When Stephanie and Tom walked into Brick’s office, Brick looked them up and down with a frown. Stephanie feared for a moment that he’d noticed they’d changed their clothes, but he didn’t mention anything. They told him about their suspicions concerning Hugh and Benton, and although he was anxious about the thought of having to confront corruption within the police force, he was pleased and impressed with the work they’d done. He had to admit that they worked extremely well together, in fact better together than they had done alone. He’d observed them at work in the office and he’d never seen either of them so animated. He’d also noticed a chemistry between them which had worried him at first. Stephanie had never shown an interest in anyone within the company before, she had always been too focused on her work, and he hadn’t thought that Tom was a good person to start with. Nevertheless, he had begun to think that maybe Tom had finally met his match in Stephanie, and his dedication to the story and determination to protect her was admirable.
As they were trying to speak to Brick, the other journalists began shouting and laughing in the office area outside. Brick ignored it the first time, but after a while it began to infuriate him, particularly considering how serious the situation had now become with the Carlton story. Brick eventually lost his patience and stormed out of his office, bellowing out loudly and bringing everyone to silence.
Tom and Stephanie followed him, but just as Stephanie reached his office doorway the mobile phone in her bag rang. She fished it out and checked to see who the caller was. It was her father. What was he doing phoning her at that time? She sighed and decided to take the phone call out of the office, slipping into the corridor before answering the call.
In the office, Brick was reprimanding the reporters for not taking their jobs seriously.
“If anyone here thinks that they are indispensable and can waste company time, they can come and see me, because I’ll have their P45’s ready for them,” he warned. He was faced with a sea of shocked expressions as he glanced around the room. “Well, go on then! Get some bloody work done,” he said, turning to go back into his office, but having to skirt around a pile of newspapers and a large boxed parcel that had been left on the floor. He turned back to them with renewed fury. “What the bloody hell is this lot?” He pointed to the items on the floor.
Barker, one of the reporters, spoke up. “Apologies Sir, we’ll get those moved. It’s just the day’s delivery.”
Brick frowned. “What’s in the box? I don’t remember authorising anything other than the papers. Do you think you lot might have the decency to inform me of any other deliveries in the future!” he said with annoyance, striding back into his office and slamming the door.
Tom looked at Barker. “Who ordered this?”
Barker shrugged and gestured for Robert and another trainee to move the items. When Robert bent to pick up the box however Tom stopped him and picked it up himself, swiftly carrying it into Brick’s office. When he entered, Brick growled at him angrily.
“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking Tom?”
Tom failed to reply but placed the box carefully onto Brick’s desk and opened it, peering inside.
“Tom, what are you doing?” Brick asked, bewildered by his actions.
Tom’s head shot up suddenly. “We’ve got to get everyone out!” he said, bolting into the office and breaking the glass on the fire alarm box.
Brick stood at the door while everyone rushed out of the office with confused expressions.
He shouted to Tom over the noise, “Get everyone far away from the building.”
Tom looked panicked suddenly however and shouted back, “Where’s Stephanie?”
“She must be outside by now,” Brick replied.
“Why would she be outside? She was here with us,” Tom shouted, the anxiety clear in his voice.
“Tom, she’ll be outside. Get out now, and that’s an order!”
Tom ignored Brick though, ran out of the office and down the corridor, in the opposite direction to the exit.
“Tom!…Tom!” Brick bellowed after him.
“Stephanie!” Tom called out.
He ran from room to room, opening doors and screaming out her name. Eventually he reached the ladies room and smashed the door open, storming in and checking every cubical for her.
“Stephanie! Where the hell are you? Stephanie!”
Outside everyone had assembled away from the building and the bomb squad had been notified. Stephanie ran from the back of the building to join them, and Brick strode towards her with a face like thunder.
“Where the bloody hell is that partner of yours?”
Stephanie’s mouth dropped open as she looked at Brick in horror. “Isn’t he out?”
“No, he went looking for you,” Brick replied.
She made an about turn and fled back towards the building again.
“Stephanie! Don’t you damn well dare! Stephanie!” Brick called out to her.
When she got into the building, she heard Tom yelling and headed for the noise.
“Tom, get out now!” she screamed.
She careered into him as he was coming out of the ladies room.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded to know.
“Why didn’t you get out?” she shouted over him.
“Never mind about that, we’ve got to go!” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the exit. She resisted and pulled the other way, and he looked down at her with an angry expression.
“The fire exit, this way, it’s nearer!” she urged.
They bolted out of the door.
The bomb squad moved into the building as Brick greeted Tom and Stephanie with a furious glare, pointing a finger at both of them.
“Either of you two go against my orders in a situation like this again and it’ll be your last day working for the paper! Got it?” And with that he strode away.
Stephanie hated being on the wrong side of Brick at the best of times, and not only had they been made targets yet again, but both of them were doing the same impetuous, carless things that they’d done before. When would they ever learn?
“What the bloody hell do you think you were doing?” Stephanie accused Tom.
“I could ask you the same question!” he came back.
“Anybody in their right mind would know to get out of the building straight away!” she shouted, ignoring his comment.
“Well, where in the hell were you?” he asked.
She put her hand to her head in exasperation. “What the bloody hell difference does that make?”
“What so you expect me to leave you in there?” he said incredulously.
“Yes!” she shouted, turning red with anger, “Do you think that I’m that bloody stupid that I can’t get out of a building when I hear an alarm go off?”
He growled and turned around, pacing up and down.
She pointed over at him. “You’re a losing it Tom! You’re absolutely nuts!”
He pointed back at her. “Just as nuts as the kind of person that would that would go back into a building with a bomb!”
She gritted her teeth with anger. “I wouldn’t have had to go back in if you’d have got out in the first place!”
He began to pace again. “Let me ask you this Stephanie, what damn point is there in you going back in, if I’d have seen that you weren’t there and come out already?”
She folded her arms. “Well, you’re that bloody stupid that you ‘d have not left until you’d have found me,” then she added, throwing her hands in the air, “which you wouldn’t have done because I was out here all along!”
He hesitated with a frown. “Well, I was in there already anyway so I’d have got out quicker.”
He just couldn’t admit that he was wrong!
She was so damn stubborn that she’d have got herself killed!
“You’re reasoning is all upside down,” she accused.
“That’s because you can’t see straight,” he mocked.
They both suddenly became aware that everyone was moving back into the building and had left them to their slanging match.
He turned to her. “I guess it’s safe to go in then,” he said simply as he strode away.
“Guess it is then,” she said sarcastically, following him.
Just as they reached the door Tom was about to go in but stopped and turned to Stephanie with a softer look on his face.
“You really shouldn’t have gone back in you know.”
She sighed. “And you should have got out straight away.”
As they stood there searching each other’s eyes, they each realized that they had made a mistake; and they also each realized that they wouldn’t do anything differently if it happened like that again.
She didn’t dare contemplate how she’d have felt if he’d have died searching for her.
How could he have lived with himself if he’d have got out and she hadn’t?
Their eyes hovered on each other, both unable to express their thoughts at that time, but both faces showing more than they realized.
Tom eventually broke the tension. “Well Stephanie, it looks as though we’re going to have to put up with each other, and this place, for a bit longer.” He put his arm around her waist and turned them towards the open door.
“Hmm, heaven help us!” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
Taking his hand off her waist, he moved to throw an arm over her shoulder instead. “Stephie.”
“Yes,” she replied, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.
“I don’t suppose this would be a good time to reconfirm our date?”
She turned her head slowly to him with a look of disbelief.
He cringed. “Nah, didn’t think so. We’ll talk about it later.”
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