Taming the Boss

Chapter 7

Alexi sat at her desk, it was just after seven on Monday morning. They’d gotten home late the previous night, and Kris had helped her with her bag then said goodbye and fled from her. She’d left a message with Clementine that she needed to see Kris, but she was afraid Kris would ignore the message and go straight to her office. Alexi wanted to talk to her before they started their day, get the awkwardness out of the way. She knew they’d agreed to keep things professional at work, but she couldn’t leave things this way. She wanted Kris to smile at her again, be her friend. So, she’d tell her, that they were friends, and that Alexi was okay with just being friends. She was. Right? She shook herself. Yes, she was. The elevator doors opened on camera, and she frowned as Dixon and Susan stepped on, the doors closed again. Susan got off but Dixon stayed on. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach as he pressed a button and a few moments later her doors opened.

“Miss Roan, can I have a moment?”

“Yes, what is it, Dixon?” She knew she was curt, but she wanted him to get to it, just say what he wanted to say.

“Uh, I, just.” He took a deep breath. “Kris isn’t feeling well, she wanted me to let you know she’d be back tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” She dismissed him, worry about Kris taking over. She’d been fine the night before. What could have happened since then? Was she sick? Dixon was at the doors when she spoke again. “Did she say what was wrong?”

“No, her roommate did the talking, she said that when Kris gets sick it happens like that, but she’d be better by morning, a strong metabolism or something.” He said and looked at her.

“Okay, thank you, Dixon.” He nodded and left her. She reached for her phone but set it down again. Could she phone her? Wasn’t that what friends did? Check up on their sick friends. She reached for her phone again but again pulled back. What if she wasn’t sick? Just pretending. No, Kris wouldn’t do that. So, she was sick, right? She swore and stood; she would go see her. Yes, that was a better idea, if there was a problem they’d talk about it, if she was sick, then Alexi could go get her medicine or soup, or something. Alexi grabbed her phone and keys and made her way to the lobby. “Clementine, hold my calls, and move that meeting at nine to ten, no, make it eleven, I’ll be back in a while.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.” She said and left before Clementine could ask more questions.

She stopped in front of the apartment building and sat in her car. What was she doing? She’d rushed over here like she was a worried girlfriend. She was, she reminded herself. She was Kris’s friend. She got out of her car and made her way to the door, a woman came rushing out.

“Oh, s**t, sorry.” She grabbed Alexi’s arms and steadied her. “Oh.” Amanda looked at the woman she still held. “Sorry, miss Roan, Kris is sick, I did talk to a Dixon, and tell him.”

Alexi stared at the woman whose hands were still on her. “Amanda?” She asked.

“Yes.” Amanda smiled. “I guess she told you about me.” Then she frowned. “But like I said she’s sick. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong, I just wanted to come and see if she needed anything.”

“Really?” Amanda sighed. “Thank goodness.” She handed Alexi money and keys and grinned at her. “She needs soup, or wants is more like it, from that place on the corner. It always helps, I was going now, but if you wouldn’t mind, I’m running late.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Thank you.” Amanda left a stunned Alexi standing with money in her hand.

“Okay.” Alexi walked back to her car and then decided to walk the two blocks instead. She got the soup and made her way back to the apartment. Alexi let herself in with the keys and a few moments later stepped into the apartment. “Uh, Kris?” She called and set the soup on the kitchen counter. She heard a moan from somewhere down the hallway. “Kris?” Another moan and then a thud. She rushed down the hall toward the sound. Her breath caught when she saw Kris lying in a heap on the floor, clutching her stomach and pale as a sheet. “Kris!”

Kris opened her eyes and groaned. “Mandy?” She moaned.

“She said she was running late.” Alexi pulled her phone out. “I’m calling an ambulance.”

“No.” Kris croaked. “No, please.” She pointed to the table beside the bed. “Tablets.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Tablets, first,” Kris said. Alexi frowned but grabbed the tablets. “Bed.”

“Okay, hold on.” Alexi pulled her jacket off and knelt, pulling almost dead weight off the floor. She helped Kris to bed, held the water as she drank down the tablets. Then pulled the blanket up over her. Kris moaned and pushed her cheek into the hand stroking her. “I’m going to warm the soup for you, just hold on okay.” She grabbed her phone out of her jacket pocket and went to the kitchen, after finding a bowl looked for a phone book or notepad, then found what she was looking for. She dialed the number. The phone was answered on the second ring.

“Hello.”

“Joss, I’m sorry to bother you, this is Alexi, I’m with Kris.” She told her what happened and then listened as Joss explained what was wrong and promised she’d be there in a few hours. Then she dialed the office and told Clementine to cancel her appointments for the day. Clementine was surprised but didn’t argue. She took the bowl of soup to Kris, who lay on her side, seemingly asleep. “Kris?”

“Mm?”

“Can you sit up? You need to eat something with your tablets.”

“Okay.” Kris struggled and after a second Alexi set the bowl down and helped her sit up. “Here.”

“Oh, f**k, bucket.” She’d scarcely said the last word before she started throwing up. Alexi held her hair, Kris leaned against her side as she heaved, and eventually stopped. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s what friends are for.” Alexi took the bucket threw the contents in the toilet and rinsed the bucket before taking a cloth and wetting it. She brought both back to Kris. “Do you want to try some soup?”

“Yes, please.” Kris held her hands out, but they shook so badly, Alexi didn’t trust her not to spill the hot food on herself.

“Here.” Alexi sat on the side of the bed and held a spoon full to her mouth.

Her phone rang a few hours later and she quickly answered, not wanting to wake a sleeping, Kris. “Yes?”

“Alexi, it’s me, Joss. I’m almost there, how is she?”

“She ate the soup, some, not all, then I gave her more tablets, she threw the first one up. She’s sleeping now.”

“Okay, thank you for being there.”

Alexi heard the worry. “I’ll stay until you get here, drive safely, I’ve got her.”

“Thank you, another twenty or so minutes.”

“Don’t rush,” Alexi said, meaning it. To be honest, she didn’t want to leave, but when Joss got there, she’d have to, her sister could take care of her. They wouldn’t need her. Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang, and she stood to open for Joss. “Hi,” Alexi said when Joss walked in.

“Hi.” Joss looked as worried as Alexi felt. “Is she in bed?”

“Yes, still sleeping.” Alexi followed Joss to the bedroom. She watched as Joss bent over and wiped the hair from Kris’s face. Love was clear in the gesture. “What is it?” Alexi asked quietly.

“They keep telling her it’s stress. The tablets work, and she only gets this bad when her system gets down or flu hits her. I haven’t seen it this bad in a long while though.” Joss looked over her shoulder at Alexi. “She’s okay, if she held the tablets down, and ate something, she’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure? She looked like she needed a hospital earlier.” She did look better Alexi admitted. But only just. “Sorry, I know you know better.”

“No, please, I know what she looks like when it hits that badly, but they’ll just give her the tablets too, and maybe put a drip on. And she hates the hospital.”

“Okay.” Alexi clamped her hands together. She knew she should go, but she couldn’t. “Do you want some coffee?”

“That would be awesome, thank you.” Joss wiped Kris’s face with the wet cloth and then stood and after a last look, went out to the worried woman in the kitchen. Joss sat down at the counter and dropped her head in her hands. “I can’t believe Mandy left her like this.”

“She knew I was here, I got here when she went to get the soup, I said I’d do it. She had an appointment or something.”

“Okay, thank you again for phoning me.”

“Of course, I wanted to call an ambulance, but she wouldn’t hear of it, so I thought you’d know what to do.” Alexi finally gave in and sank down on the chair opposite Joss. “God.”

“Hey, she’s okay.” Joss stood quickly and moved to put her arms around Alexi. “She’s going to be okay.”

“I don’t think I’ve gotten such a fright in my life. I walked in and she was on the floor, curled in pain and looking like death.” The soothing hands on her back were an unfamiliar, but good feeling. She shook her head and sat up. “I’m supposed to comfort you.”

“We can comfort each other.” She poured them coffee and sat down again. “Do you know what time Amanda will be home?”

“No, she didn’t say. Why?”

“Mark is with the kids now, but he has a business trip, so I can only stay for a few hours before I have to be back on the road. I don’t want to leave her here like this, alone.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Alexi said quickly. “I’m not leaving her anyway, but I’ll go get some things for soup if you don’t mind waiting for me to get back.”

“Not at all.” Joss watched as Alexi went to the bedroom, she followed behind and watched as she bent and whispered something to Kris and kiss her softly on the forehead. Alexi turned and flushed.

“I’ll be back soon,” Alexi said. Joss nodded and watched her leave with a smile.