I saw you’re free this evening, so I made a reservation at a fancy schmancy restaurant for dinner. I’ll pick you up at six. Business casual should be enough to get us past the maître d.”

“I’m tempted to ask how you knew my evening was free, but I happened to notice a few changes were made to my schedule. The strange thing is that each change happened to coincide with an appointment. One was with my new doctor, the other with a cancer specialist. Care to spill it, or do I have to put the screws to my assistant, Denise?”

Peter chuckled. “Denise is a lovely woman. Even with thumbscrews she’d never give up her secrets. I might have taken the liberty of asking her to rearrange those dates, since you certainly wouldn’t have. She readily agreed without even knowing why.”

Russell knew he had no right to be angry at either of them. “Fine, then if that’s how it is, you pay for dinner tonight. And, you get a gift card for Denise so she can also enjoy an evening on the town sometime.” He sat back feeling smug.

“Already done. Tonight’s dinner is on me, and a card complete with a voucher for a meal for two at the new bistro downtown is being couriered, as we speak. I hope you know I’m not trying to run your life. I happen to care about you, and want to be sure you get the best treatment possible, as soon as you can.”

Russell bought a cup of gourmet coffee and a box of chocolates. He stood in front of Denise’s desk and smiled as he noticed the rose prominently front and centre. He handed her the coffee and candy. “These are a small way of saying thanks for looking out for me. You have no idea how much it means.”

He got through the rest of the day. The suit against his client was dismissed. The judge ruled that, while a luxury doghouse was appropriate, if not unusual, an animal would not be able to use an elevator in a two-story structure. The contract did not specify that any powered device was required to assist Muffin to get from the ground floor to her penthouse level. The ramp provided by the contractor was sufficient. Russell shook his head when he left the courthouse. He made a quick call to the office. Denise told him the rest of the day was clear. He then drove to the clinic. Bernice beamed briefly when she saw him come in, and then frowned.

“You don’t have an appointment today, darling. The nurse and doctors are winding down the day in a meeting. I can get Trevor if you need to see him.”

Russell smiled. “No, I thought I’d give a hunky doctor a ride home after work. Oh, he called my office and had a few appointments cleared from my schedule. I’d like to return the favour. Do you think you could free up his day on Monday?” He set a gift bag on her counter. It contained gourmet chocolate, truffles, and marzipan. “I’m not trying to bribe you, of course. This is an early thank-you for your assistance. If Monday is free, he’ll be away and not able to be on call. Hopefully, he’ll be able to walk Tuesday morning.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Bernice laughed, did a few things on her keyboard, and sat back. “I love marzipan. You’re obviously a man of breeding and good taste. You have my permission to do what you will with Dr. Whatshisname. You’ve got to promise to bring him back in one piece Tuesday morning.”

The door opened and Trevor, Helen, and Peter came in. All three stopped and smiled. Russell walked over, wrapped Peter in a hug, and kissed him. The blush that went over Peter’s face was priceless. “That’s payback for what I’ve heard about my rantings during the colonoscopy. You could have warned me how bad I was. Apparently, a judge was having his done after mine. He heard the staff talking and laughing about some of my comments. Fortunately, the man holds me in high regard—well, at least he used to.”

They said their goodbyes and Peter agreed to follow Russell to his home. He had his overnight bag in his car. He decided to bring it in, instead of surprising him after their dinner. As soon as the door closed, Russell became an animal. Peter blinked and must have wondered how his clothes got off so quickly, but he soon recovered and tackled Russell with equal fervour. They never made it to the bedroom.

Later, after their shower and another bout of s*x, this time in the tub, they reflected on how perfect they were together. There was no question in either man’s mind that this was not some passing infatuation.

“If I have radiation or chemo and lose my hair, will you still find me attractive?” Russell was thinking about the upcoming ordeal. “I guess I won’t have to shave the boys anymore. That stubble makes my balls itchy when I don’t keep it smooth. By the way, have you ever noticed that I manscape?”

Peter grinned. “I noticed everything about you and committed it all to memory. If you need radiation or chemo, and if you lose your hair, I’ll love other parts of you more to make up for the temporary absence. Now, get dressed or we’ll be late for our reservation.”

Russell took a few minutes to go online and book a chalet in the mountains. It was about a three hour drive from home. He booked for Friday through Sunday nights, checking out Monday morning. Over dinner, he would inform his date that they were going away for the weekend. He might even wait until Sunday afternoon to tell him he wasn’t working Monday. He smiled. He could be as sneaky a bastard as that sneaky bastard he was in love with. Russell sat back for a moment, closed his eyes, and realized that although he was shocked and frightened by his diagnosis, he was also relieved that he wasn’t doing this alone. Peter showed him how much he was loved in as many ways as was humanly possible. He made a mental decision to go with it and give his everything in return.