Special Talents (23 page)

He picked up all of the fake bills and stuffed them in his pocket.

"As far as I'm concerned, these don't exist. They never existed. But if it happens again I'll have no choice but to take you in. We all make mistakes. And I believe most people deserve a second change. But if it happens again, it won't be a mistake."

"Thank you," said Mariah. "I swear I'll never do it again. I don't know how I'll get the money for Bobby's medicine but I'll figure out a legal way to do it. You'll see. You'll never have to worry about seeing another fake bill from me again."

"You know," said Jeremy, "if she had a government job, those come with benefits. Like medical benefits. And I happen to know a pretty good pediatric surgeon who specializes in these kinds of case. He's even been known to work pro bono from time to time."

"Pro bono?" questioned Mariah.

"It's a Latin phrase that means 'for the public good'," said Jeremy. "It's normally used in reference to lawyers. But it can apply to just about any professional. Basically what it means is that someone, say a pediatric surgeon, performs a service he normally charges for at either a reduced rate or for free. The implication is usually for free. It means that Bobby could get the treatment he needs and you wouldn't have to pay the surgeon to do it. He'd donate his services."

"And with a government job, the health benefits would probably pick up most, if not all, of the remaining cost," said Scarborough.

"That would be great," said Mariah. "But don't those benefits only apply to immediate family members? Like a spouse or child?"

"There can be exceptions," said Scarborough. "And I think I can persuade the right people to make an exception in your case."

"That would be wonderful," said Mariah. "Except I don't have one of those jobs. I've put in some applications for some of those jobs but they always seem to pick someone else. I'm sure I can get one eventually. It might just take some time."

"Mariah," said Jeremy, glancing over at Scarborough, "what if I told you I know of an opening that you would be uniquely qualified for? Now, I won't lie to you. It is possible there could be some danger involved with it. And you wouldn't be able to tell anyone what you were really doing, not even your sister."

"If it can help Bobby I'd be willing to at least listen," said Mariah. "How soon would I be able to start?"

"Immediately," said Scarborough. "There would be a short training session you'd have to attend. And you'd be required from time to time to take off from the work you do possibly for several days at a time. But you'd be getting a regular, monthly government paycheck which I'm sure would be quite helpful with your sister and nephew. And as I said, I'm sure we can work out something so that your nephew would be eligible to be on your medical benefits package."

"You said it could be dangerous?" Mariah asked. "How dangerous?"

"Well, we're not really sure just yet," said Jeremy. "This is something new that's only recently been approved so there are still some aspects of it we're not very sure about. But it could be very dangerous. Not something you should agree to without a great deal of thought."

"I don't suppose it could hurt to listen," said Mariah. "I guess I could always say no if I wasn't comfortable with it."

"Absolutely," said Scarborough. "It's something you would have to voluntarily agree to. But as Jeremy has pointed out on occasion, you'll have to decide if the benefits are worth the risks."

"Okay," said Mariah. "I'll listen. What exactly would I have to do?"

"How much do you know about terrorism?" Jeremy asked.

Mariah proved to be a good addition to the team. Janet and Kamalene seemed to appreciate another woman joining the team. Simon hit on her when she first arrived but she politely told him she was much too busy to get involved. Which didn't seem to deter him in the least.

"You know it's going to be a long testing period," said Simon. "We're all going to need to unwind at the end of the day. A couple of drinks maybe. It's not real good to be tensed up all the time."

"I'm sorry," said Mariah. "But when I'm not here I'll be at my sister's house helping take care of my nephew. Now, if you would consider babysitting and giving my sister and me a chance to get out for a while I'm sure we could work out something. She spends most of her time with him and has no social life to speak of. She could really use some alone time."

"Aw, I'm not the babysitting type," said Simon. "But I can help you unwind. I'm pretty good at massages, too. Help get all those kinks out of your muscles. You'd be amazed at what these hands can do."

Mariah was about to respond when suddenly Simon rose into the air. Startled, he looked around to see Janet holding him by his belt over her head with one hand.

"I believe the lady said no," said Janet. "You should learn to listen better."

"Okay, okay, just put me down," said Simon, dangling in the air.

Janet put him down and he straightened his clothes.

"Hey, I was just trying to be friendly," said Simon.

"I appreciate that," said Mariah, trying to be amiable, "but like I said, I just don't have the time."

"He's not so bad, really," Janet whispered to Mariah. "He's even kind of cute. He just needs to be a little more subtle."

"Thanks," Mariah whispered back. "He does seem a bit persistent."

"Mariah," said Kamalene, "if you were serious about needing a babysitter, I'd be glad to help. I have 5 younger brothers who I helped to raise. The youngest just turned 16. I've got a lot of experience with young boys. Oh, that didn't come out the way I meant."

"It's okay," said Mariah, laughing. "I know what you meant. And I might just take you up on that. Susan, my sister, spends nearly all her time with Bobby. She really needs to get out and relax. I try to help but she really doesn't have any friends. If we could go out once in a while, it would sure make a big difference to her. Especially knowing Bobby is in good hands."

"Well," said Janet, "I have absolutely no experience raising young children. But I'd be glad to help, too. Maybe Kamalene and I could babysit together while you and your sister go have a night on the town?"

"I'll talk to Susan and see what she says," said Mariah. "She's always so worried about Bobby. I'm afraid she's going to make herself sick."

"Well, it is a fact that if you don't relax once in a while you can have physical ailments," said Jeremy, walking over to the group. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but it wasn't hard to hear what you were talking about."

"That's okay, Dr. Sloan," said Mariah. "It's not like it's a big secret or anything."

"Good," said Jeremy. "Anyway, if you sister stays tensed up all the time there can be some very real, very serious physical side effects. I would imagine having a son as ill as Bobby produces a lot of stress. And stress can produce a whole litany of illnesses. I think it would be good for her to get away and unwind once in a while."

"You should listen to him," said Janet. "He's a doctor."

"I'm away of that," said Mariah, smiling at the joke. "But she doesn't seem to unwind even on the few occasions she's able to get away. Bobby needs constant attention and she's always afraid whoever is watching him may not really understand the seriousness of his condition."

"Well, I spoke to my pediatric friend this morning," said Jeremy. "He said he'd be glad to look at Bobby and see what he can do. I have an idea. Why don't you let Kamalene and/or Janet take Bobby to see my friend? That will give you and your sister some time to get away and she would know that he'd be with the person best qualified to understand his condition."

"Well, I think she'll want to be there to discuss any treatment options or change in medications or anything like that," said Mariah.

"Which they discuss at another meeting," said Jeremy. "The first appointment will be a simple examination and reviewing Bobby's medical history. She doesn't need to be there for that. And she can discuss any concerns she has with him at the next appointment. Dr. Crandall seemed quite interested in the case. And he'll take very good care of Bobby, I can tell you that. He only works with small children and he's very good."

"Okay," said Mariah. "I'll talk to Susan about it. Maybe we can actually get out and enjoy ourselves for a change."

"Okay, everybody," said Scarborough, speaking loud enough to get everyone's attention, "we'll need to be going into the training room and getting started now. I'll warn you it's going to be intense. You're getting a crash course in training that every agent with Homeland Security gets. Don't be concerned how well you do. This training is just to acquaint you with procedures and law you may need while working for Homeland Security. Agent Alania and I will be around to help you later if you need it."

"Agent Alania?" questioned Jeremy.

"Yeah," said Kamalene, pulling out identification that identified her as an agent of Homeland Security. "Secretary Napolitano said I wasn't a maintenance worker anymore. I was an actual agent since I'd be going out into the field. I'll need some additional training but they're going to let me do a lot of it OJT. It's kind of weird. When I first came here I considered trying to become an agent but always figured I'd never qualify."

"Well, congratulations," said Jeremy. "Just goes to show you that you never know what type of qualifications the government may be looking for."

"I just hope I measure up," said Kamalene. "A lot of agents don't make it. Some even wash out during training."

"Which I'm sure happens in every branch of the government," said Janet. "Don't worry, honey. You'll do fine. Probably better than Simon over there."

"He may just surprise you," said Jeremy.

They all laughed as they entered the training room to start their training.

Jeremy stood up and tapped a spoon against his glass which produced a "clanking" sound that immediately caught everyone's attention. They all became quiet as they waited for him to speak.

They were gathered in a restaurant in Georgetown. The owner of the restaurant was a friend of Jeremy's and had rented the private room to them for the evening. Their training was finally over and they had all gathered for celebratory dinner. And to find out how they had done on the training.

"Attention, everyone," said Jeremy. He waited until they had all become quiet. "Well, training is finally over. It's been a grueling three weeks. I know you've all worked hard and you are to be commended. Richard and I will be meeting with Secretary Napolitano in a few days to discuss our first assignment. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up I can't really tell you when our first assignment will be. But you'll be informed as soon as we know. Richard."

Scarborough stood up and briefly looked over some papers he had sitting in front of him before he spoke.

"Well," he said, "the instructors told me that some of you," he glanced briefly at Simon, "could have been a little more serious about the training. But, all in all, they said you all did pretty well. Not as good as regular agents but that was to be expected. Regular agents get a lot more time to absorb the information put out to them. The instructors did say that all things considered, they felt you were as well trained as you could be."

"Yeah, but did we pass?" asked Simon. Everyone chuckled.

"It wasn't that type of training," said Scarborough. "There was no pass or fail. The training was just to acquaint you with laws and procedures you'll be exposed to while you're working for Homeland Security. All of the instructors felt you all did reasonably well and that you absorbed as much of the training as could be expected in such a short amount of time."

"So we passed," said Simon, smiling coyly at Scarborough.

"Yeah, you passed," said Scarborough, a look of annoyance on his face. "Now, as Jeremy said, we'll be meeting with Secretary Napolitano in a few days to discuss how the training went and your first possible assignment. For the rest of you, however, you've all earned a rest. So, for the foreseeable future, you can all take some well-deserved time off. I suggest you enjoy it. It's going to be over before you know it."

Everyone gave themselves a round of applause. Jeremy looked at the group realizing that most of them had bonded quite well during the training. There had been some moments of tension but that was expected when working with groups of people. But they had been minor and had quickly worked themselves out.

"I also have some good news," said Jeremy, looking over at Mariah. She just nodded to him. "I heard from Dr. Crandall yesterday. He's very pleased with the prognosis for Bobby's treatment. He thinks Bobby will respond well and they're planning to begin treatment within the next couple of weeks. I can also tell you that Susan has been very grateful for all the help you all have provided for her. I can tell you she's much more relaxed than when I first met her and she's doing quite well."

Again, they all clapped. They had all been over to visit Susan and Bobby during the last weeks and all of them had instantly been taken with the young boy. He was very personable and seemed to relish the attention paid to him.