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I’d rather clean up this sick first before I dare press that application button and potentially mess up my life.
I use my mop to wipe up this puddle. I actually build up a decent amount of sweat doing this. Mopping up the sick takes longer than I thought. And it is disgusting beyond belief.
Yeah, this is truly the worst.
I bring my mop bucket with me down the hallway back toward the staff room as I pull out my phone again and finally build up enough courage to press send...
I’m so fixated on my screen that I don’t see where I’m going, and I accidentally run straight into someone walking the other way.
We collide.
Apologies stream from my mouth as I look up at the man.
And I immediately recognize it’s August Penmanye.DoctorAugust Penmayne.
Oh.Shit.
32
EMMA
“Sorry.”
I wish that wasn’t the first word out of my mouth, but it’s just an automatic response to me bumping into anyone. Even if thatanyoneturns out to be a certain August Penmayne.
Fuck, I wish I wasn’t apologizing to the man who abandoned – actually,betrayed– me on the worst day of my life, but in this hospital, I feel so small and worthless that asorryis all I manage to blurt out. No clever comeback. No witty, biting comment. Just a tiny, little, feeble excuse.
Oh, this is terrible. Really not good.
I wish I could just shrink down small and merely be just another anonymous lowly hospital cleaner and pretend I don’t know the man I’ve bumped into, but he has seen me. He has definitely,clearlyseen me.
We’ve locked eyes.
We’ve touched bodies.
We exist in the same space.
It’s too late now to escape.
But I still try to scurry away after my meek apology.
Of course, it was only a matter of time until we collided with each other in this building - I just didn’t think it would be so...literal.
If it weren’t for my lack of money and for my close friendship with Diana, I would’ve left this job and this hospital by now simply to avoid exactly this situation with August. I would’ve run away the very moment I heard he was working here.
But I didn’t, and now my nightmare has happened.
And, as I scurry five yards away from him, I think I might’ve actually avoided any awkward, drawn-out interaction. I might’ve actually dodged the bullet here.
But no...
“Emma Tucker?”
My full name. Of course he uses it. And of course it’s enough to make me turn around and look at him.
He’s caught me.
“Doctor Penmayne.”
