Amanda’s eyes were still puffy when she went back to the clinic on Monday morning. She’d cried until she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion on Saturday and woke up on Sunday only to cry some more. Joyce called and texted her a few times begging for a few minutes to talk to her, but she ignored every call and every text message. She knew that if Joyce had been able to play with her mind before, she could easily do it again. The safest thing to do was to stay away from her.
Amanda had hoped the walk to the clinic would ease her eyes, her brains, her heart, everything, but all it achieved was to give her time to figure out how she might avoid questions from her coworkers, especially from Doug, once she got to work. The best strategy she’d come up with was to avoid them all and keep to herself even more than usual.
The clinic was busy that day, for which Amanda was extremely grateful. A full schedule provided distraction from her broken heart and doubled as the perfect way to hide from concerned coworkers. Doug had to cancel the usual Monday morning staff meeting, and Amanda didn’t have time to stop and have lunch in the break room, where she might have been forced to answer a few questions. Destiny seemed to be on her side.
She’d made it through most of the day before she had to tell a young couple that Winston, their Lhasa Apso companion, was suffering from serious heart disease. When she explained that medication would allow their nine-year-old dog to live another twelve to eighteen months before inevitable heart failure, the couple held on to each other in a desperate embrace while they cried their eyes out. She remained strong for the young couple, comforting them as she was trained to do in such situations.
As soon as Winston left with his owners, however, she ran to the restroom where she broke down into tears. Someone else entered and left the unisex restroom during the twenty minutes she spent locked in a stall, and she hoped that whoever it was didn’t hear her crying. More than anything she hoped it wasn’t Doug. She could brush off anyone else’s inquiries, but she feared she couldn’t do the same with him.
Her worst nightmare came true when she came out of the restroom and saw him leaning against the wall right next to the restroom door. “Can I see you in my office for a minute?” he asked softly.
“I still have to see Mrs. Johnson’s cat.”
“It can wait. I just need a minute.”
Amanda sighed with resignation and followed him to his office. He closed the door behind them. “You have two options, Amanda. You tell me what’s going on right now, or you’re coming over for dinner tonight so Susan can get it out of you. What will it be?”
“There’s nothing wrong. I’m just tired.”
“Wrong answer, partner. I heard you crying in there.”
Amanda sighed again. She didn’t have the strength to have dinner with Doug and his family that night and she knew he wouldn’t let it go. She decided to come clean. “You were right about Joyce Allen. I should have listened to you.”
“Oh Amanda, I’m so sorry. Did she hurt you?”
Amanda nodded her answer and felt her face contort in a desperate attempt to hold her tears. Despite all of her efforts, she started sobbing and did something she could never have imagined in any circumstance. She moved closer to Doug, placed her head and hands against his chest and cried into his scrubs. Doug only hesitated for a second or two before he put his arms around her and held her. He didn’t stroke her hair or her back as she assumed someone like Joyce would do, but his strong arms were enough to soothe her. Doug might lack finesse but his embrace was honest.
When she stopped crying and moved away from Doug he reached out for a box of tissues on his desk and handed one to her. She blew her nose and he cleared his throat. “Is Joyce Allen coming back with her dog for another bandage?”
“Not before next Friday.”
“Good. I’ll take the appointment. You need to stay away from that woman. I don’t know what she did to you, but I know she’ll do it again.”
“I can do my job. You don’t have to protect me.”
“I don’t have to, but I want to. It’s no big deal. We’ll switch appointments that day and any other day she needs to be here with her dog. Okay?”
“Okay,” Amanda agreed weakly.
After a moment of hesitation, Doug placed his hands on her upper arms and squeezed lightly. “And don’t forget I’m here if you need to talk.”
“Okay,” she said again. An awkward silence followed; it was clear Doug didn’t know what else he was supposed to do. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her finger and squared her shoulders. “Well, I better get to Mrs. Johnson’s cat.”
“Oh right, yes, of course.” He stepped aside so she could get to the door.
She put her hand on the door handle and without turning around she said, “Thank you, Doug.” She left his office before he had time to acknowledge her gratitude.