At All Cost

By Edna Cordova

Craig Osborn, a handsome wealthy defense attorney. Who has flown around most of the world in hopes of finding a doctor to cure his impotence, but to Craig disappointment the doctors believe he has a psychological problem, possibly caused from a trauma that was so emotional and horrifying his mind has blocked it from memory and he may never find a cure. That is hard for Craig to believe, while in one hospital he had a dream he was married to the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and they were very intimate. He has all ways believed if he found the right woman, he could have a healthy intimate relationship. To his disbelief while giving a lecture at a University, he saw the very girl in his dream, but had only time to learn her name was Emeral, as he was leaving for Beirut to defend two FBI agents, who had been accused of turning their back for a price, to let one of the biggest drug lord in Beirut and America ship drugs into the USA. Craig vowed when he returned to the states, he would find this beautiful girl named Emeral, at all cost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781499060003

Edna Cordova

Edna Cordova over the years has written. One true novel, “Storm, With No End.” One fiction novel, “At All Cost.” Children books. (Three series of children’s books) “Goose Name Smart,” “Smart Find’s A Treasure,” “Smart Make’s A Decision.” The book “Ellie.” The book “Savanna Learns To Jump rope.” Many poems and lyrics for songs. Edna is mother of two daughter and great, great, grandchildren who she loves very much. She lives near Oakland California with her husband.

Book preview

Chapter One

Craig Osborn, at the age of thirty-two, was devastated and brokenhearted when both his parents, Rick and Ann, were killed in a car accident. They had fallen in love while living in an orphanage. When Rick asked Ann to marry him he had no material wealth to offer his dear sweet Ann, but made a vow that one day he would give her all the wealth she would ever desire. With years of persistence, determination, and smart business management, Rick and Ann become extremely wealthy, well-known and admired for their wealth and honesty in the great city of San Francisco. Craig had been very proud of the life his parents had made for themselves, but never realized the extent of their wealth until that fatal accident, leaving him, their only child, heir to a multimillion dollar inheritance. But before their death, Craig had become a well-known defense attorney, even though for years he had gone through a health problem. And once again he was sitting in the admitting room of St. John hospital. Waiting for the clerk to type up his forms, he thought back to the times as an adult he had been in different hospitals and seen many doctors around the world, and none had found the answer to why he was impotent. It has been hard for him to understand and at one time he thought of giving up on doctor’s altogether, but knew he needed help, and was being checked into the hospital by Doctor James Olson, a specialist, who had been highly recommended by a good friend.

When the clerk finished the admitting papers, Craig was taken up to the third floor. Word was spreading fast among the nurses that the single, handsome, wealthy attorney Craig Osborn had been admitted for a series of tests. During the next two days of intense testing Craig was feeling drained and sleeping most of the time. On the doctor’s morning rounds, he entered Craig’s room with a Good morning, Craig, how was your night?

In a groggy tone he answered, Oh, good morning, Doctor. I was dreaming and now that I’m awake I’m disappointed. The doctor snickered to himself, thinking it must have been a good dream, while busily looking through Craig’s chart. All the tests showed his patient was in good physical health, so his impotence was not caused from a physical problem. But the doctor was sure from his years of medical experience that it was an emotional one.

Closing his chart and looking over at Craig, he said, Tell me, Craig, why so disappointed? A little embarrassed, Craig said, Well, Doctor, I was having such a wonderful dream.

The doctor picked up a chair and sat next to his bed, deeply concerned about his patient’s hidden emotional problem. As his doctor he wanted to take every avenue possible to find the key. Craig, tell me your dream.

Craig looked a little surprised at the doctor and asked, Do you believe in dreams, Doctor? I’m not sure if I do or not, but why don’t you tell me anyway!

A little embarrassed, he said, Well, Doctor, in the dream I was married and my wife and I were on our honeymoon having a wonderful time on a beautiful little island in the south Pacific. I never thought there could be a woman so loving and so beautiful.

When he paused with a sigh, the doctor said Describe her beauty to me, Craig!

Oh, but Doctor, there’s no way I could do her justice.

I understand, but please try, it may be important.

It took Craig a moment before he said in a doubtful tone, Well, Doctor, if you insist. She had long black hair that flowed like silk in the wind and green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Looking into her gorgeous little face was like looking in the face of an angel, but she was oblivious to her beauty, making her all the more beautiful. He hesitated, not sure he wanted to continue.

Go on, the doctor coaxed.

Taking a deep breath he continued, Really, Doctor, the odd part of the dream, I made love to her. The doctor knew his patient had never experienced an intimate relationship with a woman and Craig was finding it hard to believe he had, even in a dream. Not just one time, Doctor, but we made love over and over. I couldn’t get enough of her.

The doctor was moved at what Craig had said. He laid his hand on Craig’s shoulder and asked, Have you ever been in love?

No, Doctor I haven’t. Do you think if I fell in love it would be the answer to my problems? I can’t give you any guarantees, Craig. No one can. But anything’s possible.

I’m sure I could fall in love, Doctor, he said with a hint of a grin on the edge of his lips. If I only could find the girl I just dreamed about!

(Scene Break)

Craig left the hospital the next day once again disappointed. The prognosis was no different from the many doctors he had seen from around the world. Most believed his impotency was a psychological one. Possibly from an emotional trauma that was so horrifying his mind had deliberately blocked it from memory. It could go back as far as when he was a small child too young to remember. All those doctors’ opinions of complex reasons made it hard for Craig to accept.

At the University in Berkeley California, Craig stood before a class of students giving a lecture to help out a friend who had broken his leg in a skiing accident. While he was speaking, his eyes scanned the crowd, glancing from side to side and out to the back row. He wanted the students to know he was speaking directly to each one of them. As his sharp eyes moved slowly over the crowd, they stopped instantly down front on a beautiful young lady with long black hair. He had never believed in dreams or any sort of magic and found it shocking and hard to believe that he was looking down at a girl who was the perfect image of the girl in his dream, making it difficult to finish the lecture. When he finished speaking, he asked a young student standing nearby if he knew the girl he was pointing to, the one with the long black hair. Her name is Emeral, that’s all I know about her, Sir.

Thanks. He picked up his notes, rushed off the stage and out into the crowd in an effort to catch up to her. But she disappeared along with the other students, leaving him standing in the empty auditorium. Disappointed, he looked at his watch and realized there was no time to look for her. He needed to leave at once or he would be late for a business appointment in San Francisco several miles away. Driving back toward the city, he found the dreary day had turned into rain. Craig’s thoughts kept returning to the girl he knew nothing about, except that her name was Emeral. He was scheduled to leave in less than a week for Beirut, which left him no time to return to the University to find her. Unwilling to give up, he swore to himself that he would find her as soon as he returned. The closer he got to the city the harder it rained. It was coming down in buckets against the windows of his Rolls-Royce. It was very unusual for the Bay Area to have a rain storm with such force in the month of April. He was sure it wouldn’t last long. After paying the toll on the Bay Bridge he merged into heavy traffic that forced him to slow down as he fought the slippery road. Checking his watch he saw he had only twenty minutes to make his appointment. Having a reputation of always being punctual, he would feel bad if he were the one to show up late. Taking the exit off the bridge, he was relieved that the traffic wasn’t as heavy and the rain had lightened up a bit. Checking his watch again, he saw he was going to make the appointment in plenty of time, as he had only two blocks to go.

Straight ahead stood the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper building. That reminded him of a stunt Cassandra Evans, who claimed to be his good friend, pulled on him a few days ago. Cassandra was a very attractive blond whose ancestors were among the first settlers in San Francisco. From childhood up to his graduation from college he and Cassandra had been next door neighbors as well as very good friends. Since Cassandra graduated from college, she had worked in different law firms throughout the city, but she’d never been happy. At present she worked as a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He and Cassandra knew many of the same people and had been seen around the city together at dinner parties and other functions. Their relationship had never gone beyond friendship and to marry her had never crossed his mind.

He knew Cassandra was a game player and had pulled some really outrageous stunts on others. He never dreamed she would pull something crazy on him until one morning, while flipping through the newspaper on the society page, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The caption under a photograph read: Wedding uniting Craig Osborn and his lovely fiancée, Cassandra Evans, will be postponed due to an unexpected trip that Craig must take to Beirut. When Craig first read the article, he was furious and called Cassandra on the phone. In no pleasant tone he said, Cassandra, what were you thinking about when you wrote this article? How could you write this, knowing it was an outright lie?

Oh darling, don’t be mad, I just wanted to impress a person I met. As he slammed the phone down he thought, the nerve of her. In time, when his temper settled, he realized Cassandra had always been a spoiled brat, but she and her family stood beside him after his parents’ death and that would always mean a lot to him. Remembering back over the years when he and Cassandra were children, and all the spats they had gotten into, they never stayed angry for long. He knew her well enough to know she would go to any length to get her way or to impress someone. But it always seemed to backfire on her, as he knew it would this time. Four days after giving the lecture at UC Berkeley, Craig left San Francisco for Beirut, to defend two young American FBI agents, Jim Eastman and Joe Harris. Both had been accused of being involved with one of the big drug lords in America, who was known to the underworld and the FBI as BC. Both agents were from California, Jim Eastman from Crystal Bay and Joe Harris from Turtle Beach.

Chapter Two

Emeral Eastman was leaving UC Berkeley with four years of college behind her. She was excited to be on her way home, this time for good. Since journalism was her main subject, she was anxious to start writing the novel she had stored in her mind. In college she had written a few articles, but there had been no time to get into anything that needed deep concentration. In the quietness of her parents’ home she hoped to have that opportunity. It saddened her to think that when she got home, her only brother Jim would not be there. He had always been there on summer break. Since Jim’s job as a FBI agent had sent him to Beirut, it had been so hard on the family. They missed him so. She really hoped that when he came home, he would go into the family business with their father since her father wasn’t getting any younger. She often wondered if her parents had more children than just her and Jim, would they have all been as close as the two of them had always been? As she entered her home town off Crystal Bay, the traffic increased, forcing her to shift down the red sports car her parents had bought her for graduation. In the heart of the city she passed her favorite dress shop. Jane’s shop specialized in original designs. The shop was one she would be patronizing in the next couple of days, in hopes of buying a dress for the dinner party her mother was giving the following Saturday.

After stopping by to say hello to her best girlfriend Vicky, her brother’s fiancée, she drove on toward her parents’ ranch twelve miles out, where she’d lived as long as she could remember. Through the open window she felt the ocean breeze blowing through her hair, while she admired the scenery. Crystal Bay was still the prettiest place in the world. The city was known for many quaint little shops. She was remembering how as kids, she and Jim loved the beach and spent hours riding bump cars, going horseback riding, and eating cotton candy and hot dogs on a stick. As the tide went out she looked for sea shells and watched sand crabs dig underway, to escape the many hungry little birds, while Jim fished off the pier, alongside weathered old fisherman. Although she had been away most of the last four years, the city hadn’t changed. It still was so beautiful. The palm trees lined the white sandy beach, with an endless view. Beautiful magnolia trees in bloom most of the year framed the walkways of the red brick houses that thinned out to nothing as she passed. She sighed and thought how lucky she was to be living in a place so beautiful. Heading her car on toward her parents’ ranch, she was feeling a little sad that her parents were out of town on business and would not be there. But Sara, her husband Joe, and Tam the crazy cat would be. Sara and Joe lived in a cottage on the ranch and had worked for her parents since she was a baby, but they were more like family. And she was bubbling over with excitement to see them. Glancing at her watch she thought, Great, it’s only eleven o’clock. She would be home in time to write a letter to Jim and get it down to the mailbox before the mail ran at two. Out of eagerness she stepped on the gas and soon turned on the main road leading up to the ranch house. Over the gate hung a sign that read EASTMAN RANCH. Evergreen trees lined both sides of the road. She stopped a moment to look at the house and grounds around it. Home Sweet Home, she thought. Joe made sure the gardeners planted those beautiful flowers again this year in every variety and color. Oh, how beautiful they look in full bloom. The way the flowers and trees surrounded the house it looked as if it were sitting in the middle of a park.

With both hands full of luggage she struggled up the walkway to the front door. When she put the key in the lock it turned easily. Great! she thought, Joe finally had this stubborn lock fixed. When she stepped inside it was cool. Sara must have turned on the air conditioner last night, when she came in to feed Tam the crazy cat. She knew her parents wouldn’t have left it on all the time that they would be gone. She must remember to thank Sara. Sara and Joe had always been very special to her. Sara did the heavy cleaning and Joe was a great handyman, who saw to that the gardeners kept the grounds looking beautiful. Standing in the middle of the living room she sighed. Home at last. The room reflected her mother’s personality. Over two large bay windows hung the beautiful draperies she and Sarah had made when she was last home. In the middle of the room still sat the antique library table and chair that had been passed down to her mother, from her mother’s great-great-grandmother. They were precious to her mother. Although her mother was not particularly fond of antiques, she kept them both looking as nice as the day they were given to her. Looking at the table and overstuffed chair, she could visualize her mother, a beautiful little girl sitting there doing her homework. Realizing how heavy the two pieces of luggage had gotten, she walked up the stairs to