Between the Lanterns(32)
But now, with Montek demanding this settlement back, even though it was less than a drop in the bucket to the monstrous global corporation, there was no way Samantha and August could afford all of those things. They would have to choose only one. All of this passed between them in mere seconds as they looked into each other’s eyes.
“That’s fine, Mr. Tepid,” August said.
“We agree, sir,” Samantha added. “Tell us where to sign.”
Alex grinned wickedly and felt like a champion. He had gotten these idiots to agree to the very first offer. He was willing to let them keep the settlement if necessary. His orders were simple: get August to work for one more year. Alex was even prepared to pay August, including a pay raise! The higher-ups said that August was close to a big breakthrough when he was foolishly fired, and they needed him to finish.
The Field Supervisor responsible for letting August go over the phone one day after the accident had mysteriously disappeared a week later. He was eventually found starved to death after accidentally locking himself inside of his own trunk in the woods with some very graphic reading materials about animals and men…together. Alex was not about to let that happen to himself. He would get what Montek wanted, no matter what. He just couldn’t believe it had been this easy.
The imbeciles had signed all the necessary paperwork before Mr. Tepid let himself smile self-satisfactorily and said, “Well, that’s all done with. You two can now get the hell out of here. The sight of you together makes my skin crawl. But before you go, let me ask you something… Why didn’t you two negotiate? Why did you take my first offer? I thought you were supposed to be smart, August.”
August reached out for Samantha’s hand and squeezed it tight, then told the wretched man, “Well, Mr. Tepid, we figured that the less time we had to sit and talk with a man as closed-minded and piggish as you, the better. We don’t need the Credit; we have each other. And that is worth more Credit than even Montek could ever offer us. And as far as my consultin’ with Montek.Automaton? I hate to leave anythin’ unfinished. I’m actually relieved they want me to come back and complete my latest project. Good day, Mr. Tepid, and God bless.”
Samantha reached up and grabbed August’s face to plant the biggest and wettest kiss there. They made out like a couple of teenagers right in the doorway.
Alex Tepid was visibly uncomfortable, and said, “Here, you two, stop that now. It’s a disgrace. Your kind should never be allowed to be together.”
“Sir, you need some love in your life,” Samantha said, refusing to call this creep by her trademark, ‘sweets’. “You’re a lonely old pig, and you treat other people poorly, and it ain’t right.”
August and Samantha walked out of the room with her hand firmly planted on his butt.
As they exited the building and headed towards their bicycles, August busted out laughing, and said, “I can’t believe you grabbed my ass, Sam! You’re hilarious. But that man was just plain terrible.”
“Yep, sweets. He was the worst,” Samantha agreed. “I’m glad most people don’t think like that anymore. They may be cold and unkind most of the time, but at least the people of Earth don’t care about things like race or sexual preference. It’s enough to make a grown woman…”
Samantha didn’t finish her sentence. She felt a very strange pain in her abdomen. More scared than she had ever been in her entire life, Samantha looked at August in terror, pulled his hand towards her, and said, “August, it’s the baby. Something’s wrong.”
Chapter 13
IT WON’T HURT A BIT
“A placental abruption? What does that mean, dDoc?” August asked, looking puzzled and in disbelief.
Samantha’s face was in her hands, and her body was visibly shaking.
“Well, Mr. Lurie, your wife has had a miscarriage in her fifth month of pregnancy. This circumstance was due to the placenta becoming separated from her uterus,” Dr. Granger explained. We’re not sure why it happened. Sometimes it is from drinking or smoking during pregnancy, but according to the blood tests we ran, your wife did neither of these things.”
August felt like he was in a nightmare. The edges of his vision began going black, and everything went into slow motion. The doctor was wrong. He had to be. There was no way that Samantha had a miscarriage. She was healthy; she ate REAL food. His wife walked every single day. She took vitamins. It just wasn’t possible.
“But, Dr. Granger, she is in her second trimester. Ain’t that supposed to be the safety zone?” August asked, looking for a way to prove the doctor wrong. “Don’t people say that miscarriages are only a worry in the first trimester? You should check again. She is fine, and so is the baby. Check again. Please.”
Samantha continued to cry, but no so quietly anymore. August sat down next to her and held her to his chest, squeezing hard.
“Mr. Lurie, I assure there is no need to check again,” the doctor said. “We’ve verified your wife’s condition, and she has miscarried. You are correct that upon entering the second trimester the chances of having a miscarriage are low. Down to around 1% chance. But it does happen, and it has happened here with your wife. Now, we’ll need to do a procedure called a D and C to remove the fetus.”
“Excuse me? The fetus? You mean our baby, right? You are talkin’ about our unborn child. Not just some fetus,” August snapped.