Slipperless(10)

"Fiona," she said once more. "I need you to lie still and answer my question, dear. Do you know where you are?"

After a second or two I exhaled and managed a reply. "Yes um, my job. Hawkins Biotech."

After that, the woman, who revealed herself to me as the company nurse,  explained I'd lost consciousness in the lab. However, before I collapsed  in a heap to the hardness of the linoleum floor, Amanda and Melissa  grabbed me.

The nurse also said she'd checked me over for serious medical conditions  and hadn't found any. Instead after helping me into a seated position,  she began to ask me a series of questions. I answered ‘‘no' to all of  them except the last one which forced a lie to tumble from my lips.

"Have you been under a lot of stress recently?"

Hmm, let's see. My grandmother is battling a life-threatening illness.  I've finally landed a job I've been after for most of the past ten years  of my life. I'm more than half a million dollars in debt and my boss  may or may not be hitting on me, which could or could not cost me the  aforementioned dream job.

No.

Stress? What's that?

"No," I said with a slow shake of my head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Hmm," the nurse began. "Well, I'm going to recommend you take the rest of the day off. I'll notify Mr. Doyle."

"No!" I replied with a half-shout as I attempted to stand. But as I did,  I felt the sting of dizziness return. My knees wobbled and before I  realized it, I collapsed back into the couch.

"Fiona, please," the woman said, as she reached down and helped to steady me. "You mustn't make any sudden movements right now."

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back into the cool leather of the  couch. As I did, the nurse walked across the room and a few seconds  later, I heard sound of liquid gurgling from a water cooler. After she  finished, she crossed the room in my direction once again and offered it  to me.

"Here, drink this," she said, extending a cone-shaped paper cup to me.

I thanked her as I took it. The coolness of the liquid through the paper  of the cup felt good in my palm and even better going down, as I took a  healthy swig. I gulped it down she continued to speak.

"I'll notify Mr. Doyle right away and … "

Wiping my lips dry, I interrupted her.

"No, really. I'm feeling much better. I should get back."

I had to go back.

I'd only just started to work here. What would everyone think of me now?  At a minimum, they'd conclude I was unreliable or even worse, couldn't  handle the pressure. Just then, an even more horrifying thought occurred  to me.

Gabe.

If I went home Gabe would surely find out, if he hadn't already. It was  bad enough I was in the infirmary. Once he discovered it, I had little  doubt he'd conclude it had something to do with him. It did, of course,  but if he were to find out, he'd be relentless in teasing me about it.  The nurse looked down at me for a moment before crossing her arms at her  chest.

It wasn't like I could tell her any of that.

"Really, I'm fine." I said, now desperate to be dismissed. Borderline  begging at this point, I continued, "I promise that if I feel any  symptoms come on, I'll do as you recommend and go home. Please let me go  back to the lab. Please."         

     



 

"Hmm," the nurse hummed. "All right. But, if you wind up back here again, you'll leave me with no choice. Understand?"

"Yes. I do. Thank you so much."



GABE

A couple of hours after my visit to the lab, I was sitting in my office  when Holly buzzed in over the intercom with word Colin needed to speak  with me about an urgent matter.

Clearing my throat, I picked up the receiver. "Colin, what's up?"

"Gabe, I've got a situation in the lab that you need to be aware of."

Lab problems always got my complete attention. The last thing we needed right now were any unnecessary delays.

"What's happening, Colin? Is there something going on with the Link Protocol work?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. In fact, it's not related to work in the lab."

I wrinkled my brow. "I'm confused, Colin. If it's not lab work, then what's the problem?"

"It's Fiona."

I leaned back in my chair and ran my hand through my hair. "Fiona? What's going on with her?"

Colin spent the next several minutes explaining she'd fainted at her  workstation. Amanda and Melissa helped her to the infirmary and then  returned to the lab and told Colin what occurred.

"Hmm," I said as stroked my chin. "When did this happen?"

"Well, according to Amanda and Melissa it occurred just after lunchtime. About two o'clock or so."

"Oh yes? Interesting … "

"Sir?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, you said it was ‘interesting'."

"Oh, right. I was thinking of something. It's not important. Fiona. Is she all right?"

"I believe so. She returned to the lab not more than a half hour or so ago. What would you like me to do about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you want me to send her home?"

"Um, I suppose that's up to her. What has she said?"

"She says she's fine."

"All right, well, if that's what she says we'll have to trust her."

"Will do."

"Oh and Colin?"

"Yes?"

"Don't mention you spoke with me. Whatever is causing these episodes at  the moment can't be helped by her being aware of our conversation."

"Understood."

As I hung up, I leaned back in my chair, interlacing my fingers behind  my head in the process. To the best of my knowledge, we'd never had  someone pass out in the manner Colin described.

A number of causes ran through my mind as I considered the long-term  impact to work in the lab. Maybe the issues Danielle revealed to me were  behind it. On the other hand, maybe it was the stress of her new  position but then again, Fiona hadn't shown any difficulty handling  herself.

Or perhaps I was partially to blame.

After all, she wasn't accustomed to attention from men and I had been  applying a bit of pressure. Even so, I'd never had a woman pass out from  being so excited around me.

At least …  not with my clothes still on.

Yet, as intriguing as Fiona might be, the last thing I could afford to  do right now was have a huge delay at the lab. The Link Protocol would  have to stay on track no matter the cost to my libido. I'd just have be a  bit more reserved than normal, take things slow with her. I made it a  point to get the best talent possible in my labs and now was no time to  disrupt the environment there.

There'd be time to seduce her yet.

"Hmm," I grunted as I released my hands from behind my head and stood from my chair.

So right then and there, I decided to let things cool off for a few days  before I went and checked in on her, which I did a little before five  in the afternoon on Friday. If there was one thing I could count on with  my scientists, it's that none of them enjoyed working after hours.

But, Fiona was a special case. I had a hunch her obsessiveness and her  minor medical mishap would keep her there working longer than most.

Pushing open the door to the lab, my suspicions were confirmed. She  glanced up and our eyes met for an instant before she returned her  attention to the compound microscope in the middle of her workstation.         

     



 

After slipping on some protective outerwear, I made my way towards her,  and as I did, Fiona alternated between looking in the microscope and  scribbling her findings down in her planner.

"How's everything coming?"

"Fine," she muttered, still not making eye contact.

I watched as Fiona drew her elbows in close to her sides and leaned in  towards the microscope. I sauntered along the edge of the workstation,  dragging my fingertips along its smooth surface as I neared her. I  turned the corner of it and as I passed by Fiona, I brushed up against  her.

"Oh," she said, as she lifted her head. "I'm sorry."

As she spoke, I circled around behind her. "What are you sorry for? It was my mistake."

"Just a habit, I guess," she said with a shrug. "I apologize for things a lot."

"Hmm, I see," I began, as I leaned against her workstation. "Well, I believe you owe me another one don't you?"

Fiona's small, thin fingers raked through her blond hair as she pulled  it away from her face. Half-turning in my direction, she locked eyes  with me.

"For what? What did I do?"

I smiled a bit.

"Well, Fiona, I do own the company. When one of my best junior  scientists winds up in the infirmary, I'm going to find out about it. We  can't afford any unnecessary delays with the Link Protocol. I thought I  made that clear."

She nodded and looked away. I watched as a hard swallow forced its way down her throat.

"Yes, I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"I should hope not." I replied, feigning displeasure with her. "I'd hate to have to fire you less than a month in on the job."