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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.
New Beginnings By: Thorne's Rose ©06/2007
Jenny stared at the phone in her hand, now beeping to be put back in its base unit. She had just taken a call from a very distraught Angie. She and Jake hadn’t been speaking, and now Jake was gone. She had no idea that the couple were having problems since the accident, and told Angie that she hadn’t seen him, but would let her know if he turned up. She was on her way to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Opening the door, she wasn’t too surprised to see Jake on her step, looking tired and drawn, crash helmet in one hand, kitbag in the other.
“You rode all the way down?” she asked, amazed that he had managed such a journey so soon after the accident.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course you can, let me help you.”
Jenny was surprised when Jake allowed her to take him by the arm and help him into the house. He nodded in reply when she asked if he would like a cuppa, and after sitting him down on the sofa, she rushed off into the kitchen to put the kettle on.
She was back in a couple of minutes, carrying two steaming mugs with her. She placed them down on the coffee table and sat next to Jake, taking hold of his cold hands.
“Would you like to tell me what happened?”
Jake sat silently looking at Jenny, his eyes welling up. Then the dam burst and, tears streaming down his face, he was soon in Jenny’s welcome embrace, silently sobbing, his heart fit to break. Jenny said nothing, but sat there gently rocking him, comforting him as best she could.
She felt him slowly relax in her arms and wondered if he was ready to talk. She pushed him away slightly to enable her to look into his face, and was shocked by the abject misery she could see in his eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Jake shook his head in reply, but accepted the tea Jenny gave him. After he’d finished, she got up and held out her hands to him. He reached up and took them, allowing her to help him stand. She led him down the hall to the guest room and opened the door.
“Get your leathers off and get into bed. You’re worn out, Jake. A good sleep is what you need right now. We’ll talk later.”
She left him alone to get undressed, and looked in again a few minutes later. He was laying on his side, eyes closed, but on hearing her turn to leave, he called her back in.
“Jinny…don’t tell anyone I’m here…please?”
“Okay, Jake. If anyone calls, I haven’t seen you. At least not until we’ve had time to talk. I need to get the bike into the garage for you, I'll be back in a couple of minutes.”
Jake was asleep by the time she got back from the garage. In the short time she’d been gone he had been tossing and turning and most of the bedclothes were on the floor. Jenny straightened the bed and tucked him in, kissing him lightly on the forehead before leaving him to sleep.
~*~
Jenny was up early the next morning. Truth to tell, she hadn’t slept a wink all night. She had been listening to Jake. His sleep had not been restful. She was wondering if she should go in and wake him when she heard the guest room door open. She looked up as Jake came limping into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Jake. Sit down, I’ve just made some tea. Are you hungry?”
Jake shook his head as he sat at the breakfast bar absently spooning sugar into his cup. Jenny took it away from him, knowing that he took his tea without, and brought him a fresh cup.
“Do you feel like talking this morning, Jake?”
Jake looked up from studying his cup of tea and viewed his friend through bloodshot, tired eyes.
“Angel lost the baby.”
“What? I’m so sorry, Jake. I didn’t realise that she was pregnant! No wonder she was so frantic. Was it wise to leave her alone right now…”
“That’s just the point, Jin…You aren’t the only one who didn’t know.”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Said I had enough to worry about getting fit after the accident. She didn’t want to put any more strain on me.”
“I think I can understand that.”
“Didn’t stop her telling Sam, Emily, most likely told Mike as well. I was the father and she couldn’t tell me...” Jake replied, his voice breaking with emotion.
He got up and stumbled back into the guest room slamming the door behind him. Jenny followed, hesitating at the door when she heard him sobbing inside. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and went in to see if she could give Jake any comfort.
She managed to calm him down eventually and led him into the lounge room, sitting him on the sofa and covering him with a doona. She brought in another fresh cuppa and sat with him, holding his hand to reassure him she was there for him. Eventually he told her about the events leading to Angie losing the baby. The guilt he felt about being the probable cause of the miscarriage, the anger and betrayal at not being told she was carrying his child. He felt isolated amongst his own family knowing that they had decided to keep the news from him.
He told Jenny about the arguments he’d had with everyone, the way he withdrew into his shell instead of trying to comfort Angie until finally he felt the only thing he could do was leave the farm altogether..
Jenny told him that everyone had called her asking if she had seen him, and once again he begged her not to let them know where he was. He said he couldn’t go to the wharf as he couldn’t face the risk of any of them turning up. Jenny offered her guest room to him for as long as he needed. There was no way she was going to let him go off somewhere on his own in his present state.
~*~
It had been two weeks since he left the farm, and the calls to Jenny from the family were becoming less frequent. Maybe they had decided he wasn’t in Sydney after all. He was still staying with her, even though he had changed all the locks and phones at the apartment and advised the security office not to give out any information to his family about his whereabouts. He felt safe and comfortable where he was, and Jenny was bringing work home from the office for him, making him feel useful again. Mike had called the office looking for him, and he had assured Jenny that he had no idea about the pregnancy, so Jenny urged Jake to contact him. He wasn’t ready just yet, but promised he would soon.
The fourth week found him back in the office and feeling more himself. Dee and Sandi had orders not to take any calls from the farm, or admit anyone that might turn up, and his private number had been changed. Jenny was worried about the way he was cutting himself off from his entire family, and hoped he would come to his senses soon and sort things out..
Eventually, the calls from home stopped coming and Jake never mentioned the farm at all. To a casual acquaintance he seemed to be the Jake of old, but anyone who knew him well could see he was an empty shell, just going through the motions of living. The light had gone from his eyes, he hardly ever smiled, and he was 100% business at all times, no time to stop and chat with the staff…except Jenny, who was his confidante. Sandi and Dee mourned the loss of the old Jake, they missed his jokes and laughter, and on a more shallow note, they missed seeing him in his casual gear, he was always in a suit these days.
Jenny kept a close eye on Jake, worrying that he was working too hard. He was back at the wharf apartment now, so she couldn’t keep tabs on him. She was sure he wasn’t eating properly, he looked to be losing weight and had dark shadows under his eyes, so she guessed he wasn’t sleeping much either. She decided it was time to give Mike a call and get his advice.
~*~
Jake was up to his eyes in paperwork when his private line began ringing. ‘Saved by the bell,’ he thought, putting down the file and picking up the receiver.
“Aaron Mitchell.”
“Hey, Jake, how’s things?”
“G’Day, Mike. I’m good thanks, what can I do for you?”
“Can’t a guy call up a friend for a chat these days?”
“So this isn’t a CFO/CEO call then?” Jake replied, laughing.
“No…well, not entirely. Now that you mention it though, there are a few people over here who have forgotten what their CEO looks like, and all the new staff who have NEVER seen him are beginning to think that you’re a figment of my imagination. Are you busy right now?”
“Just the usual mountain of paperwork, why?”
“I thought it might be a good idea for you to pay the new offices a visit, flying or otherwise. Chicago is lovely this time of year.”
“Rack off, mate. Sub-zero temperatures? Not my idea of fun…but…I could do with a change of scene, and I need to check that my Financial Director isn’t wasting the firms’ money on crap offices.”
“Good man. When can I expect you?”
“I’ll let you know, mate. I’ll stop off in London on the way, say G’Day to everyone there. As soon as Jin can get it all arranged, I’ll get back to you.”
“Fair enough. Catch ya later.”
Jake walked to the door and called over to Jenny. “How soon can you do without me around the office, luv?”
Jenny thought for a moment before answering. “Well, it’s Wednesday now, so, how about until the end of the week?”
“Yeah, that should work,” Jake replied, turning to go back into his office.
“Jake, can I ask where you’re off to?”
“London office, then on to Chicago,” he replied, closing the door behind him.
Jenny looked over to Dee and Sandi, answering their questioning gazes with a shrug of her shoulders. She got up and headed for Jake’s office, knocking and going in.
“Hey, Jin,” Jake said, looking up from his desk.
Jenny walked over and sat down, not speaking.
“What’s up, luv?”
“When did you decide to do the rounds, Jake?”
“About five minutes ago, Mike just called.”
“Okay, I’ll sort out the arrangements for the jet.”
“No, not this time, Jin. I think I’ll go commercial for a change. Can you book me out to London on Monday?” Better leave the onward journey open, I’m not too sure how long I’m going to stay.”
“Will you be back for Christmas?”
“Not sure yet. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, I’ll get right on it.”
She was soon back with all the flight details.
“Okay Jake, you’re on the 17:59 flight out on Monday, getting into London at 19:25 Tuesday. I checked for onward flights to Chicago, and BA have two direct departures, one at 12:45, arriving at 15:20, and one at 15:15, arriving at 17:55. Coming back from Chicago, if you don’t want to go via London again, you can leave with Qantas at 15:05 via LAX, and get home at 08:00.”
“Sounds good, luv. If you can get that organised I’d be grateful.”
Jenny smiled and headed back to her desk.
“And Jin, sorry I didn’t give you much notice.”
“Don’t worry Jake, it’s all in a day’s work,” she replied, winking at him as she closed the door behind her.
Jake grinned to himself and began his mental packing, knowing full well that his ‘go bag’ was always ready, and all he needed.
~*~
Airports: You either love them or you hate them. Jake had spent so much time in departure lounges that he felt totally at home there. Before they bought the company jet he used to love people watching, and would always arrive early enough to spend time wandering round. These days it was a chore. He was feeling jaded and just wanted the flight to be called. He still wasn’t sure why he was flying commercial. Maybe he just wanted to be amongst strangers for a while.
The relocation from New York had been completed long ago, and Mike was right, it was about time he paid them a visit.. There were too many new staff that had never seen him. That had to change. He wasn’t sure how long he would stay in London. He smiled at the thought of meeting up with Jason, Lynn and Marie again. It seemed forever since he’d last seen them. Christmas was fast approaching so he had to decide if he was going to spend it in London or Chicago. There was no way that he was going to spend it alone in Oz. Wherever he went, he would make sure Jenny went too. She had kept him sane since he left the farm, and if anyone could get him through the holiday season, it would be her. He made a mental note to call her as soon as he could when he got to London. He would wait until she was at home. At least having stayed with her for a while he knew her routine so could work out what time she would get home each evening, which would make calculating the time difference a piece of cake.
His flight was called and he made his way to the gate. He was soon settled into his first class seat, and was glad to find that the adjoining one was vacant. He was asleep before wheels up, and didn’t wake again until touchdown in Singapore. He stretched and took the opportunity to walk around the transit area in the two hour layover, then boarded again for the long leg of the journey to London. Once again, he slept the entire way, and woke up just in time to be told they were about to start their descent into Heathrow.
As usual he sailed through immigration with the help of his diplomatic passport, and his carry-on meant no waiting for the baggage to be offloaded. He was walking through the arrivals when he heard his name called. He turned to see Jason smiling at him. They shook hands warmly and made their way to the short term parking area, and were soon on their way to the city.
He was greeted at the office by Lynne and Marie, who were both pleased to see their boss again after such a long time, and they were soon all in his office catching up on news.
~*~
Everything was running smoothly in London, and apart from making himself known to the staff, there wasn’t too much for him to do. With time on his hands, he soon became maudlin, and decided to head off for Chicago. Marie offered to arrange his flight while he checked the time before calling Jenny.
“Jinny? Did I get you up?”
“Hi, Jake. No, it’s okay. I was having a late night.”
“Cool. Get your bags packed and give Jim a call in the morning. Tell him to get the jet ready, you’re coming to Chicago.”
“How long for?”
“I don’t know yet, luv. I need you with me…I can’t get through the next few weeks on my own.”
“Okay, Jake. As soon as I get the ETA, I’ll call Mike.”
“I’m leaving this arvo. I should be there to pick you up from the airport, and, Jin…”
“Yes, Jake?”
“Thank you. I really mean that.”
“I know. It’s my pleasure. We’ll get through the holiday together, and I’m sure Mike will be there for you as well.”
“I very much doubt that,” Jake said, laughing.
“He’s going to be busy with the new love of his life. She seems to be taking up
every spare minute”
“No. He’s keeping her well hidden. I’m beginning to think she has two heads or something. Seriously though, he says she’s very shy, and a bit worried about meeting me before we meet with her boss.”
“I suppose that’s understandable. Just don’t scare her when you do eventually meet. It’s about time Mike found himself a decent girl.”
“I’ll second that. Anyway, I’ll let you get off now, luv. It’s late, and you need to get organised for tomorrow. I’ll see you soon.”
~*~
The Chicago office of A&M Risk Management was awash with an air of excitement and anticipation. Their CEO was in town and would finally make an appearance that morning.
The new staff, taken on following the relocation, were at last going to get a look at their ‘other’ boss, and they had heard nothing but glowing reports from the staff from the old New York City office, who all knew Mr. Mitchell well.
The girls had taken extra care over their hair and make-up, and there were a lot of new outfits around. By all accounts, their boss was worth the effort.
Alexandra, Mike’s pa, and Roxanne, the office manager, had spent a lot of time putting the girls at ease by telling them that Jake was just as down to earth and approachable as Mike was, and treated his employees like family.
The lift doors opened and two men walked out, deep in conversation. As they opened the heavy glass doors and made their way to the main reception area, the low buzz of conversation stopped, and all the staff turned to get a glimpse of the man they had been waiting to see.
Jake was in a charcoal grey, well tailored three piece suit, with a pale grey Oxford shirt, and dark grey tie and matching shoes. He was 6’ tall, and wore his hair in a military cut. His suit hid the well proportioned, athletic body well, but he was still an imposing sight. The girls in the reception area couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Mike stopped by the reception desk and introduced Jake to the assembled staff. He glanced at the expectant faces in front of him and nodded. He turned to go into Mike’s office, but stopped when he spotted Roxanne and Alexandra.
“G’Day Rox. How ya finding Chicago?”
“Hello, Jake. Good to see you again. I’m settling in just fine thanks.”
Jake turned to Alexandra, took her hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Hello, luv. How’s he treating you?”
“Like a slave, Jake,” she grinned in reply. “Are you doing okay?”
Jake smiled sadly back at her, and turned to follow Mike into his office, not stopping to speak to the rest of the staff milling around the reception area.
“I thought you said he was friendly,” moaned Bella, the relief receptionist.
“He is, “ replied Roxanne. “I expect the jet lag is getting to him. Give him a couple of days and you’ll see what he’s really like.”
“Well, friendly or not, he’s one fine specimen.”
“He’s spoken for, Bella, and even if he wasn’t, you know the company policy. Anyway, don’t you have a boyfriend right now?”
“Hey, you can’t blame a girl for looking.”
“Just make sure that’s all you do, Bella. Don’t even start to think of him as one of your trophies.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Bella replied, absently filing her nails and staring at Mike’s closed door.
“You didn’t think it would be nice to speak to the staff, Jake?” Mike asked as they settled in his office.
“I'm here to work, not to enhance my social life.”
“I'm sorry, partner. I didn’t mean to upset you, it's just that they've all been looking forward to meeting you at last, and you barely gave them a first glance, let alone a second.”
“I dare say you have something up your sleeve to remedy that, Mike, after all, Christmas is coming and I know how you love the office parties.”
Do you mean you'll actually join in then? I do have something in mind.”
“I'll give it some thought.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Now, can we get to work?”
Mike leaned back in his chair grinning at his partner like a cat who got the cream. He was going to put the light back in Jake's eyes if it was the last thing he ever did. He made a mental note to speak to Jenny alone later.
Jake and Mike left the office early and made their way down to the parking area. They were headed for the offices of W.W. Petroleum for their initial meeting regarding taking the company on as a client.
Jake was looking forward to the meeting, not because of the negotiations, but because he was finally going to get to meet Mike's mystery girlfriend. All the weeks he and Jenny had been in Chicago, they had still not managed to persuade Mike to bring her to dinner with them. His excuse was that she was very shy.
“Today's the day then, mate,” he said to Mike as they got into the car and eased into the early morning traffic.
“It's just another contract signing, Jake. It's no big deal...well okay, it IS a big deal,” Mike grinned at his own play on words.
“I didn’t mean that, ya dill, I meant this is the day I get to see the wonderful Susie at long last.”
Mike looked sideways at his friend but said nothing. They spent the rest of the short journey in silence, Jake reading over some papers and Mike trying to concentrate on the traffic, a worried expression on his face.
They were soon at the impressive building that was W.W. Petroleum and drove down to the parking garage. As they pulled into the visitor parking space, Mike switched off the ignition and turned to face Jake.
“Before we go in, there’s something I think I should tell you.”
“About the meeting?”
“No, it’s personal…it’s about Susie.”
“Mate, I think that can wait until after the meeting, don’t you? Business before pleasure,” Jake winked.
They entered the building in silence and walked up to the reception desk. They were immediately shown into an opulent office. Sitting behind an ornate mahogany desk was a thick set, grey haired man in his 50’s. To the side of him, sat a woman with long black hair, neatly braided, wearing a dark business suit. She looked to be in her late 30’s.
The man looked up from the paperwork in front of him, smiling warmly. Mike returned the smile and turned to Jake.
“Mr Wiseman, Can I introduce Aaron Mitchell. CEO of A&M Risk. He’s based in Sydney, and is also in charge of our London office.”
Wiseman stood, his hand outstretched.
“Pleased to meet you. In return, can I introduce you to our corporate attorney? Coincidentally, you seem to have something in common with each other.”
“Really?” Jake replied, his eyebrow raised in question.
“Yes. You both share the same last name. I’d like you to meet Susanna Mitchell.”
Jake glared at Mike as realisation hit him, and just stared at Susanna for a moment, then, remembering his manners, held out his hand, which she took reluctantly.
“Miss Mitchell,” he said, releasing her hand quickly, still glaring at Mike as he took his seat.
“It seems you also have something else in common,” Wiseman continued. “Susanna is originally from your part of the world. She was born in New Zealand, although I understand you are from Australia.”
“Actually, I’m also from New Zealand,” Jake replied, never taking his eyes off Susanna.
“Can I cut in here?” Mike asked. “Let me clear something up…”
“Mr Wiseman, Aaron is my brother,” Susanna said quietly.
“Oh… small world,” Wiseman replied.
“Isn’t it,” hissed Jake.
“This could make things very difficult.”
Jake looked at Wiseman, his face devoid of any emotion. “Could it?”
“Come now, Mr Mitchell, how can my attorney be impartial when the company she is negotiating a new contract with has her brother as CEO?”
“And the CFO is sharing pillow talk with her,” Jake muttered, loud enough for only Mike to hear.
“Mr Wiseman. I’m not accustomed to discussing my private business with anyone, let alone a stranger, but as this will be the first and the last time I intend to have any direct dealings with either yourself or your company, I’ll make an exception. Your tame attorney and I may share the same parents, but that’s it. Until I walked into this room a few minutes ago I had never set eyes on her in my life. Had I known that she was working for you, I would never have agreed to attend this meeting. If you still want us to take your company as a client, I suggest you speak with Mr Taylor here. I’m sure he and Miss Mitchell can have a professional relationship. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
“What do you man by that last remark?”
“Ask them.”
Jake snapped his briefcase shut, got up, and headed for the door. Mike noticed his hand was shaking slightly as he reached for the handle. Excusing himself, he followed Jake out of the office.
Jake shrugged off Mike’s hand from his arm and kept walking past the reception area towards the lifts. Mike quickly asked the receptionist where the restroom was. She pointed the way and handed over a key card.
He called for Jake to stop, and was a little surprised when he actually did. He turned slowly to face Mike. His face was ashen and a fine sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead. Mike guided him back to the restroom and into a cubicle, just in time.
Jake doubled up clutching his middle. Dropping to his knees, he quickly deposited the entire contents of his stomach down the toilet.
When the retching subsided, Mike helped him from the cubicle and to a seat near the wash basins. He soaked his handkerchief in cold water and wiped his friend’s face.
“Can you stand?”
A nod in reply.
“I’ll get you home. You got your meds?”
A slight shake of the head.
“Jeez, Jake. I know you hate taking anything, but it’s a fucking migraine, man. You need your meds!”
“Just get me outta here,” Jake whispered.
“You got it.”
He sat Jake down outside the restroom while he returned the key to the receptionist, asking her to explain to Mr Wiseman that his partner had been taken ill and he had to make sure he got home safely.
They had just reached the car when he heard running footsteps, and turned to see Susanna rushing towards him.
“I brought your case. What happened?”
“Jake is having a migraine attack. I need to get him home.”
“I’ll help.”
“He won’t thank you for it.”
“I don’t care,” she replied, holding onto Jake’s arm and easing him into the back of Mike’s car and getting in beside him, laying his head on her shoulder. Jake was too far gone to resist and before they left the parking garage he was resting fitfully, eyes closed against the light..
Mike didn’t waste any time getting back to the apartment, calling Jenny on the way and asking her to meet them there, and they were soon manhandling a very groggy Jake out of the car and into the lift. The lift stopped on the ground floor and opened up to reveal a very worried Jenny. On seeing the state of her boss, she quickly stepped into the lift and helped them hold him up.
“What happened, Mike?”
“Migraine.”
“What on earth brought it on?”
“I think that would have been me,” the dark haired woman answered.
“And you would be?”
“Susanna Mitchell, and you?”
Jenny stared back in amazement before visibly pulling herself together and holding out her hand.
“Jennifer Clark.”
“You Aaron’s girlfriend then?”
“I’m his personal assistant, if it’s any of your business,” Jenny replied, her feathers ruffled by the stranger.
“Sorry, I thought maybe he went for the older woman.”
“Shut up, Susie,” Mike snapped.
As the lift reached their floor Jenny hissed at Mike, “No wonder you didn’t want Jake to meet your girlfriend.”
“Can we talk about this later please? Right now Jake’s more important..”
“You’re right about that, let’s get him inside shall we?”
They managed to get Jake into the apartment and Jenny led the way to the master bedroom, turning down the sheets as they lowered Jake gently to the edge of the bed.
“Mike and I can take it from here,” Jenny said pointedly to Susanna.
“I’m his sister, I have a right to help him too.”
“You’ve met him for all of five minutes and think you have rights? If you want to help, go and put some coffee on, the kitchen is the second door on the right.”
Susanna stormed out of the bedroom, and they soon heard the angry clattering of cups on the counter top.
“Wonder if we’ll have anything to drink out of, “ Mike quipped.
“Oh Mike, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
“I know, Jenny, it’s like this…”
“Not to me,” Jenny interrupted. “I think Jake deserves to know what’s going on, when he’s up to it.”
“Yeah, I know. I tried to tell him before the meeting. I should have told him months ago.”
“Well, we can have a chat later. Why don’t you go keep her company while I settle Jake into bed.”
“You sure you don’t need any help?”
“I’m sure. I looked after him when he moved out of the farm remember. He’ll soon be comfortable, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Jenny carefully undressed Jake down to his underwear, sending up silent thanks that he had been dressed for an important meeting and hadn’t gone commando. She lifted his feet up onto the bed and gently covered him over, then dimmed the lights and silently left the room.
Mike and Susanna were quietly talking in the kitchen, but stopped when she entered.
“How is he?”
“Resting a bit easier. He’s very pale. I think this might be a bad one.”
“He up chucked once before I got him to the car, then he was pretty much out of it for the drive back here.”
“I think he’ll sleep for quite a few hours now that we’ve got him settled. I’ll stay with him for the rest of the day and overnight, and give you a call when he wakes up in the morning.”
“Thanks, Jen. You’re a star.”
“I can stay if you like,” Susanna said hopefully.
“Why on earth would you want to do that,” Jenny asked.
“I have to speak to him, to explain a few things.”
“I take it you’ve never been around anyone who suffers severe migraine attacks.”
Susanna shook her head.
“Well, I’ll tell you this much. When he wakes up tomorrow, the last thing he’ll want to do is sit and chat to you. I’ll tell him you want to speak with him, and Mike will let you know if and when he says okay.
They finished their coffee and Jenny saw them both to the door, kissing Mike on the cheek and nodding to Susanna. She settled on the window seat in the bedroom for what she knew would be a long wait..
Jake tossed and turned most of the afternoon, moaning gently, alternately sweating and shivering. Jenny did what she could to make him comfortable, and he finally settled into a deep sleep with his head on her lap as she sat on the edge of the bed.
That’s how Mike found them the following morning, Jenny fitfully napping and Jake dead to the world. Mike made Jenny a steaming mug of tea and took it in to her, touching her gently on the shoulder to wake her. Between them, they managed to lift Jake’s head enough for Jenny to wriggle out from underneath with out waking him, and they left him alone to have their drinks in the lounge room.
“Did you get any sleep at all, Jenny?”
“Hi, Mike. You didn’t wait for my call. I think I managed a few minutes here and there judging from the pain in my neck,” she smiled ruefully.
“When you finish your tea, go and have a lie down in the guest room, I’ll watch over him now.”
“Thanks, Mike. We need to have a chat after, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, maybe I should talk with you before I try to explain to Jake, a kind of dry run.”
“You got it,” Jenny replied, reaching over and kissing Mike on the cheek before heading for a well deserved sleep.
Mike took his coffee and headed back to Jake’s room. He sat down and looked over at his friend, finally sleeping peacefully, and wondered how he was going to explain his actions and repair the rift that had formed between them.
~*~
Three days later, Jake felt up to showing his face in the office. He still hadn’t spoken to Mike, but knew that Mike wasn’t going to make the first move, so it was down to him. He just hoped that it wouldn’t end up in a slanging match, his head wasn’t up to much, and anything much louder than a stage whisper was painful.
He and Jenny walked quietly from the lift and nodded to the girls on reception. Jenny squeezed Jake's arm in support as he headed towards Mike's closed door. He knocked quietly and waited, opening the door only when he heard Mike call, “Come in.”
Mike looked up from his paperwork to see his door slowly open and Jake peek around it.
“You look busy.”
“Never too busy for a friend, come and sit down, Jake,” Mike replied as he buzzed through to reception and asked for two cups of tea to be brought through. They both sat in silence until their tea arrived and the door shut behind Bella.
“How are you feeling, Jake?”
“Better, mate, ta. Still a bit fragile, but getting there.”
“It's all my fault, I should never have started seeing Susie.”
“Hey, enough of that. It's nothing to do with me who you go out with, but you could have let me know a bit earlier, in fact it would have been good if you'd let me know at all, mate.”
“I know. I was just terrified what you would do when you found out. I didn’t want to lose you as a partner, and more importantly as a friend. Out of interest, what would you have done?”
“I wouldn’t have gone to the meeting, that's a sure and certain fact. As for anything else...I don’t know, Mike. I really don’t. I have no idea why I feel betrayed. I've never met the woman before, but I feel that she has an agenda.”
“Oh, I see. So she's not going out with me for my charm and personality then,” Mike replied, trying to keep the conversation light. He felt himself getting angry, but knew Jake wasn’t in any condition for a fight. He decided to try and change the topic, and was pleased when Jake seemed of the same mind, but he knew it wasn’t finished, and wondered just what Jake would do when he was back to normal again.
~*~
They could hear the commotion even before the lift reached their floor. It sounded like world war three had broken out. Roxanne called a couple of the men from their office into the reception area...just in case. The lift stopped and everyone held their breath waiting . As the doors glided silently open it was as if a tornado had been released. Jake and Mike flew out. The only reason they weren’t at each others throats is because of the gear they were carrying. That didn’t stop the tirade of abuse coming from each man though.
Alexandra and Jenny came out of Mike's office to see what was going on just as Jake dropped his gear and turned on Mike. Mike dropped his gear and took a step back to give himself some maneuvering room. They both looked a picture, in full BDU's, covered in mud, eyes full of fire, as the slowly got closer to each other.
“JAKE!” Jenny yelled.
“MIKE!” Alexandra's call was seconds behind Jenny's.
Both men stopped in their tracks, and Jake, who was facing away from the women, turned to face them both. Jenny gasped when she saw his face.
“Jake, what happened?”
Pushing past both women, but saying nothing, Jake stormed into the boardroom and slammed the door closed. Alexandra and Jenny both turned towards Mike for an explanation.
He held up his hands in surrender. “It was an accident. He was closer to me on the assault course than I thought, and he got my boot in his face.”
“Oh, Mike. Just when things were getting back to normal between you two.”
“Don’t worry, Jenny. You know what we're like when we have a set to. I've been apologising to him for the last hour. He'll be fine after a hot shower, a change of clothes and a nice steaming mug of tea.”
Jenny took the hint and went to the rest room to put the kettle on. By the time she'd made the tea and got back to Mike's office, Jake was already in there, sitting in Mike's overstuffed leather armchair, holding an ice pack up against his face. Placing his tea down on the coffee table in front of him, she gently took the ice pack away from him to inspect the damage..
Jake's cheek was cut and bruised and his eye was already closing, swelling up like an egg. He winced slightly as she checked to make sure there was no serious damage.
“Nothing's broken, Jake, but you're going to be in glorious technicolour in the morning.”
“Oh make me feel worse than I do already, Jenny,” Mike groaned.
“It's no more than you deserve, ya drongo. Why don’t you look where you're putting your great fat feet?”
“I said I was sorry, Jake...more than once. What more can I say?”
“That I'm excused tomorrow night?”
“Oh no. You don’t get out of it that easy. The noise we were making when we arrived, I think the entire staff know what happened to your face, so it won’t be a shock for them. Anyway, they'll see you in the office tomorrow.”
“Uh-uh. If I still have to 'perform', I'm taking tomorrow off to prepare.”
“You prima-donna,” Mike laughed. “Okay, Dame Nellie. Have it your way. Take him home Jenny and you might as well have the day off too, in case he needs you to help him.”
They all laughed as they drank their tea and coffee, good humour restored, and went through the following evenings agenda one last time.
~*~
He couldn’t believe he'd let Mike talk him into this, but grinned ruefully to himself realising he'd walked right into it when he agreed to go along with Mike's plans for the staff Christmas party. A talent show? Ah well, at least it wasn’t Karaoke, and he wouldn’t have to socialise like at the staff dinner the week before. He still couldn’t believe that he'd been hit on by the girl from reception. What was her name? Yes, Bella. Why was he finding it hard to remember staff names these days. He was off his game to be sure.
He thought back to the dinner and how Bella had almost thrown herself at him. Didn’t she know the company policy? He allowed himself to smile at the way she had tried to spike his drink. Even if the barman hadn’t warned him he would have known. She obviously didn’t realise that he would notice the taste. He didn’t drink, and could tell if there was more than orange juice and bitter lemon in his glass. He hoped that Mike didn’t find out or Bella would find herself in hot water. Mike might be easy going for the most part, but wouldn’t stand for any staff breaking the rules.
The door opened and Mike walked in.
“Are you ready, Jake?”
“As I'll ever be. Are you sure there's no way I can get out of this?”
“Not a chance, my friend. Go out there and give them hell.”
Mike watched as Jake walked out into the gym that had been converted into a mii concert hall for the evening, then turned to Jenny who had come to stand by his side.
“Did you meet the flight okay, Jen?”
“Yes, everything's arranged for when Jake comes off stage. Did he ask where I was?”
“Yeah, I told him you were running a little errand for me because I couldn’t get away what with him taking the day off and all.”
“I'll bet he loved that,” Jenny laughed in reply.
They went out into the gym just in time to hear Jake receiving good natured cat calls from the staff as he settled on a high stool on stage with his guitar.
The noise soon died down when Jake began to sing though, no-one realised that their boss could sing and play the guitar. His melodic baritone filled the gym as he sang. Some of the audience thought his choice of music was a bit sad though. He started with 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World' but lightened up a little with his second choice of 'You're My Best Friend'. He ended with 'One Good Year', which had everyone on their feet cheering. As he finished his short set and stood up to leave the stage, he glanced to the back of the crowd and thought he saw someone familiar standing against the back wall. He blinked and looked again, but saw only Mike and Jenny, smiling and cheering along with everyone else. Jenny gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, and he smiled at her as he walked back to the changing rooms which were doubling as dressing rooms for the nights entertainers.
He laid his guitar down gently into its case and went to the sink to splash water on his face. As he was toweling himself dry he heard the door open. Lowering the towel from his face, he looked over to see who had come in so quietly.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. He stood rooted to the spot. He was sure he was hallucinating and was too afraid to move in case the vision in front of him vanished in thin air.
“Jake?”
The vision spoke, but still Jake didn’t move, too shocked to do anything more than stare. The vision moved towards him, stopping right in front of him. Lifting a hand to gently stroke the bruise on his face, the vision spoke once more.
“Jake, stay something.”
“Angel?”
“Oh my love,” Angie whispered wrapping her arms around Jake and pulling him close.
Jake slowly placed his arms around her, still afraid that she wasn’t real, and finally let loose the tears that were pooling in his eyes. Jenny peeked round the open door, smiled to herself and retreated, quietly closing the door behind her.
TBC
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