She had a new compression fracture at T12.

We found that out nine days later, in Connecticut, from a private radiologist at seven in the evening, because that was the arrangement by then.

Nine days.

She flew twice in those nine days.

I got her into her room on a luggage cart with a bellman’s help, and I got the brace on, and at eight-forty that morning she chaired a two-hour meeting with the operating leadership of the acquired business, and she was good in it, and at one point she made a joke.

And at some point in that meeting I stood at the back of a conference room in Cleveland and understood, with complete clarity, that I was going to have to leave.