"Lewis?" someone called the next afternoon.

"Yeah?" Lewis turned around, mop in hand, to see the new buyer, Mr. Veneti, walking towards him.

"I need some help...there's been an accident."

"What happened?"

"There's a mess you need to clean up." Mr. Veneti motioned for Lewis to follow.

"Is this about the flying elephants, because I just hosed down the trainer this morning..."

"No, it's our new account."

Lewis stopped dead in his tracks. "The space one?"

"How did you know?"

"Is something wrong with Madison?"

Mr. Veneti paused outside the room without an answer. "Here, put this on."

Lewis looked at it. "The space account was radioactive?"

Mr. Veneti motioned to him impatiently. "Just put it on."

Lewis flung it over his head and followed Mr. Veneti into the room. "The accident was Madison."

-----------------------------------

"Yuck, I've still got that smell all over me," Kate grumbled to Oswald as they sat in the apartment.

"Now it's gonna be all over the apartment too."

"As if that smell is unusual here," Kate laughed.

Oswald shrugged. "I pity the people who live here after me and Lewis."

The door opened and Lewis ran in. "Hey, Lewis," Kate called.

"Hi," Lewis answered, running a hand over his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"No, you're not. You're acting like that time when Drew threw out your GI Joe pajamas."

"You cried for a week," Oswald said.

Lewis plopped down on the couch, turning his red eyes to his friends. "There was an accident at DrugCo."

"Serious?" Oswald asked.

Lewis nodded. "I...I walked in the room...and..." Lewis uncharacteristically burst into tears.

"What, Lewis?" Kate said, putting an arm around him.

"She was laying there....face down...on the floor...she was so cold..."

"Is she dead?" Oswald asked quietly.

----------------------------------------------------

Oswald and Drew entered the hospital doors first, going straight to the nurses' station. Kate followed with Lewis. Her hand was turning blue from his grip....as if holding onto Kate would keep Madison alive.

"Okay, she's in intensive care. We can see her in ten minutes," Drew whispered to Kate. "The nurse said Mr. Veneti was waiting for Lewis in the ICU waiting room." Drew put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Kate...there's not much hope."

Kate dragged Lewis with her, matching his slow, despairing stride. When the gang entered the room, Mr. Veneti was watching an old rerun of Full House...and laughing.

"How is she?" Lewis asked in a low voice.

"Intensive care. Poor girl...she was gorgeous too. She knew what being my assistant meant."

Lewis dropped Kate's hand. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, she was so willing to do anything I said. She thought she could work her way up to head of promotional assistance for DrugCo. So I tested her. I put her on the space job."

"You knew it was dangerous?"

"Dangerous, Mr. Kiniski? Try deadly."

Before anyone could stop him, Lewis was on Veneti, throwing punch after punch into his face, screaming at him. Drew and Oswald finally tore them apart.

"Lewis Kiniski?" the nurse asked. "You can see her now."

Lewis looked long and hard at Veneti before disappearing into Madison's room.

Part Five (Accidents Do Happen)