Harriet could not believe he had brought him here. All she'd wanted was the stuff she'd asked for sending over. This was not the special delivery she'd had in mind. She looked at the small boy clutching onto her legs and felt anxious. How was she going to explain all this to everyone? The boy tugged on her trouser leg and looked up at her, his brown eyes wide and his fathers blonde hair flopping in his face. Pulling herself together she smiled and knelt down to the child's level.
'Hey there sweetheart how are you?' she asked.
'I'm o.k. I saw Toy Story twice on the plane!' he announced proudly before launching himself at her and wrapping his tiny arms around her neck.
Harriet felt awkward. She brought one hand up and patted him cautiously on the back.
'I missed you, mummy,' he said.
'I'm sorry, I've been at work,' she said.
'Jakey, come here,' a familiar voice said.
Harriet stood up as the boy let go and ran back to his father who had been standing observing the reunion. She put her hand out for him to shake.
'Hello, Rick,' she said, quietly.
He took her hand and held it, leaning forward and giving her a kiss on her cheek. She stiffened, nervous, not wanting this kind of contact with him. He stood back and looked at her with that same look she was used to like he was disappointed that she didn't love him.
'Did you bring the stuff I asked for?' she said at last.
'Yeah I brought the stuff you asked for and a bit extra,' he said, coldly, looking at Jake.
'I don't know why you couldn't just post it to me,' Harriet said, not looking at the child.
'I don't know why you rang after two months of not speaking to me and asked for a bunch of evidence without even asking about the well being of your son,' Rick replied.
'Rick, don't do this here, please,' Harriet pleaded.
'We're staying at a hotel on the strip,' Rick said, handing her a matchbook from the hotel lobby. 'I'll send your stuff over tomorrow.'
He walked out with the boy holding his hand. Jake looked round at her as they walked out the door, trying to keep up with his father's pace. Harriet sighed and turned to go back to the lab when she saw Greg. He was standing still, looking at her, hands in his pockets, tie unfastened around his neck. She walked over to him.
'You just win a couple of mill on the slots?' she joked, starting to fasten up his tie.
He backed away so she stopped.
'You're not a lesbian then,' he said, absently.
'What?' Harriet asked, obviously having no clue as to what that had to do with anything.
'Ummm nothing, maybe I just lost two mill on the slots,' he said and walked back down the corridor into the men's locker room.
Harriet looked at the matchbook with the name of the hotel on it, where Rick and Jake were staying. She turned and walked down the corridor, heading back to her lab. As she walked through the door she dropped the matchbook casually to her right, into the wastepaper bin.
Greg pulled off his jacket and tie and threw them into his locker. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Why did it have to be right after he had decided he wanted to get to know her better? Why did Nick even have to put the stupid idea in his head? At least now he knew for certain he didn't have a crush on her. Then why was he ramming a five hundred dollar suit into his locker? This was all he needed; confirmation that he cared about her to the point where he was jealous that she already had a family. Maybe he was angry because she had kept this from him, maybe he hated that he couldn't trust her like he thought he could. He sighed, pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and headed over to the layout room to help Nick with his case. He decided he would wait until Harriet was ready to tell him. Maybe it wasn't any of his business and she definitely didn't need to know what he had been planning moments before seeing her with her son. Time just hadn't been on his side.
A/N - please don't all hate Harriet. She has her reasons and all will be revealed soon.