Complete Me

by Gray, Khardine

  "Wednesday sounds good." Zane nodded. "And Sam..." he suddenly looked serious. Sam focused on him. "Don't worry about Amy. I know it's complicated, but it'll work out. You'll see. Besides a change of scenery could be good for you. It could be healthy, for your mind."

  Sam offered a small smile. This was what he meant, Zane was the only person who could keep him sane. He understood him. Zane returned the smile and left.

  Maybe Zane was right. Perhaps Sam could approach San Francisco with an open mind. He had his fears with Amy and Jessica, but perhaps leaving Chicago for a while could be healthy. Maybe... a change of scenery could indeed be good for him.

  * * *

  Lexie looked at Gina and Tim and saw the worry in their eyes.

  A few weeks ago everyone was still trying to keep up the positive vibe and carry on as normal, but morale hit ground zero the minute it was announced that Silvermans would be purchasing Cervantes and the facility would be shut down.

  Lexie had been devastated by the news. She'd worked at Cervantes for eight years, and the place was like a home to her. It was more than sad to think of, and she couldn't believe that such a world renowned organization could have crashed in such a terrible way. Last year when their dire financial situation was made known she felt that they'd bounce back. Every company had gone through some sort of trouble at one time or another. She just never thought it would come to this. With Silvermans purchasing, Cervantes would most likely become a parking lot or luxury apartments. That is what they did, and it grieved her to think that her Cervantes would suffer the same fate.

  As she sat in the board room with all the other heads of department and their assistants, Lexie wondered what else they could be told. What was even the point of this meeting? Everyone was in the process of packing and making arrangements for their research. Being told they were shutting down pretty much summed everything up.

  It was Simon however that had called this urgent meeting an hour ago, and he was already ten minutes late. Lexie had a lot to discuss with Gina and Tim, and waiting here wasn't helping any of them. They needed to come to a decision on what they were going to do with their research projects. Particularly, Prometheus. They had a lot of projects going on, but Prometheus was the priority.

  She'd worked with Gina and Tim right back from their days at MIT and devoted the last two years to working on a piece of revolutionary technology that would take medical advancements into the twenty-first century. They called it Prometheus because it was the first of its kind to be successful in using nanotechnology in the human body to treat coronary heart disease. It was a device the size of a matchstick designed to be inserted into the chest cavity. It worked by releasing a dosage of nano bytes at intervals to repair the walls of the heart. They were a breath away from getting FDA approval. When it was announced that Cervantes was in trouble, they worried about how that would affect their research. They had big plans for it.

  "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Tim hissed, leaning towards Lexie.

  "Me too," Gina added. "It's actually wearing down my nerves." She gathered a lock of her long thick curly hair and started twisting it around her thumb. It was a nervous habit of hers, but Lexie noticed that in the past week Gina had taken to pulling out a few strands of her hair when she reached the end of the curl. If she kept that up, she'd have no hair left.

  Lexie knew exactly how they felt because it was how she felt too. She dared not allow her hands to venture towards her hair like Gina because instead of pulling out a few strands here and there, the suspense and craziness would make her rip out everything. Instant baldness.

  "I don't know why we're even here and Simon is late. I don't need to be told when we have to leave. I'm guessing it's soon." Gina's eyes filled with tears.

  "I agree," Tim said nodding. A lock of his thick blue hair fell forward onto his forehead as he adjusted his bone rimmed glasses.

  Lexie looked about them, at the others around the table who had started to talk amongst themselves. Everyone looked quite troubled.

  "Let's wait another ten minutes." Lexie offered. Realistically she was in full agreement with them, but as their department head, she had to be the one to keep things together and set the example. Simon trusted her in this way.

  It was true he had a tendency to be late, and this was probably the worse time to make people wait, but she knew him and knew he would only ever call an urgent meeting if it was truly undeniably urgent. She'd known him for years and had seen the length he'd gone through to keep this company going. What was more prevalent than that, and personal for her, was he'd helped get her life back on course when he gave her the chance to get her scholarship back at MIT.

  He was the dean at the time she took the plunge to go back, and he'd been the resonating voice in awarding her scholarship, and later her Ph.D.

  When he became in charge of Cervantes, he selected her, Tim, and Gina to run the bioengineering facility. They all owed him.

  Her, more than the others, so she would wait for him and hear why this urgent meeting had been called.

  "Okay, ten more minutes." Tim bit the inside of his lip and Gina winced leaning forward onto the table.

  Tim was just about to say something when Simon came through the door. Simon was smiling. Smiling was good since he hadn't smiled in weeks. He was also dressed in his normal business wear. Since word got out about Silvermans, he'd taken to more casual wear and deteriorated into an unkempt character she didn't recognize.

  Today he'd shaved, and his salt and pepper hair was back to looking sharp, a little like Frank Sinatra. Simon had always had that nineteen sixties suave about him, and the energy too.

  "I'm sorry I'm late guys. I apologize. I do have some excellent news however." He beamed.

  Lexie straightened up on hearing that and hope sparked within her.

  "What is it?" Audrey, from pharmaceuticals, asked. Everyone stared at Simon with great expectancy.

  "We've been saved!" He cried heartily throwing his hands up.

  Everyone cheered at the surprising news and started clapping. Lexie's heart soared and that hope she felt burst into joy.

  "How?" Tim asked.

  "St John's & Co intercepted the sale to Silvermans. They bought the facility outright." Simon answered with a wide smile of approval.

  "St John's & Co, the investment company?" Lexie asked with narrowed eyes. She didn't exactly keep up to date with the financial world but from what she knew she wouldn't have thought St John's & Co would be interested in a research facility. Then again it was Cervantes. They must have snapped it up because of the potential that lay with the place.

  Simon nodded. "The very same."

  Lexie returned his vibrant smile. What did it matter who saved them? The point was they were saved, and that was the very best news she'd had in a while. She pressed her hands to her cheeks as the excitement rippled through her.

  "What will happen now?" Gina asked.

  "A lot," Simon stated. "We'll set up meetings when we know more, but for a start, there will have to be a thorough investigation. We need to know where things went wrong."

  That was perfectly understandable. Lexie would have loved to know that herself. There was a lot that didn't add up. She didn't like to make assumptions or gossip, but if anyone were to ask her she'd say that she thought something odd had gone on.

  Alan Cosnett, the chief financial officer, and Rachel Sherry, the senior accounts manager had left a few weeks ago. Those two were literally the be all and end all of the company's financial affairs. However, Alan and Rachel were too close for her liking. The company had no restrictions on office relationships, but it could be frowned upon if those two people in the relationship were married to other people.

  Lexie had seen enough evidence at work socials and other run-ins to tell her that those two were definitely having an affair. That, of course, was their business, but Lexie suspected there were other things amiss with them. Things to do with the company finances. Lexie was certain th
at others must have suspected it too. The research they did here was worth billions and had brought in tons of money. It was a complete mystery to her how they could be suddenly not making any profits and in debt to a majority of their investors.

  A cautious expression crossed over Simon's face. "Your new boss will be conducting that investigation... and I suppose he'll make whatever changes he sees fit."

  New boss? "What about you?" Lexie asked, hoping this all didn't mean Simon was leaving.

  Simon smiled. "Think of it as an additional role. I'll still oversee the lab and the running of all the research and projects, but St John's will take over the company and all our financial affairs."

  Lexie watched Simon as he spoke, thinking that that was going to be strange for him. He'd always been in charge of everything.

  "You'll have a CEO as well as a president." He continued. "The important thing is that our hard work and years of research and development can continue."

  That was truly the most important thing. Everyone cheered again on hearing that.

  Lexie had been besides herself with worry for weeks. It was hard to plan anything when nothing was certain. Now they had that chance.

  While everyone around her got into deep conversation with Simon about the news and their projects, Lexie settled back against her chair and took a moment to breathe and appreciate what had happened. She was relieved that things would be okay and that she didn't have to worry about finding another job. Now things could go back to normal. Or, as normal as it could be for her.

  Cervantes was like a refuge for her where she was happy doing what she loved most. When she was at MIT, she imagined getting the chance to work somewhere just like this. It was only when she started working here that all her training, knowledge, skills, and abilities came to fruition. She'd accomplished so much in the time that she'd spent here, actual achievements that her family could be proud of.

  Making her family proud of her again had been a goal that fueled her for the last twelve years. That, and trying to change the world and save people's lives. Lexie might not have been able to change the world yet, but she certainly had saved people's lives. When she thought about that it made her feel good. It made her feel like it made up for her past, even just a little.

  It was always in these happy moments that she remembered her handsome stranger in Vegas who took the biggest chance on her. She knew without question that if it weren't for him her life would have been very different today. Lexie met him at a time when she'd lost all hope in herself and had thought herself worthless. He made her believe that even with the mess she'd made of her life she could still fix things and put herself right back on track. She'd just wanted to get back to her family and make amends with them. But promising him, she'd get back into MIT helped her make amends with herself. Her life in that area was onwards and upwards from there, and she'd taken every opportunity with the fierce determination to succeed.

  Success for her had come too by avoiding guys like Adam. For her, no one would come close to her Mr. Pretty Boy. What a name she'd given him. It was laughable now, but in all seriousness, if she dated anyone she was remotely interested in they'd have to at least have one comparable quality to him. And, that was a hard ask.

  Lexie still hadn't met anyone remotely close to him, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that guys like him only came around once in a millennia. That she'd come across him was down to luck. God had literally sent all the angels in her direction that day for them to meet.

  She always thought of him when she did something good, or something good happened. That was how her mind chose to keep the memory of him alive for her, and that always rejuvenated her mind with strength and inspiration.

  "Lexie. You alright?" Tim beamed at her.

  "I'm great." She smiled at both him and Gina. "I don't know what to do first. We have so much work to do."

  They were swamped, and she needed to let the rest of her staff know what was happening. Out of the thirty-man team, she had working on various projects, there were only twelve left. The others had left weeks ago.

  "How about we go to Fratelli's and get some triple chocolate shakes," Tim suggested. It was their favorite hangout and just five minutes away from Cervantes.

  Gina nodded. "I need giant pancakes drenched in maple syrup and hazelnut chocolate spread. I'm going to need that before I can even think about work."

  "Agreed." Lexie smiled. All of that sounded like exactly what she needed.

  Chapter 4

  Sam groaned and rested his head against the sofa. He gazed up at the swirly patterns on the white plaster ceiling above him. It was the same pattern that ran throughout the apartment.

  He really wasn't in the mood for this fundraiser. Nope, not at all.

  They'd been in San Francisco for a few days now, and he'd rather spend the rest of time sorting out his stuff and unpacking. He'd also preferred to start fresh at work on Monday, rather than party with the people he was supposed to be investigating and reshaping.

  Tonight they were going to be celebrating at a fundraiser that almost didn't happen if the purchase had gone ahead with Silvermans. He thought he'd made enough effort on his part by encouraging them to run the fundraiser and he even donated a million dollars to their sponsored charity. It didn't mean he had to take part.

  Jessica had sounded edgy days ago when he spoke to her about him coming here. She didn't argue or say he couldn't see Amy like he anticipated, but she sounded edgy. Almost like she didn't want him to go, and that was weird. When he told her he'd come back once a month to see Amy she asked how he would manage if he got too busy. He, of course, assured her that he would be able to, and she seemed okay with it.

  He just wished he didn't have that irritating feeling that something was up. Like things weren't okay, even if they appeared to be.

  Sam turned to Zane as he came into the living room. "Zane - "

  "No." Zane interrupted, holding up his hand and shaking his head.

  Sam grimaced. "You don't know what I'm going to say."

  "Yes, I do. You're going to tell me you don't want to go, again." Zane looked annoyed.

  Sam simply looked at him. Yes, that was exactly what he was going to say. "I don't want to go. You should go. I can meet you later for the actual meeting."

  They were meeting with the board of directors and investors at nine. It was more of a social gathering than a meeting, but they'd be talking business. Sam was okay with that, to him it was the chance to introduce himself properly and start the process of rebuilding their relationship, and trust.

  "Sam," Zane tilted his head to the side and gave him a thoughtful look. "This is a perfect opportunity for you to meet people. We're the new guys, and we're going to be investigating their company, we need to build trust with them too. The worse thing is creating tension and uncertainty. You go, meet the people, and establish a relationship with them."

  Sam sighed with frustration, hating that he had to admit that Zane was right.

  "Okay. Fine. But please no antics."

  "No antics." Zane chuckled, lifting his shoulders and holding up his hands.

  Sam picked up his charcoal gray jacket off the back of the sofa and shrugged into it.

  "While you make nice with the people I shall be scouting out the ladies," Zane added with a wicked glint in his eyes. "Smart women are the way forward for me, or at least till we go back to Chicago."

  "We're here to work Zane. I don't want any extracurricular sexual activities.'

  Zane laughed. "Sam chill out man. Seriously, in fact maybe even take a page from my book. How are you going to date if you act like Father Dowling all the time?"

  "I'm not here to date." Sam retorted, cringing at the thought.

  He frowned and walked over to the wall to ceiling window that overlooked the city. He leaned forward and rested on the bar that ran across the middle. It was cool to touch.

  Sam wasn't interested in dating, and he didn't know when he would be again. It wasn't that
he didn't want to. It was just hard... and there was too much to think about.

  Above all that, he didn't know if he could get past all the pain he'd gone through with Jessica and the trust issues. It was the same day that he found her in their bed with the pool boy that they got the call from Amy's school informing them that she'd collapsed in the playground. It was later found that Amy, then eight years old, had a problem with one of her kidneys and might have needed a transplant. Even though Amy started responding to treatment, the doctors did tests to find out which parent was the closest match just in case. It was when they got the tests results back that he found out he wasn't Amy's father. All the while when Jessica looked worried he'd assumed it was because she was frightened for Amy's life.

  The news destroyed him and it was made worse with the revelation that Jessica and her parents had known the whole time. The whole time they were married and before that too, and she couldn't even tell him who the father was. She didn't know. Those were her words exactly.

  That night was the last time he drank alcohol and the last time that he walked properly. He'd drowned his sorrows with several bottles of wine and ended up crashing his car in the bottom of a ravine. Not only could he have killed himself but he could have killed someone else too. He didn't even know how the accident happened. One minute he was in a bar, the next he was waking up in the hospital with doctors telling him he'd been in a coma for four months. It took him well over a month before he could piece things together and separate his mind from that dream world he'd existed on. When he did, he filed for a divorce the first chance he got.

  Sam looked at the hazy reflection of himself in the window and pulled in a steady breath. There would be no form of dating for him. He was still too bitter, too caught up in the years wasted with Jessica and loving a child that would never be his.

  "Sam." Zane came up to him. "Open mind. It couldn't hurt to have one."

  Open mind?

  "Yeah, sure." Sometimes it was easier to just agree with Zane. Otherwise, they'd be here all night arguing. Sam just wanted to get tonight over with and get to work. The sooner he was back in Chicago, the better. San Francisco seemed like a nice place, but he couldn't possibly think what would be here for him to have an open mind about.