WLUV Box Set: Ignited, Consumed, Burned (29 page)

“Fawn.
Fawn, wake up now. Hey kiddo. You scared us there.” Fawn’s mouth was dry. She
opened her eyes and everything was white. She was in the hospital with Bernie
by her bed.

“Hi…what—what’s
going on?”

“Well, you
scared the hell out of me. I went out to my car and found you passed out in the
parking lot.” Bernie gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“Oh my
gosh. How long? What about my mom? She can’t be alone.”

“Settle
down. I came with you here and called Debbie. She’s with your mom.” Debbie and
Bernie were Fawn’s guardian angels.

“Why did
I…” Fawn tried to collect her thoughts, “I was bleeding. What the hell
happened?”

“I lied to
the doctors and told them I was your dad.” Bernie had fifteen years on her, he
couldn’t be more than 40, but he looked ten years older than that. He and
Debbie had three teenagers at home. Fawn paid the Manfred boys to do yard work
in the summer.

“Well,
pops? What’s wrong with me?” Fawn tried to smile. She was so damn sick of bad news
and sad eyes. But it didn’t work. Bernie, normally ready with a joke, was all
serious.

“You had,
uh, what did they call it? An ectopic pregnancy, and I’m sorry honey. You lost
the baby. That’s what happened.” His eyes were filled with concern for her.

“Oh, I
didn’t even know I was…” Fawn put a hand to her eye to wipe away a tear and
then another came. Bernie handed her a tissue.

“Yeah,
you’re going to need to talk to the doctor. But I wanted to be here when you
woke up.”

“Bernie,
I’m having a really bad day.”

“Yes, yes
you are kid.” He gave her a smile and somehow it made her feel better.

“I’m not
pregnant and I’m fired. I’m not sure if this is good news, bad news or bad
news, bad news.” Fawn was at the lowest point she’d ever been in her life.
She’d used protection with Brick and he’d been the only one she’d been with.
But now none of it mattered.

“Well how
about this, then? I’m also out of WBPN.”

“What?
You’ve been there forever! Is this because of me?” Fawn knew Bernie had mouths
to feed just like she now did.

“No,
actually they’ve offered me the chief photog job over at WLUV. It’s a little
more money, and a management job. Plus I’m sick of Allen Alder’s bullshit too.”
Bernie called it like he saw it.

“Congratulations.
That’s great Bernie. I’m happy for you.” Fawn was happy. At least there was
something good in a world that seemed filled with shit right about then.

Bernie got
up to go. “And you’re coming with me.”

“What?”

“If they
want me at that rinky-dink number three, well, they can’t have me without you.
Actually the news director there is a drinking buddy, used to be the executive
producer at BPN. Anyway I just got him on the line while I waited for you to
finish your sleeping beauty moment and told him you were recently available. As
soon as your dramatic hospital turn here is over we’re both heading to the
Number Three station in small market, bumfuck Michigan!” Bernie started jumping
around like they’d just won
The Price is Right
Showcase.

“Woo
hoo!!!” Fawn laughed. It hurt to laugh.

“Now get some
rest, get your ovaries together, and next week you go meet the WLUV putzes and
give them some glamour.” Bernie put on his coat.

“Bernie?”
Fawn was crying again.

“What? Now
stop that, you’ve already lost enough fluid.”

“Thank
you.” Fawn smiled and cried at the same time.

“Yep. It’s
okay, honey.” Bernie put his arms around her for a hug. “I don’t want to
squeeze too hard. I’m going. Don’t worry about your mom. Debbie and I have it
covered until you’re sprung, okay?”

Fawn
sobbed into Bernie’s shoulder. “I’m so thankful that you’re not a prick.”

“That all
depends on who you ask, kid. Hey now, you’re snotting on my shirt!” Bernie
patted her head. He could always make her laugh.

“Sorry.
Get out of here.”

“Call me
tomorrow and we’ll get this WLUV stuff sorted out.”

“’Kay.”

Bernie
handed her a box of tissues and walked out, and Fawn sank down into the
hospital pillows. Everything she’d worked for, every component of her life was
a wreck. My god, she’d been pregnant. She was going to have a baby? Brick’s
baby. She should probably be relieved about losing the baby but instead she was
incredibly sad. Something was taken from her and she didn’t even know she had
it, just another one of the myriad of things she’d lost the last few days.

But she’d
learned hard lessons, and resolved not to make the same mistakes again. She’d
show WLUV what a professional newswoman looked like.

Her goals
had narrowed; now, they were about survival.  Fawn was not one to wallow in
lost dreams, the idea that she was the next Diane Sawyer faded into the
rearview mirror of her life. That was the dream of the naïve girl she’d been
just a few short weeks ago. Not anymore. Now her aim was clear, and
necessitated by her loyalty to her mother. She’d pay off the house. She’d take
care of her mom.

And she’d
never again let a man like Brick Cooper into her bed or her heart again.

Thank god
for Bernie. At least he gave her one ray of hope with WLUV. Even if it was the
joke station of Grand City, right now WLUV was her salvation.

**

Brick
fifteen years ago…

Detective
Brick Cooper sat at his new desk. He’d just gotten back from training in
Quantico. Not only did he get the promotion he’d been angling for, but his new
boss chose him and two other guys to get special training. Brick was one of the
few in the department with a college degree and he looked more FBI than the FBI
guys, so he fit right in.

He’d left
for Quantico training shortly after his big promotion and had been gone a
month, where he got a refresher on tactical skills, investigative techniques,
emerging computer forensics science, and firearms practice.

If Fawn
had returned just one of his half a dozen calls he would have told her about
his great new assignment. He wished he knew her better—hell, he hardly knew her
at all, really. He’d felt connected to her but she apparently didn’t feel the
same. There was still no sign he was anything but a roll in the sack to her.
He’d had his share of those experiences but damn, this one seemed different.
Apparently his instincts were way off with her.

It had
been six weeks and he should have forgotten about her but in every free moment
his mind wandered to her. He decided he would try one more time. Maybe she
missed him too. Maybe she’d had some time to reconsider giving him the brush
off.

First he
tried her number at the station. They told him she was no longer with WBPN.

That’s
odd.
He thought
she was their up-and-coming star. Had she gotten a network job? He’d bet money
on the fact she was headed to the big networks someday.

Fawn had
never given him her home number but since he’d driven her there he was able to
find it himself, no need for special Quantico training for that. A little
stalkerish, sure, but he was desperate to be with her again.

The phone
rang and an older woman answered.

“Hello.”

“Yes, um,
this is a friend of Fawn’s. May I speak with her?”

“Oh, this
is a man friend?” The woman had a childlike voice.

“Yes. You
could say that, my name’s Brick.” Brick was going to roll with this one.

“Well
don’t worry, I won’t tell Manfred you called. Mr. Man’s in her room now and
spending the night. Your secret’s safe and I’ll leave her a message.”

“Don’t
worry about it. I’ll catch her later.” Brick hung up. Who the hell was Manfred?
Spending the night in her room? Fine, so that was it—she had another guy. She’d
played him. He wanted to respect her for turning the tables on him but he
couldn’t. He was just pissed.

Brick
slammed the phone down on his desk.

“Simmer
down there, tiger.” Deets was getting on his nerves more and more lately and
he’d only been in this department a few weeks.

“Yeah,
sorry.” Brick was angry, but now at least he knew. Fawn Clawson was not
interested. She probably never was. He imagined that the phone he’d slammed was
this Manfred guy’s head.

Fawn
present day…

Fawn
had to admit that Macy was right.
She was playing it too safe in her career. Fifteen years ago she’d run from her
situation at WBPN and thanks to Bernie she had a place to run to. WLUV was a
step (or two) down from where she was headed at the number one station, but her
priorities had completely shifted after that day in Allan Alder’s office.  When
thoughts of Alder or the baby she’d lost crept into her head, she locked them
away again.

But all
the coverage of Brick Cooper’s election and inauguration were making it more
difficult than usual. It was a lot easier to ignore him when he’d been in
Lansing during his previous job as state police commissioner.

In Fawn’s
weak moments she wondered if things had been different if she could have
carried that baby—if Allan Alder hadn’t come after her, if she hadn’t piled
that awful moment on top of her financial stress, her mom’s health? Was it
doomed no matter what? She wondered if she could have raised a child as a
single mother. She was practically doing that, in reverse, with her mom.

But Fawn
wasn’t often melancholy. She had developed the ability to focus on her job, on
her finances, and making sure she stayed away from police stories. Brick Cooper
was probably just as interested in avoiding her, she figured. It had to be
uncomfortable if one-night stands showed up at your work.

It wasn’t
long after her arrival at WLUV that she’d become the top anchor. Other talented
broadcasters had come through, but usually it was a rung on a ladder as they
headed upwards. For Fawn, the station was a safe refuge where she could pay
down her mom’s debt, a quiet place where she could be away from the confusion
in her life.

 Fawn knew
she was good at her job, and now that Macy had shaken the place up she enjoyed
being at the helm of an aggressive station.  It was an exciting time at WLUV;
working to be number one instead of a neglected number three was invigorating.
But could she really consider taking this assignment that would put her out of
town? Then again, as Macy had suggested, it might hurt her career if she
continued to play it safe.

She
examined her situation again. It gave her great satisfaction to know that she
could afford to have her mother well cared for in a facility that cost a lot of
money. It wasn’t like the days when she still lived at home. In some ways, it
was easier now that her mom didn’t recognize her. Fawn felt guilty for thinking
that, but it was the truth. It was also the truth that her mom would be safe,
happy, well fed, and oblivious to the fact that her daughter hadn’t visited in
a week.  She didn’t even know she had a daughter.

Fawn
decided that instead of avoiding this opportunity, she would embrace it. Her
mom could not be an excuse. The facility knew they could contact Fawn at any
time; she’d only be a phone call away. She also knew she could lean on Bernie
and Debbie, that they wouldn’t want her to miss her chance. Even the three
Manfred boys, now grown, would spend a lunch hour with her mom. They were like
nephews to her now. Bernie’s family was the only family she really had. 

Macy had
asked Fawn to meet in Wes’s second floor conference room where they’d outline
the details on the project. As she made her way up she dodged the paint cans
and scaffolding. Wes Thompson was finally investing in a few office
improvements, no doubt at Macy’s behest. It was hard to believe the orange
striped seventies wallpaper was finally gone.
Good riddance
, Fawn
thought.

She’d read
the binder that Macy provided. The destination was the world's only Jaguar
Preserve, located in Belize. The unique sanctuary covered about 150 square
miles of tropical forest. Fawn was getting more excited about the destination
and the assignment. It had been a long time since she’d felt confident enough
to take a risk, and she hadn’t been so far away in years. Belize!

The Grand
City Zoo was donating its two jaguars to the preserve. They’d mated in
captivity and now the hope was to introduce them to the gene pool on the
preserve, even if it was a slow process to adjust to their newfound relative
freedom. Fawn had read about it in the summary of materials. While in Belize,
the zoo would also acquire some exotic birds—trading big cats for little birds
seemed strange to her, but the endeavor was more about the greater good of the
endangered jaguar species than acquiring new animals for the zoo. The whole
thing fascinated Fawn.  Everything about it was so out of her normal day-to-day
life that she found herself taking the stairs two at time so the meeting could
begin.

She walked
into the conference room, which was filled with all sorts of interesting
characters. At the head of the table was Wes – damn he was good looking man –
to his right was Macy, looking like she could take Fawn’s job if she wanted it
in a heartbeat. Thank god the woman enjoyed managing the whole place more than
she enjoyed anchoring.

Then there
was a portly man in a business suit whom she recognized as the Grand City Zoo
Director; next to him another man, this one in jeans and a safari shirt with
rolled up sleeves. He was pretty damn good looking himself. As the only man
without a tie on in the room, Fawn figured him to be the big cat expert for the
zoo. And then Fawn’s visual progression through the room came to a halt.

At the
other end of the table was goddamned Mayor Brick Cooper. For over a decade
she’d avoided anything to do with him, other than a recent close call at the
gala fundraiser. And now here he was, somehow intruding in the one thing she’d
been excited about in years. She tried not to be affected by his thick hair, his
blue eyes, and the body he’d kept as firm as that night fifteen years ago.
Dammit. This guy was a first class prick, she reminded herself, and she was not
the same stupid rookie reporter.

Since she
was already halfway into the room there was no turning back. She wouldn’t let
him see her falter.

Wes stood
up like the gentleman he was to make proper introductions, and the rest of the
men followed suit.

“Everyone,
I’m sure you recognize our star anchor here at WLUV, Fawn Clawson. Fawn, let me
introduce you to everyone.”

“Well Paul
Adrian, I know you.” Fawn moved forward and turned on the charm with the Zoo
Director. She’d met him once before and he shook her hand heartily.

“Yes, the
Zoo Roar Rally last year.” The director had asked her to MC a fundraiser. “You
were a marvelous host.”

“Thank
you.”

Wes
continued with the introductions and Fawn moved down the line. “This is Terry
Brandman. He’s the veterinarian in charge of zoo acquisitions, also a big cat
expert.” The ruggedly handsome man gave her a strong handshake. His face was
the only tan one in the room. Fawn figured he spent a lot of time in sunny
places rather than in the wintery Grand City Zoo.

“G’day.”
Brandman surprised her with an Australian accent.

“G’day. I
read your report, and I’ve learned so much already.” She dropped a huge smile
on the vet. She hoped it was a contrast to what she was about to throw the
mayor’s way.

“And of
course our new Mayor, Brick Cooper,” Wes gestured towards the man. Cooper moved
from behind his seat at the other head of the table and came closer to her so
she didn’t have to lean over for the handshake.

She looked
at Cooper and his eyes burned through her. Or was she just imagining that? Yes,
she had to be. But she wasn’t imagining the way her hand felt in his, and it
was everything she could do to not think of the last time he’d touched her. It
had been ages, but it leapt fresh into her mind the moment their hands touched.
Fawn bit the inside of her cheek, on purpose, hard.
Fuck this guy.
He
was getting the ice queen persona she’d honed for television night after night,
and nothing more.

“So glad
to see you, Fawn. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it
has. Congratulations on your election.” She removed her hand from his and then
noticed the young woman standing behind his chair.

“Fawn,
this is my press secretary Kristie Chalmers. She won’t let me near the media
without her. I might make a mess of things, drop an f-bomb. You never know.”

“Hello.”
Fawn offered a hand to the woman. She looked about a decade younger, if not
more, than the rest of the people in the room. She also seemed to be a lot less
comfortable with a handshake, squeezing Fawn’s hand in a vice-like grip. Women
did that when they were overcompensating, Fawn noticed; they tried to shake
hands as they imagined a man would. A good firm handshake, not ridiculously
strong, or wimpy weak, was an important part of making that first impression.
Fawn tried not to judge too harshly though, the girl –
woman
– was
probably nervous.

“So let’s
get started.”

Terry
Brandman took the lead, in his charming Australian accent, and explained the
mission of the Belize Jaguar Preserve and the Grand City Zoo’s role in it.

He clicked
through slides on the projector behind the conference table. The images
captivated Fawn’s attention and she forgot all about Brick Cooper or
handshakes. Yellow eyes, beautiful fur patterns, and incredible grace stared
back from each image of the jaguars at the preserve. Belize itself was tropical
and lush, every picture more gorgeous than the next. It seemed unreal that she
was going to be paid to go on this adventure. Then a photo flashed behind
Brandman that interrupted the images of paradise. It was a jaguar, flayed,
being skinned. It was horrible and jarring after the beauty they’d just seen.

“Poaching,
along with diminishing habitat, is why the preserve’s work is so important. And
why we at the Grand City Zoo are working to do what we can for the jaguars.”

The lights
clicked back on and Fawn noticed Brick was looking at her. Had he been doing
that the whole time? No matter. She wouldn’t let his presence at this meeting
ruin her focus.

“Now Mr.
Mayor, if you wanted to explain your role.” Terry walked back to his seat and
Brick spoke.

“Thank
you, Mr. Brandman. Well, I’ve been a long-time champion of this project with
Director Adrian, though in addition to the zoo component of the trip I’m
planning an economic one. I’ll be meeting with some cane sugar ethanol
producers about locating a refinery for U.S. operations here in Grand City.
We’ve selected WLUV to cover both portions.”

Macy spoke
up at that point, “Fawn will file ten stories to be aired each weeknight of the
trip. We’re calling it Operation Jaguar: The Grand City to Belize Connection.
We’ll also produce a half-hour special to be aired at the end of sweeps.”

“We’ll be
sending a photographer along with her.” Wes chimed in.

“Sounds
great. And don’t forget that the entire thing was underwritten by private
donations. Thanks to Mayor Cooper securing the funding, we can move forward
with this excellent project. That’s huge for us as a zoo and I assume the mayor
as well. Plus, no one wants to be accused of wasting taxpayer money,” explained
Director Adrian.

“Quite
right.” Brick agreed.

“It sounds
like an adventure, I’m really excited! Thanks for selecting me to cover it.”
Fawn directed her comments to Wes.

“You owe
the mayor on that one. He told us you’re his favorite news lady.” Wes nodded to
Brick.

“By far.”
The mayor smiled at Fawn, but before she could think of a way to answer, the
young press secretary stepped in.

“Our
research shows that Fawn is the most trusted. That’s how our team based the
decision to select WLUV over the number one station. Your demos also skew
younger than WBPN despite their ratings advantage. It really was a logic-based
plan.”  It appeared the young spokesperson was intent on making sure Fawn knew
that she
wasn’t
the mayor’s favorite news person.
Interesting
,
Fawn thought, s
omeone has a crush on her boss
.

“Ah. Well,
thank you...I think?” Fawn’s answer elicited a chuckle from the assembled
group.

The
meeting concluded. Fawn deftly stayed away from the mayor and engaged Terry
Brandman and Director Adrian in conversation.  “I’m a bit too old for this
excursion but I do envy you all. It’s going to be a wonderful trip.” Adrian
said as he returned a few materials to a briefcase.

“You’ll
love Belize. It’s also a tropical resort, so pack a bathing suit. Plenty of
time to soak in a bit of sun in the off-hours.” Fawn nodded at Terry Brandman’s
advice, making a mental note that the sight of him in a bathing suit could very
well add to the gorgeous scenery. Brick Cooper wouldn’t be the only one with
washboard abs on this trip.

“After the
winter we’ve had, 50 degrees would be enough to break out a bathing suit.”

“True
story,” Terry gave her a wink. She liked the Aussie vet, a lot. He might be
very helpful in her mayor-avoidance tactics.

She’d done
well in the meeting, and when Cooper walked out with his staff there wasn’t any
awkwardness. Later in the day she popped into Macy’s office.

“You
didn’t tell me the mayor was going for the trip.”