Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.
Chapter 8: The Cheese Stands Alone - Betting the Farm
Mitch spends time with his daughter while the rest of the team deals with rat infestation on a nearby island.
"We'll have to take a water taxi to Pender Island," Jackson told them as they deplaned at Boston Logan. "Mitch, you sure you'll be alright on your own?"
"Yeah," the scientist shouldered his bag and adjusted his glasses. Jamie had talked him into taking the day away from the madness and spend time with his daughter. He'd resisted at first, citing their newest mission. They might need him, he'd argued. Chloe had actually jumped in, telling him they were capturing two specimens anyway and he'd have a chance to examine the rats before sending them to Delavane. Jamie had grinned triumphantly and prodded him until he'd called Audra to set it up. He felt his stomach flip nervously at the thought of seeing his daughter again. A million different emotions coursed through him, all warring for dominance. He finally settled on hesitant optimism, but the doubt and fear he'd been feeling at her possible rejection were lurking just beneath the surface.
"Besides," Chloe went on, "it would be harder to explain our presence to Burke if he happened to have anyone shadowing you."
"There's a fun thought," Mitch mumbled.
Abe chuckled and began leading them toward the large glass doors that led to the causeway. "I, for one, will be happy for a mode of transportation that's not airborne. I've had enough of planes for a while, thank you."
The others had to agree. In the past few weeks they'd been on four different continents, and they'd never stayed in one place longer than a few days at a time. Paris had been a nice reprieve; Chloe had talked Delavane into giving them a day off after the bear fiasco. It had lasted almost twelve hours before the man had contacted Chloe with a story about a boat and what sounded like an alarming amount of rats.
"We can take a taxi to the docks," Jackson said, but Mitch shook his head.
"It's on the way to Audra's," he told them. "I can drop you."
He ended up parking and walking with them to where the boat was waiting to ferry them across Quincy Bay to the small island. Jamie was the last out of the car, and when Mitch turned back she had a pinched look on her face.
"You alright?"
"Yeah," she shook her head and pushed her hair back away from her face. The breeze from the bay danced through it again and she huffed in annoyance. "I'm just not the biggest fan of boats."
"You get seasick?" He had never experienced motion sickness himself, but his mother had been lousy with it whenever they took long car trips.
"I've only ever been on a boat once," she admitted as they followed the others toward the dock. "My uncle took me out on Lake Ramsay once when I was eight. I threw up over the side and my cousins laughed at me."
"You never went again?"
"Nope," Jamie shook her head. "And I don't have to go now."
"Jamie…" It wasn't that he didn't want her with him, but Chloe was right. He couldn't meet Burke with someone else in tow and there was no way in hell he was leaving her at Audra's. Besides, he told himself, it was probably a little too early in the relationship to introduce her to his daughter. And there was that pesky matter of Ben Schaffer's death that still hung over their heads.
"I'm just saying all four of us don't need to go," she was beginning to sound a little desperate. "I could stay in a motel and go through the Reiden documents from Paris while you meet with Burke."
"I think you should stay with the others," he told her. Her hopeful face fell and he reached out to take her hand. "A day on the island is a good way to stay under the radar. And," he added, "if anyone is looking into Ben Schaffer's death, the more people you have watching your back the better."
"Careful," she said as her lips quirked into a smile, "you keep saying things like that people are gonna start to think you care."
"Well," he adjusted his hold on her hand so he could slip his fingers between hers, "as long as those 'people' are you, that's fine. Just don't spread it around." He tugged her to him and kissed her quickly.
She pulled away but kept a hold of his hand. "Enjoy the day with your daughter. And don't overthink stuff. Just...be you." He winced and she laughed. "It'll be fine, Mitch." She paused then, and Mitch knew she was debating on voicing her thoughts. He squeezed her hand to let her know he was listening and she took a breath. "After my dad left, I spent so many nights wishing he'd come back."
"Jamie," he swallowed heavily and shook his head.
"No, let me say it. Because I need to, and you need to hear it. She's gonna be angry, it's normal. But she's also going to be so happy to have her dad back. So focus on that second part and don't be discouraged by the first."
He smiled and nodded, pulling her close for another kiss. "Be careful."
"You, too." She glanced over her shoulder at the boat that would take them to Pender Island. "Man, I really don't like boats."
"Here," he lifted her hand and turned it over, palm up. He let his fingers dance over the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist, tracing the veins and tendons there. He heard her take in a sharp breath, but she didn't say anything. "If you're feeling sick," he told her, "find this point." He let his thumb sit just between the two tendons about two inches from her wrist. "Push deep and hold it until the nausea passes."
"I thought acupressure wasn't scientifically proven," she quipped, and he tried not to notice how her voice had dropped to a near whisper.
"Well," he cleared his throat, "there isn't any verifiable proof that the points exist. But my mom swears by them." He let his thumb caress her skin for a few seconds. "Time to go."
She groaned and dropped her head in defeat. Mitch laughed and released her, waving at the others who had gathered at a discreet distance away to wait for Jamie. None of them had mentioned anything about him and Jamie, but ever since they'd shared Chloe's guest room Mitch had caught Abe and Jackson giving him sly glances. Even Chloe seemed not to care, though more than once Mitch had caught her and Jamie whispering fervently whenever they had a moment away from the guys.
He waited until the boat was underway before pulling out his phone and texting Audra to let her know he was on his way. She responded with a short "ok," and Mitch could feel her antagonism through the phone. She hadn't been happy when Mitch had requested to spend a day with Clementine, but Audra was at her core a glass half full sort of person. As long as she felt Mitch was being sincere, she wouldn't deny him the opportunity to reconnect with Clementine no matter how she felt about it personally.
The drive to the quaint suburban neighborhood took a little longer than Mitch liked, though he chalked most of his irritation up to nerves. He pulled up to the two story house and sat in the car for a full five minutes before he was able to talk himself into ringing the bell.
Fifteen minutes later Clem was buckling herself into the passenger seat of his rented car as Mitch settled Henry into the back. It hadn't been quite as bad as he'd thought it would be, though Clem had apparently inherited his snide aloofness. The ride to the park was silent except for her quiet directions and the sounds of Henry in the backseat. When they pulled up, the dog barked softly in excitement and very nearly danced in place until Clem opened the door and grabbed his leash. Mitch grabbed his bag and Clem's backpack and locked the doors as the girl led them to a secluded bench at the side of the park.
They sat down rather awkwardly next to each other, and Henry settled at Clem's feet like he'd done it a thousand times. Mitch felt it was his job as the adult to start the conversation, but he had nothing to say. Glancing around, he grasped at the only thing he could think of.
"Nice park you've got here. What makes it yours?" He looked over at his daughter, the picture of discomfort and doubt with her arms crossed and her eyes anywhere but on Mitch.
"Well," she began, "Mom never really lets me out of the house by myself anymore. But when she does I'm allowed to come here. With Henry," she added with a little hand gesture at the resting pup.
Mitch nodded awkwardly and fell silent. They both knew why Clem couldn't enjoy being a kid like other children. He glanced around at the families dotted around the park, the kids playing on the playground, and felt a twinge of sadness. When Clem had been born, he'd had such hopes and dreams about being a better father than his own had been. He remembered the first time he'd seen Clem's tiny face; it had been one of the first and only times he'd actually cried from joy. Still, to this day, Clem was the only thing that could elicit such strong emotion from him.
"Oh," he turned suddenly and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. "I, uh, brought you a present." Thinking about Clem's birth had sparked another memory, and he plucked a small scrap of paper from one of the slits and handed it to her.
"A piece of paper."
Yep, she'd definitely inherited his snark.
"Open it," he told her with more excitement than was probably due.
She looked at it in disbelief. "You do know I'm still at the age where I would play with a doll, right? A doll would have been fine." She at least seemed to be more at ease with him, he noticed as she cracked a small smile.
"Duly noted," he returned with an equally pleased tone. "Just open it."
She did as he asked and stared at it for a few seconds. "A parking ticket. You got me a parking ticket." He nodded happily, her confusion only fueling his amusement. "A really old parking ticket," she clarified.
And so he told her the story that filled his thoughts every time he looked at that parking ticket. He kept it where he would always see it and be reminded of that day. At the end she smiled, a real one that warmed her face and his heart. She even joked with him, and for a moment he could pretend that they weren't virtual strangers that were trying to forge a connection that should never have been severed in the first place.
"Let's eat," Clem pocketed the parking ticket and dug into her backpack for the sandwiches Audra had packed. She handed him one and grabbed the other for herself.
"I remember your mother's cooking is not so good," he unwrapped his hesitantly and peered at it. "Have these been approved by the FDA?"
"Afraid not," she answered smartly. She looked at her own and grimaced. "What is it?"
Mitch peeled back the top layer of bread and made a show of studying it closely. "That's either very old cheese or very new meat." Clem shrugged and finished unwrapping it, trusting that her mother wouldn't serve her anything that would be harmful. Mitch, following her lead, took a bite and chewed slowly. It wasn't horrible and was more than likely turkey. Or something like it.
"Do you have a wife? Or a girlfriend?" Clem's question caught him off-guard and he choked slightly on his half-chewed bite. He swallowed and tried to figure out how to answer her question. He and Jamie hadn't actually talked about labels or making anything official. The whole thing really felt sort of grade school-ish, and Mitch was happy to just let things progress naturally.
"Uh," he glanced down at his food as though it held an answer that would be satisfactory. He decided on the truth. "Sort of. Jamie and I have been...seeing each other for a few weeks now."
"What's she like?" Clem's open honesty and child-like naivety was refreshing, and Mitch found himself willing to share in a way that only Jamie had ever elicited from him.
"She's...tenacious, and smart. She's a journalist for a big paper in L.A." Mitch left out the part where she'd been fired from that job and was currently a part of a super secret team with him in order to find out why animals all over the world were suddenly changing.
"Is she pretty?"
"Yeah," Mitch smiled, and dug out his phone. Jamie had grabbed it one day while he was working and took a selfie to set as her contact photo in his address book. He'd teased her about her technology fixation, to which she'd stuck out her tongue and clicked a few of him that he'd deleted as soon as she'd given him his phone back. He found the photo in his gallery and showed his daughter.
"I like her hair," Clem handed the device back and finished her sandwich. "Can I meet her?"
"Maybe next time," Mitch smiled and pocketed his phone before returning to his own sandwich.
They ate for a few minutes before Clem began talking again. He guessed silences weren't really her forte. "You haven't met Justin, right?"
"No," he shook his head. "Just on the phone. You like him?"
"I do," Clem nodded. "A lot." Mitch felt a small pang of jealousy, but squashed it immediately. Audra and Clem were lucky enough to have found someone to love them; Mitch certainly wasn't going to begrudge them that. "He's awesome," Clem continued. Then, because she must have sensed his mood change, she added, "I don't call him 'Dad' or anything, in case you were wondering."
There was nothing to say to that that didn't make him sound like an ass, so he settled for, "Okay." Honestly he hadn't ever thought about it - figured it wasn't his business after deciding to remove himself from their lives. But, if he was being honest with himself, it did make him feel better. When Clem shifted a little in her seat, he searched for another topic. "How are you feeling?" He knew her disease wasn't physically debilitating. She wouldn't tire easily or suddenly need to rest, but the seizures could happen practically at any time.
But Clem just shrugged. "Not bad, for a dead girl."
Her words hit him hard, and he sucked in a breath as he fought against the rather sudden and visceral reaction he had to her words. Instead, he tried to keep his tone even as he scolded her lightly. "You know, you really shouldn't call yourself that." Especially since it might not be true in a few months, he added silently. If everything went well and the medicine worked, she would be free of Glazier's and able to live her life just like any other healthy kid.
"Why not?" Clem shot back. "It's what the other kids call me." Several thoughts flitted through his mind at her confession, ranging from the adult (someone should have a talk with those kids) to the childish (I wonder how hard I could punch a kid and make it look like an accident).
He opted for somewhere in the middle.
"You can't give up hope, Clem. There are new trials and medicines coming out all the time."
"Yeah," she shrugged, unconvinced. "I just wish I could be a kid, you know? And not have to worry about…" she trailed off, glancing down at Henry. Unless he was wearing his service vest, most people thought he was just a pet - a well-behaved lab that followed his human around happily. Few knew just how many times he'd saved the girl next to him.
Mitch made a decision, clapping his hands on his thighs before standing. He gathered their trash and threw it away before reaching for Clem's hand. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" She grabbed his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Henry stood up excitedly and wagged his tail as they each picked up their bags.
"I promised you a father-daughter day. That's what we're going to do."
"Okay," Clem laughed a bit and let him pull her back to the car. "So are we going to the zoo or something?"
"Uh, no," he shook his head. "No zoos." He really wasn't sure how many zoos had been affected by the animal crisis gripping the world, but he wasn't going to risk his daughter's life. "But we can do other things. Like go to a museum, or the movies, or the mall."
"You'd actually take me to the mall?" she asked skeptically.
"I would," opened the door to the SUV to let Henry jump up into the backseat. "I make no promises on complaints and grumbling, but we can go if you want to. Anything you want, Clem."
She moved around and climbed up into the passenger seat as he buckled up and started the engine. "This isn't one of those guilt things where you over-do it on the gifts and special trips to make up for -" She cut herself off quickly and flushed a bit in embarrassment, but Mitch caught her meaning.
"Clem, look at me," he twisted a bit in his seat to face her more fully. "There's nothing I can do that can make up for not being around for the last eight years. And I'm not going to suddenly start sending you big gifts to buy your love or anything like that. But I do want to spend time with you, get to know you."
"Before I die?"
Mitch closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Clem, please don't...let's not mention that, okay?"
"But it's true," she turned to look through the windshield. "You don't want to feel guilty after I'm gone."
She was perceptive, and brutally honest. At any other time, Mitch would applaud her and perhaps even feel a little proud at the traits she'd obviously gotten from him. Now he just felt defeated.
"Maybe," he admitted. "That's probably part of it. But I also recently realized that I was being stupid. I was staying away because it was too painful for me to know that one day I would look up and you would be gone. I thought if I distanced myself then maybe I wouldn't hurt as much. I know that's selfish and it probably doesn't endear me to you any, but it's the truth." His throat felt tight as he fought against losing complete control in front of her, but he felt the sting of tears in his eyes and knew she could see them as well.
"What changed?" she asked after a while.
"I met Jamie," Mitch smiled wryly. "She lost her mother when she was about your age, and it shouldn't have happened. She got sick and the people who caused it didn't take responsibility. And instead of burying her mother and moving on, she devotes every day of her life to getting justice. She reminds herself of that pain every day, instead of running from it."
"She sounds...pretty cool."
Mitch nodded and turned his head to wipe his eyes dry. "She is."
"Does she know about me?" Clem had relaxed in her seat and her question was curious rather than accusatory.
"Yeah," Mitch nodded. "I told her a couple of weeks ago. She's the one who suggested I come over today. And she even gave me a pep talk before I came over."
"What did she say?"
"She said you would be angry," he told her honestly. "Her dad left after her mom got sick. She hasn't seen him for a long time, so she knows what it's like." He cleared his throat quietly. "She, uh, also said that even though you'd be angry, you'd be happy to see me?" He phrased this last as a question, adding a hopeful smile at the girl next to him.
She returned it with a small one of her own. "Yeah, I am."
They were okay again, and Mitch relaxed in his seat. "So where are we headed?"
They ended up at an indoor rock climbing gym that Clem had always wanted to try. Audra had been too busy to go with her, but Mitch was happy to take her. They slipped Henry's service vest on and he laid obediently at Mitch's feet as he belayed for her. Mitch refused to go up until Clem practically begged, and when he relented she clapped and grinned so happily that he was sure he'd agree to anything. She stayed on the ground next to Henry as Mitch climbed, assisted by one of the workers. He wasn't very good at it and fell off the wall several times, but eventually he made it to the top. When he reached solid ground again she teased him about spending all his time in labs and started calling him "Professor" whenever she could. He could tell she was still hesitant about calling him dad, so he just accepted her teasing and went back to belaying as she scaled the wall a few more times.
They got ice cream afterward and took a stroll through a flea market. Clem talked Mitch into buying a small globe for her desk after she found out he was traveling all over the world (for work, he told her), and he picked up an old toy boat to give to Jamie when he next saw her. During dinner at Clem's favorite restaurant she grabbed his phone and programmed her number in so he could stay in touch. He was busy perusing the menu so he missed the small smile she hid behind her hand before giving it back. Audra called shortly afterward and politely informed them that Clem's bedtime was ten o'clock, which Mitch promised to abide by. As much as he wanted to spend every moment with his daughter, he had a nine o'clock meeting to get to. If all went well, Clem would be taking the medicine as early as tomorrow and would be completely well in just a few months. It was enough to make up for the couple of hours he would have to miss.
It was six minutes to eight when he pulled up outside of Audra's house. Clem had fallen asleep in her seat, hunched sideways against the door. He let Henry out first, then carefully maneuvered Clem so he could open the door without her spilling out. He picked her up easily, fighting a wave of emotion as she snuggled against his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. Audra actually smiled when she opened the front door, and instead of taking the girl she led him upstairs to Clem's bedroom.
Mitch didn't even attempt to change her into pajamas. It had been a snap when she was a toddler. Ten year old Clem would prove a tad more difficult to manage. As he laid her in her bed and covered her with the blanket, she stirred and cracked her eyes open.
"That was a good day," she mumbled sleepily. He tucked her in and crouched down to push an errant lock of blonde hair away from her face. "You should come around more often, Professor."
"Yeah, I think so, too," he agreed. He stood and leaned over to kiss her head. "Goodnight, Clem. I love you."
She mumbled something in reply that sounded like "Love you, too." Mitch followed Audra out of the room and down the stairs as quietly as possible. Their goodbye wasn't as heartfelt, and as Mitch walked back down the sidewalk toward the car he felt miserable. He wanted to tell her the truth, that he had come back to possibly save their daughter's life. But he couldn't. He couldn't give her that kind of hope and then have it dashed if this whole deal fell through. He pulled out his phone to call Burke and noticed that Clem had left it on his text messages. There were a few he didn't remember, and as he scrolled back through them he felt his heart lift slightly. While she'd had his phone at dinner, she must have found Jamie's name and had an entire conversation with the woman without his knowledge.
It had started out simply. Clem had sent just two words, but they meant everything to Mitch.
Thank you. - Clementine
Jamie had responded immediately, like she usually did. Mitch had an astounding ability to forget he even had a phone, much less check it for messages.
You're welcome. Are you having fun?
Yes. It's been a great day. We went indoor rock climbing.
Oh? Mitch groaned as he imagined the merciless teasing that was in store when he caught back up with the others. How did that go?
Good. He fell off three times.
LOL Get any pics?
No. :( Gotta go. Mitch wants his phone back.
Mitch hit the phone icon next to Jamie's name as he pulled away from Audra's house. She picked up on the second ring, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself," he caught himself smiling. "How was your day?"
"Ugh, don't get me started. If I never see another rat again it will be too soon. Yours?"
"Good. It was good. But then," he added slyly, "you already knew that."
"Busted," she laughed. "She seems like a great kid."
"She really is." Mitch had never seen himself as the proud parent type. His own experiences with his father had put him off ever having children of his own. When Audra had come to him crying one night, he knew that plan had failed. Now, though, he couldn't imagine a world without Clementine in it. "Listen, I'm on my way to Reiden to meet with Burke. It shouldn't take me more than an hour, but I don't know."
"We're staying here overnight and catching the first ferry back in the morning," Jamie told him. "Will you text me when you're done? You know, so I know everything went well."
"Yeah, let's think happy thoughts shall we?" Mitch knew very well what could happen at Reiden. He could be arrested on sight, though he doubted Burke would involve any official authorities. It was likely he could disappear down a corporate rabbit hole, never to be seen again. Or he could be killed and dumped in the Charles River.
"Mitch Morgan, the optimist?" Jamie teased.
"No," he shot back, "Mitch Morgan, the pragmatist. The easiest solution for Burke is to give me what I want. It's of minimal cost to the company and nets them the greatest gain."
"The Mother Cell."
"Exactly. So I'll talk to you later."
He hung up and began weaving through the suburbs of Boston en route to Reiden's corporate headquarters. He parked in the structure and took several calming breaths before getting out. His bag felt heavier as he walked quickly through the empty garage to a set of elevators. Burke had told him there was a pedestrian bridge on the fifth floor of the garage that led right into Reiden's main building. There was a special code to access the door, and Burke had warned Mitch that the four digit number he'd given him would only work for one hour. It was ten minutes to nine when he keyed it in, watching as the red light flashed green and the door buzzed as it unlocked.
Mitch found Burke's office by following the signs for the executive suite. When he arrived there was a thin man with dark hair and angled features sitting behind a small desk.
"I'm here to see Burke," Mitch stated.
"Your name, sir?"
"Just tell him someone's here to see him, will ya? He knows who I am." Mitch had been hesitant about giving Burke his name. He didn't want anything to come back on him or the others once they were clear. The assistant stood with a frown but did as Mitch asked. After a few moments he returned and ushered Mitch forward.
Burke's office was the epitome of executive luxury. Large glass windows displayed the majesty of the Boston skyline, and a large desk sat in front of them. There was very little in the way of personalization - a single photo frame sat next to the computer screen on his desk. Burke himself wasn't there, but his assistant gestured for him to take a seat.
Mitch held his messenger bag in his lap, willing his heart to stop pounding so hard. Footsteps startled him but he masked his surprise as Burke entered. "This would be much more civilized if you'd just give me your name. My assistant told me, 'That man is here. The surly one.' That's what he called you." He'd come in with a small black case, and as he sat down he placed it on the desk carefully. Mitch's eyes dropped immediately to the case, knowing it contained the one thing in the entire world that could save his daughter.
"Can we just get this over with?"
Burke sighed and slid the case over. "There should be more than enough here to help your daughter." Mitch stared at him a moment, then reached to unzip it. "It's a six week course of treatment," Burke went on as Mitch inspected the contents. "The protocol is simple: two pills three times a day."
Mitch stared at the medicine and tried not to let his excitement show. Instead he projected what he knew Burke would be looking for - the nervousness, the hesitation. He was supposed to be betraying his friends, after all. It wouldn't look good if he was suddenly elated and friendly. Slowly he reached into his bag for the cylindrical container. The piece of the Mother Cell had slotted nicely back in place, turned so that the chipped face was on the inside and out of immediate view. Mitch gripped it tightly as he pulled it out of his bag and began to hand it across the desk.
Movement over Burke's shoulder caught his attention, and Mitch realized that he could see into far corridor through the window behind him. Time seemed to freeze as Mitch focused on the familiar face, distant though it was.
Delavane stood conversing with another man, looking for all the world like he belonged there. Burke didn't seem to notice Mitch's revelation and reached his hand across the desk for the container.
"The Mother Cell."
Mitch felt his stomach drop as the truth washed over him. They'd been played from the beginning. Just before he could hand off the mineral and be gone, Delavane looked up. His eyes locked with Mitch's and he froze. He tried to keep his attention on whatever his companion was saying, but his entire body language spoke another story. Mitch knew he was already planning how to intervene, how to keep Mitch from leaving the building.
He needed to get out. Now.