Amoeba (The Experiments) (10 page)

“
Now
you’re overreacting.” Jake tried to reason.

“Yeah
, I am.” Cal looked around for something else to throw. She grabbed the remote that Greg was holding and sailed it Jake’s way.

“Cal! Knock it off!” Jake’s head went to the right to avoid the video tape.

“I should have known something was up when they called. You turned white as a sheet.” Cal reached for a vase, but Greg stopped her.

“That’s uh, a ten thousand dollar vase.” He handed her another. “Try this.”

Crash!

Jake closed his mouth tightly as he stood straight from avoiding the small vase thrown his way. “Thank you very much for the help!” He shouted at Greg and stormed over to Cal. “Throw one more fuckin thing at me and
I’ll . . .”

“You’ll what Jake?”

“I’ll get fuckin pissed, Cal.”

“Oh
, get pissed!”

“I will!” Jake’s red face lowered
down to face her off. “Now calm your ass down right now and quit making a scene. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Fuck you, Jake.”

“Oh nice, very nice. Can you possibly act any more immature? Throwing things. Yelling.”

“And you’re not?”

“I’m mad!” Jake blasted.

“Well
, so am I!”

Their extremely loud vocal match drowned out the opening of the door, but not the voice that called out. “Oh
, yeah, they’re still fighting. Break out the popcorn. The entertainment has begun.”

Silence.

Both Jake and Cal, at the same time, in the same way and at the same speed, slowly turned and looked behind them. Both of their faces held the same expression, mouth opened and shocked. Had they not begun to argue and get out of hand, they would have been prepared to see Rickie walk into the room, not as the creature they thought he had turned into, but as the same old Rickie they both remembered.

Jake’s hand immediately sprang to Cal’s back when she lost her balance.

Cal couldn’t breath. She stared at Rickie who held his arms outward. “Oh, my God!” She raced to him. “Oh, my God!” She flung her arms around Rickie so tight he gasped for air. Cal let out little shrieks of emotions. “Look at you! Oh, God, look at you!” Cal, crying, kissing Rickie over and over. “Look at you.”

“I can’t. You’re
, like, in the way.”

Jake slowly stepped to Rickie
, his eyes never blinking.

Rickie caught his breath when a hyperventilating Cal
finally released him. He looked at Jake. “Sarge is all dressed up to see me. Dude, did you like get in trouble for missing work for so long?”

“Rickie.” Jake whispered his name
, laying his hand on Rickie’s cheek and gripping it.

“Guy, you aren’t gonna
, like, lay a big wet one on me are you?”

Jake laughed.

“Cal-babe.” Rickie pointed to Jake. “He just . . . UH!” Rickie found himself in the midst of a huge Jake hug. Wrapped in Jake’s arms, Rickie’s face pressed to Jake’s chest so tight he could feet the buttons on Jake’s shirt indenting his forehead, his thin body flopped about in Jake’s grateful embrace. “I’m dying. Help!”

In a rare occasion, Jake smiled, freeing Rickie from the life threatening hold. “I am so, so, happy to see you
,” Jake told him.

Cal couldn’t stop touching him, but she had to ask Greg. “How . . . how did this happen
? We lost him.”

“I know
,” Greg said. “Like I told you, there was a mixing of blood. Rickie acquired enough to regenerate but not complete the stasis process.”

Jake’s head swayed. “As much as I hate to admit it
, I missed you. You were the biggest pain in my ass I ever encountered, but right now, I’m enjoying every second with you.”

Cal grinned at Jake. “That was sweet.”

“Yeah, Sarge.” Rickie told him. “Thanks. We can like spend lots of time together.”

“Yeah
, you can visit us.” Jake said.

“Cool.” Rickie nodded.

Still in awe, Jake looked at Greg. “Is he staying here?” Jake turned back to Rickie. “Where are you staying?”

“Dude.” Rickie reached out and gave a pat to Jake. “With you and Cal-babe. You guys
, like, invited me to live with you, remember?” Rickie scratched his head. “Or was that just the Cal-babe.”

Cal grabbed on to Rickie. “It doesn’t matter. You can live with us.”

“Wait a second.” Jake held up his hand. “I like Rickie and all, but . . .”

“Sarge.” Rickie stopped him. “I have nowhere else to go.”

“How about an apartment?”

Cal backhanded Jake. “We have an extra room, Rickie. In fact
, we just bought a house. With lots of room.”

“Cool.”

Greg stepped forward into the happy reunion. “Actually, if I can say something.” He waited until he had all of their attention. “Rickie can’t get an apartment, not just yet. He knows this.”

“Yeah
,” Rickie commented. “Setting the Rickie Meister free on his own will cause mass chaos amongst the women of the world.”

Greg smiled. “Something like that. Rickie needs
to be monitored, watched for any changes or occurrences that aren’t normal. We don’t foresee any; however, we have to be on the safe side. He either has to go into special housing, or he has to go to you. We’ll be happy to release him to you because, well, let’s face it, you two pretty much can handle things. Also, there are medical observation papers that need to be filled out weekly for us. But Jake, you know what to do with them, what to look for. With your back . . .”

“Yes.” Jake cleared his throat. “Now . . . this special housing
, how bad is . . .”

“Jake!” Cal yelled. “He comes with us.”

“I know.” Jake held up his hand. “Just reviewing our options. All right . . .” He faced Greg. “Get me what you need to get me, because I want to go home. I got a headache.” He looked at Rickie. “And it’s only gonna get worse.”

Greg pointed to his door. “My secretary has it ready. I’ll go out and get it. Rickie, you brought your bag up
, right?”

Rickie gave a thumps up.

Jake glanced oddly at Rickie. “How do you have a bag? You’ve been dead.”

“Dude, they like got me new clothes. Check me out.” Rickie turned his back to Jake. “I got the Levi butt thing happening.”

“And you also have that rebel teenage hair thing happening,” Jake told him. He reached out, gripping Rickie’s hair and tugging it, causing an ‘uh’ to come from Rickie. “If you live with me, you lose it.”

“No, dude, it’s cool. Look.” Rickie reached into his back pocket and pulled out a baseball cap. He put it on backwards. “No one will know.”

Jake grumbled a little, then he saw Cal’s face. The grumpy look left him, because Cal was smiling, and that made Jake happy. That and the fact she was no longer calling him a ‘dick’ and throwing objects at him.

^^^^

Greg walked the three of them out into the reception area of his office, shaking all of their hands and adjusting the Loony Tunes knapsack Rickie had on his back. “Take care of yourself, Rickie. We’ll be in touch. Lt. Col Graison.” He called to Jake as they moved closer to the door. “If you could call us frequently with updates, we’d be appreciative.”

“Not a problem.” Jake reached for the door holding the small letter
-size box Greg had given to him.

Greg watched as they started to leave and he shifted his eyes to his secretary, smiled snidely
, and went back into his office.

Jake checked out the time on his watch as he and Rickie followed behind Cal to the hall. “I should be able to get to the office and finish . . .” His eyes glanced up
, and he didn’t speak another word when he saw Billy.

Billy was out in the hall waiting, leaning against the wall. When they emerged from Greg’s office
, he approached Cal who was ahead of Jake and Rickie.

Jake, staying back, rolled his eyes slightly
, watching Billy stare only at Cal. “Oh, this guy’s got balls.”

Billy smiled. “Caleen Lambert
, right?” He pointed.

Cal stopped walking. “Do I know you?”

“You should. I hope.” He had his hands in his pockets. “Joey Levinson. Mr. Price’s English class. I sat behind you.”

Rickie held up his hand. “There you have it
, dude. She never saw you. You sat behind her.”

Billy looked only briefly at Rickie
, then back to Cal. “We were also in home room together for three years.”

Cal’s eyes widened. “Oh my God
, Joey.”

Jake let out a huff and switched his weight on his legs. “Cal, come on. We have a plane to . . .” He grunted she snapped her head over her should
er giving Jake a demonic stare. “Was that necessary?”

“Joe Levinson?” Cal said with shock
, stepping closer to Billy. “Wow, look at you. You really look good.”

“Yeah, well.” Billy raised his eyebrows. “So do you. Real good. I mean really good. I can’t. . .”

“Hey.” Jake spoke up. “The looks thing is established.”

Cal played off his remark. “Jake, this is Joey Levinson, we went to school together. Joey
, this is my fiancé, Lt. Col. Graison.”

“Pleasure.” Jake used the distance between them as his excuse not to shake hands with the ‘stare guy’.

“Nice to meet you.” Billy looked at his watch, and placed his hands in his pockets again. “Wow, it was great seeing you again. I really have to go.” He extended his hand and gripped onto Cal’s.

Cal’s smile left her, feeling their hands together. With curiosity, she made eye contact with Billy.

Billy brought his other hand over their joined hands and winked. “Take care of yourself.” He flashed a wide bright grin as he moved back from Cal, letting his hands slip away. He waved and trotted off to the elevator.

Cal closed her hand.

Jake heard Rickie snickering. “What?”

Rickie inched his way to Jake and whispered
, “Dude, like, he palmed her.”

“What?” Jake asked in a matching whisper. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I can’t believe you didn’t see it, Sarge. He palmed her a note. Slipped it right to her under your nose.”

“He did not.”

“Did too.”

“He did . . .” Jake watched Cal slowly move her right hand to the front pocket of her jeans. He took one long stride to her, reached out, snatched her wrist
, and lifted her tightly closed hand. “Open your hand.” Cal didn’t. “Cal, open it.” Jake looked over his shoulder to Rickie. “Rickie, go chase that asshole down and stop him so I can beat the fuck out of him.”

“
Aye-aye Sarge.” Rickie saluted and ran to the elevator.

Cal peered at Rickie who stood bouncing with excitement by the elevator. She shifted her eyes to Jake. “You’re pissing me off.”

“Well, you’re pissing me off. Open your goddamn hand!” Jake watched Cal’s fingers--red from clenching them so tightly--unroll. Lying in her hand was a yellow piece of paper folded up into a tiny square. “Fuckin asshole.” Jake took the note and began to open it. “And you, Cal. Hiding the shit.”

“It’s a female thing, Jake.
What just happened is mysterious and never happens to me. It’s not like I was going to do anything. I just thought it was cool that he did that in front of you.”

Jake’s eyes went back and forth quickly over the paper that unfolded
into a rather large note. He looked at Rickie who was getting on the elevator. “Rickie, just hold that.”

“But Sarge, he’s getting away.” Rickie pointed.

“Don’t worry about him.” Jake crumpled the note in his hand, took Cal by the arm, and led her to the elevator. “He’s a reporter.” As Jake tossed it in the garbage, he became so engrossed in pulling Cal into the elevator, that he didn’t see her pick it out of the trash and shove it in her pocket.

^^^^

Since it was not known what effect being in a pressurized airplane cabin would have on Rickie, Caldwell took no chances and flew the three of them home by private jet. But all was going fine. Nothing happened to Rickie. He tried to make them think so, shaking as the plane took off, holding onto his ears and thrashing about. But Jake failed to see the humor in it, and one stern slap to the back of Rickie’s head not only stopped him, but kept him quiet for ten minutes after his initial whine.

Cal had to laugh as she returned to the seating section. Rickie
was using the microphone, singing over the speaker. She made her way up the aisle to her seat. Two leather ones, wide and comfortable. Jake sat near the window, a booklet in his hand. Cal slid to her seat, sitting on her leg and facing Jake. “What are you reading?”

“Oh.” Jake closed it. “Just the observation forms we have to fill out for Rickie.” He reached down and put it away. “Easy.”