Stone sat completely still as he faced the urologist.
‘Mr Stone, I have studied the detailed images from the MRI scan. The prostate cancer has spread to your lower spine and towards your right shoulder. And that is where you are likely to feel the most pain. We should continue to monitor that, and from here, we must plan how to manage your pain. There are several things we can look at, like radiotherapy and hormone therapy, and as it progresses, there are stronger drugs we can use, such as morphine and steroids or even chemotherapy.’
The urologist spoke in a matter-of-fact way as if this was just another day’s normal business. He looked closely at his patient as if he would find signs as to how much this disease was really hurting.
‘I want to keep it all simple. I know exactly where the pain is around my body, and it moves around my back. I’ll take drugs, but I’m not on for treatment like chemotherapy where I have to come to the hospital to get it administered and then suffer all the side effects that brings.’
‘I understand that, and perhaps I should refer you to a pain specialist to help you control the next few months.’
‘No more specialists, thank you. I said I want to keep this simple. Send a note to my doctor in Brighton about the MRI results and I’ll take it from there.’
‘Yes, of course I’m happy to do that, together with a recommendation for your treatment. You should also think of contacting your local hospice where you will find great advice on managing your pain.’
Stone was in no mood to ask questions; he already knew more than any doctors; he already knew where the pain was – he could feel it – and he knew how it was spreading. And the urologist continued about how radiotherapy and hormone therapy might help, but it was getting technical, and Stone only half listened. And a short while later, as he left the hospital, the news was still ringing in his ears, and he wondered why he had bothered to spend his valuable time having a scan.
He walked back to Claridge’s and even felt the sun on his face as, for a short while, the ache in his back was held in check with strong painkillers. But they made him tired, sleepy, lethargic and with an odd feeling that his body was just too heavy to carry around. And that was even though he had lost almost a stone in weight in the past three months.
There was a note under his door as he entered his suite, discreetly reminding him that he had run up a bill well into the thousands. He called down to reception, gave his credit card details and told them to clear his account. His consultation was finished; London was finished – it was time to go back to Marine House.
With a full glass of whisky in his hand, he sullenly opened the Financial Times that had been delivered to his suite. A small headline on the front page made his eyes light up. It was an article on Goldnight Casinos. They had agreed a merger deal with a large American casino operator in Las Vegas. And the price which was being offered by the Americans was nearly double the current price of Goldnight on the stock market. Stone at last was onto something big, and the hassle of the MRI scan quickly left him.
Within a few seconds of opening his laptop, he had flicked to his stockbroker account. It was all there. Chancing £150,000 into the shares of Goldnight had nearly doubled his money. This was like picking notes up as they floated down from the sky. Helicopter money. Even his nemesis Xavier behind bars for the next three years, for a moment, seemed benign.
With just five weeks left on his lease, and daring to think he could close in on Marine House, Stone quickly counted the money. News from Sol on the first big diamond, and now clearing the jackpot on Goldnight, he could see that he was now only £270,000 short.
From the coldness of the hospital earlier that morning, a smile crept across Stone’s face.
He was becoming more certain that he would close the gap further in his chase to buy Marine House. And Stone could often judge character. Like anybody else, Lady Ruth would not care where his money came from as long as the cash landed in her bank.
His mood lifted, but his pain persisted.