Spilling Guts

Part 22 - Moms and Lab Work

Louis came back from the break room with a mug of coffee, half empty, in one hand and an impeccably clean mug of tea in the other. A balancing act that made him grateful for painkillers. Seeing Will's vacated desk, his motivation withered into bitterness. Seeing the floor around his and Will's desk, the bitterness took a confused note.

"Are those rabbit turds?"

Reese held up a white rabbit with beady red eyes. Beni held up a cup of cucumber slices and a page with the name "Billy" scribbled all over it.

So the rabbit's name was Billy. Good for them.

"That's a yes." Louis honestly had no idea what his job would throw at him next. First being swallowed whole, now critters. "Where's Will?"

"He went to take a phone call," said Beni, eyes gleaming as if hiding stolen gems. "From his mom."

Hopefully it's a short call, thought Louis. He put down the mugs and reached for the files again. I want to do this tea thing and finish my inbox so I can get back to those Grovic files.

"Louis," said Beni. "Will has a mom. We even got to talk to her."

"So?" He kept his eyes on the ridiculous design of the pasta cooker... there was a separate attachment for pasta bows. Who thought of this stuff?

"Did you know he had a mother?" asked Reese.

"Of course he has a mom! Did you think he sprouted from a black hole wrapped in a Jedi robe?"

Beni shrugged. "Kinda. Do you have a mom?"

"Yes, I have a mom! And she could come up with a better design for a pasta pot than this mess!" Louis would never get his inbox empty at this rate. "Who doesn't have a mom?"

The gleam on their faces dimmed, the smiles strained.

Oh, thought Louis. Damn.

Reese held the white rabbit higher on his chest. "I had a parental figure that was mostly mother shaped."

"Mine is probably in a lost-and-found in Hong Kong," admitted Beni, tilting another slice of cucumber to the rabbit with the care of a parent feeding a toddler.

Say it. Friggin say it. Think of it as a test run for Will when you eventually see him. Kill 'em with kindness, that's a thing. Get it in practice and say it.

They stole my wallet yesterday.

Say it!

"I misspoke," said Louis.

Beni and Reese looked up at him. Shocked.

And?!

Louis' phone chirped and lit up. A message from Rachel.

"Come to the lab please."

"Sorry, gotta go." Louis swigged the last of his coffee and left. Whatever Rachel had to show him was better than staying in that circle of awkward. And technically he did say "sorry"; or at least a reparative of the word "sorry".

Wuss.

***

The lights in Rachel's lab were dimmed in anticipation of Louis' arrival. He slipped off his shades, looking smug. Rachel sat next to the pressure plate, dejected and sour, holding a bag of ice over her right hand. By her feet lay two large, plush boxing gloves.

"You know," said Louis. "You're supposed to wear the gloves when you punch something."

"I did. They did bunk-all to help. The whole biomechanics of punching is stupid. There's a reason early humans used sticks."