Cross the Line

Naomi Young picked up the incessantly ringing phone; she’d spent all morning...no ALL week fielding off calls, it was typical of Gloria to break her leg now of all times! She knew it couldn’t be helped, but that fact didn’t make her day seem any easier. But her boss was due home from his honeymoon in two days. It would calm down then. It had too!

                “Fisher-Edwards. Can I help?” As usual her phone voice was sickly sweet but professional!

                “Oh Naomi!  Thank God you’re there!” She instantly recognised the anxious voice of Stephanie, the usually relaxed and calm, newlywed wife of her boss and good friend Simon. The last time Naomi had seen her, she’d been the blushing bride at one of the most fantastic weddings Naomi had even been to. She could only imagine how bliss their Caribbean honeymoon had been.

                “Hey Steph! How’s Barbados? And why are you calling me on the last but one day of your honeymoon? I’m sure there are greater things to be doing!” Steph whimpered, and Naomi felt her whole body tense in fear, she’d been right to pick up on the anxiety in her voice, “what is it?” She could barely breathe as she waited for the other woman to speak.

                “It’s Simon...” her words were punctuated with tears and gasps, “we were on a walk in the hills, and he slipped near a waterfall. It was awful; he fell over the edge...” She could hear the other woman shuddering as she relived the events. “He’s in hospital, he’s broken his pelvis. He’s being flown to the States tonight; a surgeon in Miami is going to operate tomorrow.”

                “Oh my God! I can’t believe it, how’s he coping?” He was her oldest friend and the pain she felt in her chest was breathtaking at the thought of anything happening to him. He’d been a real rock to her over the years and she couldn’t contemplate him not being around.

                “He’s in a lot of pain, but they are happy that he’s stable. I was hoping that you could find some paper work for me. Insurance stuff. He’s panicking about work....” Stephanie’s voice sounded emotionally drained, Naomi could only begin to guess how horrendous the last few days had been for her.

Naomi nodded “Of course, anything! Just say the word!”

She could hear Stephanie take a deep breath, “Thanks Naomi. I’ve no idea how long he’s going to be out here, and what with you and Gloria being alone, anyway, Simon suggested a replacement, a friend who’s not working at the moment, I’m waiting for him to get back to me, but hopefully there’ll be someone to step into Simon’s shoes...I don’t know when, but I’m hoping he’ll be there... I’ll email you what I need you to find. You’ve got a key to his flat haven’t you? If you collect it, I’ll get access to a fax number, then you can forward it to me. Or maybe email?” She sounded so forlorn, confused. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be!

                “I have. Anything I can do then let me know. I’m so sorry Steph, give my love to Simon, and make sure you look after yourself, ok?”

Naomi shook her head as she replaced the handset, poor Simon. He was a good friend as well as her employer and this was the first holiday he’d allowed himself in years. She knew that he’d be lying in a hospital bed panicking over what was happening to the business. It was just typical! She only wished she could run it all for him, but she wasn’t qualified for that. She was just the office manager...the gopher, though without her the place would fall apart. Simon was aware of that, and she was paid well for her long hours and stressful job, and it looked like it was about to become a hell of a lot more stressful. Simon was due in court next week; he had three cases at least. She was already fielding call after call about them. She prayed that Steph would find an alternative before it became too unbearable. Saying that, she was more concerned about his injuries than she was a few irate clients. She’d cope with that and be grateful.