The rain poured down outside and Mary and Murray watched the newscast in silence. She couldn't concentrate on anything. Her boyfriend, Joe was back in town from a business trip and she couldn't even get excited about that. She loved him and in truth she needed to be with him, have him hold her and tell her he loved her. He had a way of making everything seem alright. A smile crept across her lips thinking about seeing him. But it soon faded as the newscast ended.

And this is Ted Baxter saying Goodnight and Good news…

Murray turned off the TV, "Well, that wasn't too bad for Ted. He only made one mistake. He mispronounced the Mayor's name."

Mary was now lost in thought and looked over at Lou's door waiting to see if would come out

"Mary, you okay?" He noticed she was quieter than usual and she had definitely not been herself since this whole thing with Lou started

She turned to Murray, "Huh?"

Murray felt so badly for her, "Mary, why don't you come have dinner with me and Marie tonight?"

"Oh, Murray that's sweet but Joe's got back in town today so I'm going over to his place." She said referring to her boyfriend.

"Good, it might take your mind off things." Murray suggested getting up and putting on his coat, "Are you ready?"

"No, I have something to take care of before I leave. I'll see you tomorrow." She said

"Well, okay but be careful, it's really pouring out there." Murray said as he walked out the door

Mary looked over at Lou's door again. She had been thinking all day and had come to a decision and now was as good a time as any to talk to him. She got up and knocked.

"Come in." Lou said

Mary came in and closed the door, "Mr. Grant I need to talk to you about something."

Lou looked up from his papers, "Business?"

Mary sighed, "Yes, it's business."

"Sit down." Lou responded

"Mr. Grant, I have been giving this a great deal of thought and I think given the situation it would be best if I look for another job."

"What situation, Mary?" Lou knew what she meant

"Mr. Grant, please don't make this harder than it already is." She pleaded

Lou could tell this was killing her, "Alright, Mary, if you feel like you should leave I cannot stop you but I presume once you find something you will give at least two weeks' notice."

Mary nodded, "Yes, of course, I just think it's time I leave WJM. In fact, channel eight approached me about a month ago and I turned them down. They still haven't found a producer to replace Mark Henson who left for the network. I think I'll call them tomorrow and see if they are still interested."

"Channel eight? Well that certainly would be a great opportunity. Please let me know once you talk to them."

Mary held back her tears; she had become good at that lately. She hoped if Lou thought she might actually leave he would have a change of heart but it appeared he was willing to let her go, "Yes, I'll certainly let you know of my decision."

"Thank you. Is that all?" Lou asked

Mary stood up, "Yes, sir, that's all. Thank you for hearing me out." She turned to leave

After she shut the door a single tear escaped Lou's eyes

Mary walked to the garage and got in her car. The rain had been coming down in torrents all night. She hoped seeing Joe tonight might make her feel better. He had been gone and didn't even know what had happened with Lou. Maybe he had some advice for her. She didn't want to leave WJM but she didn't know what else to do. She loved the people she worked with like her own family but she was sick inside and it would be better for Lou if he got someone who he felt he could really trust. No matter what he said about still respecting her as a producer there had to be a part of him that let what happened cloud his professional opinion of her as well. It was best to make a fresh start somewhere else. She pulled out of the garage and headed to Joe's . She could barely see through the rain even with her windshield wipers on. She made a turn on to Nicolette Avenue and went around the curve but the light from an oncoming car obstructed her vision and her car spun out of control and everything went black as it headed down the ravine.