by Frank Perry
conspiracy had crumbled. He assumed the worst. He could not have been more wrong or more shocked when Charlie asked him to join him again as Director of Laboratory Operations. He felt both relieved and grateful, accepting the position without reservation. It wasn’t the same job that it would have been if GHI had actually retained its status, but it had a special new appeal for the challenge it represented like a new startup laboratory. He had a large percentage of the ownership options that might even be worth something in the decades ahead. He would never let that thought cloud his dedication to the principles and ethics of the “new” GHI.
It took several months to get things reorganized. Many of the technicians and scientists had resigned to avoid being tainted by the GHI label, and the commercial partnerships had all been dissolved. Only a few on-going US Government projects continued. The math and simulation department was eliminated, and the Institute resumed its focus on basic biotechnology research.
John had had a close bond with Lorne Bridger and was forming a similar relationship with Charlie. They shared common values. John was satisfied most of the time with his new role, although he still suffered from the void left by Kelly. He’d almost called her several times, but never finished. She’d been willing to leave him, even eager and she never contacted him after leaving. He was moving on with his life, determined to forget her. He immersed himself in work, often staying late into the night, then going home for a frozen dinner. There was no alcohol at his apartment.
He now used an office in the executive suite, next to Charlie. Jules’ former office became a filing and storage room. They met informally each morning to discuss the projects. There weren’t many, but it was enough to pay the bills. It wasn’t an exciting business, although it was occasionally rewarding when a discovery looked promising. They had been awarded some new R&D projects and began a slow recruiting process. Vetting of new candidates included a close assessment of personal values and ethics. There would never be a repeat of the conspiracy that had nearly destroyed them. They’d struggled for several months after GHI was lambasted in the news. Some of the Government grants had been cancelled, and there was only a small amount of funding to continue their most important research projects. Sponsors began returning slowly after the reorganization and considerable effort by Charlie and John in “selling” the reformed Institute. John was content, if not necessarily happy, much of the time.
Half a year later, Charlie asked John to walk with him on an inspection of all the labs. It was one of the routines they had begun after reorganization. It ended at the old BSL4 lab, now BSL2. Charlie paused longer than usual. John looked at Charlie, then through the glass wall into the empty chamber with its silent robotic arms. Charlie saw John’s longing stare. “Kinda wish it hadn’t gone down this way, huh?”
John continue staring into the glass, “Yeah, but I guess we just need to keep looking forward and forget about the past.” Then he looked at Charlie. “Don’t ever let money rule your life – that’s the lesson from all of this, isn’t it? Good people can go bad … really bad … killing people bad, but they weren’t genetically born to be that way. Money did it here.”
Charlie looked through the glass again. “Ain’t it the truth. Come on, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”
It was another common ritual for the two most senior employees to go on breaks together. John followed his boss to the small cafeteria, and allowed Charlie to pour him a black cup of not-so-fresh java. His back was to the entrance when she entered. He turned around and froze, unable to move. She was dressed in a white lab coat, looking more beautiful than John had remembered. He stared, almost paralyzed. “What …”
She didn’t move either, equally stunned. Charlie broke the silence. “John, meet your new Senior Biotechnology Scientist assigned to BSL2.”
She looked puzzled, not addressing John but keeping eye contact with him. “Charlie, I thought you said he took a new job?”
Charlie smiled. “He did! He’s our OPs Director now, for all the labs.”
John was still speechless, locked in her gaze. The last time they’d seen each other, she was bandaged, recovering from surgery and leaving him. Charlie continued. “Well, I need to get on with other things. John, why don’t you show Dr. Egan how things are set up now?” He left without waiting for a response.
They were alone, both just looking at each other. If other employees passed along the outer corridor and saw them through the glass wall, none stopped to gawk.
“Ah … welcome back, Dr. Egan.” He still hadn’t moved.
She had a slight smile. “Thank you, Mr. Hollis. Are you gonna show me around?”
They walked and talked for about half an hour about all the changes at the Institute, ending in his new office. John was conflicted, not knowing what else to say or how to begin. He wasn’t sure about their relationship, or even if there was a relationship. Kelly’s parents had built a barricade between them in the hospital, and she had accepted it. Why was she back? “Ah…can I get you something?”
She had a serious expression, which softened as she spoke. “Not now. I’m guessing you’re wondering about why I’m back?” He didn’t have a response. “Charlie called me a couple of weeks ago and explained how everyone was arrested, and explained how he was putting the Institute back together. Now, I guess that he’s also a match-maker. He said you no longer worked in the lab and kinda implied that you were gone. I just assumed that you left the Institute.”
He started to respond, but she interrupted. “He also told me something else. He told me how you’d figured out the whole thing and done some dangerous things that could have gotten you put in jail for a very long time.” John didn’t know what, if anything, to say, so she continued. “Charlie said it was all over, and I could feel safe. I even called Mary to see if she was all right, and she told me how you’d saved her life. John, you brought this whole thing to an end single-handedly.”
He was slow to respond. Nothing she did signaled anything personal between them. He stammered. “I just realized that there wasn’t any other way to end it, and it had to end. People were dying. I was just happy that Charlie backed me. There are great people working here, doing important work. That means more to Charlie and me than money. He lost two close friends, Lorne and Jules, but feels strongly about the Institute.”
She smiled. “He also thinks a lot of you professionally and personally.”
He shrugged and looked away. “I’m glad someone did.”
“John, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to think we might still have a chance together.”
He was quiet for a moment and just looked at her. “Kelly, it’s all I’ve ever wanted, I was destroyed without you. But what about your parents … they hate me.”
“You saw them at their worst, John. I wasn’t in a condition to argue with them and was blinded by pain. They don’t know everything that happened, and they don’t know you, the real you. For now, let’s leave them out of the formula.”
He smiled. “Okay, so how should we begin?”
“I was thinking about a weekend together on an Island off the coast of Maine.”
### END ###
