***Cindy***
Alexa and I rushed to the room and found our mom on the floor. She had fallen for a second time. "Mom, are you okay?" I asked as I rushed to lift her. Alexa's eyes had grown teary, but this wasn't the time to cry. I reached for my phone and ordered a taxi that would take us to the hospital. Thankfully, the taxi arrived in no time and we went straight to Genesis Hospital.
The nurse who attended to us was friendly and encouraging. I explained to her that my mom was still recovering from the sprain she had suffered some weeks back, and she had been on continuous bed rest until last night when she fell again. "She's in perfect hands, Miss Baker. You have nothing to worry about," the nurse assured me.
I asked her to explain the gravity of her injury. I wanted to know how bad it was while preparing for the worst. The nurse informed me that it wasn't as bad as I thought. She explained that the doctor had examined her and, luckily, the fall did not do much damage to her ankle. I was relieved. Alexa had been scared all along and I couldn't blame her.
Our Dad's death had placed us on ten toes, making us thread on eggshells, and becoming overly conscious of where we went, the kind of people we related with, and the places we visited. She was scared of losing any one of us, and I was scared as well, but I had to be strong, just as always.
Alexa and I slept in the hospital beside our mom. The doctor had advised that admitting her over the night would be good, so that close monitoring would be given to her. I remembered that I had an early start the following day and a difficult boss to contend with. It wasn't going to be easy to navigate my way through, but I was determined not to let my mother's health get in the way.
I woke up quite early the next morning and checked on my mom. She seemed to be doing a lot better. I had to prepare for work, so I woke Alexa up, telling her that I would be leaving Mom in her care and that if there was anything she needed, all she had to do was call me. I kissed my mom goodbye and left in a hurry. The drive back home was fast.
I rushed out of the taxi, paid the driver, and dashed into my apartment. In a flash, I had my bath, got dressed, picked up my bag, and headed out. There was no time to make breakfast. I wanted to get to work on time, knowing the type of boss I had. Since I was not in her good books, I wanted to make sure she had no more complaints about me, and making it to work early was a good start.
The train station was filled with commuters and strangely, there was no train at the station. Not today! I checked my time, and it was thirty minutes to my resumption time. I waited for about an extra fifteen minutes before the train arrived. The ride to work wasn't as smooth as yesterday's because I was constantly looking at my wristwatch.
I was late for work already, and I prayed in my heart that Olivia would not have gotten to the company before me. In less than thirty minutes, I got to KP Fashion and went straight to the reception desk. The receptionist gave me the 'you're late' eye, but I ignored it. I left her desk after clocking in and hurriedly went to my work studio.
"What happened, Cindy? Why did you come late?" Amelia asked me, looking worried as I approached her. I explained to her that my mom had missed her step and had been rushed to the hospital last night. "I slept at the hospital," I explained further. Amelia felt pity for me, but there was a bigger issue to handle. It was Olivia.
Amelia explained that Olivia had asked to see me, but her assistant had told her that I had not resumed. I knew in my heart that I was in for another round of Olivia's rude and hurtful words. I composed myself before I gathered enough courage to see Olivia in her office. I knocked gently and let myself in, with my heart beating fast.
"Oh, here she is. The CEO herself," Olivia mocked as she turned in my direction. "I'm sorry for coming late, Mrs. Preston," I apologized quickly before she could go on. Olivia wasn't interested in my apology or the fact that I had a reason for coming to work late. She just seemed to have a problem with me, and I couldn't fathom why that was so. It was as if my entire presence suffocated her.
I had never met anyone like her in all my years of working under people. Olivia demanded the designs she had instructed me to come up with before leaving yesterday. Luckily, Alexa and I had spent time working on them the previous night, so I boldly presented her with the designs and illustrations. I saw a little smile of satisfaction form on one corner of her face that put my mind at ease.
"This is not up to our standard, but it's not something we cannot work with," Olivia said, looking at me. She was proud and couldn't bring herself to commend my effort, an effort that all my team members had praised and expressed how proud they were of me and my designs, including Amelia. It wasn't surprising to me.
I turned to leave her office, but she stopped me halfway, "This should be the last time you will come to work this late. A minute late, and you will be queried."
"Yes, Mrs. Preston," I replied, and turned to the door. I reached for the doorknob, but it seemed like the more I tried to reach for it, the more it grew far away. Suddenly, the surrounding environment started to spin, and the colors turned blurry.
I hit my back against the floor, drifting into darkness all at once.