Page 20 of Spread Your Wings

CHAPTER TWELVE

The walk from his new apartment to the CNN campus took him fifteen more minutes than it had from his old place.

He almost called in, but he couldn’t justify it.

His back was sore, but not stiff. He rolled his shoulders on the way and even used a window ledge to stretch his legs.

He felt almost human again when he arrived.

His desk seemed bare without the box of pictures, awards, and knick-knacks. He’d taken them home before leaving on assignment. Items had a way of disappearing when someone was gone longer than a week. As it was, his tape dispenser now sat on his neighbor’s desk, and his stapler was missing.

“Hey, you made it!” Howard shouted as he entered the cafeteria.

“So did you!” Howard was home for the week to spend Easter with his wife and two-year-old daughter. “How was Easter?”

“We had a wonderful day. I’m sick of hard-boiled eggs already. How was the concert?”

“Great! So great.” Sammy ordered eggs and hash browns and then told Howard all about it while he waited for his order. His face felt hot as he talked about sharing a hotel room with Mustafa, but it could have been the hot grill.

“Boss lady wants to see you first thing,” Howard said as they returned to their desks on the second floor. “I put in a good word for you. You did great in Sarajevo.”

“Thanks. It’s not for me, though.”

“Yeah. Still, you did okay.” Howard nudged him with his shoulder. “This is me.” Howard’s desk was on the opposite side of the floor from Sammy’s.

“It’s crazy,” Sammy said. “We sit fifty yards from each other and never met before Sarajevo.”

Howard shrugged. “Our departments mingle enough at home. Let me know if you’re going out on an assignment, though. You’re pretty okay to work with, for a journalist.”

Sammy laughed. “If she ever lets me leave the desk, I will. You’re pretty okay, for a camera guy.”

“We prefer cinematographer.”

“Ooh, fancy. I like it.”

Howard laughed. “Get to work, word boy.”

“Definitely prefer journalist.”

“Good. Made my point.”

Sammy couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

Yes, Sarajevo had been hard, but he’d made friends there.

Howard, Tol, Tima, Christiane. He’d also learned how to craft a story with limited resources and little time in an uncertain environment.

Sammy couldn’t do it full time, but he was grateful for the experience.

He strode into Melody Tan’s office wearing his gratitude like a suit of armor.

“Welcome back!” she said as she spun her office chair to face him instead of her desktop computer. “How was the concert?”

“Wonderful.” He spent the next few minutes sharing every detail he remembered of the Metallica and Guns N’ Roses performances. They were Melody’s favorite bands. With each additional detail, she bent forward over her desk, becoming more and more engrossed.

“What an experience,” she said finally, sinking back against her chair. “So. Tell me about Sarajevo. How were the hotel accommodations?”

“Adequate.” Sammy didn’t elaborate. He was out at work, but he didn’t want to share his new relationship with his boss. At least, not when his future seemed up in the air.

“Adequate?” Melody shook her head. “All right. I’ll let you have your secrets.” Melody was a master reporter, herself. One trait that made her so good at the job was her inescapable bullshit meter. “Tell me about the assignment. How did it go?”

Sammy shared the highlights, starting with the first few weeks. “I’m sorry about what happened with Nicole.”

“Sammy.” Melody glared at him across the desk. “Never apologize for being who you are. It’s one thing to make a mistake, but never let anyone treat you like you are a mistake. I won’t tolerate that kind of discrimination in my department.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“Mm-hmm. You know, I heard about a love interest at the hotel.”

Sammy felt his cheeks heat. “Yeah.” He didn’t deny it, especially since it would deny who he was.

“I won’t pry,” she said. “I hope he’s made it here safely, and I hope you’re happy.”

“Time will tell.”

She nodded. “All right. Now, tell me about the experience after Nicole left.”

He answered her questions about each assignment.

“Overall impressions?”

He cleared his throat. “I really appreciate the experience. I’ve learned what I don’t want to be when I grow up.”

She seemed shocked, like he’d just handed her his resignation.

“I mean, I’m not a war correspondent. I need stability in my life, and maybe a bit of travel. I can’t handle months away from home at a time though, and definitely not in a war zone.”

Melody exhaled sharply. “Whew. Thought you were quitting for a moment.”

He shook his head.

“Thanks for your honesty. It’s a breath of fresh air.” She hunched over her desk again, her tone conspiratorial. “I have a project in mind for you, one that will be here in Atlanta most of the time. There will be some world travel for conferences, or personal interest stories.”

“I’m intrigued.” He hadn’t expected an assignment so soon after what he considered a failure in Sarajevo.

“I’d like you to track the Center for Disease Control’s progress on HIV and AIDS research. New drugs to combat the disease’s progress. Any mutations of the disease, and the probability of it becoming airborne.”

Sammy stared at her until his eyes hurt. He blinked. “That would be wonderful. Ideal, even. It’s a topic close to my heart.”

She nodded. “For Freddie.”

And for me, Mustafa, Simon, and Kenny, and Africa, where the disease seems to spread unchecked. Even for that asshole, Gavin. He nodded. “So you’re giving me the token gay assignment?”

Melody leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Look me in the eye and say that again.” She paused, waiting, her eyes narrowed to slits.

He swallowed.

“This is not a token gay assignment,” she continued when he said nothing. “It’s important, and I know you’ll give it the human aspect it deserves.”

“Thank you. I mean it.”

She nodded. “You’re already doing a wonderful job, Sammy. With some work here at home, you can be one of our top reporters. I’m not doing you a favor. I’m filling a role with the best candidate.”

“Where do you want me to start?”

“Here’s a list of resources.”

Sammy took the report she handed him and used it to fan his burning face.

They spent the rest of the hour discussing the new assignment. By the end of the day, Sammy had lined up enough interviews with CDC employees and local hospitals to fill his week.