“Damn, there is no way we can wait that long. Maybe you can come up on the weekends for now?”
“What’s the problem?” Atlas asks. I explain her situation. “Put the phone on speaker so she can hear this.” Once I do, he says. “We can fix that in one of two ways and it’s up to you which one you decide if you’re willing. We can either pay to break the lease or you can keep the apartment and we’ll pay the rent for the rest of the time. Either way is fine with us. We just need an answer and for you to get here asap,” he says in his no nonsense manner.
“Did you hear that, Brooklyn?”
“Yes, well I’d prefer to break the lease. It’s pretty early in the month and the rent is paid so I can pack a few things and drive up there. I’ll call the landlord and tell them I need to break the lease and hopefully I won’t have to pay another month for rent.”
“You’re done paying rent there; don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of it. What is your last name and DOB?” After giving him the info, he tells her, “There’s a flight booked in your name. If you need to make changes you can. Pack enough for the rest of the week and we’ll fly you back home over the weekend and help you get your apartment packed up.”
“Um ok,” she says. I take the phone off speaker.
“You ok, Brooklyn? I know this is going fast.”
“Is this serious, Doc? They didn’t even tell me how much the pay is.”
“Hey guys, what is her compensation? She is pretty much moving her life up here and Joseph will not need her for the rest of her life.”
“Tell her to name her price,” Joshua says.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, tell them I need a year’s salary of fifty thousand,” she says.
“Is that really what you want me to tell them?”
“Um yeah, I figure if I shoot high, I can at least get close to what I want,” she reasons.
When I tell Joshua her price, he asks, “Is that like her sign on bonus? Does she have a bank account?” When she says yes and provides the account and routing number, Josh has Jabarri transfer the money in her account. And tells her to check her balance.
“Doc, there’s over one hundred thousand dollars in there! Let me pack my shit up! I’ll be there by this evening. Once I get all the information, I will text it to you so I can get a ride or something. Doc, this is an amazing, life changing opportunity, and I am so thankful you thought of me for it. I’ll see you soon,” she says as she hangs the phone up.
“She’ll be here this evening; will someone be there to pick her up?”
“I’ll arrange for a car to bring her out to the compound.”
“I called the cleaning company for the house and a grocery delivery should be coming later too,” True says.
“It looks like we have all the bases covered. Half of us will stay here and the rest of us will go to the house to get everything set up. None of us are to be alone until we find the sick bastard that had Joseph. Understood?” Josh declares. And of course, everyone agrees although a few don’t look that happy. They break into their teams. In the meantime, Joseph still gets moved into a room. Once Peter tells me everything is set for his care at home, I will have his discharge papers prepared.