Undeniably His(77)

We laugh and I hug them both. “Thank you so much,” I puff. I feel tears building behind my eyes, and I wipe them away before they come streaming down. I press my small hands to the strong curves of Kalin’s chest. “I would say you were in good hands.”

“Are we still talking about the doctors?”

I bemused smile spreads across my mouth and I hit my fist on his shoulder in amusement.

Kalin takes my hand and presses it over his lips. “I can’t wait to get my hands on you. Do you have any idea…?”

Kalin’s parents walk in and I quickly move my hand as if I was caught doing something bad. Joy radiates in their eyes, and I stand back and let them have a moment.

“Good as new, son. I’m so proud of you for pulling through this. You never gave up.” Peter gives him a big hug with a couple of pats on the back, and Lauren kisses him on the cheek.

“I feel twenty years younger knowing you’re well,” Lauren says.

“You look twenty years younger, Mom. You look beautiful.” Kalin embraces his mom.

We gather a few of Kalin’s belongings and leave the hospital.

His parents whisper to me that they want to give Kalin a ride home in the rental and I smile and agree. I take the Audi and follow them home, suddenly realizing that I have little chance of speaking with Kalin alone this evening.

I take a calming breath as we pull onto the road leading to his Southampton home. The house is unusually dark, with the outside lights on and the interior lights dimmed. “Did you guys forget to turn the security on?” Kalin asks as we walk toward the front entrance.

Lauren looks concerned. “I don’t think so.”

Kalin moves ahead of us, and steps onto the porch. He places his hands next to his face to peer through the front window. “Wait here,” he commands. He approaches the front door, slips the key in the lock, and turns the knob. Pushing the door open, he scans the room for anything unusual. Suddenly a loud noise roars through the room. “Welcome home!” The back lights go on and the room erupts into applause as a hundred or so employees, friends and family welcome him home.

My hand flies to my chest. Kalin looks at me and I shrug. “I had no idea. I was with you every day.”

“Is this the best idea for a recovering heart patient?” Kalin rumbles from the foyer.

Madison speaks up from the front of the group. “We already checked with the doctor, Kalin. You’re as good as new. Welcome home!” The room erupts into laughter and applause. We fan in from behind Kalin, and stand next to him.

Kalin stands in front of the group and gestures for the crowd to quiet down.

“Just when I thought I was going to get a good night’s sleep.”

Laughter spreads across the room.

“I have to tell you, this comes as quite a surprise to me. I remember the dark days after this happened, when I was drifting between life and death. And no, I didn’t see a bright light. But I could have sworn I heard an angel or two helping me find my way home.” Kalin turns and smiles at me, and I glance down and back up at him. “And I did see things more clearly. I saw people like you in my life, and how lucky I am to have your support. Every one of you here today, all of you who sent me gifts, and baked for me, and sent me flowers and cards. You helped pull me through. I made it because of you.”

“We love you, Kalin!” a female voice screams from somewhere in the room.

Applause erupts across the room.

Kalin lifts his chin and scans the crowd. “I love you. And although I don’t want to make any big announcements at this time, I will say that my plans for the company and for the groundless accusations in the media will be revealed soon.”

Chants begin to erupt in the room. “Kalin! Kalin! Kalin!”

“Just know that what we built, together, is worth more to me than what a bunch of ruthless vultures would try and sell it for.”

Thunderous applause erupts in the room, and Kalin roars over the cheers.

“We have run an honorable and reputable company, and as a result it has grown into one of the top advertising firms in the world. In recent months, others have sought to take from us what we have built…together. But they have made a grave error. They have confused our generosity for vulnerability. They have confused our integrity for naiveté. They have confused our kindness for weakness. And they have misunderstood our capacity to seek retribution.”

The cheers grow so loud that Kalin is unable to finish. He motions for the crowd to quiet down as if he never missed a beat.

“What we have done here, we have accomplished together with respect, and innovation, and fair-mindedness. We care about this company, and more importantly, we care about the people we work with. When that integrity is compromised, it jeopardizes the entire company. We have seen that in a loss of sales, in a loss of respect in the industry, and in a loss of market share. We plan on correcting this from the top down.”