Bound by love, a heart never free.

My new position

I told Charles goodbye, he didn't ask about the baby, he was too distracted to really talk.

I felt a bit pissed at him.

I wanted to delete him from my contacts. Jerkwad.

My phone rang again.

" Hello?"

It was Lana Hill, herself.

" Don't take those other interviews, you are hired. Didn't you get the message we wanted you to come back in for a second round interview?" She sounded like she was desperate.

" Well, I hate to accept the job without knowing all of my other options, I mean...there is profit sharing, stock holding options involved here." I just went all in with a hand of base cards.

" I am prepared to match any offer, however...I need you to sign with Prestige today. You have one hour to be in my office, understood?"

Touche madam boss, touche.

I arrived 45 minutes later, took my time in the ladies bathroom washing my hands and then walked into Miss Hill's office exactly one hour later.

She had a contract ready for me to review.

I reviewed it all, crossing out things I didn't care for and adding in other things.

I had no need of a private parking lot space, nor a full company gym access. I hated the gym, I always exercised in the great outdoors.

I added a personal assistant position and carte blanche on whoever I had chosen for the position.

Satisfied, I signed it, she signed after me with a quick flowing L with a swirling H.

She smiled at me.

" Welcome aboard Miss Brennan." She smiled as she stood up.

She was over 6 foot tall, I could see she worked out, her body was lean and muscular. She was a damn sss.

She showed me to the elevator and handed me a golden key.

"The office to the left, you get to name it, we insist on something natural, like meadow lark, waterfall, evergreen. You know outdoorsy."

I nodded, but my gut was flip flopping. It was like a bad case of imposter syndrome. I did it, I won the hand.

My new office was huge. I had a full view of the trees and hills and my own kitchenette and bathroom.

I sat in a thick leather chair. I did it.

Stargazer, that was the name I chose.

I quickly called Emmery.

" I want to ask you a question, you can tell me to go to hell." I smiled.

" Never, what's up?" She had no clue what I would say next.

" I need you as my personal assistant, I got the job and can hire anyone I want as my assistant.

You are more than qualified and would be a huge asset to this company, given the chance. And I, as your boss would definitely give you the chance, what do you say?"

I heard her scream as she jumped up and down.

" f*****g A, yes, yes,yes!" She screamed.

I gave her the information and informed HR to prepare a sign on contract for my new assistant.

My next call was to daddy.

I told him my news.

" You are so awesome squirt!" He said quietly, slurring.

I felt something was off with him. He didn't sound right.

I hung up and called mom.

It was busy.

I left my new office and ran down the stairwell and got a taxi home.

Running into my daddy's office, I found him slumped over on his desk. He wasn't breathing, but he was warm. " Daddy, wake up!" I screamed at him, shaking him.

I did not panick, I called 911 and pushed him to the floor, starting CPR as I had learned in college.

My mother quickly came into the room a few moments later, seeing me rush by her and race to daddy's study, the room that he usually hung out all day.

" Did you call an ambulance?"

She stood over us, wide eyed and frozen.

She saw me starting chest compressions and breathing for my daddy.

She knelt next to us. " What do I do, I want to help you."

I shook my head, just counting compressions, and working on my daddy

" I knew he would kill himself someday, just not this soon." She said softly, her lip trembling.

I didn't stop working on my daddy.

She rubbed my back and held my hair for me.

The medics came hurrying up the stairs and took over for me.

I fell back, exhausted. I watched as they worked on him.

They put sticky tape on his chest, using a device to shock his heart, the medic called out,"Clear!"

Everyone stepped back as my daddy's chest rose and fell again and again.

They shocked him three times.

I thought I saw him breathe. They said it was involuntary breathing. The tall medic who looked to be in charge shook his head. " Sorry miss."

They called it, he was dead. Cardiac arrest, they said.

I refused to stop. I moved to daddy and put my hands to his sternum, restarting the compressions. The medics just watched me, murmuring to themselves.

" Again, please shock him again!" I yelled, my eyes wild with panick.

A kind medic nodded and knelt next to us, he set up the machine for three more shocks.

By the third one, they all had given up.

I lay over daddy's bare chest and sobbed.

" We are going on that damn cruise, you better get back here, you promised me." I yelled.

To all those watching it appeared that a spoiled rich girl would miss her precious expensive cruise.

But mother knew it was his thing, he made so many promises he never could keep.

I was holding him to this one, this one time.

I beat his chest with my fist in anger. Pounding on him with both fists. " Come on!"

I hit him repeatedly, calling him to come back to me. My eyes raised to heaven, "Please, I need...him..my daddy."

The EKG registered a blip, then another, and another.

He was alive? His heart was beating. I turned to look at the first medic, his brows rose and he nodded at me, smiling.

I watched as they now put IV's and monitors on him and carried him into the ambulance.

Mother was crying. She held me in her arms.

I wiped my eyes. "Let's go to the hospital, can you call Brea mom?" She nodded silently.

Claire Brennan changed that very day. She no longer turned to her phone nor all the psychics or fortune tellers.

She almost lost her drunk husband and realized that she did not want to lose him.

Brea said she was flying straight home. Daddy was alive.

I spent every day I could with him, and brought my work computer with me to the hospital, no one knew I was doing this.

It was business standard to work from home from the companies environmental sustainability protocols.

I went to my office in the afternoon's when daddy was in his cardiac therapy.

Emmery helped me abundantly. She was the only one that knew about daddy. We kept it between us.

________________

The crackling radio played.

"Bonita, you need a bath, you stink. I think you made a mess. There is stinking puke all over your pretty shirt. Let's remove it and get ready for tonight. I have several hombres thirsting for your flesh, but not like this pretty girl. You stink!"

I was not really alive and here in Mexico, I was back home, my old life...back with my family, not here, I am not even here....

___________

A few months after daddy's heart attack.

" Don't let him con you, he can tie his own shoes!" I told the medical aide we hired to help rehab daddy at home.

Daddy nodded and tied his shoes himself.

We had removed every ounce of alcohol from our home. Mother was with daddy every second of the day.

I could see that they had lost time to make up. She was very loving towards him.

He lost 25 pounds and was doing quite well.

My sister stayed with us.

Nearly a week into her stay she reported her good news, she was pregnant.

I was so elated for her and David. Wow, if I hadn't lost the baby, our kids would be very close in age.

***********

The months seemed to fly by.

I watched Brea move now as she grew very big. Her stomach was leading the way.

It was close, she was due any day now.

On Friday her water broke, she gave birth to Sophia Marie Andrews, 7 pounds 2 ounces.

I cut the cord as David was still in South America.

Our precious girl had arrived.

Daddy was overjoyed and very, very proud.

The following months were all a blur of work and excitement over Sophia's firsts, her first smile, her first little burp, rolling over all by her sweet self.

David made it home. It was a nice summer for the Brennan family.

____________

I had exciting news at work, the corporate boss was coming to our office to meet all the new hires in this past year.

I had Emmery prepare a docket on our progress to present to him on his arrival.

We were busy on a presentation this afternoon when I was suddenly called to Lana's office.

I ran up the stairs as I usually did, avoiding the elevator.

Walking into her office, I saw a well built gentleman in a form fitting suit with his back to me.

" Ah, Jo...come meet your employer. This is my progeny, Josephine." Lana said to him, proudly.