Paige sat at her desk trying to process everything Walter had told her. She was grateful that Walter took Ralph to school so she could just think. He hadn't wanted to but she made him tell her how many times the video had been viewed. Over 50 million unique hits in the US alone Walter had told her. There had been over six times as many repeat access. Which Walter had told her meant some of those would be people that had alternating IPs or used some kind of a masking service. He had told her it was probably closer to 90 million people had seen it.
Walter had said the only good thing is that the resolution quality of the time made it a little more difficult to really identify her. The bad thing is they had identified her by name. They had no known current address listed, but they were requesting help from any members in locating the current addresses of any of the women. She had been very happy that Walter had trashed their website and backup company.
She felt better about Jake, she'd thought all this time later that he had been in on it. She didn't remember this William that Walter told her about, but it had been over nine years and other than a few of the ladies she didn't really talk with any of the guys but Jake. Walter had shown her pictures of all the guys named Bobby Dankworth and none of them looked even remotely like Walter.
Then came the worst part, from what Walter had found out, Drew had most likely played her the entire time. While he was a minor league baseball player, Walter had found documents showing he was already into the world of "professional sex" as Walter called it. He had managed to hide what was going on, under the cover of his baseball obligations. In the four months they had been together, he had been arrested three times before she left, on promoting prostitution charges. But somehow he managed to wiggle out of them each time. Six months after she left, he had relocated to Vegas with William and he built up his little sex company. Walter told her it was a good thing because he was a very lazy ball player. He couldn't believe he hadn't been fired long before that.
Paige sat thinking and finally decided she needed to make a phone call. She swallowed hard as she pulled up her phone and tapped her contact list.
"Hey Daddy." Paige said as her Father answered his phone. "Yeah, Ralph and I are doing okay, well actually we're doing a lot better at the moment. How are you?" Paige smiled as he replied. "That is good to hear, you keep up on your heart health. No, I got a new job, no longer waitressing." Paige listened for a minute. "No, I'm actually on my second day working for a company that does private and government jobs. They are problem solvers basically." Paige smiled as she laughed. "No, not like covering up indiscretions. They go in and find out what is causing the problem and come up with a solution. One of Walter's main abilities is in computer programming. Happy is his engineering expert." Paige explained everyone's role. "Well, you know how everyone is talking about the big airport snafu two days ago? Well Walter was the one who figured out how to fix it and everyone was saved."
Paige smiled.
"It was really crazy, everything we had to do." Paige listened for a moment. "No, I wasn't employed by him yet. I volunteered to help out. I wish I could tell you more, but I had to sign a letter for non disclosure to accept my part of the reward for it." Paige smiled. "No…no everything really is okay. I do have some information about Drew though." Paige bit her nail. "Yeah, him. It isn't good news Daddy but I'm really not worried about it anymore. My, you could call him my new boyfriend is handling it, we're still figuring out who and what we are together. But I figured you should know." Paige smiled as the thought of Walter made her look at the handwritten note on her desk. While talking to Walter at the computer upstairs she had first seen it and her eyes quickly read it and it made her smile. Walter had written out exactly what Mrs Kovelsky had told them to remember.
"Daddy, you will love him, I know you will. You should see him when he interacts with Ralph. And he treats me like I am the most precious thing to him." Paige frowned. "Yes Daddy, I told him the whole story about Drew. How do you think he knows what to work on if I hadn't?"
"His name is Walter O'Brien." Paige grinned. "Yes Daddy, a good Irishman. He moved here when he was sixteen, with his older sister when they recommended she come to the US for treatments of her MS." Paige laughed. "Well thank you for promising to give him a chance. As for meeting him, do you mind waiting a couple of weeks? I mean we really are newly getting together and I don't want to spring meeting you on him this early. And we might have some news for you too."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige demanded. "Dad, that was totally uncalled for. No, I am not pregnant. Really Dad?" Paige said disgustedly. "I just told you we're newly together, we're not having sex." Paige sighed. "You know, maybe this was a bad idea." Paige huffed. "Well what do you expect, talking like that? I'm calling you, happy and joy filled for once. Trying to talk to you about my life, what is happening and you are just doing your best to hurt me." Paige said sadly.
"Well I don't know when I will come see you now, so don't hold your breath." Paige fumed.
"Whatever." Paige said and hung up.
Paige sat there watching as her Dad called back five times and finally she picked up her phone.
"What do you want? I need to keep this line open for Ralph's school." Paige said bitterly.
"Yeah right." Paige sulked. "I'll believe that when I see it happen." Paige told him. "Yes, we still live in those crappy apartments. Yesterday was the first chance I had to deposit the check I got, things take time Dad. I can't very well snap my fingers and change things in less than forty eight hours." Paige said while shaking her head. "Of course I want better for us Dad. Tell me, what could you have done if you had been given a fifty thousand dollar government check at 7 pm? Would you have already had it cashed and spent? Even if I wanted, I have to wait for the check to clear because I don't have strong credit or a big checking or savings account. What are you thinking, Dad?" Paige rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I said they paid me a reward of fifty thousand dollars." Paige shook her head before burying her face in her free hand. "Because of what we did Dad, I just told you I can't tell you anymore without violating the non disclosure agreement. But trust me Dad, it was a very big deal. And because of it, I believe I have met the man of my dreams." Paige told him.
Walter had just opened the door and smiled hearing her describe him. He stepped in and gently shut the door.
"I told you Dad I don't want to introduce you to him right now. Give us a couple of weeks. How would you have liked to have met Mom's Dad the day after meeting her?" Paige swore. Paige looked up and saw Walter softly walking towards her and she smiled. "Look Dad, Walter just got back from taking Ralph to school so I need to end this call. Yes, I know and I love you too." Paige told him and saw Walter reach out for her phone. "Hold on a second Daddy." Paige gave Walter the phone.
Walter had been running through a number of conversations that he'd been privy to growing up, of suitors talking to a young lady's Father and he quickly arranged a conversation in his head.
"Good morning Mr Dineen. This is Walter O'Brien, how are you sir?" Walter asked as he sat the bag of breakfast sandwiches on her desk. "I'm glad to hear that. I am well, thank you. From Paige's side of the conversation as I walked in, you are wanting to meet me. And that is very understandable, she's your little girl after all. I really want to meet you too, to thank you for being a man of integrity and helping Paige after what Drew had done to her. I know it would have been easy to berate her and give her all the 'I told you so speeches.' But what she needed was your support and love, and I am grateful she got that from you." Walter smiled. "You sound just like my Father whenever it was about my sister."
Walter kind of laughed.
"Oh no, absolutely not. That never applied to me. Best I could hope for from him was a scowl, maybe a gruff, 'I suppose that's adequate.'" Walter smiled as he mimicked his Father. "No sir, Ralph means a lot to me already, I will never treat him like that. He'll be a cherished young man. I can see so much of myself in him when I was his age. He's actually really brilliant. No, I'm not saying that to curry favor with your little girl sir. I one hundred percent mean that. Ralph has been misdiagnosed and treated improperly by his doctors for his condition. I can promise you, when you next meet Ralph you will be amazed at how he is now." Walter told him with a big smile at Paige.
"With my current business obligations it would be difficult to get together before Oct 10th, would that be satisfactory with you? The three of us could come to see you that evening or weekend. Or we could meet at a restaurant of your choice." Walter told him.
"That's fine. I look forward to meeting you, here is Paige." Walter told him before handing the phone back.
"Are you happy now Daddy?" Paige asked. "Yes, I love you too. I guess we'll see you on the 10th of October then. Bye Daddy. Yes, I'll tell Ralph." Paige hung up the phone.
"Thank you." Paige smiled at Walter.
Walter winked.
"Oh no…he got me so upset earlier I forgot to tell him what you found out about Drew." Paige sighed. "I guess I can call him tomorrow and tell him after you take Ralph to school. If you don't mind, that is, I don't want to do it when Ralph or the guys are here."
"That isn't a problem Paige. But Ralph wants to know if we can get a fish tank." Walter smiled.
Paige giggled and shook her head.
"I think he really likes you." Paige said as she stood and moved into his arms.
"I know I already love him, even if there was no chance he could be mine." Walter said as they hugged. "Paige, if you aren't objectionable about it. I'd like to help you get moved into a better place. Those apartments aren't very safe."
Paige smiled as she squeezed him tighter to her.
"When my check is fully credited to my account, that's the first thing I'm doing." Paige whispered. "And then looking for a new car."
"Well, in the meantime, would you please consider letting me move you both in here? I can sleep in the RV and you can have my bed. Ralph can sleep on the couch or I can get a real bed for him. And I'll talk to Happy about putting up an actual room for him to sleep in and have his own space." Walter told her quietly.
Paige pulled back and looked at him for a moment.
"You're serious, aren't you?" Paige said half shocked.
"We could even move all your belongings to storage or we can store them in one of the corners in the Loft until we get you a place. That would help save money. Then you won't have to go back to those apartments. Walter nodded with a slight smile.
"I suppose we could, though some of my things are nicer than yours. Maybe we could put your stuff in a corner and put mine in place of it." Paige eyed Walter who grinned. "But I'm not kicking you out of your bed. I'll stay in the RV." Paige smiled and then gave Walter a quick kiss.
"No." Walter shook his head. "The RV isn't that nice, it needs some work for that. I wouldn't feel right with you sleeping in it. I'll stay in it."
Paige rolled her eyes before looking at the sack.
"Is this supposed to be breakfast for us?" Paige pointed.
Walter nodded.
"Ralph wanted a McMuffin sandwich on the way to school so I decided to get us some too." Walter told her.
"That little sneak, he already had breakfast before he left Walter." Paige sighed.
"Well, he could be in or about to get into a growth spurt and his body needs more nourishment." Walter told her. "And it isn't like it is that big of an expense."
Paige smiled and grabbed the bag and walked with Walter to the kitchen.
"Wait, did we just agree to live together?" Walter frowned as he thought about how they had just intermingled their belongings.
"Well, I'm not exactly opposed to that." Paige smiled.
"Well, I wonder where our new Liaison is? Second day and she's late to work?" Toby said as they came in the door. "Ol'197 better rake her over the coals like he does me."
Paige stifled a laugh as she looked at Walter sitting at the small kitchen table.
Walter shook his head.
Happy rolled her eyes as she walked over to her workbench and took off her jacket and hung it up.
"You don't know that she's late, Toby." Sylvester told him. "She could have come in before us and had to go do something for Walter. Or he might have picked her up and brought her to work again."
"Yeah, take a page out of mine or Sly's book and just worry about yourself. You screw up more than anyone else." Happy told him.
"Whatever, I stand by what I said. Besides, his car hood wasn't that hot. He needs to chastise her just like he does me." Toby said as he walked towards the passage that went to the kitchen and then froze seeing a letter on her desk. "What's this?" Toby picked it up and his eyes read down the page quickly. "What a load of rubbish, 197 must be losing IQ points judging by how he wrote this note. And the whole thing is full of sentimentality. Wait, I got it now, this was Mrs Kovelsky talking to them. Man, what a load of manure."
Paige flew out of her chair and charged through the passage to her desk.
Sylvester's eyes went wide watching her charge through to Toby.
Toby took a step back as she reached him.
She reached out and quickly yanked the page out of his hand.
"Keep your hands off of other people's property and your opinions to yourself unless asked for them in an official capacity." Paige yelled at him.
"Yes!" Happy said, grinning at them. "Give him both barrels."
"Hey it was just lying there, it could have been for one or all of us." Toby tried to deflect as he looked at Happy in disbelief.
"No, if it had been for you or the others it would have been on one of your desks or the monitor tree." Walter said as he stepped out, a scowl on his face.
"You can't believe in this crap Walt." Toby told him while gesturing to the note Paige held protectively in her hands.
"What I believe in that note is none of your business." Walter told him. "What I believe right now about you is what you need to concern yourself with. As the office manager, Ms Dineen has already told you. Keep your hands off of things on other people's desks. And keep your opinions to yourself if they aren't case related. Is there anything about those words that has you confused?"
Toby shook his head no.
"Good, this better be the last time." Walter told him before walking back to the kitchen to clean up the area.
Paige just glared at Toby until he finally turned and walked back over to the couch and sat down.
Greetings! I hope this finds you well!
Railman - I don't think Toby will ever change. lol We'll just have to wait and see how the story plays out.
LouBe - It was! Thank you! lol I should have looked at my list of favorite stories and I could have found it. *sigh* Didn't even think about it. I hate that Niamh went silent back in 2020...I hope Niamh is well and just hasn't been motivated to write. And I hope the muse sparks Niamh to come back to finish the story and go on to regale us with others! When it comes to computers I'm not sure Walter is that much different across the multiverse, at least when he isn't a Paladin or Bard! LOL I think the chapter you are waiting for is 9...
Susan - So glad you enjoy that aspect! lol Drew is definitely not going to be a happy camper! lol Ah...Toby...what are we going to do with him? He just can't help stepping into it...every time there is a mud puddle, everyone else walks around, he has to step into it! lol Walter says while he was happy for the confirmation, he was already sure Ralph was his son and that possibility had already thrilled him. hehe
Pearliegirl - I get that...It isn't easy to identify gender sometimes with writing. Glad you are enjoying the new story! lol Well, you got 12 more chapters to go to find out! lol And I've had an idea for a continuation to the story so I got something else to work on. Well as long as there is a passion in me for Scorpion, I imagine the muse will speak on them. I certainly don't want to think that one day I'll stop. I might branch out into other stories, I already wrote a story based on the movies of The Hobbit so...who knows. I even had an idea for a Harry Potter story. lol Wrote 4 chapters of it, not sure if I will continue it or how good it will be. I don't know the syntax for a story based in the UK.
Marie Mac - Yup! You and LouBe to the rescue! lol Well thank you, but I hope we both have enough time to sort it out!
To the Adventure! -Tim