Don’t Give Up The Day Job

Miranda was feeling particularly pleased with herself at getting another superb issue of Runway out on time and way over budget. Irv was going to have a heart attack when he saw the figures. Miranda smirked as she leaned back and inclined her head into her latticed fingers on the headrest of her impressive office chair. In fact Miranda’s good mood was the only thing that had sanctioned Andrea’s continued employment at Runway after the staggering cheek of the girl earlier that day.

Miranda still couldn’t quite believe that the stupid incompetent girl actually had the audacity to take time off sick. It really couldn’t be anything more than a simply cold and there she was having a full day off from work. She didn’t have the courage to call Miranda directly; no she called Emily and made the Brit do it instead. Miranda had shown no mercy as she tore a strip off Emily for Andrea’s stupidity, her quiet words more cutting than usual as she quizzed an apparently clueless Emily who stood before her all but shaking in fear.

Maybe she is ill, Miranda mused as she thought back over the past few days, she’s hardly ever at her desk, always rushing back to grab the phone from wherever she hides. Miranda stood up and paced in front of the large windows to her office as she considered in more depth what might be wrong with her second assistant. She told herself that she was not so much worried about Andrea’s health but more her immediate return to Runway, to work, to Miranda. No, not to Miranda, to work. That was it. Miranda shook her head and returned to her dissection of the last few days.

Now she really considered it she could distinguish lots of warning signs with Andrea’s behaviour of late. She seemed to have lost a lot of weight very quickly, not a bad thing considering her larger frame but Miranda had to begrudgingly admit she didn’t like this new bony Andrea. And water, Miranda couldn’t remember the last time she saw the girl without a glass or bottle of water in her hand. She’d even commented on it a few times but the girl still persisted with the damn water.

Miranda stopped her pacing and glanced out of her office at the empty second assistant desk, she folded her arms and stared at the desk for a few moments as she started putting together her detective work. Always away from her desk, sudden weight loss, increased thirst .. Miranda gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Drugs, she thought, Andrea’s on drugs..

-=~*~=-

The next day Andy returned to work and Miranda worked her harder than ever so Andy knew she was being punished for having a day off. Miranda had really pulled out all the stops today asking for several coffee runs and “those” skirts from “that designer” .. no not THAT designer, the OTHER designer. She asked Andy to hand deliver last month’s figures to Irv and give Patricia her pills .. no not THAT end, the OTHER end. A brilliant moment of inspiration came when Miranda decided to do a photo shoot on the urban jungle and sent Andy out to fish through garbage bins around the city looking for fashionable garbage with the right message, no not THAT type of half eaten burger, the OTHER kind.

All the while Miranda had kept a strict eye on her young assistant and never let her return to her desk for more than a few moments before sending her off on another errand. At one point she saw Andrea empty her bag onto her desk in search of something before beginning a frantic search of her desk, Miranda walked to out of her office and stood in front of Andrea's desk and watched her rummaging through her desk drawers.

“Andrea, I’ve changed my mind with the urban jungle garbage, it’s a stupid idea, putting pictures of garbage in a fashion magazine. I really don’t know what you were thinking. Go to the studio and get rid of all that garbage. When you’re done there go back to the townhouse to give Patricia her afternoon round of medicine and then book my car into the garage for its inspection and then call Mark and tell him no to the green and definitely no to November and then fetch the skirts from Calvin Klein and then be back here in an hour. With coffee.”

She sauntered back to her desk with a smile on her face; she’d keep Andrea so busy she’d wish she were in rehab for a break. As she sat at her desk she noted that Andrea was still searching for something around her desk.

“Fifty minutes, Andrea,” she called out softly while idly flipping through a magazine. She heard Andrea curse softly under her breath before rushing out of the office. Miranda pursed her lips, Andrea had looked drawn and breathless and her behaviour was nearing manic, what was she looking for?

“Emily,” Miranda muttered under her breath.

Emily rushed into the office with her notepad and pen in hand, “yes Miranda?”

Miranda looked up, “oh you’re here, I was shouting myself hoarse calling you, get me some coffee, that’s all.”

Emily looked at the four untouched Starbuck’s lined up on Miranda’s desk from Andy’s earlier coffee runs but she knew better than to argue the point, “yes Miranda, erm..” she glanced at her desk.

“What is it?” Miranda impatiently sighed, all she wanted was for Emily to get out of the damn office so she could investigate Andrea's desk in private.

“With Andrea gone there will be no one to answer the phones,” Emily said, physically bracing herself for the response.

“Well divert the line to your mobile phone, I don't see why you haven't done it before, much simpler than all this rushing around the office,” Miranda quietly said as she flipped through a magazine that happened to be open on her desk.

Emily opened and closed her mouth a few times to reply but knew it was useless, she just nodded and rushed from the office happy enough that she hadn't been torn to shreds for asking a question.

Once Emily left the outer office Miranda sprung into action, almost enjoying her new role as master sleuth. She sat in Andrea's chair and glanced around the array of mess that littered the desk, her first thought was that in itself was very unlike Andrea, usually so neat and organised. Now the contents of her handbag was strewn everywhere and paper from her desk drawers was piled haphazardly around her computer screen.

Taking a deep breath Miranda started to methodically examine each area of the desktop to see what Andrea in her haste was looking for but had missed. She almost smiled when she saw some doodles the girl had drawn, presumably while on hold to various designers, they actually weren't bad. For doodles. Old telephone notes, notes on designers, telephone lists, expense forms, dinner menus, the girls schedule, Miranda's three diaries and travel plans littered the desk. The girl really does have a lot of rubbish, Miranda thought as she carried on her investigation. She checked under the keyboard, behind the monitor and around the in-trays but she couldn't find anything unusual. She sat back and let out a deep sigh, ready to give up and return to her office to do some real work when she noticed a small black box sitting on top of the desk pedestal, it had been pushed slightly under the desk and therefore not immediately within sight.

Checking that Emily hadn't returned from her pointless coffee run she picked up the small plastic box and opened it up. Shock, disappointment and fear clenched at her stomach as she looked at the needles in the box. She slammed the box closed and put a shaky hand to her mouth and tried to control her breathing. Thinking something was one thing but having one's thoughts confirm was something else entirely.

She couldn't face Andrea until she had her emotions under control; she quickly picked up the phone and dialled her second assistant's number. After a few rings a tired and drained sounding Andrea answered with her standard, “yes, Miranda?”

Miranda took a quick breath, “Andrea, forget bringing the skirts back here, take them to the shoot instead and then I want you to find the girls a new French teacher, this one has the most awful taste in shoes, make sure the next one has better opinions on footwear. Then go to James Holt and pick up the boards for the concept piece he is doing and take that to the art department and then see Nigel and get the shoes you picked up this morning and take them back. Then call Angela and tell her no. And then get back here.”

Miranda hung up just as Emily arrived back in the office. Emily may have been surprised to see Miranda sitting at Andrea's desk but she certainly wasn't stupid enough to ask about it.

“Go home, Emily,” Miranda sighed.

“Err,” Emily looked at Miranda, wondering if she'd just been fired.

“Just .. go home, I'll see you in the morning,” Miranda said as she picked up the black box and walked into her office and closed the door behind her.