Author's Note:  Behold, the wonders of K-Mart… read on to find out what the hell I mean.

And please, don't forget to check out my website at

http://members.tripod.com/shorty_est_1986/index.htm

It's full of humor, and I'm looking for art/story donations.  Don't be afraid!  Also, you can drop me a line at:

BitchCakes@dangerous-minds.com

I reply to everyone…  with cookies!

Lose Yourself

Chapter 2

*~ Syren ~*

* ~ *

            When lunch was behind the workers, the day seemed to drag on forever, especially for Matthew.  His notepad was still empty, for nothing seemed fitting for a report, and he had no computer to play Solitaire on.  Even worse, he had no personal phone to make any calls on.  What's a guy to do?  Work?

            Thankfully, the clock hit 8 o' clock, and for the first time, Matthew congratulated himself on staying for an entire day's worth of work.  "How did I ever survive?" he muttered to himself, trotting into the news director's office for a word. 

            Stopping in the doorway, Matthew began chewing on his nails, a bit nervous at the sight.  Lisa sat at her desk, her hands poised over her keyboard… but the computer screen was off.  Seemingly in a trance, she didn't even notice as Matthew waved a hand in front of her face.

            "Lisa, I'm in love with you."  That got her attention.

            "What the--!?" she jumped out of her chair, clutching the man's hand.  Shaking, Matthew yanked his arm back.

            "Yikes, I was only trying to get your attention."  Seeing her defeated expression, he rested on the side of her desk, watching as she fell lazily back into her seat.  "Something wrong?"

            Wetting her lips with her tongue, Lisa rubbed her temples.  "Just a headache…  Matthew?"

            "Yes?"

            She paused, unsure.  "I think I'll come with you tonight over to Jimmy's."

            Hopping to his feet, Matthew began to bounce around, clapping his hands together.  "A sleepover!  I haven't had one of those…. Well, every night's like a sleepover with Choo-Choo and Mitt-Mitt.  But I don't believe we've ever really gotten to bond, so this'll be great!"

            Raising her eyebrows, Lisa shook her head.  "Uh, right Matthew.  Right.  Well, I'll just wrap up here, and I'll follow you there with my car."  When Matthew didn't budge, she sighed.  "What?"

            Nudging at a snag in the carpeting with the toe of his shoe, Matthew gave her his best puppy dog look.  "Jimmy drove me in today.  Could I hitch a ride with you?"

* ~ *

            It wasn't until 8:30 that Lisa and Matthew finally headed out to Mr. James' large, stately cabin.  It took a good half an hour to get there, and Lisa was ready to smash her head through her windshield just so she wouldn't have to endure her passenger's sing-a-longs anymore.  She was counting her blessings as she turned into the hidden, quarter-mile long driveway leading up to the ranch.

            Pulling into park and cutting the engine, Lisa climbed out and looked on in amazement at the residence, Jimmy's wealth slapping her in the face once again.  The home was beautiful, its outside made entirely of stacked logs.  It was larger than the office building she worked at now, spanning the length of at least two good-sized houses.  It was complete with a four-car garage, raised deck surrounding the house entirely, and from what she could see, four chimneys. 

            "Nice, huh?" Matthew murmured, breathing in the fresh air.  Nodding, the two hiked up the steps to the deck and pushed the door open, eliciting another round of 'wows' from Lisa.  The inside was completely wood as well, including the elaborate staircase to the second floor.  The furniture was of an Indian design, and candles donned almost every available ledge.  It truly was a vacation dream home.

            "Lisa!" Jimmy's voice boomed from the direction of the kitchen.  Turning to greet the voice, Lisa smiled.  Carrying a rather large submarine sandwich filled to the hilt, Jimmy headed over to them, looking around in pride.  "This is the first time you've seen my estate, isn't it?  You were so well off when we first arrived in New Hampshire, you didn't even need to stay with Uncle Jimmy."

            "It's breathtaking," Lisa admitted.  Jimmy chuckled, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

            "I'm just glad for another visitor besides Matthew," he murmured under his breath.  Lisa giggled, scratching the back of her head.

            "Understandable."

            "Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you like," Mr. James continued, taking a bite out of his sandwich.  "But what brings you here in the first place, little lady?"

            Twiddling her fingers, Lisa hesitated.  She gestured in the direction of his den, hoping for comfort while they discussed what she feared was true.  Obliging, Jimmy led the way, taking a seat in a large, overstuffed leather recliner, Lisa sitting across from him on the wood and suede sofa.

            "So?"

            Clearing her throat, she braced herself.  "Sir, I hope you aren't angry with me, but I overheard your phone conversation today.  My curiosity got the best of me, I admit, and I hit redial to see who it was."  Glancing up from her hands, she noted Jimmy's crestfallen demeanor. 

            "Did Mrs. Nelson say anything?"  Lisa shook her head.

            "No, I told her I dialed the wrong number…  But I do have a few questions, if you don't mind." 

Jimmy was quiet, contemplating his situation.  He had promised…  Lisa continued.  "Matthew said Dave had been sick lately…"

"Yeah, yeah that's true," Mr. James picked up where she left off.  "Before we even left, he hadn't been at his best, I suppose.  He's just so stubborn…"

"So I've heard," Lisa chuckled, despite the mood.  She didn't like how the atmosphere shifted.

Removing his glasses, Jimmy cleaned the lenses with his shirt.  "I don't know where to begin…  His blood pressure -- you know how that had been a problem."  Lisa nodded, urging him to continue.  Jimmy sighed.  "I've kept in touch with him the best I could, and he seemed to get worse every day.  One week a few months ago, he came down with the flu.  He never got over it, I believe, and he only got weaker.  From what I've heard from his mother, recently, he was found in his office, unconscious."

Her throat tightening, Lisa stammered.  "What… what are you trying to say?"

"Lisa… Dave's in a coma."

* ~ *

Lisa was in disbelief.  The clock struck two AM, and she was still in the same position from before, eyes locked with the father figure of a man.  An occasional blink was the only thing that had separated their gazes for hours, the story unable to register clearly with her.  Jimmy was speechless as well, for one of the first times, and was clueless as how to comfort the woman.  Her feelings over the past two years had been mixed for the now struggling man, but of course, they had remained close friends.  He had no idea how the impact of the news would truly effect her.

At last breaking the dead-lock between them, Lisa's eyes drifted down to the glass of wine in her hand, which she hadn't remembered pouring.  Swirling the red liquid in the goblet, she took a sip, shuddering as it slipped down her parched throat.  Her eyes stung with dryness, and she rubbed at them, sleep clouding her mind.

"Lisa, I think you should go on up to bed," Jimmy stated softly, taking a drink out of his own glass.  He too was tired, as well as a bit angry with himself for letting his former employee find out the harsh secret he had been keeping.  True, he knew he should have told her, but was there ever a right time?  What with all of the work she had been doing on her newspaper, with its failing, and then the dedication to the new station.  Not to mention Johnny.

"I… Oh God, I didn't even tell Johnny where I…" she read his mind, easing herself out of her seat and nearly dropping the glass she held onto the table before her.  "May I use your phone, Mr. James?"

Nodding, Jimmy pointed in the direction of the kitchen, watching Lisa's back as she departed.  He could sense her guilt, and how it had been accumulating ever since her first day in New Hampshire.  Sure, Johnny wasn't the best husband, but Lisa was the only one who couldn't admit her own regret of the marriage.  It had been too soon… and too wrong.

Picking up both of their glasses, Jimmy rose to his feet, stretched a moment to buy Lisa phone time, then slowly followed Lisa's path into the kitchen.  Trying not to pay attention to her hushed conversation, obviously with her answering machine, Jimmy busied himself with washing up the goblets, until their eyes met once more.  She bit her lip, the awkward pause of her recording set in thought.  Mr. James nodded his head in agreement, his first genuine smile of the day settling on his lips. 

Inhaling a fresh breath of air slowly, Lisa continued with her message.  "I'm going to be going on a little trip… to New York."

* ~ *

"You know… I think Lisa's taking this 'boss privilege' thing too far."  Beth snapped her gum in annoyance as Joe, Max and she lounged in the news director's office, it being the most comfortable.  Joe, busy fiddling with Lisa's out-of-date laptop, glanced at her, silently agreeing.  It was already an hour until lunchtime, and their 'beloved' boss hadn't made an appearance as of yet.

"Maybe she's having an extravagant breakfast this morning," Max offered, staring into space longingly.  "Pancakes, bacon, sausage… steak and eggs… waffles…"

Disgusted, Beth frowned.  "She's not you, Max.  She probably just slept in late or something…"

"I don't think so," Matthew interrupted, entering the office, bags beneath his eyes and hair mussed more than usual.  "It's terrible, you guys!"

Holding back his sarcastic remarks, Max laughed.  "What happened to you?"

Matthew whimpered.  "Lisa came home with us last night, and when I woke up, neither of them were there!  They didn't even leave a note!  Let me tell you, my cats aren't happy."

A bit worried, though an expert at hiding it, Beth took a break from her magazine flipping and looked up.  "Where could they have—"?

The phone ringing, causing the group to jump in unison cut off her sentence.  "Can we say coincidence?"  Beth picked up the phone, already knowing whom it was.  "Alright Lisa, where is your butt at?"

Her derision rising, Lisa grimaced.  "I won't be in today, or for a while, for that matter."

Curiosity rising, Beth hit the speakerphone button and set down the receiver.  "You won't be at work for a while, Lisa?" she asked again, watching amusedly as the group huddled around.

"Yeah.  Can you relay the message to Cecile?  I want her in charge while I'm gone."  A collective groan answered her statement, and Lisa sighed back.  "Hi Joe, Matthew, Max.  So nice of you to put me on speaker, Beth."

"My pleasure," Beth giggled, ignoring her boss's sarcasm.  "So why won't you be in?"

A pause followed, raising the anticipation of the gang.  "I'm on my way to New York."

"Why?" Matthew shouted, a bit offended.  "I'm already here, what more do you need?"

"Well, because there's something wrong wi—" Lisa's speech cut out, a struggle sounding in the background as if someone was wrestling the cell phone out of her hand.  Within a minute, Mr. James' voice replaced that of Lisa's.

"Howdy-do, all, this is Mr. James," he addressed them, a bit out of breath.  The group greeted him back, not fazed by what had just taken place in the car.  "We're just taking a little vacation to New York to see how it all goes.  Any questions?"

"Yeah," Max started boldly.  "Why couldn't we come?"

Jimmy chuckled.  "Then who would be left to slack off at the station?  Face it; Cecile, Janet and Ryan need you to put them behind in their work."  A collective bout of "oh's" and "that's right's" answered the older man, who winked at the driver beside him.  "So we'll give you a call when we get there.  You know, give some updates and whatnot.  If you're all good while I'm gone, you can expect some souvenirs from the hospi— I mean, K-Mart."

"Oh wow, an actual K-Mart in New York?" Matthew squealed.  "I've never gotten anything from an actual K-Mart before!"

"I'll be looking through the blue-light specials just for you, Matthew," Jimmy added, chuckling.  "So ta-ta all, and be good."

The final click sounded and the speakerphone cut out, leaving a batch of people a bit wide-eyed, gossiping to each other about what Jimmy might get them from the little-known 'Mart.  Outside the office, Janet listened, shaking her head.  From what Matthew had said to Ryan and Cecile, and from what she overheard of Lisa and Jimmy's little slip-ups in their conversations, she knew what was going on.  And Cecile wouldn't be happy.