Faithfully Yours

Chapter 10

She knew that she looked miserable because she felt miserable. She felt like the world had crashed on her. So she made the effort to make new friends at work. She went out and hang out with them. 

Leo, her new friend at work sat at the edge of her table as she continued to organize the files on her desk. It was already late but he insisted on accompanying her. She hadn't minded his presence as he continued to give her a narration of what had occurred during their friend's housewarming party. Although she was there, his side of the story was always entertaining.

"Did you see his face, when he drank that coffee?" She did remember and she laughed with him.

"That was mean, adding pepper in the coffee," she added.

"It was. But you didn't know the whole story. It was retaliation for something he did to her. He had mixed dog food with her snacks. She was livid when she recognized what she had eaten", he said. 

"Oh my goodness. That was awful. Just when will they realize that they like each other?" she added. 

Kate finished her work and put everything back in the filing cabinet. She then gathered her things and switch off the lights. They were outside of the office when she remembered that her phone was still plugged in at her co-worker's cubicle. 

"Ohhhh... I left my phone in there," Kate said. She turned and got back inside the room. She did not switch the lights back on as she moved her way towards the last cubicle.

"Why are you looking for your phone back there?" he asked when he saw her walk to the last row of cubicles.

"I left my charger. I used Emmy's. But she wouldn't let me take it to my table," she explained.

"Oh!. shit," Kate exclaimed as her high-heeled shoes snagged on something. She skidded and her right foot got twisted when she struggled to maintain her balance. 

She was down on the floor in an instant. Her skirt has added to the problem. It didn't allow her legs enough room to maneuver and she twisted her foot. A sharp pain started right away and she was afraid that she had seriously injured her foot.

"What happened? Are you alright?" He asked as he saw her on the floor and he knelt beside her.

"I stepped on some files," she replied. She laughed at her clumsiness but a tear fell from her eyes as the pain was beginning to get excruciating. 

"Don't move your foot, I think you have a sprain here," Leo said as he touched her foot to check on any tenderness. 

"Ohhh...that hurts. Shit that hurt." Kate cried moaning the pain that she felt.

"I will take the shoes off okay? It will lessen the pressure," he said. 

"Why do you have to wear this kind of monstrosity?" he asked. 

"To make me tall? Isn't that obvious?" she asked between laughter and tears. 

"Kate, I need to lift you from the floor. Lean on me will you?" Leo said calmly.

"Okay," she said as she managed to gather all her strengths and put her weight on the good foot. She looked at her foot. It looked like the whole leg was beginning to swell. 

Leo reached from behind her. He put his arms on each side of her and pulled her up from the floor. He lifted her bridal style and placed her on the table. She was still holding his shoulders and moaning with pain when he rotated her position so she can rest her foot on the table to ease the pain. 

It was at that exact moment when Lucas switched on the lights in the office. Her arms were on Leo's shoulders while his arm was beneath her legs as he positioned them carefully on the table.  

Kate turned towards the door when the lights were on. She was about to express her relief upon seeing him. But the look on his face told her to keep calm and instructed her friend to go.

"You may now go Leo, thank you for your help," she said quietly.

"Leave!" Lucas said to Leo. His voice was low but filled with restrained anger. 

Leo walked to the door but before he went out he looked at her letting her know that he wouldn't leave if she thought that her life was in danger. She conveyed with her eyes that she would be alright. And with that, he left the room but without closing the door.

"What is going on, Kate? Is that why you were not answering my calls?" he asked. He was shaking with restrained anger that she just stared at him, astonished at his reaction. 

She can tell that he was trying to control his temper. She couldn't wrap it around her head that he was this angry. She was not doing anything. Then, like a light switch, she realized that his anger must have stemmed from seeing Leo's arm around her.

"Just what do you think Leo and I were doing?" She removed his hands from her shoulder when he gripped her there. Was he going to hurt her? She was alarmed. They have not known each other for so long. What if he was hiding a dark secret? 

"I heard your moans from the hallway Kate!" Lucas hissed at her as he put his hands on the table and stared angrily at her. And as he stood too close to her, he had transferred his hold from the table to her foot and the pain shoots up. She cried from the pain. 

Her tears were running down from her eyes, as the pain become more unbearable. She was not just crying she was wailing. She had missed him so much. She had not seen him for the past two weeks. She was hurting like a lovesick fool, and here he was accusing her of having an affair. 

"I wasn't moaning from sex, I sprained my foot!" she sobbed. She was in pain and trust issues were not something she wanted at the moment. 

Lucas looked at her foot and examined it. "Oh my God! I'm sorry baby," he whispered. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. He touched her foot tenderly. 

He dried her tears with his hand and showered her face with kisses. He loosen his tie and wrapped it around her injured foot. He gathered her things. Then carried her bridal style to his car.

"What are you doing? I'm quite heavy," she had complained when he lifted her. 

"You can't step on that foot and the sooner we get some help the better," he answered. Once she was seated in his car, he got his phone out and called the hospital.