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Finally, Jared got to the end of his section and answered all the questions, with Gherring fielding a few and putting off some questions until after the next presentation. Gherring declared a fifteen-minute break and refreshments were served in the back of the room.
Since Anne no longer felt the need to worry about Jared, she began to get nervous about her presentation again. She felt the blood drain from her face and her tongue felt as if it were sticking to the roof of her mouth. Gherring approached her with a glass of water. She took it with trembling hands, and he watched her take a sip.
“Thanks for helping. He did quite well this time. Much better than before.”
Anne nodded her head, but her mind was racing along with her heart. She was starting to feel a bit faint again, when Gherring suddenly grabbed her hand. Startled, she turned to look at him and noticed his face looked pained.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” He let out a slow breath. “I have a pain in my abdomen. But don’t let anyone know.”
“What if it’s appendicitis?”
He gave her a strained smile. “It’s going to have to wait. I’m going to sit down right over there next to you.” He took another deep breath and grimaced. “Walk with me, okay?”
She followed and watched him sit down gingerly. “How are you going to be able to finish the presentation? You’re in pain. This is ridiculous. We should cancel—”
“No, this is important to me. Please… I’ll be fine. Just go as long as you can with the presentation. Maybe if I rest a bit, the pain will ease up.” He bit his lip and breathed slowly. “It’s time. You’ve got to do this… for me.”
“Let me tell Jared to call a doctor…”
“No,” he hissed. “Don’t say anything.” He frowned at her, but she returned the glare.
“Okay, but I’m watching you. I’ll put a stop to this whole thing if I think I need to.”
“It’s easing up a bit. It may just be that twelve-course meal from last night.”
She could see the pain etched on his face, even though he said it was getting better. He was probably lying to keep her from calling off the meeting. She needed to hurry this thing along and get him some medical treatment.
“Excuse me. Excusez-moi! If we can gather again, please. Feel free to bring your refreshments with you.”
The board members obediently returned to the table. Anne glanced at Gherring, who was studying his handout. At least he wasn’t clutching his abdomen. She forced herself to focus on the presentation. Gone were the nerves that had plagued her earlier. She pulled up the first slide and started speaking, while keeping Gherring in her side vision. Anne proceeded through ten slides before the first question came up. She glanced at Gherring, but he averted his eyes downward. He must be feeling worse. She fielded the question and continued on.
She was so preoccupied with concern for Gherring she went through the presentation on auto drive. She’d spent so many hours on the preparation and study to understand the concepts she didn’t really need to think about what she was saying. She noticed Gherring moved slightly and sat back in his chair. From the corner of her eye he almost appeared to be relaxed and smiling. But when she glanced his direction the smile dissolved into a grimace and his right hand was pressed to his side. Anne tried to recall which side the appendix was on. Wasn’t it the right side?
Someone directed a question at Gherring, but Anne rushed to protect him. “I believe the answer to that question is coming up here on the next slide.”
She proceeded far past the point she’d originally aimed for. When the door opened, she noticed with relief it was one o’clock. Time for lunch. She could check on Steven and get him to a hospital if need be.
To Anne’s surprise, when Gherring stood, he appeared to be pain-free.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems lunch is served next door. We’ll take up where we left off after we eat. This door will be locked so you can leave your things at the conference table.”
As all the board members filed out the door, Anne grabbed his arm and forced him into his chair.
“You shouldn’t be standing. Should I call the doctor now?”
“Oh no. I feel quite fine now.” He grinned.
“I don’t believe you could suddenly feel fine. You were in pain the entire time. You can’t risk your health for
a meeting, no matter how important you think it is.”
He gave a hearty laugh. “I assure you, I have no pain whatsoever. It must have been indigestion.”
But Anne was trembling now. “I know you’re covering something up. No one recovers like that. You were holding your side five minutes ago—your right side. Isn’t that where your appendix is?”
Gherring stood up and grabbed her shaking shoulders and forced her into the chair. “I’m sorry. I lied to you—”
