A few days later Ed felt much better. Not 100% but functional enough to go talk to his boss. He walked up the sidewalk and into the building before going up to the receptionist.

"Hi, can I speak to Mr. Walker please?" He asked.

The receptionist winced slightly. "Not sure you want to do that today," she said confidentially. "He's in a foul mood."

"When is he not?" Edward muttered. "I still need to speak to him."

"Alright," the receptionist said. "But don't say I didn't warn you." She pressed a button on the desk next to her computer. "Mr. Walker," she said into the intercom. "Edward Nygma's here to see you."

"About damn time he shows up," said a gruff voice on the other end. "Send him in."

Edward moved towards his office and knocked on the door before stepping in. "Hello Mr. Walker." He said quietly.

"Where the hell have you been, Nygma?" Mr. Walker demanded, his beady little eyes glaring up at him. "It's been almost a month since you set foot in here."

"I uh … It's a long story." Edward said. "I don't remember where I was but … Someone abducted and tried to kill me … I was in the hospital until monday and I'm still recovering."

"Right," Mr. Walker said disbelievingly. "And you couldn't be bothered to call while you were 'recovering'? What, your kidnapper ate your phone?"

"I'm sorry … I was going through a lot." Edward said.

"Yeah, and we've had a lot of business to deal with since you've been gone. So that position is no longer open. I'm running a business here, Nygma."

"It wasn't my fault!" Edward argued. "If I could have been here I would have! It's not like I willingly got abducted!"

"You're assuming I believe this outlandish story to begin with!" Mr. Walker reminded him. "Either way, it's too late to do anything now. New guy's already on the payroll." He shook his head. "You did good work, Nygma, but I need reliability."

"I am reliable! Just check a newspaper from the other day! It was on the news!" He said. "I need this job, I have a kid to take care of!" Edward said. "This is illegal, you can't fire me if I have just cause to have missed work."

"Look, you were gone, I hired another guy, your position just isn't there anymore," Mr. Walker said, shaking his head. "You'll find something else I'm sure. But you're done here."

Edward was silent for a moment as he regarded Mr. Walker. "I understand that you have a business to run, but you hire multiple people at least twice a week … So don't insult my intelligence telling me my job has been filled. We both know a spot will open up in the next few days, this place is a revolving door. I have fantastic work ethic … This incident was not my fault … You're dismissing an employee to be an ass … And I can see why no one stays here. I was willing to come back here despite what I had gone through because I have said work ethic …" He said standing from his chair. "Thank you for your time." He said.

"Yeah, nice speech," Mr. Walker said, waving him out dismissively. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Don't let karma bite you in the ass on the way home." Edward retorted walking out of the room.