Chapter 18

“There has got to be a better way to make this WORK!” Jake yelled one morning while doing his research.

“What’s wrong, Dr. Draiman?” one of the interns asked.

“Everyone OUT!” he shouted.  “I need a little peace and quiet.  Go to lunch.  Be back in an hour and a half.”

“But, Dr. Draiman, it’s only 10:00.”

“Then go to brunch.  Just get the hell out of my sight for a while.  I’m not mad at any of you unless one of you fucked up the experiment, then whoever it was is FIRED!  Get the fuck out of my sight for a while and DON’T make me repeat myself.”  The look in his eyes told them all that should they question him, they’d regret it.  They all filed out of the lab and left the building.  Jake started pulling all of the notes that each of them was taking on their portion of the experiment and started painstakingly scouring them.  He stood in front of each variable as he read the notes and looked at the result staring him in the face.  Finally, he came to the variable where the notes didn’t match up with what he was seeing.  He looked at the name in the notebook.  Dr. E. Cassidy, it read.  Oh, really now? Jake thought to himself.  You want to make a fool of ME, Mr. Cassidy?  I know how the experiment was supposed to turn out and how the results were supposed to look.  I’ve done this before.  You’re double checking my work.  You want to play, Doctor?  Let’s play your game.  I guarantee you that you’ll lose.  And with that, Jake started pulling out the materials needs to rerun the experiment he’d run at home with the variable that he’d put Dr. Eric Cassidy in charge of.

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When his interns returned from their break, Dr. Draiman was neck deep in rerunning the that he had to correct.  All of the interns looked at him like he’d slipped a gear in his head.  “Dr. Draiman, is everything alright?” one of the female interns asked.

“It would behoove you to leave me the hell alone right now.  I’m busy and do NOT want to be bothered.  Leave me to my music and my work, Doctor”, he responded curtly.

She walked back to the other interns where they were gathered.  “Someone amongst us has pissed off Dr. Draiman”, she whispered.  “My God have mercy on his or her soul.”

One of the male interns, Dr. Cassidy to be exact, approached Jake’s work station.  “Dr. Draiman, that looks like my experiment.  Was there something wrong with it?”

Jake looked up and paused his music playing from his laptop.  “DID I ASK YOU TO COME OVER HERE AND INTERRUPT ME?” Jake growled at the young man.

“No, Doctor”, Dr. Cassidy responded.

“THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING OVER HERE BOTHERING ME, DR. CASSIDY?”

“I was just making sure that I didn’t do something wrong, Dr. Draiman.”

“WELL, DR. CASSIDY, WHEN I KNOW YOU’LL KNOW AS WELL.  WERE I YOU, I’D GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING EYE SIGHT AND EAR SHOT BEFORE I COME OUT FROM BEHIND THIS COUNTER AND THROW YOU OUT OF MY LAB.  DO I MAKE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR?” 

The young doctor didn’t bother responding, he just turned on his heels and rejoined the group.  “Something’s not right, everyone”, he whispered to the group.  “I don’t know what happened, but there’s a demon in Dr. Draiman’s eyes.  He’s scaring the hell out of me.”

“Who pissed him off?” little Dr. Emerson asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure that we’ll find out soon.  I’m almost afraid for the poor soul that did piss him off.  He’s going to come unglued when he figures out what’s wrong.”  In the back of Dr. Cassidy’s mind, he knew what was going on.  He’d been caught and Dr. J. Micah Draiman was gathering proof before shit canning him.  This is what I get from trying to make a fool of the man who’s the second son of David Draiman, he thought.  He has the same single minded determination that his parents have.  I should have known better than to do this, but the people paying me are paying me good money to fuck him up.

Jake didn’t know that the very people he was working for were conspiring against him.  But, Jake was just as much a fighter as his parents were.  He was going to finish his research one way or another; with or without their help.  Once he proved his theory, the experiment would pay for itself.  When Jake discovered what was going on, Dr. J. Micah Draiman would take on the entire government if he had to.  He would make this project happen and do so whether the United States government liked it or not.

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When Jake got home that night, he was still pissed.  If anyone could help him calm down, it was his parents and the woman he’d be calling his wife in a week.  After putting his briefcase and laptop on the couch, he walked in the kitchen where he knew everyone was going to be gathered.  He was sure that his mother and fiancée were making dinner as his father sat and watched.  When he walked in, sure enough, that’s what has happening.  He made his way to the liquor cabinet.  “I need a drink”, he said with a sigh.

David looked at his son.  “What’s wrong, Jake?”

“One of my interns is trying to sabotage my research.  I know which one, but I have to wait on proof of it to finish developing before I can toss his ass.”

“Really?” Delilah said.  “Don’t these people know that what you’re doing will change lives?”

“I know they do.  There has to be something bigger going on.  Something’s rotten in Denmark, that’s for sure.”

“Well, son, the best you can do is keep doing what you’re doing until you can get to the bottom of it”, Brie said.

“I’m thinking that I might end up meeting with the cabinet over this shit.  Congressional hearings and all that shit are going to be held.  I’m fucking pissed.”

Delilah looked at David.  “Can you take over what I’m going here, David?  I need to have a heart to heart with your son.”  David stood from the table and went to the counter where Delilah stood and took over for her as she cut vegetables for dinner.  Delilah went to the table where Jake was sitting and took his hands in hers.  “Jacob, my love, you knew when you decided to take on this project that it was going to be a long row to hoe.  But, as long as you’re dedicated to what you’re doing, I’m behind you 2,000%.  I’m with you until the very end… bitter or sweet.  I know you’d do the same for me.”

He looked from his fiancée to his mother, then back again, then to his father.  “Dad, I’ve noticed something.”

“What’s that, son?” David asked.

“It seems to be a trait of Draiman men to pick women that know exactly what to say and when to say it”, he chuckled.

David nodded.  “It’s also a trait of Draiman men to ignore the wise women upon occasion until we have no choice but to listen to them.  I’m just a guilty of it as the rest of you boys are.”

“When will we learn?” Jake laughed.

“I already have.  You’re mother’s been too close to right on FAR too many occasions for my NOT to have learned.  The question, my son, is when will YOU learn to listen to the wise woman in your life?”

Jake had to admit; his father had him there.

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Jake couldn’t sleep that night.  The experiment that he was rerunning, which was only two days into the process, weighed heavily on his mind.  He was going to have to fire someone the next day and he knew that wouldn’t be the end of the obstacles.  All he’d encountered since he got started was one road block or another that he’d had to deal with.  He’d started getting to the point where the next person that decided they were going to step on his toes would hear just what he thought about all of the nonsense and he wasn’t going to hold back.  Whoever is behind this is going to rue the fucking day that they decided to fuck with my research.  I’m trying to save lives.  Fuck the accolades that are going to come with that this is going to do.  I could really care less about all of the acknowledgement that’s going to accompany the breakthrough when it happens.  I’m to the point now that if one more fucking person gets in my way, I’m going to lose it.  No more of the bullshit.  No more pushing.  It’s time for someone to bleed for this.  And eventually, someone would.