The Van Helsing Incursion

QUARRELS AND TRAUMA

Elizabeth added some notes to her case file while fighting off a headache that was aggravated by the clickety-clack of her keyboard. She grimaced, paused, swallowed two more pills, and finished off the rest of her orange juice.

"It's days like these that are going to kill me," Elizabeth said out loud.

She could not afford to keep drinking like this. Although, if Clara had kept her promise, then her indulgence last night would have been far more muted. Before reality hit, Elizabeth indulged in a glass or two of wine every so often, but that got worse when Clara started bringing rare vintages to sweeten the deal. Still, polishing off a bottle of hard liquor to drown out her fears was not exactly social drinking.

"How are you doing, Lizzie?" Anna asked.

Elizabeth jumped a few inches and immediately clutched her chest. Her pulse shot up, which was followed by shallow breathing. To regain control, she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down.

Anna's mouth gaped open, but did not intervene. Who would blame her for hesitating before approaching this giant ball of anxiety?

"Sorry," Elizabeth managed to say between deep breaths. "I guess I was in my own world for a moment."

"Ummm... okay," Anna said, hinting that she was not buying it.

"So, how can I help you, Anna?" Elizabeth said to move this along.

Neither wanted to delve into that particular trigger. Anna may be a force to be reckoned with, one who managed this office with an iron fist, but she was wholly unprepared to deal with Elizabeth's shit. Would anyone be able to go through the grinder like she had and turn up fine?

"Kim called in sick today," Anna said.

"Oh no!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

"Just a cold," Anna said. "I kind of feel bad for even asking..."

"So, you'd like me to stay late?" Elizabeth confirmed as the blood drained from her face.

Elizabeth knew that Anna was using this window of opportunity to interact and observe. One did not need to have the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes to notice that Elizabeth had been avoiding late night shifts. Nor did it take much to realise that her drop in performance was tied to a particular weekend last fall.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Anna asked.

Elizabeth put on her best smile and replied, "None at all. I'll just have to let my roommate know about the change."

"Sounds great..." Anna said. "I thought you were married?"

"So did I," Elizabeth muttered. "No. It turns out that getting married in Vegas when flat out drunk is neither wise nor recommended."

Anna chuckled and said, "At least you didn't wake up with a face tattoo."

"True," Elizabeth said. "Now is there anything else you need? I have to finish up these notes before my next appointment shows—"

"No." Anna said. "Thanks for stepping up tonight. I'll forward you her appointments for this evening."

Elizabeth nodded before saying, "Please do!"

She returned her focus to the screen, reading over the last few lines of notes to reconnect with the flow of her prose. All the while, Anna lingered, taking in the scene before disappearing from sight.

"Finally," Elizabeth whispered, hoping that the Vegas comment would explain away most of her behavioural changes.

Before she began typing again, Elizabeth reached for her phone. She eyed the dark glassy surface for a bit before pressing on the home button to unlock.