Ria sat there with Lightman in complete silence. She could tell that he knew something because of the way she kept catching him looking at her. She hated ever seeming weak or out of control and once again she had showcased her worse traits while drunk. Feeling out of control was Ria's worst fear. Being an victim of childhood abuse made Ria cling to controlling her life. She felt like if she was on control of herself no one could hurt her. Her attack had proven that theory wrong. She had been on a downward spiral for awhile and she thought that she had been hiding it well but her broken relationship with Loker was the first casualty of her lies. She didn't want her job to be a second. "I am very sorry about all of this Lightman. It will not happen again. Last night was just an off night because Loker and I broke up. More like he dumped me...but still I was dealing with the dissolution of a relationship and possibly a friendship. But this will not affect my work. I am back to normal." asserted Ria confidently.
Cal said "Bollocks! Everything you just said to me was complete and utter bull. You don't have to tell me what is wrong but do not insult my intelligence by telling me that there is nothing wrong at all. Eli is a good lad...but you didn't get wasted in my office because of him...at least not only because of him. And you are delusional if you think that this situation isn't going to start bleeding into your work. If it already hasn't started to, you are generally more thorough when it comes to pushing clients for information."
Anger flashed across her face and she said "You really shouldn't try to read your colleagues...sometimes there has to be secrets between co-workers for things to remain normal. You wouldn't let me say anything to Foster when I saw that her husband was lying to her...I need some privacy...please." The last statement seemed more of a plea than anything else. Ria knew that if Lightman continued to prod she would divulge everything and the tenuous hold she had on her sanity would be the first to go.
"I didn't need to read you. Only an idiot would believe you. And we are hardly...just co-workers. I care about what happens to you and there is obviously something very wrong right now. And whatever it is...it is laying waste to everything in your life. Your relationship, your mental health, and your job are suffering at the moment. And if you don't turn this situation around it is only going to get worse. If there is something on your mind...if there is something you need to talk about...you can talk to me. You had a nightmare last night...twice..." said Cal.
"Are...are you firing me?" asked Ria stunned. She didn't know what she'd do without her job. She stared at him when he mentioned her nightmare. She glared at him. Ria was worried about what she had managed to stay in her sleep. She didn't want Lightman or anyone else to know about what happened to her. This was her own personal shame.
He spotted the look of shame on her face and that was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. "Not yet." said Cal getting up. He walked out of the room and went upstairs taking a shower and dressing for work. While he was in his room he took out his cell phone and called one of his newest friends or sex partners...they hadn't actually given what they were doing a name. He waited for her to answer the phone. "Detective Wallowski, I need a favor from you. I think a colleague of mine...is in trouble."
She frowned. She was hoping that this was a social call. Cal could be annoying but he was also great in bed. She said "What sort of trouble are we talking about here? After that situation with my partner I am skating on very thin ice over here. I don't know how many big favors I can garner around here until the stink of a dirty partner has left me. Which...I have you to thank for getting me out of...so I will do whatever I can to help you."
"Thin ice? You are treading water love." corrected Cal. "I need you to check on hospitals in the area...see if they had a young Hispanic woman in her mid 20's to mid 30's in say the past month that came in for medical attention following an assault of some sort. She probably didn't use her real name when she visited the Emergency room."
"Are we talking about the young woman that works for you?" asked Detective Wallowski curiously as she jotted down the information Lightman was giving her. She figured it wouldn't be too hard to find out what she needed to know if she floated the description through the local emergency rooms, but she would probably have to sort through the women to find the right one.
"For now I'd rather keep the identity of the woman a secret. I just think that she might be in trouble and I need confirmation of that. She is a proud woman that isn't going to spill her guts...possibly until it is almost too late. You'd know all about that right." said Cal.
"I should be able to give you the information by the end of the day. I'll run this lead down for you. Maybe we could have dinner?" asked Wallowski. "I never did get to properly thank you for what you did for me. Besides I haven't seen you in awhile."
"Good, if you could get back to me by the end of the day that would be great. I really need to know this." said Cal. "I won't be able to make it for dinner tonight but maybe in the next couple of days. I'll talk to you later love." said Cal hanging up. He put on his watch and walked back downstairs to the kitchen but saw that Ria was no longer in the kitchen. He walked back upstairs to the guest room and knocked on the door.
Ria opened the door fully dressed in her clothing from the previous night. "I am going to go to the office and pick up my keys and then go home. So I'll be a little late for work but I promise after that I will be there and I will be on top of my game. Last night will just be a distant memory." said Ria.
Cal could see that she truly believed that but he knew better. Whatever she was pushing beneath the surface wasn't going to stay submerged for long. But she was too stubborn to accept help. Cal decided it would be better to confront her with evidence so that she couldn't deny the truth. Cal said "Alright, I will see you at the office. We are going to be talking to a senator's aides today to see which of them has been talking to the tabloids behind his back."
"Okay...I will be there Lightman. I will not let you or the company down again. I just need to get back into stride." said Ria. Ria took in a deep breath as if steadying herself. She hated being in front of Lightman. She felt like everything she did was just another confession.
"Do you want me to give you a ride?" asked Cal wondering how she was expecting to get to the office. He knew that she was trying to put as much space between the two of them as possible but he wasn't about to let her run away. She was in a bad place and she needed help.
Ria nodded and said "That would be good thank you." She picked up her purse and walked out of the guest bedroom and downstairs. "And thank you for watching over me last night…you could have just as easily dropped me off at a hotel or something. I just needed to be somewhere safe last night…and I am glad that I was here with you…even if I can't remember all of it."
"I care about what happens to you." said Cal simply. Cal picked up his car keys and walked out of the house with Ria. He stopped momentarily locking the door. He climbed into the car and waited for her before he took off for the office. The ride to the office was absolutely silent. Neither of them knew what to say to one another. After awhile Cal arrived at the Lightman Group and pulled into his parking space.
Ria quickly climbed out of the car and said "Thank you." She closed the door and took off like a rabbit into the building. She went straight for her office to retrieve her house keys. She was headed for the door when she spotted Eli. She tried to make it out of the door before he saw her.
Eli saw her and walked quickly after her. "Ria! We need to talk about last night…" Loker had spent the night worried about Ria and had a change of heart because of that. He realized that he cared enough for her to ride out whatever storm they were going through. He felt like a complete bastard for letting her just walk away last night. Their relationship had just been strained for awhile and he didn't know how to fix it.
"There is nothing to talk about." said Ria in a hiss over her shoulder. She proceeded to the main doors wanting to get out of there. Ria walked to her car and stood there feeling tears stinging her eyes daring to fall down her cheeks. She opened the car door but couldn't bring herself to climb in. She slammed her fist down on the hood of her car and cried.
Eli stood there for a moment collecting himself. He knew he had hurt her last night by breaking up with her and he had been a fool for doing it. He decided to go after her. He needed to talk to her. Eli ran out of the building hoping she was still in the parking lot. Eli caught up with her and grabbed her arm gently to stop her from climbing into her car. "Please Ria…"
Ria screamed she was startled by him grabbing her. Ria screamed in fear. "Get your hands off of me! Don't you ever put your hands on me again!" railed Ria. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She felt light headed from the sudden increase in her blood pressure.
Cal was just walking out of his office having just received an interesting call from Detective Wallowski. He was heading out to find Loker.
Gillian spotted him and walked over. "Were you able to get any information from Ria?" asked Gillian.
"No, just that she thinks that she is fine...but she is sadly mistaken. Something set her off last night...and breaking up with Loker poured fuel onto the fire in some way. I want to have a talk with him and see if he can tell me just what happened last night between the two of them. It might give us some sort of indication as to her underlying problem. I also called in a favor that may pay off. Wallowski is looking into ER visits for me. She's already found two cases that might fit the bill." He walked over to the receptionist. "Where is Loker?"
"He followed Ms. Torres out…I think they are fighting." said the receptionist in a low voice.
Cal and Gillian were heading to the parking lot when they heard the scream. They rushed over to the car. They stopped when they arrived on the scene.
The scene was a strange one. Ria was standing against her car with the driver's door open. Eli had a firm grip on her right arm and was looking at her confused and startled but he also looked concerned for the woman he was in love with. Ria was sobbing but looked angry and was pulling her arm away from Loker.
"Ria! What did I do…what is wrong?" asked Eli looking concerned for her. He saw the tears rolling down her cheeks and all he wanted to do was help her. He hugged her to him. "I am sorry for whatever I did…please just talk to me baby." said Eli in a gentle voice.
Feeling Eli hug her made her feel like she was going to vomit. She sobbed harder. "Let go of me! Just leave me alone!"
Cal walked over and said "Loker….let her go." He put his hand on Eli's shoulder to reassure him. He could see that Eli was freaked out by the situation as well.
Eli nodded and moved away from her. He didn't know what to do. He looked at Lightman and then over to Foster as if to ask for guidance. Standing back he could now see the terror on her face and realized he had unintentionally caused that. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
Foster walked over to Eli and said "Why don't you go inside and get the cube prepped for the aides…they should be here very soon and we need to be ready for them." Foster gave his arm a comforting squeeze.
Eli looked at Ria and said "Ria….I'm sorry that I scared you." He ran a hand through his curly jet black hair and then walked back onto the Lightman Group without another word. He didn't know what to think about what had just occurred.
"I need to go home to change." said Ria in a strained voice. She felt humiliated for screaming like a maniac at Eli. He had just scared her by coming up behind her. Her hand unconsciously went to her neck and rubbed it.
Gillian walked over and said "Ria, why don't we go into my office and talk before you go home…"
"I…I really need to get a shower and change…but I will be back soon." said Ria. She climbed into her car and closed the door quickly. She started her car and pulled out of the parking lot quickly.
Gillian said "Did you see the way she rubbed her neck…"
Cal nodded and said "Yeah, I saw it…the sooner Wallowski comes through the better…"