Forty Nine
Amber
After the stabbing, I stayed with Ash. We were getting closer which pleased me to no end. I felt a special bond between us and I knew he felt it too. He’d invited me to stay with him and of course, I accepted.
In the weeks following the stabbing, something began to gnaw at me. At first, I assumed it was PTSD because of what happened, but even after I’d begun to feel safe, it still bothered me.
Night after night, I began waking up drenched in sweat. My heart raced and my tongue tingled as if it had been burned. As Ash was still in recovery, I went into the office daily to attend to our business.
“Amber, honey, how are you doing?” Mrs. Gladdenfield, one of our older secretaries, inquired.
“I’m doing fine, Mrs. Gladdenfield.”
“You look so pale, honey. I know you and Ash have been through a lot.” She smiled at me.
I leaned against the receptionist’s counter for a moment. I had my arms laden with files.
“Yes, we have. But things are getting better.”
“You should take some time off, honey. I’m sure Ash wouldn’t mind.”
I shook my head. “Someone’s got to take care of business. Ash needs me to take care of these clients.” I held up the files.
She nodded. “Well, just let me know if you need some extra help. I don’t have any fancy degrees, but I’ve been in the business long enough that I might be of some assistance.” She smiled.
“Of course. You’ve been with Ash for years.”
“And I hope to be here for many more.” She laughed.
Going on with my day, I put Mrs. Gladdenfield’s comments out of my head. Then, in a meeting with Nancy Bloomfeld, one of our most important clients, I started feeling sick.
As Nancy was discussing her investments, my stomach felt as though I’d swallowed glass. It churned hard nearly doubling me over. My head pounded and my tongue began to feel thick. I could hardly swallow. I leaned forward and poured myself a glass of water. My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the pitcher.
“Amber, are you okay?” Nancy looked alarmed.
Sipping the water, I tried to force myself to swallow. The room seemed to be closing in on me. “I’m fine, Nancy. Just a tough morning.” I tried to smile. She was an important client and without Ash, here I had to do my best.
As Nancy continued talking, I tried to still my shaking hands. I could no longer focus on her words. Glancing at the clock, we still had another forty five minutes to go. I didn’t think I could make it. “Nancy, would you excuse me for a moment? I need to step out.”
She nodded as I flew out of the room. Racing to the ladies’ room, I scarcely made it before vomiting.
As I cleaned myself up, I wondered what it could be. Was it something I had eaten? Was it just the flu?
Wiping my mouth with a paper towel, I composed myself the best I could to finish the meeting with Nancy.
When I came back to the meeting room, she was gone. “Mrs. Gladdenfield, what happened to Nancy?”
She looked flustered. “She left a few hours ago, Amber.”
What?
“No, she was just here. I went to the restroom and just came back.”
Mrs. Gladdenfield’s eyes widened. Her face went pale. “No, Amber, you went to the restroom for a few minutes. Then you came back and finished the meeting. Nancy left around 11:30.”
No, no, no. That wasn’t right. Poor woman. She was getting on in her years. Perhaps I should talk to Ash about it. If she was this confused, she may be booking appointments incorrectly causing all kinds of problems.
“It’s 2:30 now, Amber,” she said quietly.
That wasn’t possible. I had gone to the restroom and was sick, but that was only for a few moments.
“I’ve got the signed paperwork you handed me right here.” She held out the documents which clearly had my name as well as Nancy’s on the bottom.
What the hell?
I nearly fainted as I realized what this meant. How could I be missing two hours of time? I had no recollection of seeing Nancy again.
But clearly I had.
“Amber, honey, you’ve been through so much. Why don’t you go home for the afternoon? Your appointments are over for the day.”
Her kindly, motherly tone annoyed me. It felt like she was placating me. “I’m fine, Mrs. Gladdenfield. I’m going into my office now. No calls please.”
As I sat down at my desk, I went through the documents Nancy and I had signed. Everything looked great. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Then why couldn’t remember it?
Rubbing my temples, I leaned back in the chair. I missed Ash being here. I just wanted to go home to him.