White Space Season 2

films!”
    Warren sighed and shook his head, then collapsed in his chair and feared the worst.

    **

    Warren couldn’t sleep.
    He sat at his desk, ruminating through the rest of the night, wondering what in the hell he should do.
    Though nails in his eyes might have been more pleasant, he had to call Blake — couldn’t let Melinda blindside him. Warren waited until 5:15, then went to Father’s bedroom door and tapped lightly, knowing he would be slipping on his jogging shoes and getting ready for his morning run.
    Warren was dressed to jog as well.
    Father opened his door. Warren said, “We need to talk.”

    **

    They’d been jogging through the Gardens for 10 minutes by the time Warren finished his confession to Father. He waited in silence as Blake continued to quietly run.
    Father wasn’t usually the strong and silent type, though he wasn’t above a cold shoulder to serve him.
    “Well? Are you going to say anything?” Warren finally pushed the words through his heavy breathing as they ran onto the path leading through the woods.
    “I can’t believe you were so careless.”
    Warren swallowed, trying not to sound whiney. “I said I was sorry,”
    “Sorry changes nothing, Warren. I’m not having this discussion with Melinda.”
    “Well, she thinks she’s talking to you.”
    “You’re her husband, you take care of this. This isn’t, and shouldn’t be, my problem.”
    “What do you want me to do? I already begged her not to say anything last night. I even said it was classified, and that she shouldn’t know.”
    Blake stopped running. Warren stopped short beside him. Father met his eyes. “You should never have to beg your wife to do anything, Son. She’s got you whipped.”
    “I don’t need a marital speech,” Warren said.
    “Well, boy , apparently you do. Marriage means having someone who’ll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn’t have had if you’d stayed single. Melinda made a mistake by walking into your office in the middle of the night, and you made a bigger one by allowing it to happen like a fool. Now you have to sweep the floor. That’s life, Warren: You’re born, you die, and in between you make a shit heap of mistakes. That’s expected. Unfortunately for you, this is one of your stupidest and requires a rather immediate solution. You will call Dr. Nelson this morning and order a wipe for Melinda.”
    “What?” Warren said, barely believing he’d heard Father right. “You can’t be serious.”
    “I can’t, no, we can’t, risk this getting out, Son. And I can’t trust your wife to keep her big mouth shut. Can you?”
    “She won’t say anything,” Warren insisted, as if conviction in his voice could turn it true.
    “I’m not arguing with you, Son. Order it done.”
    “But the wipes aren’t perfected, we’ve seen the side effects.”
    “They’re minor, and affect less than five percent of patients.”
    “No,” Warren shook his head, “I won’t risk turning my wife into a vegetable!”
    Blake took a step closer to his son, wearing the same red eyes and twitching cheeks that usually came before he cast people from his life or employ forever.
    “After all I’ve sacrificed for you and this family, after working my ass off every day to ensure our futures, and after trying to do something for the betterment of mankind, you’re going to tell me no on a simple procedure?”
    “It’s not a simple procedure, Father. It’s a brain wipe!”
    “It’s a minor part of the brain, for Christ’s sake. You need to learn a thing or two about sacrifice, Son. You don’t get where I am without being willing to make the tough calls. The right decisions aren’t always the easy ones.”
    Warren shook his head, eyes to the ground, feeling seconds from vomit. He couldn’t let his nerves better him, not in front of Father.
    “But there’s gotta be a better way,” he said, standing straighter, trying to shake the feeling from his body.
    Blake met his eyes, “If there is, then do it. But I’m telling you now, I will not allow your wife, or anyone else to ruin all I’ve worked for.”
    “What does that mean? Are you threatening her?” Warren met Father’s eyes, barely resisting the urge to shove him. “Don’t you threaten my wife.”
    Blake smiled, as if the thought of a physical altercation with Warren amused him.
    “It’s not a threat, Son. I’m confident you’ll make the right choice, and finally prove yourself willing to sacrifice for the