Chapter 1Collapse
The last thing Michael remembered before waking up in the hospital was running through the city streets and thinking about ways to build his company. Now he was lying on his back with wires and machines connected to his body as his wife, Sarah, sat by his side and a nurse stood over him.
“What am I doing here?” he asked groggily. “Did I get hit by a car or something?”
“You passed out on your run,” answered Sarah, who was crying and shaking. In all the years she had known him, she couldn’t recall him having more than a cold, never mind being in the hospital.
“How? Why?” he asked.
“That’s what the doctor is trying to figure out right now. He’s reviewing your tests and should be in shortly,” the nurse said.
“I hope I’m okay,” Michael said as he looked around the room and then at Sarah. She tried to smile and be reassuring but she couldn’t. She was scared and expecting bad news.
Michael lifted his arm and felt a bandage and lump on his head. “How did I get here?”
“The ambulance brought you. Your head hit the ground pretty hard. The EMTs told us that a man saw you collapse and helped you. He used his shirt to stop the bleeding and called 911. He just might have saved your life.”
“Who was it?”
“They didn’t get his name. He just gave them that card sitting on your table.”
Sarah picked up the card and showed it to Michael. It was a simple plain white card with only the word Carpenter and a phone number in black, bold ink.
“Not much of a marketer,” Michael said, coming ...