Ruth and Joyce collected their breakfast trays. “Where do you want to sit?” Joyce asked.
Ruth scanned the room. Sam and Donna were sitting at their usual table; the one toward the back of the cafeteria, next to the windows. She motioned with her head. “How about the one in front of them?”
Joyce frowned. “I do not want to sit next to Sam and Donna.”
“I do,” Ruth grinned. “Come on. You can sit with your back to them.”
“Fine,” Joyce groaned. “As long as I don’t have to look at them.”
“Joyce, you know damned well if you could be in Donna’s shoes, you would.”
“Yeah – well – I’m not.”
“You might if Donna wasn’t in the way.”
“No, I wouldn’t. All Sam is ever going to see me as is a quick fuck.”
Ruth laughed, catching Sam’s attention. He looked up, groaned inwardly and turned his attention back to Donna. “Let’s face it, Joyce. That’s all Sam sees in most women. Personally, if I were you, I’d go for Richard.”
“My blood is the wrong colour,” Joyce sighed.
“Good morning, Sam, Donna,” Ruth said as she and Joyce reached their table.
“Morning, ladies,” Sam responded curtly.
Donna furrowed her brow and studied Ruth’s eyes for a few seconds. She noticed Ruth’s perfume bore a strong resemblance to the one she’d smelt on Sam’s neck. “Morning…” Donna said quietly.
“Are we having a staff meeting this morning?” Ruth called out.
“Not today,” Sam responded. “Did you notice if Tina was in the lab when you passed by?”
“No Sam,” Ruth replied. “Ian was there, though.”
“If you see her, tell her I need to talk to her.”
“OK Sam.”
Joyce and Ruth started chatting while they ate their breakfast. Sam didn’t seem the least bit bothered by either of the women. Donna and Sam shared stories about college and medical school. She laughed at his jokes and tales of crazy things that happened to him when he lived in Australia, but Sam could sense she was a little preoccupied by something. “Sam, when was the last time you saw your mother?”
“It’s been at least five years, maybe longer.”
“Don’t you go home for Christmas?”
Sam sighed. “No, sweetheart. I haven’t been back home since I moved to the UK.”
Donna frowned. “Is there some kind of friction, between you and your parents?”
“Not between me and my mom, but there was between me and my stepfather.”
“Oh, so your mother was married before?”
“No. My mother was pregnant with me when she met my stepfather. I never knew my father. He died before I was born.”
“How much do you know about your father?”
“Not a lot. According to the stories my mother told me, he was supposed to be someone important. Why all the questions about my past?”
“I was just curious.”
Ruth shared a look with Joyce as they quietly eavesdropped on Sam and Donna’s conversation. Joyce pressed her lips into a thin line. She knew Sam didn’t like talking about his childhood.
“Well, don’t be!” Sam snapped. “I don’t like talking about my past. There’s a lot of pain back there. My stepfather and I didn’t get along. According to my mother, my stepfather was jealous of my father.”
Donna sighed. “I see….”
“You still haven’t told me why, all of a sudden, you’re so interested in my family.”
“I was just – I mean,” she sighed, unsure of how to approach the subject. Finally, she decided to take the direct approach. She studied his eyes. “How do you feel about… children?”
Sam’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard. “Um… I honestly hadn’t given it a lot of thought, Donna. I mean – there’s nothing like diaper duty to put a damper on a relationship.”
“So… you don’t want children, then?”
“I didn’t say that. Do you?”
Joyce grinned. She could almost hear the wheels turning in Sam’s head.
“Yes,” Donna softly smiled and answered without hesitation. She remembered how much enjoyment she got from hearing Sarabeth, Jared’s daughter, call her ‘Mommy’. “I’d like to have a little girl and maybe, even a little boy - someday,” she added quickly. “Obviously, you’re not interested in that sort of thing.”
Sam reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Will you stop putting words in to my mouth? I did not say that I didn’t want to settle down, or that I didn’t want to have children – someday – as you put it. Like I told you before, I’ve never stayed in a relationship long enough to even consider marriage, or starting a family.”
Joyce leaned forward so Ruth could hear her. “How is he responding to that?” she whispered.
“He’s giving her a snow job – plastering up the cracks. From the look on her face, I think Donna is buying it.”
Donna shook her head and scoffed. “Oh, forget it. It doesn’t matter. It’s not important. I’m finished. Let’s get Sir Richard and John’s breakfast. It’s been almost an hour. I’m anxious to check on Missy.”
Sam stood and picked up their trays. “Do you want anything else to drink?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll have another vanilla cappuccino.”
“I’ll get us both one,” Sam said.
Donna stood and followed him. She stopped near Ruth and Joyce’s table. “Ruth, could I ask what kind of perfume you’re wearing?”
“It’s called Euphoria.” Ruth glanced at Sam and then turned her attention back to Donna. “Richard gave it to me. Do you like it? I’m sure if you talked to him, he’d get some for you, too.”
Donna softly smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “He already gave me some. It doesn’t suit me, but it smells nice on you.”
“Richard has excellent taste.”
“Yes, he does,” Donna replied and followed Sam to the counter.
“Richard bought you Euphoria?” Joyce asked when they were out of earshot.
“Yeah, but it didn’t do what he said it would.”
Joyce frowned. “What did he say it would do?”
“It’s supposed to have something in it that drives men wild. He told me to wear it and see how Sam reacted.”
“It didn’t work, did it?”
Ruth arched an eyebrow. “No… it didn’t.”
Joyce sipped her coffee. “It didn’t work when I wore it either, but oh did it drive Richard nuts.”
Ruth grinned. “Is that so? Hmm….”
------------
Sam collected Sir Richard and John’s breakfast and guided Donna to the exit. As they approached the lift, Richard stepped out. “Have you got the next batch of stem cells ready?” Donna asked.
“I just put them in Missy’s room. I was looking for you. Since I’ve obviously found you, I’m going to have some breakfast while I wait for the next batch to get ready.”
“Good,” Donna smiled and turned to Sam. “That will give us a chance to run the blood work on Missy first. Then, I want to check it again in another hour.”
“Why every hour?” Richard asked.
“I don’t know how Missy is going to respond. I want to stay on top of it, in case I have to do something fast. I told you, the EHG has a high mutation factor. The CTZ5 is barely holding the bond. I may have to adjust it. Once it’s in her system, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“OK, well, I’ll see you later then,” Richard said and left.
Sam and Donna stepped into the lift. She frowned. “Did he seem a little preoccupied to you?”
Sam scoffed and wrapped an arm around her waist. “No more so than usual.” The lift doors closed.
------------
John looked up from the sound of the door opening.
“Where are Gary and Sir Richard?” Donna asked as she and Sam entered the room.
“Here’s your breakfast,” Sam said, handing it over.
John opened the bag and took out his tea. He leaned back in the chair. “Ah, that’s just what I needed. Gary was going to make a quick trip to Tina’s apartment and see why she hasn’t returned his calls. Sir Richard had to take care of some business. He said he would eat his scone when he got back.”
Donna took a vacutube, alcohol swab and tourniquet out of her lab coat pocket. “What’s wrong?” John asked, worry creasing his brow.
“Nothing, John.” Donna smiled. “I just want to draw some blood and make sure she’s doing OK.”
Sam unlocked his cell phone. “Gary… it’s Sam. John said you were going to check on Tina. Do me a favour. When you see her, give her a message for me. Tell her if she hasn’t called me by the end of the day to start looking for another job.”
“I didn’t see her, Sam. Tina’s apartment has been cleared out. The landlady didn’t know where she went. I tried ringing her, but her number doesn’t work anymore.”
Sam frowned. “Tina’s moved?”
“Apparently so. She hadn’t mentioned anything to you about moving, had she?”
Donna jerked her head up and shared a worried look with Sam. “I’m going to get this to the lab. Is there anything you want me to tell Ian?”
“Sam… are you still there?”
“Hang on a second, Gary.” Sam pressed mute. “Yeah. Tell him if he sees Tina or hears from her that she’s fired.”
Donna nodded and left. John’s interest peaked. He stepped closer to Sam. “You’re sacking Tina?”
“Gary said her apartment was empty. Her landlord didn’t know her new address, and when Gary tried to ring her cell phone, he said it had been changed. I’m not putting up with this kind of behaviour.”
John unlocked his cell phone and stepped out of earshot. “Tim, it’s John….”
Sam took his cell phone off mute. “I’m back. Where are you?”
“Sitting at Westgate Road, waiting on the light to change. How’s Missy doing?”
“Her vitals are stable, and it looks like the problem with her kidneys may be getting better. We’ll know more when Ian gets done with her blood work. Donna took it to the lab.”
“The light just changed. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“OK Gary.” Sam ended the call.
John was still on the phone. “See what you can find out Tim. Also, keep an eye on Sir Richard. Call me if you find out anything.” John locked his cell phone. “Did I overhear you tell Gary that you think Missy’s problem with her kidneys is getting better?”
“Yes, you did John,” Sam smiled. “Her output is still below what I would expect it to be with the amount of fluids we’re putting into her body, but it’s looking better.” Sam motioned with his head. “We’re you calling Sir Richard?”
“No. Tim. I’ve got him, and Joe working to find out what’s going on with Tina. I’m a little concerned that she disappears the same day Forrest shows up. I don’t like it when he’s on our side of the pond, especially with me tied up here with Missy. I should be out there doing my job, but I wanted to be here when she came out of the coma. There’s no telling what state she’ll be in.”
“She’ll probably be confused. The last time she was aware of anything, she was being tortured. There’s also something else I need to talk to you about, but I was waiting to see how things turned out.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’d rather not talk about it in here,” he said, motioning toward the bed. “I don’t want to chance that she’ll overhear. We can step out into the corridor and talk, or we can talk in my office.”
“I don’t want to leave her long, Sam.”
“Then let’s just step out into the corridor. It will only take a couple of minutes to say what I have to say.”
John nodded and stood. He turned to the two guards outside Melissa’s door; a stern look on his face. “No one gets through this door.” The guards nodded and stepped closer together. John followed Sam out of earshot. “What happened to Missy that you haven’t told me about?”
“Missy was sexually assaulted, John.”
John slowly clenched his fists. He tightened his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before now?”
“Quite frankly, I didn’t expect Missy to pull through. I didn’t see any reason to mention it. Legally, I shouldn’t be telling you now, but since we’re friends, I thought you should know. It might be an idea not to say anything to Missy about this until we find out how much she remembers. She’s got enough to deal with right now, just staying alive.”
John nodded. “Thank you, Sam. Does Sir Richard know about this?”
“Yes.”
“Who else knows?”
“Donna, Gary, Richard, Jared and Juanita. Jared suspected it when he went in and rescued her. For precautionary measures, I’ve done the standard examination. Her blood work was free of STDs. It’s just the emotional trauma she’ll have to deal with. That is if she was conscious, at the time.”
The respirator alarm went off. Sam and John took off in a run.