I could tell by the air of his resolve that he meant it. That as stubborn and foolish as it was, Cash was all or nothing when it came to achieving his dream.
I hurt for him. My chest ached on his account. I’d be dejected and frustrated, too, if I was within grasp of my goals only to have an inconvenience derail all my plans.
“Let me talk to him,” I offered. “I don’t know what good it’ll do, but I can try.”
Cash sighed, slumping against the hospital bed’s starchy white pillow. His normally energetic, borderline chaotic aura had all but left him, leaving him with nothing to say.
I didn’t know where Red wandered to, but I figured it couldn’t be that hard to find him. He was massive, after all, as impossible to miss as a giant neon billboard.
Yet, much to my annoyance and mild fascination, I couldn’t seem to track him down. Sunville Hospital wasn’t exactly a huge place. Just a couple of floors and wards, everything clearly demarcated with helpful arrows on signs showing the way.
My phone started ringing loudly in my pocket. The disruption earned me a particularly pointed glare from a passing nurse. I answered quickly, realizing there were probably patients nearby that would prefer not to hear the default iPhone ringtone blast at full volume.
“Hello?” I answered in a hushed tone.
“Thatcher!” Leonna Pitch hissed in my ear. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for twenty minutes. I expect you to pick up the damn phone when I call you.”
I rolled my eyes. Twenty minutes? God forbid it was any longer, otherwise The Bitch might birth a cow.
Forgoing an apology —because I really didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of my groveling— I said, “What can I help you with, Leonna? Is this about the mockups for the sports spread? I sent them to you first thing this morning.”
“Yes, I got them. They look… good.” She said it like she was in pain. I should have known that saying anything nice might have been like drinking poison to a woman like her. “But I’m not calling to talk about that. This is about LHL and the libel lawsuit.”
I held my breath. “Lay it on me.”
“They’re willing to drop the suit.”
“Really? That’s fantastic!”
“Ifyou write a public apology and formally recant everything you stated in your exposé. I’m going to need you to write it by the end of this month. Their lawyers want a final draft to approve before we print it in next month’s issue.”
My mouth dropped open. “Hell no!”
“Don’t be difficult, Julia. Do you have any idea how much I had to stick my neck out for you? I honest to God don’t know why I keep you on the team. It’d be easier just to let you go, dammit.”
I gritted my teeth. “You keep me on the team because I’m damn good at what I do, Leonna. Who do you think you’re kidding?”
“You’d better watch your tone, Thatcher. You’re on thin ice with me as it is. Write the apology.”
“No. This is unethical! It’s harassment, it’s silencing freedom of speech—”
“I’m not going to tell you again. LHL is being very generous here. Mark my words, Julia, they will take our news outlet for every penny it’s worth. We’re not exactly operating within healthy profit margins. Not since the decline of physical newspaper sales. We’re just scraping by with online ads on our website.”
“But I—”
“This isn’t about you, Thatcher. LHL will bury us. At least a hundred of your co-workers will be out of a job. This affects all of us. I expect you to do the right thing for the greater good.”
Guilt rippled through me, leaving my guts tied up in impossible knots. As much as I hated listening to my bitchy boss, the truth of her words rang loud and clear. I was being forced to choose between my journalistic integrity and the job security of my colleagues.
I sighed in frustration. None of this was fair.
At least I could go to bed tonight knowing I was correct. Leo Holistic Lifestyle was a bully. They bullied their own employees, and they bullied anyone who dared try to expose them for their malicious practices. The fact that this was the same company sponsoring Red and Cash made me feel sick.
They deserve so much better.
“I’ll draft something up,” I said begrudgingly.
“Good.” The relief in her voice was clear.