CHAPTER 16

'Who are you and where's Emma?' he demanded. He didn't recognized me?! Breathe, Emma, breathe. I became speechless, wondering how to tell him it was me standing right in front of him. 'Sir, she's right here,' I responded. 'Where?' he looked around. What? Do I really look that different? 'I am Emma.' His eyes popped as they scanned me from head to toe. He passed his fingers through his hair as he gave a small smile, but it faded as soon as a medical professional interrupted. 'Mr. Hollen, welcome back. Sir, I have news on her condition. She's responding to the treatment and she's awake now.' I let out a sigh of relief, something I had been holding for the entire evening since our departure from the party. I looked at Mr. Hollen, the grey in his eyes seemed to have fade to a darker color, like the changes in a shark's eyes when it smells blood. I was never so scared in my life. 'Thank you.' His voice was cold. He followed the doctor into the room to see Halley. I exhaled again and slipped down onto a chair. My feet couldn't support the weight of the fear in my body. I felt a touch of long nails on my shoulder. I looked up and noticed Sharon was still standing there. For a minute, I had forgotten she even existed. 'Take these upstairs.' She pointed to her over sized suitcase. I attempted to carry it but it was too heavy to even shift. Did she picked up stones in the Bahamas and put them in her damn luggage? I walked over to her. 'Miss Sharon, it's too heavy for me to carry.' 'That's Mrs. Hollen to you, you wimp!' 'My apologies, Mrs. Hollen.' Are they already married? I wondered. She sat on the chair I previously occupied so I stood against the wall. Mr. Hollen appeared again. 'Emma, what's wrong with the two of you? I was supposed to still be in the Bahamas with my fiancee. I had to fly home early because of this, which shouldn't have happened in the first place because y'all were supposed to be here!' His last word shot like a bullet. I was shaking like a leaf now. 'Sweetie, why are you stressing over those lowly maids? Why don't you just fire them and get new ones? This one, here, isn't even capable of holding a coffee cup. They're out partying and getting drunk instead of doing their jobs,' Sharon inputted as she stood up and stood beside him like he was one of her possessions, glaring at me with disgust in her eyes. She was upset, and that was understandable, but I was just hoping Mr. Hollen wasn't considering what she was saying. 'Emma, when you came into my office, you were in need of a job and you were desperate. Now, you're making me regret hiring you.' Oh no, please don't do this. Don't fire me. I admit we messed up, but, please, this whole thing isn't even our fault. 'You're on thin ice. Walk carefully,' he added again. What does that mean? What he said made Sharon more upset than she already was. 'So that's it? You're just letting her off with a warning? They interrupted our vacation with some bullshit and that's all you're going to do?' she screamed at him as she held his shoulder and stomped her feet. She looked like a kid who didn't get to ride on the pony at a carnival and threw a tantrum. 'Sharon, please! Not now!' he yelled back as he removed her hands and placed them at her sides. He moved to Luis and began conversing with him. Sharon glared at me again, moving closer. 'This is all your fault. I can't wait for when I move in permanently. I will make your life a living hell for this!' she said and went upstairs. The good news was I wasn't fired, but the bad news was Sharon was moving in and was dead set on ruining me. Great, just what I need. I went to see Halley again. She was laying on the small bed, talking softly with one of the doctors. Thank heaven she was now awake and responding well to the medications. 'Hi,' I greeted softly. She looked over to me teary-eyed. She held my hand and sighed softly. She looked drained and exhausted. 'She needs to rest,' the doctor said, hinting that I should go. I walked back to the living room, mind racing and bumped into something hard. 'Are you okay?' Mr. Hollen asked. 'Yes, sir. I'll be fine.' 'This suits you, Emma.' I was lost. 'I'm talking about the makeover. Let me guess, this was Halley's idea?' He wasn't so angry anymore and those soft grey eyes were back. 'Yes, sir. She took me shopping.' I was smiling on the inside, he'd actually complimented me. 'I see. I'm glad you're alright and Halley will be okay. You should get some rest.' 'Yes sir. Goodnight.' 'Good night.' I headed towards my room but watched as he picked up the heavy suitcase and carried it upstairs. The medical team left shortly thereafter, but one doctor stayed behind on standby, just in case. _______________ The next day, I got up early and commenced to work immediately. I wanted to make up for what Halley and I had done the day before by performing my duties the best I possibly could. I had already mopped the entire living room and kitchen floor, dusted the sofas, chair sets, banisters, and picture frames when Mr. Hollen woke up. When I noticed he was up-- I could hear him moving as I passed by his room-- I prepared his coffee and found the courage to call to tell him his coffee was ready. He gave me one of his sweet smiles as he took it from my hands and we walked to the living room where I was mopping again just to be sure I hadn't missed any spots.