[Contributor 01.0] Contributor Page 7

  "You're my apprentice, Dara," Letizia said.

  "I'm glad I am."

  "Sentimentality on the job? Really, Apprentice Morrow." Letizia's slight smile belied her words.

  Javier paused as Dara walked to her station. "How's your mother?"

  "She's a little better, thanks." Dara smiled at him.

  "That's good. You don't need any distractions."

  Stung, she stared at him. "Distractions?"

  He winced. "I didn't... Never mind."

  "This isn't about me," she said coldly.

  "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice tinged with something like regret. She turned her back to him and pretended to be very busy.

  The day did seem to pass quickly. Though it appeared that her reprieve from Ryan had ended, his barbs either lacked their normal venom or she was simply immune to them. She wondered if maybe, finally, she had reached the zen state of indifference to him Letizia had tried to tutor her to reach, but she suspected it might be due to numbness caused by the overload of emotions she'd been feeling over the last couple of days. Still, she hoped for the former; she could really use the skill.

  When she and Jonathan arrived at the hospital, her father stood outside Leona's room, talking intently to the doctor. Dara couldn't deduce anything from the expressions on their faces, so she hurried over to join them, anxious to join the conversation.

  "Her brain activity has increased somewhat, though not to the same level I saw yesterday, when your daughter was talking to her," the doctor said. "I'm not certain if you did so yesterday, Contributor Morrow, but I suggest you try the same technique as your daughter. Try talking to your wife about a particularly happy memory."

  "I will," Joshua said.

  "She's still unconscious?" Dara asked, her stomach sinking in disappointment.

  "She is, but her brain is more active today, which is a good sign," the doctor replied.

  "How much longer until—"

  The doctor spared her the necessity of having to ask. "After three days of unconsciousness, we run several tests to help us get a better picture of a patient's status. The course of treatment varies, depending on the parameters within which the patient falls."

  Chewing her bottom lip, Dara nodded. Even now, Magnum was evaluating her mother.

  "Doctor, could we go in together today?" Dara asked.

  "Yes, but just for ten minutes," he said.

  Dara smiled. "Thank you."

  "Good luck," Jonathan mouthed, catching her eye.

  Joshua's hand shook as he seized Dara's. Clutching it, he stepped forward, and she forced herself to move as well.

  Leona was as still as ever, though Dara thought there was a bit more color in her face—but maybe that was just wishful thinking. However, her brain activity monitor definitely emitted a different pattern than it had the day before, and Dara felt hopeful.

  "What should we talk to her about?" Dara asked quietly.

  "I was up almost all night thinking about that," Joshua confessed.

  "Me too. What about when we won the behind the scenes tour of headquarters?" That had been a good day. She vividly remembered how excited her mom had been. Though Dara had only been ten at the time, she had already shown a very high degree of aptitude for engineering, and Leona had eagerly pointed everything out to her, telling Dara that she'd one day invent such wonders.

  "That is a good one, but I thought maybe we should talk about that night we camped in the living room."

  "You're right. That one is better." And it truly was. That memory had nothing to do with Magnum. It was about the three of them, their closely-knit little family.

  Moving to the far side of the bed, Joshua took Leona's left hand while Dara took her right. He looked at Dara and nodded, indicating that she should begin.

  "Hi, Mom," Dara said softly. "I'm back, and Dad's here with me."

  "Hi, sweetheart." Joshua kissed his wife's hand.

  "Dad and I have been thinking about all the great times we've shared." Her voice began to waver and she looked helplessly up at her father, who gave her a reassuring smile. He picked up from where she had left off.

  "Do you remember that night you suggested we camp in our living room? You'd just read Dara that story about the family surviving in the wilderness, and she was obsessed with the idea of building a tree house."

  Dara couldn't help it, she laughed. Though there hadn't been a tree anywhere in the vicinity for generations, she had felt with the conviction of a seven-year-old that there just had to be a tree out there somewhere, and when she found it she would build herself a house in it and live there quite happily. Her laugh made her father laugh as well and, suddenly, Dara felt a faint pressure on her hand. She froze as the pattern on the brain activity monitor changed.

  "You've never been able to sew a day in your life," Joshua continued affectionately. "But you spent weeks sewing that stuffed dog for Dara, and you gave it to her that night. It was an unrecognizable lump, but she loved it."

  "I still have it," Dara said, her voice catching. "It's on my pillow right now."

  This time, Dara felt an unmistakable pressure. She looked up at her father and knew he also felt it. Leona's eyelids began to flutter.

  "Doctor!" Dara called, dropping her mother's hand and running for the door. "Doctor! I think she's waking up!"

  A whirlwind of activity descended on the room. Dara and her father were ushered out the door and told firmly to stay outside while the doctors worked.

  "What's happening?" Jonathan asked, jogging over to them.

  "She's waking up!" Dara exclaimed. She could barely contain her excitement.

  They stood anxiously outside the door, watching as the medical staff hurried around the room, grabbing vials and studying machines. At last, the activity slowed and several staff cleared out of the room. The doctor slipped outside, leaving another doctor and a technician behind.

  "She's awake," the doctor announced, his face breaking into a smile.

  Dara's father seized her in a fierce hug and then reached an arm out, drawing Jonathan in with them.

  "Can we go back in?" Joshua asked.

  "Yes, but only one at a time and only for a minute each. She's very tired, and her speech is a little difficult to understand."

  "Is that normal?" Joshua asked, the look of happiness leaving his face as his brows swept together in concern.

  "In a case like this, yes, it is. But we'll discuss the details later. I'm not sure how long she'll be able to stay awake, so you'd best speak to her now."

  "Go, Dad," Dara said. She drew Jonathan a few steps down the corridor, wanting to give her father whatever semblance of privacy was possible with a doctor and a technician observing him. As they moved away, she saw her father lean over her mother and kiss her forehead.

  Jonathan wrapped his arms around Dara and held her tightly. "I was so afraid she would die," Dara admitted, her cheek smashed against his chest. It was rather painful, but she didn't care. Right now, she just wanted to cling to him with all her might.

  "She wouldn't leave you," Jonathan reassured her, and she knew he was right.

  They stood silently embracing until Joshua came out and told Dara she could see her mother. Jonathan released her, and her father surprised her by wrapping him in a bear hug as she headed to her mother's room. She had always known that her dad liked Jonathan, but she'd never before seen him openly express his fondness.

  "Hi, Mom," Dara said, bending over and kissing Leona's cheek.

  Leona said something, but her voice was so thick and the word so slurred, it took Dara several seconds to recognize the sound as her name. Despite her elation that her mother had awakened, Dara felt a sliver of fear. She hadn't thought everything would immediately be back to normal, but she also hadn't anticipated something like this.

  "I love you, Mom." Dara tried her best to bury the fear for now. Her mother would be fine. She had to be.

  Leona tried to talk, but Dara couldn't make any sense of the words, and she saw that
this frustrated her mother. Dara caught the technician frowning over one of the screens, and she understood why the doctor had said they could only have a minute each. He didn't want them upsetting his patient.

  "I have to go now." Dara stroked her mother's hair gently. "But I'll be back tomorrow. Please just rest right now."

  Leona's eyelids fluttered as she fought sleep. Dara gave her mother one last kiss, squeezed her hand, and left the room to join her father and the doctor.

  "She has a long road ahead of her," the doctor cautioned. "Despite our best technologies, the brain remains very elusive. We have drug therapies, but these just speed the process a little and make it slightly less onerous. I'll be honest: this is going to be very difficult for her."

  Joshua took Dara's hand. "What can we do?"

  "If she has a good night tonight, we'll move her to a recovery ward. She'll need extensive therapy."

  "How long will she be there?" Joshua asked, sounding worried.

  "Two weeks. Then she'll be released to you at home, where she'll be given another two weeks to recover, with daily visits from a therapist. She'll be continuously evaluated, to determine whether she requires further care."

  Dara knew he meant a long-term facility. Either someone was capable of taking care of themselves and Contributing to their Job Creator, or they weren't. It was the difference between staying at home with family and having to move to a facility.

  "She'll be fine," Dara said, with a confidence she didn't feel.

  "We'll offer you a two hour course on exercises you can do with her at home. Let's see how she does tonight, and if we're able to move her tomorrow, you can take the course the following day."

  "So I can stay home for those two weeks and work with her?" Joshua asked.

  The doctor shook his head. "She'll have to work independently."

  Dara was horrified. What if something happened to her mother while they were working their shifts?

  "We'll monitor her vitals remotely," the doctor assured her, reading her expression. "We'll make sure she's safe."

  Uneasily, Dara nodded. She wanted to say many things, none of which she could safely utter here and now. Her father caught her eye, his gaze a warning, so she dropped her eyes, studying her clasped hands.

  "Thank you, Doctor," Joshua said.

  "It's my honor to Contribute," the doctor replied.

  Jonathan walked home with them, but seemed to sense that they needed to talk privately. He said a quick goodbye to Dara, and the door had barely closed before Joshua began speaking.

  "Dara, the next four weeks are going to be critical," he said, his voice urgent. "We have to do everything in our power to help your mother."

  "Oh, I wish we worked opposite shifts," Dara moaned.

  "I know, but there's nothing we can do about that now. We're just going to have to make do."

  "We'll take turns each night. I'll sleep one night, you sleep the next," Dara suggested.

  Joshua looked relieved as he nodded. "Yes, that was my idea as well."

  "Let's take turns going to the med center too. There's a lot that needs to be done around here to get things ready."

  "I don't know what I'd do without you." He took her hand and pressed it between both of his.

  "We're a family," Dara said, a lump rising in her throat.

  "Nothing and no one can change that," her father replied ferociously.

  Chapter 14

  A little over a week after Leona's accident, the apprentices received some unexpected news. As Dara entered the engineering division, she saw that Andersen and the senior engineers were deep in discussion. Dara tried not to be too obvious as she went to her station and pretended to work, watching them rather uneasily out of the corner of her eye all the while.

  "What do you think is going on?" Javier murmured, somehow managing to speak without moving his lips.

  "I don't know. They didn't say anything before I got here?"

  "Not a word," he said, and she couldn't help but wonder if she should trust him. "Not sure if that means they're not going to tell us anything or if they're just waiting for LeTour to get here."

  Dara wondered where Ryan was. He was always in a foul mood when he arrived last, and she didn't feel like putting up with him. True to form, a scowl darkened his face when he walked in several minutes later. Javier smiled pleasantly, but Dara gave him nothing more than the most perfunctory of glances.

  "Good morning, sir," Ryan said to Andersen, but the Head of Engineering was so caught up in his conversation, he didn't hear. Ryan flushed and Javier smirked at him, making Ryan's color rise higher.

  "Look who the cat dragged in," Ryan whispered to Dara. "You're looking ragged lately. Think you'll be able to concentrate today?"

  Her temper flared and she almost snapped at him, but she reminded herself that it would harm her more than it would him. Just then, Andersen and the senior engineers approached, sparing Dara the worst of the onslaught she felt certain Ryan was preparing.

  "Apprentices, the senior engineering staff will be meeting with Zhang Agritech Systems next week to discuss a joint venture, and one of you will be selected to accompany us," Andersen announced. "Whichever of you is skilled enough to earn a place on the joint team will gain invaluable experience."

  "You're fortunate that any of you are even being considered for the opportunity," Chen said, fidgeting. "Apprentices rarely get to be involved in these projects." He fixed his gaze on Ryan.

  "This is an amazing opportunity, sir," Ryan said sycophantically. His words seemed to please Andersen, who nodded. Chen avidly observed the entire exchange.

  "The chosen apprentice will be tasked with taking notes and organizing my materials," Andersen said. "I can't stress the importance of these tasks enough. There's absolutely no room for error."

  The apprentices nodded solemnly. While Dara was thrilled at the thought of being privy to such high-level business talks, she felt queasy at the prospect of having to compete for the opportunity. There was no way either Javier or Ryan would hold anything back.

  "The senior engineers and I will be meeting for the next few hours, and we are not to be disturbed. I've left a task list for each of you."

  "Yes, sir," the three apprentices replied, like obedient schoolchildren.

  As Andersen led the senior engineers away, Letizia looked over her shoulder, giving Dara a look so piercing it made her squirm.

  Throwing herself into her work, Dara completed the tasks Andersen had given so quickly that she had time to do a little additional work. This earned her an approving nod from Andersen, which he delivered in front of both the senior engineers and the apprentices, making it all the sweeter.

  "Well done," Letizia whispered, as they followed Andersen to a conference room.

  "Thanks," Dara said distractedly. The more she thought about the upcoming competition, the more it made her sweat.

  As Andersen outlined the proposal requirements, Dara's stomach grew as heavy as a lead weight. How could she possibly spare the time for this?

  The meeting finally ended a half an hour after shift change, and Dara felt like every last drop of energy had been drained from her body. The senior engineers all swept out with their apprentices in tow, talking in hushed tones.

  Dara knew she would never be able to put together a presentation that would wow Anderson on her own. She turned to her master and asked, "Letizia, can you—"

  "I'll be over tonight," Letizia interrupted. "I know you have a lot going on, but it's critical that you're the one to win the spot on the joint team. If you do, it'll be almost impossible for the other two to regain the ground they'll lose."

  Letizia's words made Dara even more apprehensive, and she nodded unhappily.

  "I'll be over in an hour," Letizia said when they reached the front door, where Jonathan waited. With a brief wave at Jonathan, Letizia headed off.

  "How was your day?" Jonathan asked. Dara knew he wanted to ask more but refrained, due to the crush of Magnum personnel passi
ng by.

  Dara waited until the congestion outside died down a bit. "Magnum is starting a joint venture with Zhang, and Andersen is making us compete for a spot on the team. Letizia's coming over tonight to help me work on my proposal."

  "But I thought your dad had to work an extra few hours."

  "He does." Dara rubbed a hand over her tired eyes.

  "How are you going to work on the apartment tonight?"

  "I'm not. I guess my dad and I will both have to stay up all night tomorrow working."

  "No," Jonathan said firmly, jolting Dara back to reality. Perplexed, she looked up at him and saw his concern. "I'm coming over tonight. I'll take care of things while you and Letizia work on your proposal. I won't disturb you if you work in the study."

  "But, Jon, I thought you had an early meeting tomorrow and you needed—"

  "It's already taken care of. Really," he added, seeing the doubtful look on her face. "Let me help you."

  The quiet pleading in his voice nearly undid her and she nodded, tears gathering. "Okay."

  "Thank you."

  When they reached Dara's apartment, Jonathan glanced around to be sure no one was within listening distance but, even so, he leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. "Just be careful with Letizia, okay?"

  "What do you mean?" she asked, surprised.

  "It's just...there may be a reason she's being so nice to you."

  Dara stared at him in amazement, her spine stiffening. "You don't think—"

  "I don't know what I think," he confessed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I mean, I appreciate that she's helping you, but you can't be sure what's going on. Maybe there's more to her than meets the eye."

  "What? You think she's plotting against me or something?" Dara didn't know whether to be alarmed or disgusted. She knew his concerns weren't entirely off base—backstabbing was something of a sport amongst Contributors.

  "I'm not really saying that. It's more that her help may come with a price."

  "You think she might ask me to return the favor at some point?" Her voice dropped as she considered this thought.

  "Nothing in life is free." Though his voice was gentle, she felt the starkness of his words.