I scooped up her get-well cards and magazines and stuffed them into the duffel bag. I was headed toward a vase of flowers sitting along the window ledge, but Special stopped me.
“My mother took the rest of my flowers home,” she said. “I’m leaving those for one of the nurses. She snuck me some chicken sausage from Woody’s Barbecue yesterday.”
“You could’ve gotten that woman fired,” I said.
“I know, but I was desperate for something besides watery soup and strawberry Jell-O, and you were nowhere to be found.”
Once I had everything packed up, I sat down next to Special on the bed. I could see that everything she had gone through had suddenly hit her.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Special’s voice softened. “It’s weird to think about it, but I was almost a goner. I’m pretty blessed to be able to walk up out of here.”
“Yes, you are,” I said, realizing that I was equally blessed. I held out my arm and helped Special into the wheelchair. I hung the duffel bag on the back of the chair and pushed her into the corridor.
I waited while Special thanked the nurses for taking such good care of her. When she was done with her goodbyes, I steered the wheelchair toward the bank of elevators at the end of the corridor.
Special gazed up at me. “Thanks for always being there for me,” she said somberly.
I gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “Ditto.”
I looked away as my eyes began to moisten and a big lump settled in my throat. I did not want to set off another crying spell.
By the time we reached the elevators, we had both perked up.
“Now getting back to Jefferson’s cousin,” Special said as I rolled her to a stop. “You claim he’s really fine, right? Well, I just need to know. Is he sophisticated fine like Denzel or roughneck fine like Ice Cube?”
BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS FOR
IN FIRM PURSUIT
1. Did you consider Vernetta a sellout for representing Micronics Corporation?
2. Could you defend a client if you suspected that the client might be guilty?
3. Do you think Jefferson should have been honest with Vernetta about LaKeesha?
4. If Jefferson had been honest with Vernetta about LaKeesha, how do you think Vernetta should have reacted?
5. Do you think Special was a traitor for going along with Jefferson?
6. What’s the best way to deal with a coworker like Haley? Confront her or cautiously watch your back?
7. Why do you think men like Stan hold such contradictory and sexist views about women?
8. Do you think high-level executives who act unscrupulously have inherent character flaws or could any highly principled person be persuaded to act unethically if put in the right situation?
9. Why (other than money) are some people willing to sacrifice their own personal values and fulfillment to climb the corporate ladder?
10. What did you like/dislike about In Firm Pursuit?
IN FIRM PURSUIT
A Sepia Novel
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8562-4
© 2007 by Pamela Samuels-Young
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents and places are the products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real. While the author was inspired in part by actual events, none of the characters in the book is based on an actual person. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
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