"I'm so glad you're here,"Mrs. Martin said as she leaned out of Bobby's office door. She must have heard the sounds of Derek and Delilah talking in the quiet echo of the hallway. It was Saturday after all and no one else was scheduled to be in the building other than those taking the PSAT.
Despite knowing she was talking to them, the couple halted in their tracks before they could get any closer.
Derek leaned closer to his wife. "Is it just me or does she look-"
"Bad?" Delilah whispered back to her husband.
Delilah had to admit she didn't know Lydia's mom well but from what she saw around the school she knew that this women was know for one thing. Perfection.
She needed perfection in her work, her daughter and above all, her appearance. Perfection was enough reasons for why Lydia liked to retreat to their house where she could breath.
With this being said, the woman in front of them did not look right. Her normally carefully styled hair was starting frizz and her make up was beginning to run from the sweat on her forehead. Frankly Delilah though the woman looked incredibly unwell.
"Its Bobby," she started to babble while gesturing back to the office she had just come from.
"Natalie-"
"He wasn't feeling well and-"
"Natalie," Delilah tried again.
"There's a student who wasn't feeling well-" Natalie took a step towards them and with out any question, Derek and Delilah took a steep back.
There was a sour note to the air that Delilah recognized from working in the hospital.
"Natalie, stay where you are."
The woman froze while mid step. She raised a shaky hand to dab at the sweat beading on her forehead.
Without removing her eyes from her, Delilah gently pulled at her bag on Derek's arm.
"What do we need?" He asked her while not daring to let his eyes wonder from Mrs. Martin's frozen position.
"Gloves and the N95 masks."
He nodded and quickly dropped the bag to the ground to unzipped the main pocket. He had watched her pack and restock the bag enough times to know exactly where to locate what she needed. He smirked up at her as he retrieved the items and held them out to her waiting hands.
Ripping open the package of gloves firsts, she quickly pulled on her own before having Derek do the same. He followed her direction for the mask without question.
"What's happening?" Natalie asked as she watched them don the protective equipment. Her hands were starting to scratch aggressively up and down her arms.
"Natalie, I need you to sit down on the hallway bench, can you do that for me?" Delilah asked as calmly. The nurse in her was already taking over.
The woman nodded and quickly took a seat across from Bobby's office door. She continued to scratch at her arms before letting out a noise of discomfort.
"Derek, I need you to watch her but don't touch her. I need to check on Bobby."
He nodded as he wearily watched the other woamn. "Do you know what this is?"
Delilah shook her head no. She had absolutely no idea what was going on.
She ducked into the office.
It was as messy as usual. Sports equipment was piled haphazardly in one corner and threatened to toppled the chalk board he insisted on using to write out his practice plays. The garbage can next to the desk was over flowing with used tissues and wrappers of different flavoured power bars. It was pretty gross even for Bobby's standards and the sight made Delilah click her tongue disapprovingly behind her mask.
YOU ARE READING
keeper (d. Hale)
Romance"Mine," he answered as his forehead touched her's. A serious expression set across his face. "That all depends," she replied. "On what?" "If you keep making me breakfast in the morning and refilling my coffee cup." Derek reached behind her and pick...
