Monday morning Walter sat nervously in the small waiting area outside of Richard's door. Normally he had no problems with Richard or anyone else but this was a bit different. Richard really came to his aid when things fell apart. Took him in, gave him a structure his mind needed at the time. A safe place to begin again and here he was a couple of months later to see if they could change things.
"Yeah, well I don't care what they want. They can't have it. When my design team says it is ready it will be ready. The contract gives us another three months for proof of concept and another year after that to begin production." Richard said as he stepped off his private elevator.
"Yeah you do that." Richard said before he tapped the bluetooth module in his ear. He stopped at his receptionist's desk and handed her a stack of mail and received a stack back before he turned and saw Walter.
"Walter, what a surprise." Richard said with a smile. "Come on in the office." Richard pushed on into his office. Walter followed along and closed the doors behind him.
"Did you have a good weekend?" Walter asked, a bit nervous.
"Not bad, but not great. As long as there is money to be made in the environmental department I don't mind the cost of these things, but this is really getting out of hand." Richard told him pointing at a chair in front of his desk. "What brings you by this morning?"
Walter sat down nervously looking about.
"Is everything okay? You seem disturb about something." Richard observed.
"I wanted to tell you that Paige and I made up this weekend." Walter started.
"Oh boy." Richard sighed as he flopped down in his chair. "So are you here to tell me you are quitting on me?"
Walter shook his head.
"No, absolutely not. I was here to ask if your original offer still stood." Walter asked.
Richard frowned as he thought back and finally shook his head.
"I'm sorry Walter, I'm not remembering any other offer." Richard finally told him.
"Well things are still exploratory beyond Paige. But apparently after I had crashed your car you had made an offer to bring my friends here to work as well." Walter explained. "But I do want to hire Paige to come work as my assistant."
Richard smiled.
"Walter, I gave you complete autonomy over your department, if you want Paige to work for you I have no problems with that. As for the other three, things are kind of different now as compared to then. You are already here and you are doing remarkably well without them." Richard told him.
"I know and I can't believe I'm here talking to you on their behalf." Walter started as he handed over a file folder to him.
Richard took it and flipped it open and saw it was an evaluation form for one of Walter's team members. He saw the low marks and written summaries concerning the man.
"So you really think Mark Weber has a real problem with you and it is why his work has been lacking?" Richard asked after reading through the document.
Walter nodded.
"I've gone back over his previous evaluations and I found them all claiming what a good job he does, always on time, eager to help and do whatever needed to be done to get the job accomplished." Walter told him. "So either his previous evaluations were falsely written or there is a problem. As you can see, I've been keeping a written log about the problems and all my attempts to discuss them with him. And he would always promise to work on them but then nothing has gotten better. I asked for a simple six millimeter adjustment to the clip of the wiring harness design a month ago. And he's failed to give me an update. When I asked him about it this morning he told me it wasn't needed. He didn't have anything to show me any designs he had made, or tests he'd conducted on the existing one, just nothing."
Richard nodded listening as he called up previous evaluations on his computer.
"What's the point of this six millimeter adjustment?" Richard asked.
"The clip is simply too easy to break. I know some obsolescence is wanted in a design but you don't want these to break the first time they are used. You will tick off your customer." Walter explained and held out a current design clip.
Richard tested it and sure enough it snapped the second he tried to disengage the clip.
"Yeah, you are right, that isn't good. What do your numbers say for the slight increase?" Richard asked.
"Average will be around seven uses. Which means they will have to order a new one every eight to fourteen months." Walter explained as he held out a paper with his math calculations.
"Okay, I'm sold, and by this I am assuming you want to hire Happy to take his place?" Richard asked.
Walter nodded.
"Sounds good to me then." Richard smiled.
"I'd like to bring Sylvester in as a floating calculator for our various departments. I don't think just one department would be cost effective to hire him. But if he agrees, he'd pick up the workload from all five departments. One of Paige's responsibilities will be in directing his priority." Walter told him.
"Sylvester is a bit different, but I think he'd be an asset as well so I don't have a problem with that. What about him?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that out. I spoke briefly with Happy this morning and she claims he is willing to change but I have my doubts, to be honest. And at this time we don't need a Dr on my team." Walter told him.
"Yeah, I've never cared for Toby and I am sure you know that already. But there are a couple of projects that might be benefitted by having a genius Dr helping with them if he is willing to act civilly." Richard rubbed his finger across his cheek.
"Well according to Paige, it will take them a month to finish their current contracts before they can come to work here. She wants to come in tomorrow to go over all of the obligations with me so I will know for sure. But before I approach them I wanted to talk to you. It seemed like the right thing to do." Walter told him.
"You or Paige?" Richard grinned.
"Paige doesn't know I'm talking to you about them. I did tell her I wanted to talk to you about hiring her though." Walter smiled.
"Alright, well as I said, you have the autonomy to hire as you need. I'm going to pull Weber in and have a discussion with him. If I don't like his response he's fired. I'm not big on non-team players. Toby falls into that category. And Mark Weber isn't acting like one, so I'm over halfway ready to fire him. But if I decide to keep him, I'll move him somewhere else before the end of the day. Thank you for coming to talk to me Walter and for not just quitting." Richard explained.
"I wouldn't do that to you Richard. The drive behind Scorpion is gone, between what the guys did and the fact that I finally realized that I'm not responsible for what the US did with my aid package delivery software, I'm more than happy here." Walter reached out to shake his hand.
"Good deal." Richard told him as they shook hands.
"There is one other thing, I noticed the company is looking to hire a new assistant security head. May I put someone's name in the hat?" Walter asked.
"Of course you can, oh wait, that older guy that works for Homeland?" Richard asked.
Walter nodded.
"Cabe Gallo. I haven't talked to him about it, but if CP folds he'd have to go back into the field or a desk job. He'd hate a desk job and the field is getting more dangerous. But as the assistant head here, he'd be responsible to train new people which I think he might like. And it would be safer for him and I know Allie would appreciate that." Walter told him.
Richard nodded slowly.
"I'll call personnel and tell them it is your decision as to who will fill that spot." Richard told him.
"Oh, as my employer it probably doesn't make a difference but as my friend I thought I should let you know something we found out this weekend." Walter told him as they walked towards the door.
"Sure, what is it?" Richard stopped before grabbing the door handle.
"Well as it turns out Paige and I actually met long before we thought we did in 2014. We discovered this because my son revealed he had done a genetics test on me for his class at CalTech last January. And as it turns out, Ralph is actually my biological son." Walter told him.
Richard stood there with his mouth gaped wide open staring at him.
"Wait, wait, wait. I, what do you mean? How could you not know you knew Paige? Your memory is off the chart." Richard stood there leaning heavily against the door knob.
Walter had a nervous smile as he kind of chuckled.
"Well short version, I had been mugged and had a head injury. Paige in a moment of emotional distress had gotten drunk. She'd seen me and tried to help and certain things happened that resulted in her making love to me thinking I was Drew." Walter told him, blushing.
"Well damn Walter, I couldn't be happier about Ralph being your son. The three of you always had a special bond and I guess now we know why. Congratulations." Richard told him sincerely as he took his hand from the door and shook Walter's hand.
"Thanks Richard, I appreciate that." Walter said before he left.
Richard walked back to his desk and picked up his phone.
"Sylvia, I need to get a belated gift for a friend who found out recently they have a son." Richard said. "Well let's see, as it turns out it was a boy and he'll be fourteen this year." Richard nodded. "Yeah, well they found out quite by accident." Richard nodded. "Yeah it makes it hard getting the normal present. Not like I can go back fourteen years ago and get a savings bond for the kid. I'll tell you what, just bring my personal checkbook to me and I'll just write a check and let the parents decide what to do with it. That'll save me a headache. Thanks."
Richard sat there looking out the window when the door opened and Sylvia walked in and placed his checkbook on the desk.
"Hey Sylvia, I need to see Mark Weber too, get him up here please." Richard said as he turned and picked up his pen.
"Of course Mr. Elia." Sylvia told him before leaving.
Richard opened his book and scribbled "Walter O'Brien & Paige Dineen $25,000."
Walter pulled up outside the offices of Centipede Partners and parked his car. He shut it off and just sat there enjoying the warm southern California air, even with the whiffs of pollutants in the air.
"So is Walter just going to sit out there?" Sylvester asked from his desk by the large glass front windows.
Toby laid his head over the back of the couch as he looked over past the front of Sylvester's desk.
"Looks like it." Toby told him as he sat back up and continued reading.
Sylvester pushed back in his chair and stood up as Happy walked out of the breakroom.
"What do you expect? After the way you both went after him Saturday? If I was Walt I wouldn't have a thing to do with either of you again." Happy told them.
Paige was in her office listening to her favorite DJ while working on customer billing when her phone dinged. She reached over and swiped the screen and saw she had a message. She smiled and clicked on the icon and saw Walter had sent a message and she quickly opened it.
"Hey beautiful, if you aren't too busy and can slip away for a few minutes, I'd love to do a little kissing before we go pick up Ralph at school." Paige read as she grinned.
Paige picked her phone up as she typed back. "Oh, I don't know if I should. I'm back with my old boyfriend and well, the truth is, I'm crazy for the guy and he asked me to marry him. I mean, you will always hold a special place in my heart, but I told him yes."
Walter smiled seeing the message and he responded. "Well, see if he was that great of a guy he'd have told you he was sitting outside your office in his car. That he got you a new job, great benefits, better pay and you'd be working directly with him from now on. That is what I would do for you, because you are the most important person in my life."
Paige's eyes went wide as she read the message. She quickly stood up and gathered her few things before locking and closing her door.
"Sorry guys, I'm out for the rest of the day." Paige said over her shoulder as she nearly ran out the door in her miniskirt and heels.
"Well, we better be making some decisions. Because my guess is before the month is out she's not going to be working with us anymore." Happy sighed as she sat down on the couch.
Walter grinned seeing Paige as she ran out to his car. Her long legs, the bouncing of the hem of her miniskirt revealing more of her legs made his heart thump harder as he scrambled out of the car. Paige ran into his arms and they kissed deeply as they hugged. Walter walked her around his car and opened the door for her. Paige grinned and slipped into the passenger seat before he kissed her again and closed the door.
"197 4 her, oh please. What a joke." Toby said as he watched the car back up and drive away. "Ow." Toby cried out after Happy slapped the back of his head.
"It is a romantic gesture on his part. You could try being romantic sometime, slug." Happy told him.
"How'd this get to be about me?" Toby complained.
"I thought everything was about you?" Sylvester shot at him.
"Who asked you?" Toby complained before crying out again. "Stop abusing me."
"You think this is abuse? I can show you abuse." Happy told him.
Toby shook his head.
"Then quit being a jerk and bully. And I thought you were interested in making things right with Walter?" Happy asked.
"Hey, I can still hold a grudge and want to make things right." Toby complained.
"So, would it really be worth making up with Walter? I mean, he's working for Elia now, we can't compete with what he's probably offering Walter. Why would he want to work with us, especially after how bad we were to him?" Sylvester asked while sitting there watching the car get further away.
"I don't know to be honest. But earlier when I talked with him he said that he might have a position for me on his team." Happy told him as she sat there holding her coffee mug.
Greetings! Hope this finds you well! The start of a new week! Chapter 10, the final chapter of this story is finished! So a week from tomorrow I'll be posting the next leg of Callan! That leg of the story will run Chapter 11-19. I hope to have the Lady Knight story after that, it will probably be about 5 chapters, depending on how it goes. Chapter 1 and 4 is done, well chapter 4 as it is currently labeled that could increase. Part of chapter 2 is written so we'll see. I had some ideas come to me over one of my stories that has been a little quiet in speaking since last summer, so maybe I'll get to finish it, it is another fix it story...But if it isn't ready or after it is all posted I'll be going back to Callan and posting chapters 20-35+. Not positive where it will end for that leg, at least chapter 36, maybe a few more than that.
Dean - You might get part of your desire from this story. Can't say for sure, wouldn't want to spoil anything. But I am sure another story might come out of this one sometime in the future.
Railman - hehe Yeah, as I told you in PM the ring had been kept in the glovebox of his other car and when he got the Tesla he just moved it into that glovebox in it and left it. Glad you enjoyed the proposal! Yeah, Sly wasn't sure if he'd listen or even read the email, but he figured it would at least lay a little ground work just in case. lol Yeah, Toby...boy...that's going to be a challenge. lol
Susan - hehe Sorry to disappoint...no extra insight into their talks, just get to see them lovey dovey a bit. lol Yeah...Toby...If I didn't like Happy so much I think I'd let Mark have him. lol Glad you enjoyed it and are thinking along the same lines! Yeah, not sure why Paige was so willing to forgive them for knowing and not saying anything...what kind of friends are they? Maybe no one else wanted to hire her so she figured helping them with CP was her best bet. But not for long! lol
Margaret - Thank you! Yep, it was me.
To the Adventure! -Tim