Thanks for you reviews and prompts. Of course I don't own the newsroom!
Chapter 41
Mackenzie was quieter than usual after her first day back to work.
"What's on your mind Kenz?" Will wondered "Are you tired?"
"No, I'm fine really."
She was feeding baby Andrew, a sight that Will never tired of. He loved to watch the way Andrew's fingers curled in contentment as he suckled. When Mackenzie pulled him away from her breast, just long enough to shift him to the other one, he kicked his legs in protest.
"I know how he feels Kenz. I would hate it if you pushed me off your breast!"
Mackenzie laughed. Will's fascination with their baby and his habits was endless it seemed. He loved to watch her feed him and change him, and he loved to rock Andrew to sleep.
When a half hour passed in silence, he knew that something was bothering her. He had an idea that he knew what it was but like her, he refused to let crap seep into their precious private time, by discussing it. Mackenzie put Andrew down for the night while he stood behind her, massaging her neck.
"Come on, let's get in bed and see what John Stewart is up to."
They climbed in bed and he pulled her close. He was not going to let anything upset her. He was determined to keep their work environment a healthy place where they could both thrive. That was his plan
"Goodnight sweetheart. Just think happy thoughts Kenz"
"Of course. Tomorrow will be better. Not to worry. I love you Billy" she said as she nodded off to sleep.
Rebecca took home three files that night:Will's, Mackenzie's and Jim Harper's.
She started with Mackenzie. It seemed she had signed a three-year contract but less than 2 weeks later her contract was altered, Instead of three year contract, it was now a 52 week contract each year for three years. Each Monday, the contract was automatically renewed for another week, unless it wasn't.
Rebecca had never seen such a ridiculous contract and couldn't fathom why it had been designed that way.
There were other interesting bits about Mac's work history and her stack of Peabody awards for investigative journalism and she had to admit Mackenzie's graduate degree from Oxford was impressive. So why would a hot-shot reporter and producer accept a dumb contract that essentially allowed the network to fire her every week? That made no sense at all.
The other thing that jumped off the page was her attendance record.. She had far exceeded her maternity leave allowance. In fact she had been off for months and the network hadn't docked a penny from her pay. Jim Harper had been the EP from the time Rebecca joined the network. So…stay home and let someone else do your job for you while you receive full pay?. Nice work if you can get it! Wonder how the other staffers on maternity leave would feel knowing the preferential treatment that Mackenzie had received.
But it was this firing thing that really had Rebecca stumped. She re-read Mac's contract once more and noted the date it had been revised and that it was Will who had the authority to fire Mac. Interesting… It was obviously time to study Will's file.
She reread his contract several times and damn it, it was true! He had given up a million dollars a year for the privilege of getting rid of his so called..lady love, now his wife? She checked the date on the revised contract. It still had over 12 months to go before he was up for renegotiation. Mackenzie's contract expired at the same time. Interesting….so that meant that ACN had hired her and then Will had the terms changed to hold an ax over her head…and it was his ax. And she had stood for it? She must have been desperate for a job…
Will's contract contained one other juicy tid bit that Rebecca could not believe.
If he was fired he had to stay off the air for the duration of his contract. Unbelievable that an agent like William Morris would ever allow that, and that Will would agree to it. That was unheard of.
She checked back to Will's original contract and saw that no such onerous terms existed. So…not only had he forfeited a million a year when Mackenzie joined them, but he had allowed them insert that nasty clause that would be a death knell to anyone on camera. Not exactly a relationship based on trust! So why….
Okay, he probably got her pregnant and had to marry her. He seemed like that kind of morally upright type. What a hornet's nest… Well Mackenzie's days of lording it over her were going to be over as fast they had begun! This lady is living on very thin ice. Reese must know about this, and if he didn't he should!.
One last thing. She checked Jim's file. He was given a substantial raise exactly at the time that he took over Mackenzie's role. Wonder why they didn't just cut her pay back to cover Jim's raise? Any other network would have considered that, since she wasn't even coming in to work.
Well…it will be interesting to see how Will and Mac renegotiate their contracts when they come up for renewal. That will be fun to watch.
There was one more very interesting document in Will's file. Apparently he had paid someone a quarter of a million dollars and the network had made him sign a waiver that they were in no way involved or liable for this payoff.
Wonder what dirt he had to cover up with that kind of money? He must have been a really bad boy…or maybe it was for her. Maybe Mackenzie had some skeleton in her closet that Will had to cover up. This was growing more interesting by the moment!
She closed the files and returned them to their drawers and locked the cabinets.
This was gold that she would use when she needed it. It was like money in the bank… It was time for that lunch that Reese had wanted.
Reese and Rebecca had forged a fast bond right from the start. They sensed the same predator streak in each other. It was unspoken, but they were allies from the first meeting, and it was Reese who had convinced his mother to appoint Rebecca to her new position.
"So Rebecca, are we treating you right at ACN?"
" Very much so. This is my dream job Reese."
"Are you getting to know all the divisions?"
"Starting to. It's a big operation so it's going to take me awhile. Do you have any priorities that you want me to focus on besides overseeing the team handling the litigation? And of course the regulators who seem to be all over us."
"It's a constant so don't let it worry you. It's something that all the networks just have to live with."
"Anything else?"
"Well you know we shut down TMC. "
"Why did you do that anyway?" Rebecca had read that it was profitable so shutting it down was just not logical.
"Too much heat. It's not deemed respectable for a serious network and there was so much scrutiny that it just wasn't worth the trouble" Reese chose he words carefully..
" I see. Makes sense." Although she knew it didn't, she was not about to challenge Reese's story.
"What we really need is a Nancy Grace. We don't have anything juicy to offer the mass market., and that's where the real money is"
"Tell me about Night News.." she asked coyly
"The jewel in the crown for my mother. She's pumped on the idea of a serious broadcast that beats CNN. Before she was a mogel…she was an activist. Then she met my father and she became this titan of commerce. She learned to play the game but she has a soft spot for that show…like it's going to save her idealistic view of America." he laughed.
"What about Elliot's show?
"That's where we're starting to get the big bucks. It may not be the pride of the network, but Don knows how to appeal to the masses. It's the closest thing we have to Nancy."
"Interesting"
"Anyway, you need to hang out with all the shows, like we talked about. Get a feel for what's going on. Day Side, that's another story. Spend some time with them, you'll see."
"Well that was the plan, but it seems I'm not welcome in the newsroom, at least not by the News Night team." Rebecca said sweetly
"What do you mean 'you're not welcome?' Who told you that? I thought you were getting to know them.."
" I was, and I thought I was staying discreetly in the background, and then Ms McHale came back and told me to basically fuck off….if I may be so blunt."
Reese sat back in his chair and just stared at Rebecca. "Are you serious?"
"I'm afraid so. But never mind, I have a lot of other work to keep me busy. Wouldn't want to case a stir…they're probably just busy. It's not a problem really."
"Leave it with me, he said quietly" Rebecca could not help but notice the glint in his eye as he smiled at her.
"So Reese, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit? Charlie asked, crisply.. as Reese saddled in to his office and plopped himself down facing Charlie.
It had been months since Reese had dared to come in to his office. Ever since their showdown over Reese's illegal wire tapping activities, he had stayed clear of Charlie.
"You know that Rebecca has a mandate to get to know how things work around here, right?"
"Yes, so?"
"So where does Mac get off telling her that News Night is off-limits, I would like to know?"
"Mac is busy Reese. She has one of the hardest jobs in this entire network and she probably doesn't have the time to worry about Rebecca's learning curve."
"Yah well, I'm pretty tired of Mac getting to do whatever the hell she wants to, and fuck what's good for this company."
"Are you going to seriously try and tell me that you would disturb the running of the most respected show we own, that in case you haven't noticed, is beating every other news show on the air at the moment…over some suit who wants a course in news 101?
"I'm just pointing out that Ms McHale has only been back a few days and already she thinks she can write her own rules. How is that any way to run a news division Charlie? Just giving you information I thought you would want to hear."
"Well thank you Reese. As usual I don't give a damn what you thought. I run this division and nowhere does it say that lawyers are welcome to interfere with the business of putting out the god damn news! '
'As usual, you're protecting your favorite duo. Fine Charlie, but I would not make an enemy of Rebecca Halliday if I were you."
"There are no sides here Reese. We are one network trying to put out the news. End of story. Maybe you could find enough for her to do running our legal affairs so we won't have to waste any more time on asinine conversations like this one. And by the way her name is Mackenzie McAvoy in case you haven't come out from under your rock long enough to congratulate her on her recent marriage and the birth of her son."
Reese left, and Charlie felt like he should go and take a shower. What a dumb ass piece of crap…he thought. How in the world could his Leona have produced that idiot? At least Reese had delivered the one thing he needed to hear…that Mac was not putting up with any shit from Rebecca. Good. And no doubt Will was right there applauding her, as it should be.
Well, that was fun. He must remember to tell Will not to let Mac back down, but also not to provoke the situation. Let Rebecca audit the newsroom, so long as she was silent, he thought.
"Susie is getting out of rehab in a week and I was hoping you and I could drive up to her facility this week-end. What do you think?" Will asked hopefully.
"Of course we can. Is something special happening this week-end?"
"It's a thing where the family join in on the conversation. I guess it's important that we understand what's behind her issues, and how to help her when she gets out. I mean…that ' I' understand, that is."
"No Will, it's "we". She's my family too now, and Susie is my new sister in law, even if I've not met her yet. "
"Thanks Kenz. I hoped you would say that."
"You know….Susie no doubt has issues…like yours, that have to do with growing up in a difficult home. You need to be prepared for that darling."
"I know, but if you're with me Kenz, it will be so much easier for me. "
"Of course I'm with you. Always. You know that" she said softly.
"I want her to come for dinner on Sundays and get to know us and Andrew and Angus. Would that be ok?"
"Of course. You don't even have to ask. She can even live with us until she's ready to live on her own."
" I thought about that but it's not a good idea. Her counsellors explained that she needs to live in a group home with other recovering addicts and counsellors, before she can move on."
"Of course" Mackenzie said quietly
"And there's another thing Kenz. She's a small town girl, and she would never feel comfortable living this life. "
" Will,do you feel comfortable?" Mackenzie could sense that maybe he was telling her something about himself.
"Yes and no. I mean I love our home and I know that you and I are the same people we were when we met and you lived in that apartment with almost no furniture and hell…I never did unpack my boxes, even in the last apartment. Remember?"
"Yes and I never had any food in my fridge." she laughed "So what aren't you comfortable with Will?"
"I guess it feels like our life has gotten a lot fancier since we moved here."
"You mean Andrew, and Clara?"
"Of course we need a nanny and Clara is great….but maybe when the baby is a little older, we can think about not having Andrew. I really did like it when we had no one around at night and it was just us. And I liked making us eggs for dinner or ordering in our new 'low salt Chinese'. Do you understand?"'
"Of course I do. I think we were both so overwhelmed when I was stuck in bed, and then planning the renovations and the move, that we thought we would be permanently tired! But already I feel almost back to normal. "
"So do I. We've got a good routine going, and Rosa still comes every day. She can handle the cleaning and the laundry and even the shopping, for all of us."
"Ok, I agree. Let's give Andrew a heads up. You know I think he'll be happy to return home to Mallington Court. He really didn't expect to be staying permanently"
Will loved the fact the he could tell Mackenzie was he was feeling and that she was totally on side. He hoped they would always be as in sync and able to agree on the big things. She and Andrew and Angus were the joy of his life.
Will arrived at the studio the next morning to a message that Charlie wanted a private meeting. He strode up to Charlie's office just in time for morning coffee.
"Come on in Will. We need to talk"
"Sounds serious" Will said, sitting down and preparing himself.
"It not a big deal. Reese came to see me about Rebecca and Mac."
"Why in the hell is Reese sticking his nose in Mac's business?"
"Because he's still made about what the way we exposed him and no doubt sees a chance to to pin something on her, and Rebecca is trying to give him a reason. It's all crap but we have to put our heads together and ward this off before it blows up."
"So what in the hell is it about Charlie?"
"It's a power grab on her part. Reese can't hurt you or Mac. The show is going well, the ratings are great, and Leona is very pleased. But Rebecca seems to have a thorn up her ass about Mac. I suspect she's just trying to establish some authority over her. I think we just carry on putting out our show and if she wants to hang around and watch the production, let her. No reason to engage. Just act like she's not there."
"You're saying we can't keep her out of the newsroom altogether?"
" I think that would be throwing gas on the fire. Just play along. She'll get the message that we're too busy to for games and that Mac's not a threat to her."
"I hope you're right. I'm afraid she won't be satisfied until she stirs some shit. I'm a lawyer Charlie. All she has to do is read our contracts …and she'll find out how this all started. God I wish I hadn't been so arrogant , putting in those stupid clauses…"
"Why don't we get rid of them Will? Why not re-new your contracts early, and make them clean?"
" I would love to do that. I'll talk to Mac and we can go and see William Morris together"
"Yes, why don't you do that? We'll pre-empt Rebecca before she reads your files."
"Right" Will said, knowing full well that it was probably too late.
