This is a work of fiction loosely based on the character of Terry Thorne established and defined in the movie Proof of Life.  It is strictly for entertainment purposes. Please do not copy, publish or alter this work in any way without the written permission of the author.

In Sickness and in Health

By: Thorne's Rose

©2008

Part One

The lift door opened silently and a lone figure stepped out and slowly walked towards the ornate reception desk. He stood quietly watching the attractive lady behind the desk as she studied the papers in front of her.

He waited about 30 seconds before clearing his throat and smiled at her expression when she looked up at him. “Oh my God...Jake? Is that really you?”

“G’day, Rox. You look like a roo in the headlights.”

Luckily, Roxanne had known Jake long enough to understand some of his Aussie-isms, and giggled at him. “It’s just been such a long time, Jake. I thought you’d retired.”

“Aw fair go, luv. I’ve only been on my honeymoon.”

“Jake, you got married the end of March; it’s now just past Independence Day.”

“Hey, that’s one of the perks of owning a company with such efficient staff. No-one realises that you’re gone. Anyway, the honeymoon was only two months. I’ve been working up on the farm for about three weeks, and got back to the office the middle of June,” Jake grinned.

“Oh, Jake, we knew, and we all missed you, even if we usually only get to speak to you on the phone.”

“Thanks, Rox. Is the old man alone?”

“He’s only with Alex. Shall I buzz him?”

“No, luv. I’ll just poke my head round the door. You couldn’t rustle up a cuppa could you?”

“Coming up, Jake.”

Jake walked over to Mike’s office door and gently knocked. Hearing Mike call, “Come,” he opened the door and stepped into the office. Mike and Alex were elbow deep in paperwork.

“Having fun, children?”

“Jake!!” Alex exclaimed, jumping up from her chair and rushing over to Jake. Flinging her arms around his neck, she kissed his cheek and smiled.

“Now that’s the kind of welcome I like,” Jake giggled, kissing Alex in return and giving her a hug... As soon as she let go of him he was wrapped up in another bear hug, this time from Mike.

“Jake, it’s good to see you, man. Married life seems to suit you, my friend. You should have done it years ago.”

“Better late than never, mate. It’s your turn next.”

Mike snorted at that remark. He was between women again and there was no prospect of a date, let alone a solid relationship.

Just then, Roxanne came in with a tray full of steaming mugs, and they all adjourned to the sofas by the picture windows to enjoy the view over the lake while they chatted.

“So, anything interesting happen while I’ve been away?” Jake asked innocently, knowing that Mike had some news for him.

Mike cleared his throat and shifted in his seat before answering.

“Now Jake, I know we’re partners and that we always discuss things, but you were incognito, and it was an opportunity that couldn’t be ignored.”

Jake tilted his head for Mike to continue.

“The floor above us became vacant...I mean the entire floor! I had the legal team go over everything, and it worked out a better deal to buy rather than lease.”

“You bought the floor?”

“Well, yeah. After all, we own this floor, and we own the 12th floor in Sydney. Hell, we own the entire building in London!”

“Point taken. Explain to me why we need another floor here though. I didn’t know you had it in mind to expand.”

“Ah, well, here’s the juice. We’re fitting it out as a fitness and medical centre, not only for us, but for all the other companies in the building, and in the business district if they want to avail themselves of our services.”

“I take it we won’t be offering this service out of the goodness of our hearts,” Jake said with a smile.

“Hell no. There will be corporate memberships on offer along with individual memberships. The fitness centre is almost ready to open, we have most of the equipment installed, and will be interviewing staff next week.”

“Looks like I got here just in time to join in the fun then. How about the medical centre?”

“We’re still fitting that out, and we need to work out if we need a full medical team, or maybe have a qualified nurse plus some first aiders, and have a doctor on retainer. Want to go have a look round?”

“Thought you’d never ask, mate.”

They finished their drinks and headed out of the office, telling the receptionist to hold all calls until they got back.

“She’s new,” Jake remarked.

“Yes, her name’s Star, and she’s proving to be very good. She’s a bit shy, but she’s slowly coming out of her shell.”

“Great, you can introduce me when we get back.”

Jake was very impressed with the layout of the fitness centre. It had a gym, sauna, hot tubs and massage area, and there was even room for a small beauty salon for the ladies to get their hair and nails done.

“I guess we’ll find you up here rather than in the office when you’re in town now then, Jake.” Alex stated.

“Bloody hell, no, luv. I hate working out. Never go near a gym unless it’s a medical necessity.”

“You’re joking! You mean that ripped body is all natural?”

Jake blushed furiously as Mike answered, “He’s telling the truth, Alex. The last time he was anywhere near any exercise equipment was rehab after the car crash, and he hated every second of it.”

“Moving swiftly on...show me the medical centre, mate.”

Mike picked up Jake’s hint to change the subject, and they moved to the next half of the floor where work was well under way to equip a state of the art medical facility.

“I’m thinking that it won’t only be a run of the mill doctor’s office, there will be alternative medicine, relaxation rooms, and aroma therapy. Everything needed to combat the stress of the daily office grind.”

“Not bad, Mike. Will there be membership for this as well, or will we be offering monthly billing?”

“I was thinking membership for the relaxation and aroma therapy, and then any medical costs will be billed either to the individual, or to their company. Quite a few of our business neighbours have asked about signing up already. I thought we might also offer a ‘drop in’ service.”

“Sounds like a winner. Good onya, mate. Glad to see you’ve kept yourself busy while I’ve been...keeping myself busy.”

They all laughed at Jake’s last remark as they headed back to the lift and their offices. As they walked back to the reception area, Star looked up shyly, wondering who the handsome man with the scarred face was.

“Star, I’d like to introduce you to your other boss. This is Aaron Mitchell, CEO and the ‘A’ of A&M.”

“Hello, Mr. Mitchell,” Star said hesitantly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“G’Day, Star. Good to meet you too. Please, call me Jake.”

“Yes, sir...sorry, Jake?”

“Only my olds and some clients call me Aaron. Tell you what, luv, it’s almost lunchtime. Care to share a bite to eat with me and we can get to know one another? There’s a good Chinese just around the corner.”

A look of panic flashed across Star’s face. Jake noticed and tried to put her at ease. “We can get take out if you like and use the rec room here, if you’d feel more comfortable.”

“No, it’s all right, Jake...I’d be honoured to have lunch with you.”

“Okie dokie,” Jake replied, rubbing his hands together like a gleeful schoolboy. “Rox, can you man the desk while I take the lovely Star out to lunch? She may be a bit late back, but hey, she’s with the boss so that’s okay.”

Roxanne grinned and nodded, giving Star a hug as she helped her on with her jacket, whispering for her not to be nervous and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as she gently pushed her towards Jake and the lift.

As they walked out into the street, Jake turned to Star and asked if Chinese was really okay with her. She nodded quickly, afraid to open her mouth. Jake smiled and placed his hand on her back to steer her in the right direction. Star shivered at his touch, but suddenly felt very safe with this man.

As they sat and studied their menus, Jake looked over and asked, “If there’s nothing you really hate, would you mind if I ordered?” Star nodded her agreement, and Jake smiled as the waitress came over. She smiled in recognition and Jake asked for his usual, ordering a mineral water for himself, and after checking with Star, an orange juice for her.

“Do you drink, Star?”

“Not in the middle of the day, especially a work day. Do you?”

“No, luv. I’m allergic to alcohol.”

“Really? I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s no loss. There are plenty of non-alcoholic drinks I can enjoy. Don’t need to get drunk to have a good time,” he added, winking. Star giggled, suddenly relaxing completely. She felt like she’d known her boss for years rather than having only just met him.

Over the course of the meal she told Jake all about her life, being the youngest child, and only daughter amongst 6 brothers. She was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia. Her parents and brothers were all gospel singers, and although she had a beautiful singing voice, she felt like she needed more in her life, so she went to college, got a business degree and moved to Chicago. She was 24, and this was her first job. She enjoyed it very much, but without sounding disloyal, she said she didn’t want to be a receptionist for the rest of her career.

Jake was impressed, and he loved the way her deep brown eyes sparkled when she talked about something she loved. He loved the way she forgot her natural shyness with him, and laughed when she turned the tables on him and asked him all about his life.

“I can tell by your accent that you aren’t a native of our shores, Jake. Are you an Australian?”

“Not quite, luv. I was born in New Zealand, moved to Australia when I was a nipper. My dad has a Kiwi mum and an Aussie dad. My mother’s side of the family are pure New Zealand.”

Star noticed a coldness in Jake’s voice when he mentioned his mother, but she stayed quiet, loving the sound of his voice.

“My grandparents brought me up...long story, too boring for lunchtime chat...and when my grandfather died, he left the property to me, rather than to Gran or my uncle. It’s a working farm in a place called Cloud’s Creek, a small place about 8 hours drive north of Sydney. My Gran and my Uncle both live there. Gran is a doctor, she still does a few shifts at Grafton Hospital every week despite us telling her it’s more than time she began taking things easy, and my Uncle runs the farm for me when I’m not around. I have a place in Sydney as well to be close to the office. It’s on a wharf, a marina one side, and a naval base the other. About a 10 minute walk from Sydney Harbour.”

Star gasped, “It sounds beautiful, Jake. I’ve always wanted to travel, and Australia is on top of my list.”

“No worries, we’ll get you an exchange to the office down there for a couple of months, and then on the way back maybe you’d like a stint in the London office as well.”

“That sounds like a dream come true. Do you treat all the staff the same way?”

“Yes, luv. It’s fair dinkum, not a chat up line. Ask Rox and Alex. They’ve both done it.”

“But I’m only the receptionist, and what does ‘Fair Dinkum’ mean?”

“Yeah, for the moment, but you have ambition, and you never know what we might be able to offer you in the future. It’s good to go through all the departments to see if something grabs you more than what you’re doing right now. Fair Dinkum means ‘true, honest or real’. I guess it's an Aussie way of saying I'm not talking bullshit.”

Star blushed and looked down at her plate. “I never expected to find such a good employer, especially my first one.”

“We aim to please, Star. Now, eat up and let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, boss...I guess it’s time to go back to work.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I suppose a trip on the lake is out of the question?”

“It would be nice, but I don’t think even the boss can get away with a 4 hour lunch break.”

“Slave driver...you’ll go far. Come on then, take me back to work.” Jake gave Star his hand and allowed her to drag him back to the office. When they stepped out of the lift, they were both giggling like school kids, and Mike, Alex and Roxanne smiled indulgently at them. It looked like lunch with Jake was all that was needed to bring Star out of her shell.

~*~

Star sat back down behind the reception desk and watched Jake follow Mike into his office. Before they shut the door, Jake turned and winked at Star which made her sigh. Rox looked at her with a smile.

“So, young Star. What do you think of your other boss?”

“He’s wonderful. So down to earth. Not like a boss at all, and what a wonderful voice.”

“So, would you like membership to the Jake Mitchell fan club?”

Star laughed. “He told me all about his wedding. I think he only has eyes for one lady.”

“You’re so right, Star, and when you eventually meet Angie, you’ll see why. It doesn’t stop us mooning over him though. And being married hasn’t stopped him being a big flirt. It’s just his Kiwi charm.”

“Roxanne...he told me that he would be happy to arrange for me to go to the Sydney office for a couple of months and then maybe to the London office as well.”

“That’s right. We’ve all done it. It’s good to meet people we might otherwise only speak to over the phone, and we get to see how the other offices do the job. Everyone is great in the Sydney office, and to begin with you’ll find it difficult to get anything done as there’s a great view over the harbour from there. But you won’t have to wait until we get you over there to meet one of the staff. You’ve spoken to Jenny quite a lot haven’t you? Well, you can be sure that if Jake’s over here for anything longer than a few days that Jenny will be on her way as well.”

“Now, she’s his PA isn’t she?” She sounds English on the phone.”

“You’re very good at accents, Star. Yes, Jenny has lived in Sydney for years, but she’s never lost her accent. She’s more like his big sister than his assistant. I think you’ll like her when you meet her. She’s like Jake; she’ll make you feel at ease as soon as you meet her.”

“Oh Rox, I’m sorry that it’s taking me a while to settle, I’ve always been the quiet one in the family. Jake made me feel so at home. It felt like we’d known each other for ages, and I seem to have more confidence already.”

“It’s a gift he has. Jenny is just the same, so is his wife, Angie. I think you’ll love it here, Star. Both Mike and Jake treat all their staff like family. I sincerely hope that you decide to stay with us long term, rather than use us as a starting block.”

“Well, I don’t want to stay behind the desk for the rest of my career, but Jake said I’ll be able to rotate around the departments to see where I’m best suited.”

“That’s true. I started as a messenger when the office was in New York, and now I’m office manager. Alex was a secretary and is now Mike’s P.A. so the door is open to opportunity.”

“Even for a young black girl from Roanoke, VA,” Star whispered, smiling.

“Star, Jake and Mike will both tell you that race, colour, creed, sexual orientation all mean nothing to them when they look for new staff. Mike took you on because of your degree and because he could see the personality that was hiding behind your shyness. They probably wouldn’t even notice your colour. Jake is from mixed parentage.”

“Yes, he told me, his grandfather was Australian and his grandmother is from New Zealand,” Star replied grinning.

Roxanne tried not to choke on her coffee when she laughed in reply. “It’s more than that, Star. His paternal grandmother and his mother both have Maori blood in them, so he’s about 3/4 Maori and 1/4 Australian.”

“That would explain it then,” Star mused.

“Explain what?”

“His wonderful eyes.”

“Oh, you noticed. They are to die for aren’t they, and those lashes! I’d kill for lashes like that.”

Just then Mike’s office door opened so they tried to stop their giggles. They were relieved to see it was only Alex and not the men. She looked at them with a raised eyebrow until Roxanne told her who they had been discussing, ending by letting her know that Star was the newest member of the Jake Mitchell fan club. Alex came over and gave Star a big hug, whispering “Welcome to the family” in her ear. Star smiled...life was good.

Three days later, as Roxanne predicted, Jenny arrived for the duration of Jake’s stay, however long that would turn out to be. She and Star hit it off right away and both Jenny and Alex spent a couple of hours each morning explaining the duties of a P.A. to Star. They both hoped that she wouldn’t decide to leave A&M and try for a post with a rival company, but she put their minds at rest on that score. It looked like Star was there to stay, and she promised that she wasn’t after their jobs either, but wanted to learn about every aspect of working in the company. Jenny was very impressed with the young receptionist and made a mental note to speak with Jake about her.

~*~

The Fitness Centre was up and running, and most of the companies in the building were making use of it both during the lunch period and before and after office hours. Mike was basking in the glory of its initial success, which amused Jake no end.

“You thinking of leaving the security business then, Mikey?”

“Hell no, life would be too boring if we were 9 to 5 businessmen wouldn’t it, my friend. It’s a nice little money earner though isn’t it, and you never know, it might bring in some other business when more companies get to hear about who’s running it.”

“You just keep thinking, Mike. It’s what you’re good at,” laughed Jake in his best Sundance Kid impression. “We still need to get the medical centre open though. You should start advertising for a full time nurse, especially as you’re thinking of making it a drop-in centre.”

“Yeah, I thought we’d put some feelers out this week in some of the agencies, then hopefully we can start interviews next week at the latest. I want to do them while you’re still in town.”

“For sure, why should you have all the fun,” Jake winked.

“Don’t let Angie find out.”

“Hey, I’m married, not dead, and my little angel might have a few tips for us, being a nurse and all.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, on to more important things. Are you and Jenny up for dinner out tonight?”

“Are you paying, slick?”

“On this occasion, I think I just might be.”

“Well then, I think you’re on, mate.”

They ended up at Joe’s Stone Crab and Jake felt right at home there as it reminded him of Kingsley’s on the wharf. The meal was superb, and Mike was on form and a wonderful host. He’d invited Alex to make up the numbers, and both the girls were enjoying the attention the men were giving them.

All through the meal, Jake kept getting the feeling that they were being watched. He excused himself to use the men’s room and on the way back to the table, he scanned the room, but saw nothing to peak his interest. He rejoined the party in time for desert, and concentrated on his Peppermint Ice Cream with Hot Fudge.

Meanwhile, on a table not too far from them, a party of six were watching them.

“Oh, my God, I was right, it IS them. It’s my ex-bosses. Will, can we leave please? I’ll be so embarrassed if they see me here.”

“Bella, honey, you have as much right to be here as they do. You did nothing wrong, babe, they fired you for no reason. I’ll go have a word with them.”

“Oh please, don’t. I’ll just die if you make a scene. Just let me go to the rest room and then we can leave quietly.”

Will waited for Bella to leave the table and then got up and headed towards Mike’s table. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he was going to do something. Jake was just about to propose a toast to the ladies and raised his glass of Evian water as Will reached the table. He made to walk by and jogged Jake’s chair just as he held his glass up. Water tipped all over him and he looked round.

“Careful, mate.”

“Or what?”

“Hey, calm down. I’m not looking for trouble, I’m just asking you to be careful not to knock the seat.”

“You wanna take it outside?”

Jake sighed and went to get up when Jenny put her hand on his arm.

“Don’t start anything, please.”

“Don’t worry, luv. I’ll just have a quiet word with him. Maybe he’s had a bit too much to drink and needs a bit of fresh air.”

“Just be careful.”

Jake followed Will out of the restaurant, ready to talk when Will swung round and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him up against the wall.

“I don’t much like you,” Will growled into Jake’s face.

“Get the fuck away from me or I’ll give you reason,” Jake hissed in reply.

Before anything else could happen, Mike and the manager stormed through the doors and pulled Will away telling him to leave before the police were called. He straightened his tie, squared his shoulders, and stormed off, meeting up with the rest of his friends who had left by the rear entrance.

“What was all that about?” Mike asked.

“No idea, mate. Maybe he didn’t like my accent,” Jake smiled. “Let’s go finish our coffee in peace.”

The rest of their evening went off without a hitch, and they were soon heading home, the little encounter all but forgotten. Unbeknownst to them, across town Will was sitting scheming...

~*~

A week later, Mike and Jake were up to their eyes in applications for the nurse’s position in the Health Centre. They had already sorted through once until they had a very long short list of 50, but needed to get it down even more before they started the interviews. Mike looked up to see Jake massaging his temples.

“You okay, Jake?”

“Yeah...no...bit of a headache, that’s all.”

“Got your meds?”

“In the car.”

“Jake, when are you going to admit you need to keep some in the fridge up here? Shall I send someone down to get them?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll go, the walk might do me good. Won’t be long, don’t feel you have to wait for me.”

“You wish, don’t worry, I’ll leave a pile for you.”

Jake grinned at his friend and left the office, heading for the parking area. He sat in the passenger seat and got his medication out of the cool box. He injected himself, got out of the car, and had just locked it when he sensed movement behind him. He turned, but he wasn’t fast enough. Pain exploded in his brain and he felt something warm gushing down the side of his head. He was grabbed by both arms, swung round and thrown back against his car. His eyes were fixed on the broken bottle that was headed for his neck. The last thing he heard before his world went black was a woman screaming.

“WILL...NO!!!”

Will turned as Jake dropped, landing slumped against the car door. He saw Bella staring in horror at his handiwork.

“What have you done? Is this why you called me over here?” she screamed.

“Baby, I told you I was going to make them pay for what they did to you.”

“You idiot! He’s not the one who fired me. He tried to stop it happening.”

“Shit! Let me think for a minute. Okay, here’s the plan. Bring the car over, we’ll drive him across town and drop him outside a hospital. By the time they find out who he is, we’ll be well away.”

Bella brought the car over and the men bundled Jake into the back. Within minutes, they were out of the car park and headed across town.

~*~

Jenny and Alex came back from the Fitness Centre wondering if the boys would notice they were late. They looked over at Mike’s office and noticed the door was open. Alex stuck her head inside and saw Mike alone scanning an application form.

“Where’s Jake?”

“He had a headache coming on and nipped down to the car to get his meds.”

“It must have been a bad one for him to volunteer to take them,” Jenny remarked. “How long has he been gone?”

“Only a few minutes,” Mike replied, glancing at his watch. “Shit! He’s been gone half an hour.”

“I’m going down to check. He might be feeling bad,” Jenny remarked, heading for the lift.

“Hold up, Jen. I’ll come too,” Mike called after her.

They saw the car but no Jake.

“Maybe he decided to go and get something for lunch while he was down here.”

“Not possible, Jen. He left his jacket upstairs and his wallet is in there, he only picked up the car keys.” As Mike was speaking he was looking around the underground parking area, leaving Jenny to walk towards the car.

“MIKE!”

“What is it, Jen?”

“I think there’s blood on the car!”

Mike ran over and checked where Jenny was pointing. There was blood on the edge of the car roof, and on closer inspection, they found more near the base of the passenger door.

“Jen, go up to street level and call the cops!”

Fifteen minutes later the police and the crime scene unit were on site. After a quick check, the officers left the CSU boys to do their work and went up to the office with Mike and Jenny. Sitting in Mike’s office, they asked for details of what had happened. Mike explained that Jake had gone to the car to get his migraine medication, and hadn’t returned. He then told the officers that when they went to check, they found the blood and called it in. Mike also explained that Jake had no ID on him as his wallet was in the office. They gave the officers all Jake’s details, along with a photograph, and showed them out.

Jenny was close to tears, as were Alex, Roxanne and Star. Mike told them not to worry as Jake couldn’t be too far, and the police would circulate his picture around the area. He took them into his office and sat them down, then went and made them a nice hot drink, there would be no work done that afternoon.

He got all the men in the office on the case, and put the word out to his security teams in the local hospitals, thanking the almighty that he had taken the contracts for uniformed security guards the previous year. Pictures were all well and good, but he had men who knew Jake and could check all the emergency rooms a lot faster than the police could.

Chapter Two

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