“Where’s the off-site?” Marissa asked.
“Maryland,” Jennifer replied.
“Really?” Elizabeth asked, puzzled. “Why are we going there?”
“You’ll see,” Jennifer said with a secretive smile. “We’re going to be doing some teambuilding activities. I’ll send you some more information this afternoon, but I think you’ll all enjoy it.”
Marissa and I glanced at each other, and I knew she was thinking the same thing as me. Why were we going to an off-site in Maryland? We were surrounded by hotels with meeting spaces right here. What could we possibly be doing that couldn’t be done in a hotel conference room right here in DC?
Chapter 7
“Can you believe this?” Marissa asked as we headed back to our office. “Why do we need to go on a retreat in Maryland?”
“I have no idea,” I said in confusion. “If we’re increasing publication to four times a year and suddenly need to get the magazine out two months sooner, why would they send us away? This will just take time away from that.”
“I know, right? It totally doesn’t make any sense.”
We reached the door to our office and walked in, each lost in our own thoughts. Marissa walked across the room to her desk, and I sank down into my own chair. I glanced down at my cell to see if I had any missed calls and right then Elizabeth and Travis stopped by, both of them hovering in the doorway.
“So, what do you think?” Elizabeth asked.
“About the super stressful magazine deadline or the horrible retreat?” Marissa asked.
The rest of us laughed, and I rolled my eyes in Elizabeth and Travis’s direction. “I was referring to the retreat,” Elizabeth clarified. “Seems kind of random, huh?”
“Totally. I wonder who came up with this idea?” I asked.
“Probably someone who needed to put corporate team building as an accomplishment on their annual review,” Elizabeth said, laughing.
“I can’t say I’ve really explored Maryland since I’ve moved here,” Travis said.
“Trust me, you don’t want to,” Marissa sighed.
“Marissa’s allergic to the suburbs,” Elizabeth joked to Travis. He laughed easily just as the phone on Marissa’s desk started ringing. She hurriedly picked it up, ignoring any further conversation with us.
“I’d love to grab a drink,” Marissa purred into the phone.
I glanced back to the others. “I guess that’s the end of that conversation.”
“Who’s she talking to?” Elizabeth mouthed.
“Gym Guy,” Travis said knowingly.
I laughed, and this time Elizabeth looked a little puzzled. I was surprised that Travis remembered our conversation with Marissa the other day, but then I realized that she’d mentioned him again this morning. “Travis is up-to-date on Marissa’s love life. Marissa likes to keep us all informed.”
“Well, no wonder I’m confused. There’s really no keeping up with her,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “Anyway, do you guys want to go to happy hour tonight? That was the real reason that I was stopping by.”
“Priorities,” I agreed with a smile, and Travis laughed.
“Actually, I need to write a review of that new bar that opened over on F Street. We had a freelancer covering a few things this week, but she unexpectedly had to go out of town for a family emergency. I’m trying to check out a few of the places on her list so we can keep on schedule.”
“I’d love to, but I’ve got to finish editing a few different pieces. I was supposed to have a review on my desk by 8:00 a.m., and they just sent it to me a few minutes ago. I need to get started on it ASAP. I’m also in the middle of writing a review of that art exhibit I saw over the weekend. There’s no way that I’ll get out of here early tonight.”
“How about you Travis?” Elizabeth asked. “I don’t think we’ve had an office happy hour yet since you arrived.”
“Maybe another time, when everyone can come,” he offered.
“Yeah, we’ll have to plan a happy hour that’s not last minute,” Elizabeth said agreeably. “I’ll let you guys know if this place I’m checking out tonight is any good—maybe I’ll drag my husband along with me. Back to work for now I guess. See you guys later.”
“Bye,” Travis and I said in unison. Marissa was still on the phone, but she glanced up to wave goodbye.
Travis lingered in the doorway a moment after Elizabeth left. My heart unexpectedly skipped a beat as I realized he was staying here just to talk to me. “Hey, let me know if you need any help with the write-up you’re doing. I loved that exhibit and really enjoyed walking around the gallery this weekend.”
“Me too,” I said with a smile. “If you want to take a look when I’m done, that’d be great. Maybe you can add something I missed.”
“I’m sure you covered it all,” he said politely, “but I’d love to read it.”
“Great, I’ll send it your way later on then. I’ve got to finish editing a few things first, so it probably won’t be until later this afternoon.”
“That’s fine. I’ll talk to you later then,” Travis said, giving me a quick smile before turning to go.
“Bye,” I called out, watching him leave. Marissa was laughing on the phone, and from the sound of things, her conversation was not even close to being over. I reluctantly logged back into my computer and quickly checked my email before getting back to work.
***
I was just finishing up around 6:30 that evening when Travis stopped by my office. “Hey,” I said with a smile as I looked up at him, quickly glancing back at my computer and clicking “send” to email the finished reviews to the web developers, who would post them on our website first thing in the morning.
“Hey, Maddy. Still finishing up?” he asked, casually leaning against the doorframe. His coat was draped over his arm and his messenger bag slung casually over his shoulder, but he didn’t look like he was in a big hurry to leave.
“I was, but I actually just sent everything off. Thanks again for looking at that piece earlier.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“So what are you doing at the office this late? You’re usually out of here earlier than this.”
“I was just trying to get caught up on a few things.”
“Right,” I said nodding. “Well hang on a minute; I’ll walk out with you.”
“Sure thing,” he said with a smile. I logged off of my computer and grabbed my purse from beneath my desk. My cell phone started to ring just then, and I pulled it out of my bag, seeing that it was Brian calling. “My brother,” I said apologetically to Travis, not wanting to be rude and keep him waiting. “I’ll just be a sec.”
“Hey Brian,” I said into the phone. “I’m just heading out. Can I call you back in a little while?”
He said something unintelligible, and I figured that his voice breaking up was just the bad reception in the building. “What? Hang on, I can’t hear you. I’m walking over to a window.” I walked across the room and stood behind Marissa’s desk, looking out the window into the dark night. “Okay, what did you say?”
I could see Travis’s reflection in the glass as Brian started talking, but soon all I could comprehend were words like “accident” and “mom” and “hospital” coming from my brother’s voice on the other end of the line, and I lost all awareness of my surroundings. My vision seemed to blur, and the only thing I could picture was my brother, talking frantically to me on his cell phone. I felt a little dizzy as I tried to focus and concentrate on what he was saying. “What?” I asked in surprise, panic rising in me as I tried to grasp the meaning of his words. “Is she okay?” My voice cracked as I spoke, and I saw a motion in the window reflection as Travis stepped into my office, dropping his messenger back onto the floor.
“Okay,” I said hastily, nodding as I clutched my cell phone. “Okay. Right. Bye.” I flipped my phone shut and turned around to face Travis, tears welling up in my eyes. His eyes were searching my face, nothing but concern evide
nt on his.
“My mom’s in the hospital,” I stammered, and as the tears started to fall, he was already crossing the room toward me. I stepped out from behind Marissa’s desk and straight into his arms. He pulled me to his chest, and as I fell against him, at that moment I didn’t care that it was Travis holding me, trying to comfort me. I didn’t care about anything; I just wanted to see my mom.
“What happened?” Travis asked in a low voice, gently stroking my hair as I sobbed into his chest.
“She was in a car accident,” I said, my voice muffled by his shirt.
“A car accident?”
“I have to go see her,” I said, pulling back and looking up at him. He rested his hands gently on my shoulders, and he had a pained look on his face as he gazed down at me, as if his own heart were somehow breaking.
“Okay,” he said softly, calmly. “I’ll take you there.”
“It’s more than an hour away,” I said, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“I’ll take you,” he said again, his voice as soothing as before. He reached out and gently, hesitantly, brushed some of my tears away with his fingertips, as if he was afraid to touch me. “I’ll get your coat.” He turned and was striding to the door, which he seemed to know I kept my coat hung on the back of. In moments he was back at my side, helping me to slip it on. I couldn’t look at him as I walked over to grab my purse off my desk. I was too upset to even think coherently, let alone to speak, and he seemed to understand that.
Travis followed me into the hall, and we silently rode the elevator down to the lobby. Once we were outside, I started to hurry in the direction of the nearest metro station, but Travis caught my arm.
“I’ll hail a cab,” he said, voice deep and authoritative. “It’ll be faster.”
“Okay,” I replied, too upset and anxious to think of logistics.
Travis raised his arm, and a moment later a yellow cab was pulling to the curb in front of us. Travis opened the door for me, and I slid across the backseat. He climbed in beside me. As he gave his address to the driver, I leaned back against my seat, closing my eyes. I wasn’t sure where Travis lived; I knew it was somewhere in DC, but as we bumped and bounced along the city streets, it felt like the absolute longest cab ride of my life. I couldn’t hear anything in the cab besides the sound of my own breathing, but maybe that’s just because I was concentrating on it, trying to stay calm, trying not to burst out crying again.
We reached Travis’s apartment building ten minutes later, and I opened my eyes only when I heard Travis quietly talking to the driver as he handed him some money. Travis opened the door and got out, and he reached for my hand as I slid across the seat after him. I felt the warmth of his touch as his strong hand wrapped around mine, and in that moment I had an odd feeling that Travis would always protect me. The worry on his face revealed the same thing, and I followed him to the parking lot, trusting that somehow I’d hold it together with him here beside me.
“Okay, now tell me how to get to the hospital,” Travis said once we were safely inside of his car. I hadn’t even noticed what type of car he drove as I’d gotten into the passenger side, and I briefly found it ironic that I’d been so interested in him for months, and was finally at his apartment building and in his car, yet couldn’t care less.
“You need to get on 66,” I said, referring to the highway that led from Washington out into Virginia’s sprawling suburbs.
“Okay,” he said quietly, lost in his own thoughts, as he navigated through the city streets.
Just over an hour later we were pulling off the interstate. I gave him directions to the hospital near my parent’s house. He pulled into the vast complex and seemed to hesitate for the first time. “Where do you think we should park?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Emergency room?” Just saying it sounded scary, and right at that moment I watched as an ambulance came wheeling in, sirens blaring. Travis drove over to the correct parking lot and pulled into an empty space. I shakily got out of the car, and he quickly walked around to my side. Glancing down at me, he held out his arm. I clutched onto him as we hurried toward the entrance. In another place, at another time, we might just be some couple walking together, maybe out on a date, maybe heading home. But as it were, tonight, he was my coworker, offering me his help. And I was here at a hospital to see my mom.
I gave my mother’s name to the nurse manning the front desk, but as she searched her computer, I heard my brother calling out my name. I turned to see him hurrying in my direction. “Brian!” I called out, running over to him. His face looked tired, and his brown hair was slightly disheveled. I figured that he had just come from work as well because he was wearing a dark suit. I threw my arms around his neck, forcing him to bend down and hug me in return. He was as tall as Travis, although with a more lanky build. “How’s Mom?” I asked anxiously.
“Dad’s in with her now, but she’s going to be okay. She hit her head pretty hard in the accident, so they were worried about her having a concussion, but so far there’s been no swelling.”
“Oh, thank God,” I said, exhaling with relief, not even realizing that I’d been holding my breath as he answered my question. “Can I go see her?”
“Yeah, in a few minutes. The doctors are in with her now.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding, and suddenly releasing how utterly exhausted I was. All the adrenaline rushing through me had kept me going for the past hour, but now I felt like I could collapse on the chairs here in the waiting room. It had been such a long night already, and all I wanted to do right now was sit down and spend some quiet time alone with my mom.
Travis came slowly walking over to where I stood with Brian. I guess he’d wanted to give us a few moments alone. “Any word on your mom?” he asked as he approached us. I repeated what Brian had just told me, and Travis nodded, looking relieved himself.
I realized that I still hadn’t introduced the two of them. “Travis, this is my brother, Brian. Brian, this is my coworker, Travis.” The two guys shook hands, and I noticed that they were indeed the same height—probably around the same age as well.
“Thanks for driving Maddy out here, Travis,” Brian said, sounding very much like the older brother. “She’s lucky to work with such great people.”
“Of course,” Travis replied. “I wouldn’t have let her come out here alone after getting news like that. I’m glad to hear that your mom is going to be okay.”
Brian nodded in approval. “Look, I can drive Maddy home on my way back to Baltimore later. You don’t need to wait around here all night.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem,” Travis replied. “I don’t mind.” He looked down at me to see what I wanted. Although I was glad that he was here with me, I still just needed to see my mom and didn’t want Travis to have to sit around a waiting room for hours while I stayed with her. He hadn’t even been home from work yet.
“I can get a ride back with Brian. I don’t want you to be stuck here waiting for me,” I explained.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I said. A part of me did want him to stay, but that certainly wouldn’t be fair to him. He wasn’t my boyfriend, and I’m sure he had things to do besides hang around a hospital all night. “Thanks though. And thank you for driving me here.” Travis hesitated, and I impulsively gave him a quick hug, stretching up on my tip toes to put my arms around his neck. “I really do appreciate it,” I whispered.
Travis’s eyes shone as he looked down at me, and I thought that maybe he didn’t want to leave either. “Call me if you need anything.” He turned his attention to my brother, who was looking a little surprised by our exchange. “It was nice to meet you, Brian.”
“You too, Travis. Drive safely.”
“Goodnight,” I said softly, and Travis gave me a small smile before he turned and walked away.
Brian was watching me as I turned back to him but let the moment slide by without comment. “All right,” he said, interrupting any further thoughts of Travis. �
�Are you ready to see Mom?”
***
I didn’t get to work until 10:30 the next morning. It had been a long night at the hospital, and Brian hadn’t dropped me off at my apartment until after midnight. That meant it was probably 1:00 a.m. by the time he got home. After Travis had left, I’d followed Brian into one of the little curtained areas in the emergency room. My dad had been sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair, and my mom lying in the bed, covered by a couple of thin hospital blankets. My heart had skipped a beat when I saw her there. She looked so pale and had all these tubes sticking out of her body.
“Mom?” I asked hesitantly as I approached her.
“Hi Sweetheart,” she croaked, her voice hoarse.
“Hi Mom,” I replied, rushing over to her as tears filled my eyes. “I’m so glad that you’re okay.” I gave her a gentle hug, afraid that I’d hurt her more somehow. She looked exhausted but good compared to what my worst fears had been. My dad left the room to go get some coffee with Brian, and I took his place by her bedside. She seemed too tired to really say much, so I’d just sat there beside her for a long time, holding her hand until my dad and brother returned.
My mind returned to the present as I pulled open the door of my office building. It felt so strange coming to work now—I’d just been here yesterday, but so much had happened since then, it felt like a million years ago. I probably should have just taken the day off. Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and not see anyone else for the rest of the day. I hadn’t slept well, and I could really use a few more hours of rest.
When I reached the seventh floor, I managed to avoid speaking with anyone in the reception area and headed straight to the office that Marissa and I shared. “Maddy!” Marissa cried out as soon as I walked in. She jumped up and ran over to me, pulling me into a hug. “Oh my God! How are you? How’s your mom? Travis told me what happened this morning—he was so worried about you!” Her words all came out in a jumbled rush, and she clung tightly to me.
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