Invested: Prologue

Hepburn Dunning envisioned the last day of his life differently. Lying in his bed with his beautiful wife Winnieford, whom he called Winnie, and his five children standing around with pride, and of course sadness in their eyes. He really did not expect it to look like this.

“Daddy.” AnnieMarie stopped her movement on the elliptical machine. She calmly turned towards him.

“Help me to understand. Cainan is a good man. You have him on your board of directors. A board you put him on without a vote from all the members. That demonstrates to me what you think of him. Please, explain why you forbid us to see each other?”

Hepburn turned away from his beautiful baby girl. Seeing the hurt in her eyes tore at his heart. If he had known about the budding romance, he would have put a stop to it sooner. At this point it seems the relationship was more advanced than he thought. To complicate matters, Annie, as he called his youngest child, was right. Cainan Scott was one of the most honorable young men he had the pleasure of knowing. Under other circumstances he would welcome the man into Annie’s life with open arms. However, life isn’t always fair. The circumstances are what they are.

He placed the towel capturing the sweat from his run on the treadmill around his shoulder, then glanced out the floor to ceiling windows that surrounded the roof top gym of Dunning Bank & Trust. This was his morning refuge. His get-a-way spot before employees began filing in the room for their morning workouts. Hep had asked AnnieMarie to join him for his routine 7 a.m. workout to discuss Cainan Scott. He did not imagine it would be this difficult. Knowing he had to stand his ground, for giving in could put her life in jeopardy, he took a deep breath.

“Have I ever interfered in your relationships?” he snapped as he turned back to face her.

“No, Daddy, you haven’t.” AnnieMarie stepped off the machine and wiped her face with a towel. “That is why I don’t understand why you are doing it now. What are you not telling me?”

He could hear her anger elevating as she spoke. Her expressive eyes reflecting confusion and hurt could not deter him from what he had to do, no matter how much she looked like her mother with her hair up in a ponytail.

“I’m your father and I am telling you not to see this man socially,” he yelled as he walked between the circuit equipment toward her. “I am not going to repeat myself on this, AnnieMarie. You break things off with this man or I will do it for you. Have I made myself clear?”

AnnieMarie took a step back. “No, Daddy. You are damn sure loud enough. However, your clarity seems to be escaping me at the moment. I’ve never seen you this upset. Well, once, but that was directed at Uncle Walker. It would be okay if I knew why.  It is so unlike you to take such an unyielding stance. You have always listened to reason.”

Her eyes narrowed as she took a step toward him. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions on the man I wish to be involved with. Now…” She stepped back as she stared him directly in his eyes. “I respect you, and in most situations would take your advice. However, we are talking about my heart here. I love this man and I am not willing to walk away from him without you giving me some insight other than your caveman mentality of over protectiveness.”

His baby girl was so much like her mother. Hep wanted to laugh at her standing her ground with hands on hips ready to fight for her man. If it were any other man, he would be impressed. However, it was Cainan Scott and for her own good he had to put a stop to this relationship. He’d rather have her angry and not speaking to him than dead. Well, he had to think about that for a minute. He did not like when his Annie wasn’t speaking to him. It was as if his heart was breaking into small pieces with each passing moment.

“Now you listen to me, AnnieMarie Dunning. You continue to see this man and I will fire him. If you disobey me after that, I will disown you and make the ground both of you walk on a living hell.”

AnnieMarie’s mouth gaped open. “Do you plan on firing me too? Are you speaking for yourself or the entire family?” She waived him off. “You know, it doesn’t matter who you are speaking for, you lose. I would stay with Cainan simply because he would not put me in the impossible position to choose between him and my family. If I have to choose between being with him and speaking to you ever again, I choose him.” She turned, walked down the open row, pushed the button to the elevator and waited.

Knowing it was an empty threat, Hepburn walked from the row of elliptical and treadmills as he called out to her.

“AnnieMarie, wait.”

The center elevator door opened. She stepped inside, turned back to him then pushed the button.

“Goodbye, Daddy.”

“Annie,” Hepburn sighed as the doors closed.

Turning towards the shower rooms, Hep shook his head then sat on a weight bench near the elevators. The thought of his daughter’s anger ate at him. AnnieMarie was his baby and always had him wrapped around her finger. Hell, she had all of them wrapped around that little finger. Right now, he was sure AnnieMarie was going straight to Myles’ office to complain about him being unreasonable. In a minute or two he expected Myles to come upstairs to confront him. He sighed and thought. It was time to let Myles, his oldest son, in on the situation. He was certain once Myles knew all the details, he would understand that as the father it was his duty to protect AnnieMarie’s life. Her being involved with Cainan put her life in jeopardy. He thought he would be able to have a reasonable discussion with her about the man. That’s why he approached her first. Now, he would have to go to Cainan and pray he would be more reasonable.

He shook his head but had to smile at his daughter’s stance. She was indeed her mother’s child. Standing, he had to laugh at the thought of his wife’s response to this when he told her about it. Winnieford would get a good laugh out of her daughter’s actions. She would probably cheer on AnnieMarie. 

He started walking towards the shower rooms when he heard the elevator bell.

Turning, he briskly retraced his steps to the elevator thinking it was AnnieMarie coming back with Myles. He would simply gather her in his arms and hug her until she could feel how much he loved her. Then he would take Myles aside to tell him the details on Cainan.

The doors opened, but no one stepped out.

“Annie,” Hep called out. His steps slowed as he got to the elevator. Pulling the towel from his shoulder he looked inside. Before he could react, a gloved hand jabbed a syringe into his chest.

“What the…”

He reached for the person, but his body felt weak. He could feel a warm liquid flowing through his veins. No longer able to support his body, his knees began to buckle. He could feel the movement of the person’s thumb against the syringe as more of the substance was pushed through. The sound of the other elevator approaching caused the person to withdraw the syringe, step back into the elevator and push the button.

Hepburn fell to his knees, still unable to hold his body up. His eyes held the eyes of the person as the elevator doors closed. It was in that moment he knew he was going to die. This was that day. Winnie’s face appeared in his mind. His children, in different stages of their lives with smiles on their faces, ran through like the credits at the end of a movie. Then the face of the person in the elevator, who was taking all of that away, replaced the smiles of his loved ones.

He heard the doors of the other elevator open.

“You simply have to talk some sense into him, Myles.” Hep heard AnnieMarie say as they stepped out.

Maybe, just maybe, Hep thought, but then a pain so fierce gripped his chest that he cried out.

“Dad!” Myles came to his side. “Dad!”

“Daddy,” AnnieMarie cried out as she fell to her knees beside him. “Daddy, no….Daddy.”

Hepburn grabbed his chest as he watched his oldest son and his baby girl frantic at his side.

“Get the elevator, Annie,” Myles ordered as he picked his father up. He carried him to the elevator then laid him on the floor.

AnnieMarie hit the emergency button then knelt down beside her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy, I’m sorry.”

Hep reached for her but was unable to speak. She took his hand. Hepburn looked at Myles who was frantically working on him. He tried to move his lips. Nothing came out. He had to tell Myles, raced desperately through his mind.

The security officer’s voice came over the speakers. “Is there a problem?”

“This is Myles, Mr. Dunning has collapsed. Call an ambulance. It looks like a heart attack. We are in the center elevator.”

“On it, sir,” the guard’s urgent voice responded.

“Myles, do something,” AnnieMarie cried out. “Please don’t let this happen.”

Hepburn grabbed his son’s arm with all the strength he could and pulled him to his lips.

Against his son’s cheek he mouthed the name, “Scott, Scott.”

Myles took his father’s hand in his then held his eyes, nodding. “Hold on, Dad. Hold on.”

Hepburn’s eyes held his sons for a long moment. He was so proud of the man Myles had become. He knew Myles would now be the head of the family. He needed to know his enemies.

“Son,” he mouthed just as the elevator doors opened. The EMTs were there, as his grip on his son’s arm weakened. His eyes were closing. He could feel his mind shutting down. Hep looked to the heavens above. His only request was to see his wife’s smiling face one last time.