Consequences

Part 81

Monday followed a similar pattern. Doug headed off to the office and then called Isabelle at regular intervals throughout the day!

At six o'clock that evening Marina and Rafe came over for dinner. While she was at the door inviting them in the phone rang. Isabelle let it go to the answer phone when she heard a woman's voice. The call was from Doug's secretary. The message she left for Isabelle was that Doug would be late back as he'd called a family meeting at the office.

"You sure we didn't scare him away?' Marina teased. She was pleased to see Isabelle looking so happy.

"He didn't know you'd be here." Isabelle had spent her day at her computer. She had tracked business on her share portfolio and looked particularly at H2O. There was definitely something odd going on.

"Would you guys mind if I didn't do dinner tonight?" She knew that Marina would understand. She hoped that her new brother-in-law would also be accommodating.

"Why?" Marina asked, not liking the change in tone in her sister's voice after receiving that telephone call. Marina hoped Doug was not blowing hot and cold.

Isabelle said somewhat off-handedly, "I'd like to go see Doug at the office." She hoped she could offer some measure of support. Though to be honest she wasn't sure if she was being presumptuous. But at breakfast he had told her about what he'd discovered last night, which admittedly was more of a hint then anything concrete. But still, talking about stuff that was ethereal was very different to talking about something concrete that was going on in his business.

"Isn't that being a touch pushy?" Marina queried with scowl of concern.

Rafe chuckled, which had both women turning to look at him. "Says the woman who came into my consulting room and told me she was going to marry me." Rafe reminded his wife.

"That was different." Marina pouted. But true, she acknowledged, so she grinned at her husband.

Rafe reached for Marina's hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. "Very." He said, his eyes on hers.

"Do you two mind!" Isabelle chided with a smile in her voice as she temporarily forgot about H2O difficulties. With her tone conveying the fact she was teasing she said, "I've just got over a bad bout of the flue, I don't want to be throwing up again watching you two make out, thank you very much!"

"Charming." Marina laughed without taking umbrage. "And you've clearly had a very sheltered life if you think that was making out!" Then Marina looked at her sister, "So, why do you want to hound the man at his office? He's spent a couple of nights here, and you think fronting up at his office doesn't look needy?"

Isabelle snorted. "I'm not hounding the man!" She corrected her sister, "Nor am I needy!"

Marina shrugged. "Chasing the man down smacks of desperation to me! You can't spend every working moment with him! Give him some space! Or he might run for the hills if you suffocate him!"

Once again Rafe laughed. "Wasn't it you who told me you'd taken up medicine just because I was doing medicine?" He teased his wife.

"That was different! I was a kid when I decided to become a medic!" Marina told her husband. "All I'm saying is that appearing at his office just because he said he can't make it to dinner this evening might given him the wrong impression! You don't want him thinking you are a clinging violet unable to fend for herself if left to her own devices." Not that Isabelle could ever be accused of not coping.

Isabelle threw her sister a haughty look as she explained. "Last night Doug was worried about something odd going on in the business. Today, I was bored so I checked their stocks, and shares, and something odd is going on. I think I could help." Isabelle had been thinking about it all day. She wasn't sure whether he'd want her help, or even whether she should offer it. Should she tell him she'd spent the day doing a diagnostic on the trading going on with H2O shares and found that in recent weeks they'd been a lot of trading activity.

"Does he want your help?" Marina asked gently.

"I won't know until I ask." Isabelle replied. "You think I'm being pushy?" She asked her sister. Marina shook her head, hearing the anxiety in her sister's voice. "I just think, I might be able to help." Isabelle sighed quietly.

"Why don't we drop you off at his office." Rafe said.

"Sorry." Isabelle smiled her gratitude, "I just.."

"Want to help." Rafe nodded and smiled gently, "So let's get going." He reached a hand out toward his wife as he said, "After all, we newly married couples have ways of entertaining ourselves in our spare time. And we medics have very little spare time."