Part 56 (2/2)

”But what if you find out ... whatever it is you're looking for?

Then--”

”Then I'll know if medical miracles sometimes come with a strange price.”

She was looking at him, pity entering her dark eyes. ”What are you going to do for money? The child support you send to Amy?” She hesitated. ”I'm so sorry about this, Stone. If you need a little help for the short term, I could--”

”Don't go there. I can take cash out on a couple of credit cards. And when I turn in the ma.n.u.script for the book, I'll get the other two- thirds of the advance. After that, I'm hoping I might get an actual career.”

”Oh, Stone, I'm really sorry about this,” she said with feeling. ”Truly I am. I... I guess I still enjoy seeing you. Having you around.

You're a mensch, you know that? Whatever your other failings, and G.o.d knows they're plenty, you were always kind. You're even kind to people who don't necessarily wish you well.”

”Well, tell that to Amy if you ever get the chance. Sometimes she thinks her dad is the meanest guy alive. Particularly when I don't honor her every whim.”

”You're a good father too.” She sighed.

For Stone, this was always the moment that he wanted her back--when she let her guard down.

”Dammit, Stone, why couldn't we make a go of it?”

”We stopped having fun, Jane. That's all that happened. I started to bore you. Back then I didn't provide enough excitement, enough Sturm und Drang in your life.”

”You weren't dull, Stone, but sometimes you could be maddeningly smug.”

”That may be about to change. Now that I'm an unemployed freelancer.

And I just ran into a blast from the past. Who knows what my life is about to be like?” He turned to leave. ”By the way, give my best to Jay. Hopefully, he'll be the last managing editor I'll ever have to suck up to.”

”Take care, Stone.” She was getting up. ”You can fight

this, you know. They had me write up some kind of bulls.h.i.+t breach-of- contract brief, in case you wouldn't go quietly. But it's full of holes. I know, since I deliberately wrote it that way.”

”Hey, thanks anyway. It's not worth it. I'm not going to fight to keep a job I never liked all that much in the first place. Every time I wanted to do some serious journalism--like that piece about using the Internet to store everybody's medical records--Jay always found a reason not to run it. I've only got so much dignity to lose.”

He turned and strode out of the office, deciding to forego any more farewells. Besides, he had better things to do. Get somebody from the mailroom to carry the boxes--the shards of his erstwhile, so-called career--to the lobby, where he could get a cab. Take the files home, stash them, and then get going.

<script>