Big Boys Cry

Chapter Eleven

It was probably the 100th time he had checked his phone if he had been counting. He had called a couple of times and still no response. The last time he had seen Phebe was when he dropped her off at the hospital and since then he hadn't been able to reach her and he was worried, more than worried if it was possible.

He was like a ghost in the meeting because each word that was said just blew by like the wind. Nothing would seem right if Phebe was not alright, this was the first time he had prioritised someone over his business so he saw no point in sitting there while his mind wasn't. Without giving it a further thought he signalled to Emeka who was sitting on the other side of the conference table to come over.

"Is there any issue sir?"

"No, none at all, an emergency just came up that I have to attend to so I have to leave immediately. All I need from you is to run point alright?"

"Of cause sir, anything you need."

"Thank you Emeka."

Rah packed up his folder and the papers that surrounded it. "Sorry everyone but I have to attend to an urgent matter right now so Emeka is in charge and if there are any challenges which there shouldn't be, communicate it to me through my assistant. If nothing else then have a good day ladies and gentlemen." He first went to his office to dump all the work in his hand and then straight down to HR floor ignoring his assistant who was calling after him with her oversized glasses which were disproportionate to her face.

The moment the elevator doors opened her dashed in and when he found Elizabeth or Liz as she was called she was in her cubicle checking Facebook but that was the least of concerns instead he pulled her aside for the questions he wanted to ask.

"Sorry to interrupt your work but I wanted to ask if you have heard from Phebe."

Her head slanted to the side in an obvious curious gaze but she refrained from asking. "We last spoke after work on Friday and I tried calling her ever since then because I didn't hear from her over the weekend, on Sunday she then sent me a text that she is dealing with a lot. I tried calling again but no response. Hold on let me show you the text." Liz dashed over to her cubicle and back with her phone and after she opened the text she handed it to him.

"Can't talk now, have a lot I am dealing with. Will call you when it's all sorted out."

Rah read and re-read the text as though fishing for clue but it was just plain and simple, she didn't want to be disturbed but why? He returned the phone back to Liz. "Thanks for your help!"

"If I may ask sir why are you so bothered? Why are you looking for her?"

"Why aren't you?" he turned away to find the answers himself no body was giving him.

^ ^ ^

This was the first time Phebe has been to her apartment since Saturday and she didn't feel right leaving the hospital. Her entire family was lying on a hospital bed unconscious. Thinking about it once again brought tears to her eyes and she tried to blink it away. Her dad's surgery had been unsuccessful because his body rejected the heart and now he was in a coma. If it was just him maybe she could handle it but now he mum too was in a medically induced coma because she was stressed or something, she couldn't hear anything the doctor was saying through her crying.

She reached for the aspirin which was on top of her fridge and if she hadn't left the hospital she would have probably been branded a health hazard because she hadn't had her bath since Saturday. Collapsing on the chair she pulled out her phone and checked her missed calls. She had some from Liz which was expected, then from Kate and her boss and there were a few from Rah. Seeing his own brought a smile to her face, she hadn't smiled in a while. She recalled the time she had spent with him on Saturday and all he memories of it was perfect and she wished it would happen again but that was really the very least of her concern.