Chapter 11: Making the Rounds

September 9, 1996, Los Angeles, California

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Probably as bad as I look!” Megan replied. “You look beat!”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I replied.

“Trouble sleeping in a strange bed?”

I suppressed a laugh, “Yes.”

“Try sleeping in a hospital bed!”

“No thanks! I’ve done that a couple of times and I would have been better off at home! How long will they keep you?”

“A few more days, but then I’ll need a nurse to visit me to, well, do nurse stuff.”

I chuckled, “I’m married to a physician, remember? I know all about catheters, dressings being changed, and so on.”

“Sponge baths are the worst,” she groused. “I’d KILL for a shower.”

“I believe it, but doctors have NO sense of humor about violating their medical orders.”

“TELL me about it,” she sighed. “Sam came to see me and commiserated. I guess she was stuck in the hospital for an extended period with her broken leg.”

“She was. And that’s how I got to go to Australia and Singapore, as well as get back to Japan.”

“She told me. She also said you compensated her with a free trip to Australia!”

“It was the least I could do! And speaking of that, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Smuggle me out of this prison?”

“I’m not quite sure how I’d do that!”

“Smuggle IN an In-N-Out Burger?”

“I hear those things are addictive!” I chuckled.

“Have a ‘Double-Double’! You’ll see. And after nothing but liquids, I need some real food!”

“If I look at your chart, I suspect I’ll see the reason for the liquid diet,” I replied. “But I don’t want to invade your privacy.”

“Your wife has you well-trained!” Megan laughed, but then she winced.

“You OK?”

“The painkillers are wearing off and I’m trying to avoid them as much as possible.”

“A woman after my own heart!” I chuckled.

“You had your chance, Buster! Back in first grade!”

I chuckled, “If only I had known you were going to turn out to be smoking hot and extremely intelligent. Oh, and my parents hadn’t decided to move away!”

“Sir?” a nurse said, coming into the room. “I need to check Megan’s dressings and get her vitals.”

“That’s my cue to leave,” I said. “Call me when the warden releases you!”

“I will! Thanks for coming to see me!”

“You’re welcome.”

I left her room, took the elevator down to the lobby, then hailed a cab to take me to California Plaza. I checked into the InterContinental, and then walked across the plaza, then across the street to the NIKA ‘satellite’ office.

“Hi, Steve!” Juana called out, jumping up to hug me.

“Hi! How are things?”

“Good. Andy will be back in about five minutes. I take it Barb told you that Ross is in Seattle.”

“Yes, otherwise I would have met with him in San Francisco. Do you think we’ll get that business?”

“Barb and I are sure we’ll get it. She’s already solicited résumés from people in the Seattle area. We’ll have a candidate for you and Charlie to interview in a week or two.”

“That sounds good. Cèlia brought Elyse a requisition for another support rep for California.”

“We kind of hit the tipping point for the West Coast. I have the interviews for the consultants set for tomorrow. I have to be back at my consulting gig, so you’ll be on your own.”

“I think I can manage,” I grinned. “Are we set for lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes. Andy and I will meet you at the restaurant.”

“Hey, Boss!” Andy called out as he walked into the office, as if on cue.

“Hey, Andy!” I replied and got up and shook his hand.

“Sorry, I don’t have much time. I have an appointment in thirty minutes.”

“I’ve seen Cèlia’s work log reports, so I know just how busy you are! You also have the absolute highest customer satisfaction numbers of anyone on Cèlia’s team! The same is true of Rafaela. She seems to be working out well.”

“She’s down in Anaheim today, but she’ll join us for lunch tomorrow.”

“Good. Sam is going to join us as well.”

The three of us talked for about ten minutes, then both of them had to head to client sites, so I walked across the street to One California Plaza and rode the elevators up to the 41st floor.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Adams!” Starr said brightly when I stepped off the elevator.

“Good afternoon, Starr! How are you?”

“Great! Mr. Jackson is expecting you. Let me call and announce you, and you can go back. Your meeting with the partners is at 3:00pm. There will be coffee and snacks. Is there anything I can get you now?”

“No. I grabbed a bite before I went to see Megan Burch in the hospital.”

“I’m so glad she’s going to be OK!”

“Me, too!”

She made the call and I headed to Ben’s office where he and Sam were sitting at his small conference table with a small stack of documents. We greeted each other, and we moved to the couch and chairs.

“How are things going?”

Sam laughed, “Let’s just say that being a lawyer is WAY more boring than I ever thought it would be!”

“I’m very happy to NOT be Johnnie Cochran,” Ben laughed. “Or even Melanie Spencer! I like my nice, tidy business practice, thank you very much!”

“And IT law?” I asked with a grin.

“There was a reason we hired Megan! Our main problem is we can’t find the right kind of candidates to work with her. Very few law students take any kind of technical training for pre-law.”

“We have the opposite problem - too many CS students take purely engineering courses and don’t take any liberal arts except the required minimum core courses. That’s something Dave is going to try to rectify.”

Ben shook his head, “Dave leaving was a huge loss. But honestly, after eleven years in business, to only lose one senior person is a damned good track record. Anyway, we spoke in detail about that by phone. Did you get to see Megan?”

“I did. She’s in reasonably good spirits considering she looks like a truck hit her.”

He nodded, “Literally. She was on the 405, stopped in traffic as usual. A delivery truck hit her from behind. The driver hadn’t had any sleep in better than twenty-four hours and apparently fell asleep at the wheel. He wasn’t hurt badly, but he’s in the custody of the State of California and will probably stay there for some time.”

“I’m curious; what are the charges?”

“‘Reckless Operation’ can be a felony, as it is in this case. They also charged him with ‘Attempted Vehicular Manslaughter’. And the company he works for is being investigated for a number of California work rules violations.”

I shook my head, “What’s the penalty for violating common sense?”

“If only!” Sam said, shaking her head.

“So back to candidates, what are you doing?”

“Looking at second-career lawyers. We don’t often do that, but we have, once, for our medical practice. A surgeon who badly injured his hand and could no longer practice. He went to law school and now works for us defending medical malpractice cases.”

“And now you’re trying to talk Sam into law school?” I asked, trying to sound suspicious.

Ben laughed, “Do you think I have a death wish? The other option is what we’re doing now, where Sam is teaching me what I need to know to get by. In fact, I’d like to start a program where all of our attorneys at least get some basic IT training, and then we set up an ‘Expert Witness’ agreement. It’s something we should talk about.”

I nodded, “We can work out the broad strokes, and then you can work out the details with Sam, if that’s OK.”

“That is usually how you do it! We can discuss it at dinner tonight.”

“You don’t mind, do you, Sam?”

“No, of course not! We have our lunch tomorrow and I know you and Ben have dinner whenever you’re in town.”

“Thanks. Ben, do you mind if I speak with Sam a bit before our 3:00pm with the partners?”

“Not at all. Use the conference room around the corner.”

“Thanks.”

Sam and I went to the small conference room and shut the door.

“What do you think about his idea?” I asked.

“It’s good, but I can foresee serious problems with the whole ‘Expert Witness’ thing.”

“Oh?”

“Megan and I talked about the issues in trials with regard to technology, and the major problem is that juries do not understand complex technology issues. That’s actually true in other areas of the law as well, but it’s going to be extremely frustrating for anyone who has to testify. The questioning will be maddening. And you know what Jamie says about juries - they’re crapshoots. Mix in heavily technical testimony, and the jury often decides the tech guy or gal is using techno-speak to obfuscate the truth. She’s lost cases basically because the jury didn’t like the ‘computer nerd’.”

“I hear the same thing from Al Barton about medical testimony,” I replied. “He’s always frustrated by the outcomes which seem to hinge not on who has the best explanation, but on who the jury liked. It’s a stupid game which Melanie has to play with witnesses, and it’s why Jamie says what he says about going to trial. I suppose the question is, how do we help Ben?”

Sam smirked, “Are you sure you want to hear the answer.”

“Oh, HELL NO!” I laughed. “Kill me now if that’s what you’re going to suggest.”

“Seriously, it has to be either you or me, and you are WAY better at jousting with attorneys than I am. Kajri and Brenda are both qualified to be experts, but could you imagine Kajri on the stand? She’d be calling the lawyers ‘wankers’ or ‘tossers’ inside of the first thirty seconds!”

I chuckled, “Or both! And Brenda isn’t all that much different. She has the least tolerance of ‘fools’ of anyone I know!”

“Except you!” Sam laughed. “But you know how to handle yourself. Charlie told me about you and Brandon Littleton, back in the day at IIT. And I’ve heard about other tangling you do with attorneys and the Feds. It really has to be you, Steve. Ben knows that, too.”

I sighed, “Of course he does. But I’m not shouldering this entire load myself. If I have to do it, YOU have to do it, too!”

Sam laughed, “I knew you’d say that.”

“We could also use Julia,” I replied. “She has the temperament and technical knowledge. But, I don’t want her involved before her sabbatical next year. I don’t need any more burned-out staff.”

“That was Dave’s real issue, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. And it’s shown me I need to pay much closer attention to that kind of thing. It’s why I was very happy to send you and Levi to Australia for two weeks.”

Sam laughed, “I’m WAY more like you than Dave. I know how to relax when I’m away from the office. But do you know how frustrated I was when I broke my leg?”

I nodded, “Probably just as frustrated as I was with my post-concussion syndrome! Anyway, with regard to this, I’ll speak with Ben tonight and you two can work out the details. You and I will divide the work, though if there is something for which one of us is better suited, we’ll take that into account.”

“Oh sure,” Sam smirked. “I’m smarter and better, so I get saddled with everything!”

I chuckled, “While your initial proposition is correct, your conclusion isn’t. I’m not going to argue with you about who’s smarter or more knowledgeable, and I won’t use that to pawn off all the work on you!”

“It’s a wise man who knows when not to argue with a woman!”

“You’ve met my wives, Elyse, Jennifer, and my daughters! Not to mention Melanie Spencer and Jackie Phelan!”

“True. OK. I’ll work out the details with Ben, and we’ll take it from there.”

“Thanks. Anything else I need to know about what’s going on?”

“Not really. The doctors are estimating that Megan can return part-time around November 1st. I’ll be here the rest of this week, and then fly out if Ben needs me for meetings. They received continuances on the two cases she had in court, with the next dates set in November.”

“Just keep me posted.”

“Will do!”

We left the conference room and went back to Ben’s office. After a bit of chit-chat, we joined the partners for what amounted to our annual status meeting. Things were going very well, and the relationship was as good as it ever had been. There was some concern about Dave leaving, but both Sam and I stressed Terry’s skills, and I pointed out that the rest of the team was completely intact.

When our meeting finished, I went back to the hotel to relax, and then at 6:00pm met Ben Jackson at the LA Athletic Club for our usual drinks and dinner. We had a good chat about the NIKA staff serving as expert witnesses, and we agreed Sam would be the primary contact. Ben and I parted just before 9:00pm, and I headed back to the hotel.

“Hi!” Jasmine exclaimed when I walked into the lobby.

“Hi! How are you?”

“Excellent! You?”

“Good. Do you want to stay in the bar or go somewhere?”

“I brought a bottle of wine.”

“Then my room it is!” I chuckled.

We went up to my room, I opened the bottle of red wine, poured some into two plastic hotel tumblers, and we sat down on the couch.

“How is school going?”

“It’s only the second week, but fine. I miss the Trib! That was WAY more interesting than my classwork!”

“I’m sure! But I also know Stan Jakes would insist on you completing your education.”

“Absolutely! I’m going back next Summer for sure.”

“And, as we said before you left, you’re welcome to stay with us.”

“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“You’re welcome! Want to have breakfast in the morning?”

“Sure. My first class is at 9:00am. Am I staying or meeting you?”

“Meeting me, please,” I replied gently. “I hope that doesn’t upset you.”

“No, it doesn’t. I thought the breakfast invitation might mean you wanted me to stay.”

“That is my reputation, but you’ve caught me in a transitional period!”

“OK, Jules,” she laughed. “But I see you left ‘Mister 9mm’ in Chicago!”

“I had to. First of all, California doesn’t recognize my Illinois permits; and second, the specific threats really are Chicago-based.”

“Stan knows about some of your ‘adventures’, doesn’t he?”

I nodded, “Some. You know I give him ‘deep background’ and also do some general computer background for him. You should start cultivating your contacts for the future.”

“I have you, for one! And Jessica for medical things. And Kara if I ever need a chemistry expert!”

“That’s a start. I take it you made other contacts in Chicago?”

“Yes. I got to know your lawyer friend, Melanie, pretty well.”

“I’m very glad I could provide the chances to do those things.”

We finished the bottle of wine, exchanged a hug, and after Jasmine left, I climbed into bed.

September 11, 1996, Colorado Springs, Colorado

“Good morning, Margaret!” I said when I walked into the office in Colorado Springs.

“Good morning, Mr. Adams! Mrs. Jaworski is expecting you.”

I suppressed a sigh and eye roll and went down the hall to Barbara’s office.

“And to think, until today, I’ve never considered writing you up,” I said.

“What?!” she gasped, hopping up from her desk.

We exchanged a quick hug.

“Margaret called me ‘Mr. Adams’. And you ‘Mrs. Jaworski’.”

“Good luck changing that,” Barbara laughed. “Her grandfather is a Vice Admiral, her uncle is a Marine Bird Colonel, her dad is the CAG on the Nimitz, and her older brother just graduated from Annapolis.”

I laughed, “Well, that’s going to make it a supreme challenge! I take it you’ve tried?”

“Repeatedly. I think she stands at attention at the bus stop!”

“No military for her?”

“No. She and her little sister weren’t interested. But she’s engaged to a Marine.”

“Which does not surprise me at all! Where is he stationed?”

“Twentynine Palms, in California.”

“Not far from where I lived in Bermuda Dunes many moons ago, and the area where Megan Burch is from. I take it she’s leaving when they marry?”

“It’ll be sometime next Summer.”

“Officer, right?”

“Yes. A Lieutenant. How did you know?”

“Her family are all officers. If she’s as correct as you say, she wouldn’t fraternize. Is Elyse aware?”

“Not yet. Margaret just told me on Monday afternoon. I’ll speak to Elyse, and we’ll make sure there’s a smooth transition. How did the interviews go?”

“No veto for either one. I talked to Charlie afterwards and she’s going to extend offers to both. You have the work for them in California.”

“Very true. I’ll have some Seattle-based candidates for you to interview early next week.”

“Sounds good. How are things otherwise?”

“We have a candidate for the development position for you to see this afternoon. Skye, Terry, Julia, and Kajri are all in agreement on a single, very strong candidate. I did the ‘fit’ interview and I’m confident you won’t have any objections.”

I nodded, “Good. How are your husband and the kids?”

“You mean the three boys I’m raising?” she laughed.

“You’re the second person to say something along those lines this week.”

“It had to be Sam!” Barbara laughed. “She’s always talking about Levi in those terms.”

“Including saying he was ‘housebroken’,” I chuckled. “And yet, those two are deeply in love and are a committed couple, even without the attendant paperwork.”

“As are you and your wives!”

“True. And I’m sure they say the same things about me. I know my daughter does!”

“She’s a real card!”

“That’s one way to put it. Anything else going on here?”

“Just the usual. I have a lunch scheduled for us with Skye, and there’s a team dinner tonight. You’re staying until Friday morning, right?”

“Yes. I’m flying to San Diego on Friday. Let me make the rounds and talk with everyone, and we can chat more later.”

“OK. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks.”

September 13, 1996, San Diego, California