I'll Be Seeing You

Thirteen.

My doctor's appointment went better than I expected. Dr. Mallory said everything looked great—my ribs and arm had healed nicely. The bruising was almost completely gone. He removed my sling and told me I was officially cleared to get back to normal life. No restrictions, other than staying off work for another two weeks so I didn't overdo it.

Mark, on the other hand, made it perfectly clear that I was still on "light duty" at home. He insisted I take the next two weeks to relax and let him handle everything. I agreed, though honestly, it wasn't much different from usual. Even before the accident, Mark liked to take care of things. I always had to fight him just to do the dishes.

After we left the hospital, we headed across town. We spent some time at the mall then grabbed some dinner. It was almost six when we were done eating, and Morgan would be taking her lunch break soon. I was a little nervous, not knowing what she wanted to talk about—but curiosity was gnawing at me. Mark offered again to go in with me, but we both knew it was better if he waited in the car. I didn't want Morgan to hold back because he was there.

When I got to the front desk, she was already waiting. "We can talk in the conference room," she said, motioning for me to follow her down a long hallway. I trailed behind her in silence until we stepped inside and she closed the door behind us.

"Do you like working here?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

"It's a lot different from the hospital," she replied. "But I like the change of pace. It's quiet most days. I don't really have to deal with anyone, except for the occasional guest who locks themselves out of their room."

"Sounds like a pretty good gig."

"It is. But that's not why I asked you to meet me." She hesitated for a second, then met my eyes. "First off, I want to apologize."

"For what?" I asked.

"For leaving without saying anything. You were one of my best friends. I owed you an explanation."

"You don't need to apologize for that," I said, shaking my head. "Was I hurt? Yeah. But I get it. And it's not like I haven't done something similar in the past. Still... I owe you an apology too."

She tilted her head slightly. "An apology for what?"

"I think we both know what for," I said softly. "You were one of my best friends too. And what I did... it was wrong."

"I'm not mad at you for that," she said quickly. "I'm the one who left. She was single. You were single. Once I walked away, she was free to do what she wanted. But I do owe you an explanation. And this... this is the part you're not going to like."

I leaned in slightly. "I'm listening."

"I did cheat on Kasey," Morgan said, eyes steady. "I'll admit that. She knows it, I know it... and now you know it. But the reason I did what I did was because I felt trapped. I begged her to change. Begged her to stop smothering me. Every time I talked to a friend, she accused me of sleeping with them. If I wanted to hang out with someone without her, same thing—I was cheating, according to her. And none of it was ever true... until it was."

She paused, as if letting it settle. "I finally just gave in. She accused me of it so many times, and every time I tried to leave, she guilt-tripped me into staying. So, I cheated. I told her about it because I needed a way out."

"Wow," I said, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

"I know, you probably think I'm a terrible person—"

"No," I interrupted. "I mean wow... because that sounds real familiar."

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "She's doing it to you too, isn't she?"