Love to Hate You: Three's a Crowd

Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Talk

'I apologise,' Lukasz said in a raised voice, and it was probably the only time the staff at Paxton and Colville had heard his voice match his size. 'I tripped with the vacuum cleaner and it went through one of the office walls. There is broken glass everywhere, and Mr Colville has said no entry to the executive suites until the glass has been completely cleared.' Crisis Chris had said no such thing; he was too busy squirming over his business partner's breakdown, but Lukasz was pragmatic and protective.

'But it sounded dreadful!' Mike said, staring at the giant cleaner in consternation. 'Did you fall through it? Were you not hurt? Why aren't you bleeding?'

'I do have a small cut,' Lukasz ceded, before making eye contact with Mandy. She seemed to understand that she was to do what Moping Mandy did best. She burst into tears.

'Are you alright?' she whimpered, her hands trembling with concern.

'It is only a small cut, but Mr Colville will not risk further injury. You are all to return to your desks.' Mandy sobbed some more.

'You could have died,' she fretted. 'You could have cut your jugular, or your femoral artery. You could have bled to death.'

'But he didn't,' Rob told her.

'But the thought of it,' she sniffled.

'Please,' Lukasz said, 'if you could return to your desks.' He glanced at Mike. 'Could you help Mandy; ensure that she is alright?' And Mike still held a soft-spot for the younger woman, so he nodded with self-importance.

'Of course,' he said, puffing up his chest. 'Everyone, back to your desks. Lukasz has a job to do, Chris has accident reports to complete, and the stress is upsetting Mandy.' And everyone knew how sensitive Mandy was. How a small cry could escalate into a big cry, which could escalate into a flood! They promptly did as they were told; some of them weren't strong swimmers, after all. Through her trembling fingers, Mandy saw Lukasz wink at her. Her lip kicked up at the corner in reply, before she shuddered and said timidly, –

'A vacuum cleaner. Anything could have happened.' Like hoovering, and... more hoovering.

'It's okay,' Mike shushed, too keen on the sound of his own voice to realise that Mandy's tears were not so over-wrought as usual.

'I have sent them back to their desks,' Lukasz told Chris, as he returned to Rafe's office.

'Good,' Chris nodded, pacing about the floor, glass crunching underfoot. Rafe appeared oblivious. His head was still buried in his knees, his arms hugging them to his chest, and although he didn't make a sound, Chris was quite certain that his indefatigable friend was crying. 'Raffey,' he said, halting his pacing in front of him, 'Raffey, what's happened? What's wrong?'

'What's wrong,' Lydia sighed, as she strode into the office with Mattie's wrist clasped tightly in her grasp, 'is that he's had no support from anyone whilst everyone's pandered to Mattie. I'm sorry,' she said, turning to the short P.A., 'but someone needs to say it. You've been through a lot and it affected you greatly, but you're married, and something like that affects both of you. He's had cancer, for God's sake. And you think returning to work is sufficient support? What's wrong with you?' she demanded, as Mattie glanced around in horror.

She hadn't heard the smashing glass. She'd simply been dragged – unceremoniously – from the ladies' bathroom by a rather irate Lydia. And now here she was, looking down at her husband and the carnage that was his office.

'I...' Mattie's mouth gaped wordlessly. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She'd thought grief was wrong with her. She'd thought maybe even some kind of PTSD from finding her father the way she had. She'd thought Rafe was what was wrong with her, but stood in his office, in a cluster of broken glass, with her strong husband reduced to tears – his pride in tatters – she thought that she was probably what was wrong. With herself, and with him.