The next time I woke up, I looked at the clock and realized only a few hours had passed. It was midday now, but I felt something was wrong. Something besides the obvious fact of Penelope's condition. I sat up and turned to face the door, locking eyes with a tall, broad faced man. I jumped slightly.
"No need to be alarmed," he spoke softly, but his voice was full of intelligent power, "I'm here to help." He motioned me over to a small corner of the room, where two chairs sat facing each other. "I have an offer I do not think you will turn down," he stated quite certainly, taking the chair on the left. He sat back, his pose almost seeming casual except for the tense muscles visible through his dress shirt. I sat opposite him. "What kind of offer?" I questioned. The man was certainly gaining my curiosity.
I followed his pointed glance at Penelope. "There is a treatment available to wake her, you know," the man smirked, "She could be back to normal relatively quickly. Her spinal cord will need a little work of course, but that's nothing that can't be treated."
Here he was, telling me everything I already knew. I told him as much, told him I couldn't afford it. He replied, "Ah, yes. And that, you see, is why I'm here. I'm here to make you an offer. A job. In three days, you will have earned enough money to pay for Penelope's treatment. If, after Penelope's treatment, you continue to work for me, allow me to guarantee hat you will never want for anything at all."
When he said this, the first thing that came to mind was the diamond ring I'd been staring at for 7 month through the shop window. I still need another thousand dollars to buy it and propose to Penelope.
Of course, this did seem a bit...sketchy. A man in dark business clothing shows up to the hospital where my girlfriend is in a coma and about to die, offering me insane amounts of money in exchange for an unknown job. Where was this man from, anyway? Who was he?
As I was thinking this, he began to chuckle once more. " I do tend to forget how it is with new recruits. oh, but your face is rather more expressive than the others. I can practically read your mind!" The man grinned with obvious glee. "To answer your questions, Mr. Moore, this job is not only high paying, but perfectly legal and legitimate. As for its origin, I can not yet reveal, not can I reveal my true identity. For now, you may call me...let's see...Gabriel? Oh, yes, I do like that name. Gabriel it is. Gabriel...Flanagan. Gabriel Flanagan. What a wonderful name!" Gabriel exclaimed. "Now then. All you must do is sign this," he removed a contract from his briefcase. "Don't worry, there's no small print. It simply states that you will do whatever work is assigned to you for a minimum of three days, at which point you will be paid and offered a long term employment, should you prove satisfactory."
"And if I don't prove satisfactory?" Gabriel raised his eyebrows at my question. "Then after three days is over, your employment is entirely terminated. You will be paid exactly $25,000, which will cover Penelope's treatment. We will not contact you again."
I frowned slightly at this, considering. It was a lot to think about. Then again, it was practically a guarantee that Penelope would receive the treatment. It guaranteed she would wake up. Taking the pen and contract from Gabriel, I quickly signed the contract before I could think anymore.
It didn't matter what happened to me in the next three days, Penelope would get what she needed, and that was the most important thing. She had no one else in this world but me. Her parents had been shot during a robbery when she was 17. She was in her freshman year of college, in the dorms when she got the call. I had only met them once, as we had only been together for a few months. Six years later, the loss still devastated her. Now, I was the only one who could help her.
Gabriel Flanagan's body visibly relaxed as I signed the contract. I handed it back to him, and he slid it back into his briefcase. "Perfect. Mr. Moore, if you would please accompany me, we can begin." He stood lithely, and made his way to the door. "I will give you a moment. You won't be able to see her very often in these next three days. Training is quite...shall we say, extensive." Gabriel exited the room.
I went to Penelope and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon baby. I love you," I whispered. Then, I walked out the door, before I could turn back and hold her even longer. I looked back, then close the door swiftly, following Gabriel down the elevator and through the hospital doors.
