A Blemish on the Curve, Chapter 27, Part 1

Here's the first little bit of the next "Blemish" chapter!  There's a very interesting transition about to happen in this chapter, and I'm excited to show it to you guys.  Like the next chapter of "Emma," I'm hoping to be posting this full chapter in the next few days <3 

Chapter 27

“And I just wanted to make sure that we’re all clear,” Dave was saying to the board room, chopping the air with his hand for emphasis, “How crucial this is…how integral this is to our ability to function properly as a company.”

Dave’s eyes scanned the two lines of Braden employees, who lined both sides of the long, smooth conference room table.  He made sure to make insistent and unmistakable eye contact with each person as he spoke, going from Sophie to Ryan, down to Olivia, and then to Trent, Steve, and on across to James, and so on…all the way down both sides of the table.  The only person who was conspicuously absent was Rick.  Dave knew what Rick was up to, and he was prepared to answer anyone who asked about it.  But right now, he was more concerned with making sure his employees all understood the situation.

It was obvious that this was no ordinary conference.  Unlike other floor-wide meetings, no one else was talking.  There was no free exchange of ideas, liveliness, no crackling energy in the air.  Everyone was stony-faced and pale, deadly serious, and many wore open looks of concern on their faces.  The tension was thick and heavy over the proceedings, and Dave knew how important it was for him to strike the right balance of reassurance and severity here.  Sometimes the big moments came up, and he had to perform.  This was one of those moments.

Dave picked up the sheet of paper that had been sitting in front of him and held it up.  For a few moments, he said nothing, allowing the silence to sharpen the focus on the paper.

“You’ve all read and reviewed this non-disclosure agreement,” Dave continued steadily, breaking the silence at last, “And even though I’m sure you’re all quite clear on the specifics, I just want to emphasize, one final time, that last paragraph.  Failure to adhere to this agreement will result in immediate termination, with a loss of benefits, and no severance package.  Unvested employer contributions will be taken back from the offender’s retirement fund.  I could go on down the line, but I know I don’t need to.  Again, I’m not intending to be nasty, or to doubt anyone’s loyalty here – we have the best group around here.  I truly believe that.  But I need to go through this spiel with you all to stress the seriousness of this situation.  The last thing I want to do is fire any of you.  So please, don’t make me.  Is that understood?”

All down the conference room table, everyone was nodding, some energetically, and some slower than others.  It was obvious that many of the employees were still deeply uneasy about what they had seen, and that they harbored many questions that they knew Dave was not going to answer.  Still, though, everyone seemed to know where their place was, and, dutifully, they all looked down at the individual pieces of paper in front of them.

“All right,” sighed Dave, nodding as he breathed out a reluctant breath.  He didn’t enjoy having to make these kinds of speeches, and he wanted to make sure everyone understood that he was only saying all this because he had to.  “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I just ask that you all sign the agreements in front of you, so we don’t have to worry about any of this anymore.”

The slight rustle of papers was accompanied by many pens clicking open at once, as everyone bent forward and signed their forms, which were then passed down to Dave.  He received them appreciatively and collected them all in a stack, which he rearranged and tapped smartly against the table, straightening all the papers out, and giving the meeting a staccato finale.

“Ok then!” he exclaimed, cracking into his best attempt at an appreciative smile, “I think that’s it, then.  You’re all free to return to work.”

“But, um…Dave?” Sophie ventured, holding up her hand.

“Yes?” he asked simply.  He had expected some sort of pushback, or at least some more questions, and it didn’t surprise him at all that it was Sophie leading the charge.

“So…Brooke…Lucas…” Sophie began, the concern evident in her voice, “Are they…they’re okay, then?”

“They’re just fine,” nodded Dave, smiling warmly as he looked down at Sophie, “Both recovering, you know, from that…uhhh, well yes, from that ordeal.  But doing well, yes, doing just fine.  No need to be concerned.”

“But where?” piped up Olivia.

“Sorry?”  Dave was beginning to feel the necessity of nipping these questions in the bed.

“You say they’re…recuperating,” Olivia replied, leaning forward into the conference room table.  “Where are they?”

One floor below, Lucas awoke with a start.