Coffee

Part 114: 48 Hours Too Soon

"Welcome back, Dr. Helen Sharpe...remember me?" My vision is blurry, but those piercing blue eyes come through perfectly. "You know...when I said come back in 48 hours or don't come back at all- I didn't intend on it being like this."

I feel so weak. So...fragile. His eyes look into mine and his smile is soft and gentle. Wait...no, no, no- what happened? Why does this feel strange to me?

"I need my phone." I weakly say and his brows furrow.

"Dr. Sharpe, you realize you were just in a car accident, right?"

"I need...I need it- please." I ask and he shakes his head. Getting up, he walks over to the counter and comes back- handing me my phone phone- which is more or less destroyed. It won't even turn on. "Shit..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes...give me your phone, Max..." Once more, he looks at me confused and then takes his phone out- unlocks it and hands it to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking...checking something important." I find his Tinder app and open it up. I go to his messages and the last entry is:

SuperStar35:

Me? You first. What's your new job?

MG43MD:

Unfair, I asked you first, but- I'll be nice and take the lead.

"Kinda personal, ya think?"

"None of it happened? None of it? How could that be?" I murmur. He sits back down beside my bed and extends his hand for his phone.

"Did...did I miss something?" Shaking my head, my lips twitch at the corners and I feel both sick and relieved. This means Georgia is still alive, I never hurt Max to the point of suicide, I never lost the baby, and...I don't have Sophie or Bentley...that hurts. Terribly.

"No...apparently not..." I sniff back tears and he looks at me.

"Helen?" He reaches out and places his hand on mine. He feels it shaking and I try so hard to compose myself. Upon hearing him say only my first name, the tears come down my face and drip off my cheeks.

He and I were never together.

He never loved me.

He and I, we...

No....

"I'm sorry..." I say wiping my eyes with the back of my right hand. How embarrassing. He and I aren't here in this work relationship. I was bitchy to him this morning and before I went to the airport...which apparently, I didn't make it there, because here I am at 2:00 at night, holding my boss's hand and crying like a damn fool.

"What do you have to be sorry for? You didn't do anything. Ron had a stroke, you were asleep- it wasn't anyone's fault." I shake my head. He wouldn't understand.

"I'm sorry about this morning..." I say quietly. My breathing shallows and I stare forward at the closed sliding glass door.

"Oh, it's fine."

"It's not fine. I'm not...fine." His face elongates and he looks down at his phone. "Max...I'm SuperStar35..."

"I know." He says softly and I just look at him confused.