Ginger opened the door to the office, not bothering to knock, and thrust the phone at Toby. "Telephone for you."
"Who?" Toby asked, accepting the phone. Ginger shrugged, and departed, calling back over her shoulder. "I don't know, some guy. He said it was important." Placing the earpiece, Toby tried not to sound bored.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Toby Ziegler?" The voice on the other end was male, nasal, and a bit muffled. No one Toby knew.
"Yeah, that's me. Hey, whatever it is, I'm not buying." Telephone solicitors, he thought, irritated. There should be a law. "Take my number off your list."
"I'm not trying to sell you something, Mr. Ziegler," the voice insisted, sounding a bit surprised. "I'm calling about Mr. and Mrs. Birnes." There was a pause.
"Yeah?" Toby prompted. "What about the Birnes?" Something in that pause boded trouble. "What's happened?"
He could hear a breath being taken, and then blown out, as the speaker let another moment slide by. "I'm sorry, sir," he finally said. "There's been an accident."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a long time before Toby opened his door again. When he did, his step was slower, and his face was bleak.
"Ginger!" Toby's bellow carried out of the office, and down the hall.
"Toby?" Ginger answered, sticking her head in. Toby pulled on his coat, shuffling around in the pockets for something. He knocked something off the desk in his haste, and didn't bother to fix it again, evoking a quizzical look from his secretary.
"I'm leaving early. If something has to be done, it'll wait." Switching off the light, he exited the office, herding Ginger out and closing the door behind him.
"What? But you've got a meeting with-!"
"Not anymore." He started down the hallway, his feet pounding along the floor, so that Ginger had to jog to keep up with him.
"He isn't going to like that very much. You can't just-!" Ginger sounded slightly panicked. Toby shook his head angrily, and picked up the pace.
"Yes I can. I'm going home. Take care of it. Goodnight."
Stopping, Ginger watched him leave the building, a puzzled and worried expression on her face. A few seconds later, Josh came up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hey, is Toby available?" He asked, jerking his head towards the now closed office door. Ginger shook her head, biting her lip.
"Ah...no. No, I don't think so. Is it important?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Storming through the parking lot, Toby ignored the odd looks from those around him as he headed for the car. He would remain calm, he told himself, even as he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He would remain collected, and composed, at least until he'd left the building.
"Toby!" CJ came running up behind him, breathing heavily. She clutched at his arm, forcing him to stop. "Toby, what the hell is going on? Ginger told me you stormed out in a fit. She's pretty worried."
Taking a deep breath, Toby skewed around to look at CJ. Her brow was furrowed and her lip was bitten, in an almost comical display of concern. He sighed, shook his head, and jerked away, heading towards the car. "A friend of mine just passed away," he called back in way of explanation. "A very close friend."
CJ broke into a jog again, apparently determined to detain him. Why, he wondered, couldn't he just leave the building for a while, without the whole place coming after him? This was ridiculous. "Toby, I'm sorry," CJ was saying. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah," he muttered back, "Me too." Damnit, he needed to get home, now. "Anyway, I have to go."
"Wait!" CJ was horribly persistent. "I said, I'm sorry to hear that, but...you've got to stay here. I mean, there's nothing you can do for them, now, and we need you here...Josh has been looking all over for you, I don't know why, and Ginger's ballistic, because she's scheduled seven or eight meetings that you've just blown off. Get a grip, Toby." She squeezed his shoulder sympathetically.
"No, I can't." Toby insisted, though he didn't tell CJ to remove her hand. "I really can't."
"Why not?" Asked CJ, yet again the voice of reason. Toby sighed.
"Because their daughter...my god-daughter...she's still alive. And for some reason, I'm supposed to have custody of her now. And I need to fix this."
CJ stopped jogging. "Oh," she murmured. "Yes, that might be a problem." But before he could escape, she was on him again. "Wait, doesn't she have any relatives?"
Toby shrugged resignedly. "I guess not. Her grandparents are all long gone, I know that. I think Jack...my friend...I think he has a brother. Haven't heard much about him lately, I don't think they get along well. Got along well," He corrected himself, a bit thrown off by his slip. "Apparently my number was the one under 'person you should call in an emergency.'" He was a bit bitter about that. If he hadn't known about this until the end of the day, maybe it would have been easier. He could have grieved in the comfort of his home, instead of on the pavement, with CJ badgering him and pounding on his heels. "May I go, now? Or have you something else, some other question that needs answering?"
Something in his voice must have cued her, because CJ finally did relent, and stopped, letting him get into his car. "Poor kid," he heard her murmur as he shut the door. "Both of them in one night."
What about poor me? Toby thought. But that was stupid, he realized. Pulling away, he watched CJ dwindle into the distance. It could only go downhill from here, he realized unhappily. Why him?
"Who?" Toby asked, accepting the phone. Ginger shrugged, and departed, calling back over her shoulder. "I don't know, some guy. He said it was important." Placing the earpiece, Toby tried not to sound bored.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Toby Ziegler?" The voice on the other end was male, nasal, and a bit muffled. No one Toby knew.
"Yeah, that's me. Hey, whatever it is, I'm not buying." Telephone solicitors, he thought, irritated. There should be a law. "Take my number off your list."
"I'm not trying to sell you something, Mr. Ziegler," the voice insisted, sounding a bit surprised. "I'm calling about Mr. and Mrs. Birnes." There was a pause.
"Yeah?" Toby prompted. "What about the Birnes?" Something in that pause boded trouble. "What's happened?"
He could hear a breath being taken, and then blown out, as the speaker let another moment slide by. "I'm sorry, sir," he finally said. "There's been an accident."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a long time before Toby opened his door again. When he did, his step was slower, and his face was bleak.
"Ginger!" Toby's bellow carried out of the office, and down the hall.
"Toby?" Ginger answered, sticking her head in. Toby pulled on his coat, shuffling around in the pockets for something. He knocked something off the desk in his haste, and didn't bother to fix it again, evoking a quizzical look from his secretary.
"I'm leaving early. If something has to be done, it'll wait." Switching off the light, he exited the office, herding Ginger out and closing the door behind him.
"What? But you've got a meeting with-!"
"Not anymore." He started down the hallway, his feet pounding along the floor, so that Ginger had to jog to keep up with him.
"He isn't going to like that very much. You can't just-!" Ginger sounded slightly panicked. Toby shook his head angrily, and picked up the pace.
"Yes I can. I'm going home. Take care of it. Goodnight."
Stopping, Ginger watched him leave the building, a puzzled and worried expression on her face. A few seconds later, Josh came up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hey, is Toby available?" He asked, jerking his head towards the now closed office door. Ginger shook her head, biting her lip.
"Ah...no. No, I don't think so. Is it important?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Storming through the parking lot, Toby ignored the odd looks from those around him as he headed for the car. He would remain calm, he told himself, even as he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He would remain collected, and composed, at least until he'd left the building.
"Toby!" CJ came running up behind him, breathing heavily. She clutched at his arm, forcing him to stop. "Toby, what the hell is going on? Ginger told me you stormed out in a fit. She's pretty worried."
Taking a deep breath, Toby skewed around to look at CJ. Her brow was furrowed and her lip was bitten, in an almost comical display of concern. He sighed, shook his head, and jerked away, heading towards the car. "A friend of mine just passed away," he called back in way of explanation. "A very close friend."
CJ broke into a jog again, apparently determined to detain him. Why, he wondered, couldn't he just leave the building for a while, without the whole place coming after him? This was ridiculous. "Toby, I'm sorry," CJ was saying. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah," he muttered back, "Me too." Damnit, he needed to get home, now. "Anyway, I have to go."
"Wait!" CJ was horribly persistent. "I said, I'm sorry to hear that, but...you've got to stay here. I mean, there's nothing you can do for them, now, and we need you here...Josh has been looking all over for you, I don't know why, and Ginger's ballistic, because she's scheduled seven or eight meetings that you've just blown off. Get a grip, Toby." She squeezed his shoulder sympathetically.
"No, I can't." Toby insisted, though he didn't tell CJ to remove her hand. "I really can't."
"Why not?" Asked CJ, yet again the voice of reason. Toby sighed.
"Because their daughter...my god-daughter...she's still alive. And for some reason, I'm supposed to have custody of her now. And I need to fix this."
CJ stopped jogging. "Oh," she murmured. "Yes, that might be a problem." But before he could escape, she was on him again. "Wait, doesn't she have any relatives?"
Toby shrugged resignedly. "I guess not. Her grandparents are all long gone, I know that. I think Jack...my friend...I think he has a brother. Haven't heard much about him lately, I don't think they get along well. Got along well," He corrected himself, a bit thrown off by his slip. "Apparently my number was the one under 'person you should call in an emergency.'" He was a bit bitter about that. If he hadn't known about this until the end of the day, maybe it would have been easier. He could have grieved in the comfort of his home, instead of on the pavement, with CJ badgering him and pounding on his heels. "May I go, now? Or have you something else, some other question that needs answering?"
Something in his voice must have cued her, because CJ finally did relent, and stopped, letting him get into his car. "Poor kid," he heard her murmur as he shut the door. "Both of them in one night."
What about poor me? Toby thought. But that was stupid, he realized. Pulling away, he watched CJ dwindle into the distance. It could only go downhill from here, he realized unhappily. Why him?