Many thanks for tolerating the changes in 3 and confirming that it worked better. Sometimes you're so close to the story when writing, you lose perspective.
Wow - there seem to be no fans of Jack out there. Voting will commence at the end of this chapter. lol
Thanks for your posts - I'm hooked on them because I appreciate you taking the time to do so.
A/N The Yankees are NY's baseball team (along with the Mets). For simplicity's sake - I've made Pete one.
Touch
Myka apologized to Pete for making him work so late, but he dismissed it and said he was too depressed about the Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox to sleep.
"Tied it up in the ninth, only to lose it in the 13th inning in overtime. Torture, Ms. Bering," he said mourning with his fellow New Yorker's.
"Don't you think it's time you call me Myka?" Myka suggested. She could see Pete was thinking that over.
"I'll give it a try, Ms. Bering," he said and smiled. Not too many corporate executives suggested people call them by their first name.
"Pete, you were there the night Helena…," and Myka stopped. 'Used her time machine,' sounded ludicrous. "Tried to …uhm… when she took the power?"
"I dropped her off that night. She seemed okay, I swear it," Pete said and Myka could see how concerned he was that she might have thought he could have prevented it.
"Pete, no - trust me. There was no way for you …for any of us …to know that Helena would try to ….uhm," and again Myka got stuck on how to describe what Helena was doing.
"Use that machine?" Pete said staring at Myka in the rearview mirror.
"Yes," Myka said.
"You know what I think?" Pete asked and Myka had no idea, but was very interested. "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think Ms. Wells thought maybe that was a real time machine," Pete said with no judgment in his voice.
"Really?" Myka asked trying to sound like this wasn't a crazy idea.
"Yeah, I think she felt so bad about screwing up with you, and believe me, she never worries that she screws up with someone, that she thought she would give the family heirloom a shot," Pete said. He pulled up outside Myka's building and turned around. "She really wants things to work out for you two," he smiled.
Myka smiled back, but was too deep in thought about how such an intelligent woman could try something as foolish as an archaic machine that may have only served as inspiration for a book? Myka had some reading to do. She bade Pete goodnight and walked to her building.
"Good evening, Ms. Bering," the young doorman said. It was their job to know the names of every tenant in the building and to get the door for them when they were coming or going.
"Good evening, Thomas," Myka said because she was one of the few tenants who believed you should address people by their names.
"There was some mail for you here," the young man said as he retrieved it from behind the desk.
Myka thanked him and went into the elevator and pressed 4. At this hour of the night the elevator should have gone straight to her floor, but it stopped on 3. Myka was too busy looking through her mail to notice. There was another letter from Sam and she could tell by the shape it was another card. He had been sending them – some of them funny, some were blank, –all signed 'Love, Sam'. She asked him not to text or email for a while so he resorted to snail mail. Somehow, it fit him. She put the card back in the envelope when she felt the elevator stop and started to walk out when she realized – her neighbor was trying to get on.
"Oh hey, I was just headed up to your apartment," Jack said smiling, his hand against the door.
"My apartment?" Myka said instead of hello.
"Yeah, I'm sorry – when we bumped into each other before, our packages got mixed up," Jack said holding out the white bag.
"Oh yes, I didn't realize that until my boss served what I brought ….on a tray," Myka said and the two of them laughed.
"Oh I am sorry," he said. "What did he think?"
"She," Myka corrected and figured that he didn't pay attention when she said 'she' before. "She thought it was pretty funny," Myka said getting lost in how adorable Helena was thinking it was a cultural thing. She realized she was staring off into space remembering that and her neighbor was still holding the door that was now beeping for its release.
"Well, here is yours," Jack said handing Myka the bag.
"Oh no, you keep it. I ate yours," she said and couldn't keep the smile off her face. Suddenly, she realized how obvious she was being. "My…favorite….candy," she explained.
"Mine, too. Glad you enjoyed them," Jack said. He tried to hand the bag to Myka.
"No, I insist, you keep them. I did take your candy after all," Myka said.
"Didn't they teach you not to take candy from strangers?" Jack smiled and ignored the constant noise of the door.
"Very funny," Myka said and reiterated that she wanted him to keep the pastry.
"Would you like to join me?" Jack asked.
"Oh no, thank you, it's way past my bedtime," Myka smiled.
"OK then, until we meet again Myka Bering," Jack said and allowed the door to close.
Myka leaned back and watched to door close. Sam used to get so jealous if any man showed any interest in Myka. It didn't happen often, so when it did, Myka smiled at it. It was nice not to be invisible.
Inside her apartment, she kicked off her shoes and wondered how much Jack tipped the doorman to tell him when she was coming up. No one returns pastries at midnight.
She looked down at her pad, checked off a few things she had to take care of tomorrow and sent Helena a text, thanking her for dinner. The reply was immediate – as if Helena had been waiting – telling Myka the pleasure was all hers. In what can only be described as the electronic version of 'no you hang up first' – Myka kept answering Helena's texts until her eyes got too heavy and she finally said good night.
"Sleep well, love," Helena said and Myka did.
Helena had to think about what had happened that night. She knew Myka took a great deal of information away with her – and could see the perplexed look on her face. She looked torn between wanting to believe Helena, and thinking perhaps she was crazy. Crazy is what people thought her ideas were - and it saddened Helena that it was still the response. She had faith in Myka though more than anyone else. She knew Myka would eventually believe her.
Helena went to sleep feeling something she hadn't in a very long time – not alone in the world.
Myka thought she would get an early start at work and arrived at 7:30 with her Venti Starbucks that was quickly becoming her breakfast. The 16th floor was empty and Myka welcomed the quiet so she could sort out the papers on her desk and answer emails. She glanced at her to do list on her tablet, and it seemed to be growing. By 8:00, Millie was in and started the day as most of the staff at Wells Corp did – immersed in their work at their desks. Myka went out and said good morning to her assistant who seemed genuinely surprised at the greeting.
One could tell exactly where Helena was in the building at any given moment simply by watching how people scampered around and ducked their heads down behind cubicle walls. No one wanted to be caught off guard by one of her questions. Many a biotech staff member was left stammering as Helena asked them detailed questions about their projects and then hammered them for not knowing the answer. Helena was always two steps ahead of them and it irritated her to no end when they couldn't catch up.
"Stop torturing the lab workers," Irene said that morning as Helena sat behind her desk after visiting the lab.
"You're asking me? Why not ask them to get up to speed on their work? How dare you tell me not to make an impromptu visit to my own biomedical laboratory," Helena complained.
Irene smiled at the way Helena said that. It was something out of the Frankenstein movies. "You can surprise them, you can't make them cry," she explained.
"It is not my issue if they are emotionally unstable, Irene. We're running a corporation, not a preschool for the sensitively impaired," her boss snapped.
"Helena, I know this is hard for you to understand, but there is such a thing as creating a hostile work environment that is no longer tolerated in the workplace. There are laws against it," Irene said patiently and waited for Helena to reach for the clacking steel balls on her desk before she pulled them out of her reach. The noise in and of itself was torture.
"Where are the laws that state one must do their jobs well? I asked them to update me on the functional genomic project. Time is wasting here," Helena said looking out the window.
It was a project that consumed a large portion of the biomedical engineering staff and dealt primarily with understanding aging at the genetic, molecular, cellular, and organismal level. While Wells Corp made advances in the biomedical technology sector with ingenious devices, it was this project that seemed most dear to their CEO.
"Yes, I know, Helena. I'll set up a meeting with Dr. Rousch so that he can personally update on the group, okay?" Irene offered.
"Fine," Helena relented because she wanted the answer now.
"Now, Doctor Caldwell will be here soon," the HR Director said and drew a glare. "Don't give me that look, Helena. You know you must get the shot once a month and she's being very gracious to come here to your office rather than meet you in the hospital," Irene explained ….again.
"Where is Doctor Simone? Send him up instead. I like him," Helena said hands on her hips.
"You like him? You fired him!" Mrs. Frederic said bluntly.
"Well…. Yes," was all Helena could think of saying.
She detested the monthly vitamin B 12 shots that were a necessary part of her life since her debronzing.
"Don't worry, Helena, I have the perfect antidote to your discomfort," Irene said and took her leave. When she was outside at Eileen's desk, she asked her to bring Helena her tea and also to make sure that Ms. Bering was available at ten o'clock when the doctor arrived.
"Tell Ms. Bering I would like her to update Ms. Wells …on anything. Then when she's already in there, you can send the doctor in," Irene planned.
"Oh as a distraction," Eileen said and Irene knew why she liked this girl so much – she was very perceptive.
Eileen called up Myka and explained that her presence was needed and could she come up at the specified time. Then she buzzed Helena and asked her if she could make time for Ms. Bering who wanted to update her on something. Right at ten, Eileen announced Myka and Helena was more than happy to accommodate her.
Myka walked into the large office, her boss coming from around her large desk. Helena was dressed in an Oscar de la Renta embroidered full skirt dress that hugged her waist and flared out just the slightest. Over it was a contrast floral embellished bolero jacket in the same red and black as the dress. Myka had added a black scarf to her gray suit that day in her attempt to accessorize. She felt self-conscious as Helena approached her and hugged her.
"You are a sight for sore eyes," Helena whispered.
"You are one for ….well the world's eyes," Myka said as a compliment.
They sat down at the coffee table and Myka opened her IPad to review the papers she had sent out to the various agencies to tie up the complaints against Helena.
"I will be glad when they forget all of this," Helena said, signing the last document.
"I'm doing my best," Myka said collecting the papers unaware that her boss was smiling at her.
"I probably left you with more questions than answers last night," Helena said staring directly at Myka who wanted to say no, but shook her head yes. "Would you believe me if I promised you that it will all make sense …. In good time?"
"Yes, I would," Myka said and meant it because she was beginning to trust Helena.
Helena could see it in Myka's eyes – and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that. For a few seconds, the two women just stared into each other's eyes – enjoying the sensation of being with each other. The light tap on the door brought Myka back first and Helena's gaze turned into a deadly stare to see who would dare interrupt them.
"Oh bloody hell," was the greeting she gave the doctor.
"Good to see you too, Ms. Wells," Vanessa said and introduced herself to Myka. She remembered that this was the name Helena kept repeating the night she was rushed into the Emergency Room.
"Now this won't hurt a bit," Vanessa said because she was excellent at giving injections.
Myka watched with concern as the doctor took out the syringe from her medical bag and prepared it for use. She looked at Helena and could detect the smallest amount of angst in her face. Helena didn't wish to make a scene in front of Myka and it was for her own good, so she slipped off her jacket, exposing her upper arm to the armed woman. Myka watched Vanessa cleanse the area with a disinfectant and noticed Helena's jaw clench.
Myka instinctively reached out and grabbed Helena's other hand and squeezed it.
"How 'bout those Yankees?" Myka said because it was the first thing that came to her mind.
"Yes, how about them…..," Helena said slowly in response – even though she had no idea what Myka meant.
For the first time in all the months she received the shots, this was the first time that something successfully distracted her.
It was the touch of someone who wanted to take care of her.
Oh hi - me? What am I doing here? Oh nothing ... just you know waiting around. :-)