"It's been a long time since you've worked for this company Tom. I'm honestly amazed that you've made it up to this point without things ending up the way they are now. About that co-worker of yours... I know you didn't know her much, but there's a few things you should know about." She pulled a file from the desk and handed it to Tom, clearly disturbed by the predicament. "I'll let you look into those on your spare time but the issue lies in what she's left behind. A teenaged daughter of whom still has a ways to go to be on her own two feet. With no family, you can imagine why being a highschooler isn't the best position when you've just lost your only means of support. Much as the issue can be passed on to the authorities specialized in this kind of thing, I feel that it would only make things worse. I'm down one employee and the is down a parental figure. You can probably see why I'm telling you all this information." She handed him an envelope that seems to bear an official government stamp. This could only mean one thing...

Tom looked at the envelope with a sense of worry and dread as his boss pats him on the back, causing him to flinch out of whatever spell he was under. "C'mon. It ain't all that bad. I think you would make a great 'Father'. It's the least you can do for what has transpired. You're my only competent worker and I don't want to lose you just to please the slackers down there. If I'm to be honest between you and me, we're the only ones with a solid head on our shoulders to keep the place running. I know it sounds selfish of me to put this on you in order to save my own skin, but... It wasn't an easy choice for me to make Tom. You don't have to worry about the others since I have a compromise you may very well like." Tom was a little confused, gulping under his breath of what possible ways this situation could get any worse. Just when he was content enough to continue his menial existence as an office worker. It was just too much for the poor fellow to process but the situation has already made itself alarmingly clear.

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There wasn't much choice in the situation for Tom. It was either lose the only job he ever had for the sake of personal safety at the cost of inadvertently damaging the future of a child or having to face the more dire consequences of feigning ignorance over the matter. As hard as it may seem to admit, he nodded his head and waited to hear the worst possible news he could imagine. "It's going to take a while before I can find a suitable replacement; so we'll share the workload until further notice. For your sake, it's best that you come and go from the facility alongside me. You'll be working on the same floor as me; so don't worry too much. Unless you want to share my office space until you feel safe enough to work on this floor without concern." The statement alone was almost enough to put our protagonist six feet under. How could his employer say something as brazen as that with a straight face?! Nonetheless, it's true that he couldn't just ignore the issue any longer. After a pause, he looked at the envelope and nodded his head in agreement. "I'm not forcing you to do this Tom but I assure you it wasn't as easy as I'd wanted. After work, we'll go over to the house and explain the news to the girl. I know it's rough but, this was the best possible deal I could arrange where we all don't lose anything more than we already have. You have me sincerest thanks Tom." With that said, the two shook hands and our knight in shining armor here actually got a hug from his Boss. I can tell there are big things ahead in your future Tom. Just you wait and see.