Cool Mom

78: Office Day

"Hazel! How was your day?" I ask when she walks into my office after school.

"Swimming was fun. And we did new math sums." She says, walking around the desk to give me a hug.

"Hungry?" I ask her when I pull away and hold her at arm's length.

She vigorously nods her head, making me laugh, "There's McDonald's on the table. I have some work to do, after that we'll visit daddy, okay?"

"Okay." She nods before walking over to the food and return my attention to the file in front of me.

As promised Jeremy conducted a survey into employee morale and everyone is already returning to their usual productivity levels. In fact, labour turnover has gone back to normal too in just the one week that I have been coming to the offices.

The office phone begins to ring. I answer it, "Hello."

"Emma, someone's here to see you." My operator tells me, using my first name as I instructed her to.

"Who is it?" I ask her, propping the phone on a shoulder to flip pages.

"David Aaron."

This makes me jerk and the phone slips, clattering to the phone. Hazel glances at me before returning to her chicken nuggets. I pick up the phone again.

"Did he say why he's here?"

"No, he just asked me to inform you. He said that you were waiting for him." She replies.

Daniel has always kept family separate from work and I have no intention of changing that.

"Can you please contact Jeremy and ask him to meet David?" I say.

"Of course." The operator says, ending the call. I set down the phone and watch Hazel sip her apple juice.

I mull over the situation for a second before getting up from my seat and grabbing my phone which I set on the table in front of Hazel.

"I need to check something. I'll be back in ten minutes. If you need anything, call Jeremy, okay?" I instruct her before leaving the office and heading down to the ground floor.

When I get to the reception, David is nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" I ask the operator.

"Jeremy took him upstairs to the conference room on the fourth floor." She replies, looking up from her computer screen.

"Okay. Thank you." I tell her before heading up to the right floor.

As promised I find the two men there and when I walk in their conversation comes to a halt.

"What are you doing here?" I ask David before he can say anything.

"Offering advice to Daniel's most trusted employee." David sneers.

"And what is that unsolicited advice?" I ask him.

"That he's a fool for even letting you near the business! You're just a gold digger who doesn't know what she can and cannot handle as long as she meets her goals!"

Before I can comprehend his words, Jeremy punches David. I gasp and back away from them as Jeremy growls, "Apologize!"

In the scuffle I didn't realize that I had started crying. As I watch David face down Jeremy, I wrap my arms around my pregnant belly willing my brain to stop thinking of David's hurtful words.

"Just have security remove him." I whisper to no one in particular and leave the room.

Thankfully the hallway is empty as I call the elevator and ride up to the top floor where Hazel is waiting. I wipe my tears away and take a deep breath before walking into the office.

"I just need to use the washroom quickly, then we'll leave, okay?" I tell Hazel and she nods in reply.

Fifteen minutes later we're in the car with a driver on our way to the hospital. My phone buzzes with a text message which I ignore at first not wanting to talk to anyone about what just happened. But then I remind myself that it may be something important and unlock my phone.

It's a message from Hazel's school. Her first Parent-Teacher Meeting is this Sunday.

I let my head hit the head rest behind me and close my eyes, willing the tears to stay put. I always thought that Daniel and I would do all of Hazel's firsts together but I guess, I'll be attending her first ever PTM alone.

When we reach the hospital Hazel unbuckles her car seat as I fasten my coat's buttons to protect me from the December wind and to cover my four month pregnancy bump. Hazel knows her way around the hospital by now and takes the lead to the elevators which take us to the floor above where Daniel's room is.

Martha is excited to see Hazel but lets her kiss Daniel's cheek and give his sleeping body a hug before joining her at the couch. While the two of them catch up, I walk over to Daniel and sit on the bed next to him. Silently, I hold his hand and go over the day's events as if they would transfer from my brain to his.

I don't know how long I sit there but when Martha finally comes to stand by me, I look behind me to find Hazel curled up on the couch, asleep.

"Was everything okay at the office today?" She asks, placing a hand on my back. I cherish her motherly touch and nod.

"Really good actually. Things are beginning to straighten out." I sigh in relief at the words. I never got the chance to fully absorb the contents of the employee report until now.

I decide to leave out David's visit. Things are already tense in the Aaron family when it comes to Daniel and David's relationship that I don't want to add more stress with Daniel unable to guide me.

"What are your plans for Christmas?" Martha asks me.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Christmas is next week." She says.

I groan and lean forward, rubbing my eyes, "It completely skipped my mind."

I feel Martha kiss my head and then I hear her say, "Daniel would want you and Hazel to have a good Christmas."

I hope this chapter clears the timeline of the story to some extent. So, Emma found out that she was pregnant in early September and Hazel's birthday was in October. Now it's December, nearing the end of the month, which means that Emma is almost four months through her pregnancy at this point in the story :)

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE STORY!!

-T