Page 35 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
Ashley stared out the bus window at the world going by. She couldn’t help wondering what each one of the people she sped past’s days looked like—were they filled with smiles and phone calls and dinner with family? Or were their days filled with stress and sadness? With bills to pay, and illnesses to treat.
She closed her eyes and wiped away the tear that was slipping down her cheek.
“So, what does this mean, Ashley?” her boss asked. Camilla sat behind the white desk that practically glowed in the fluorescent lighting.
“For now, only that I will ask to modify my schedule to take a few less patients in a week. There are some appointments I’ll need to attend, but I can give you those dates months in advance.” Ashley kept her voice calm and reassuring even though she felt anything but as she stared into Camilla’s eyes.
“I’m really sorry for what you’re going through, but we are already short-staffed, with backed up waiting lists as long as my arm. What you’re proposing is only going to make things worse.”
“Can you hire a part-time person, someone that can take the extra load?”
“I’d love to do that. I’ve been asking to hire another physiotherapist for over a year, and the owners keep refusing. I don’t know if I can make this work for very long, and I hate saying that to you because you’ve been a fabulous employee, and I don’t want to let you go.”
“You’re firing me?” Fear ripped through her body, a hot flash of panic blooming, making her hands shake. “How would I pay for my medical bills without the insurance?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
“No, not yet. But Ashley, you have to know that I can’t have you not working for days and weeks on end when your symptoms worsen.”
Ashley bit her lip, her mind racing and calculating numbers in her head. “What if I donate twelve hours a week from my salary toward hiring someone part-time.”
Camilla leaned back in her matching white chair, the springs squeaking noisily. “It doesn’t work like that.” Her boss sighed as she turned her head to look out the window. Her reddish bob and crisp yellow suit seemed like too much color in a room that was void of anything other than white. “Let me see what I can do. For now, we will cut your workload back by one patient a day.”
Camilla turned to look at her once more, and Ashley knew by the look in her eyes that it was out of her hands. This was the best she could offer until a higher power decided to kick Ashley to the curb like a bag of garbage. What happened to loyalty? She’d worked there since she’d graduated and she put in extra hours for free because she hated to see people suffer in pain.
How ironic that she was the one now suffering, and they were ready to turn and look away.
“I guess that will have to do.” Ashley glanced down at the cane lying across her lap and wanted to stand and heave it across the room. Smash the window and anything else she could hit in her path.
“I really am sorry, Ashley. I’ll do the best I can to keep you on for as long as I can. I promise you that.”
The bus slowed and the door dinged, but the sound didn’t register. “Sweetie, are you not getting off here?” The driver’s voice came over the speaker, and Ashley’s head jerked up. She looked out the window, and her brain kicked back into gear.
“Sorry,” she called out.
Standing, she made her way down to the side exit and out onto the sidewalk. She stared up at the large church and sighed. As bone-tired and mentally exhausted as she was, she wasn’t missing the little bit of time she had left to volunteer here. This place felt like another home, and was sometimes more comforting than her lonely little apartment.
She made her way inside. The sounds of those that made this place their home had her spirits lifting. There seemed to be a party going on, and she smiled wide as she stepped into the large eating area and watched the people laugh and cheer. Dennis spotted her and waved before practically running toward her, his face glowing with excitement.
“What’s going on?”
“A miracle,” Dennis exclaimed, and those closest held up a piece of cake and yelled ‘amen.’
Ashley smiled wide as Dennis wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the office. “I got a call from the building owner today.”
“I take it he changed his mind and isn’t going to kick us out or sell?” A surge of energy flowed through her body, the joy in the place infectious.
“No, even better.” Dennis’s eyebrows lifted, the smile so wide on his face she thought it might split it in two.
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What happened,” she asked as they reached Dennis’s office. She hung up her jacket and purse and turned to stare at the man, who was now sitting at his desk. “Dennis, are you okay?”
“Yes, oh my god, yes. Sorry, I’m still in shock. Come sit down. You are going to need to sit down when you hear this.”
She wandered over and did as he asked, her butt finding the simple wooden seat. “So, the place sold, but,” Dennis held up a finger, “the new owner not only wants to keep this place what it is, he is going to fix up all the problems with the building and has already purchased the old apartment complex next door. He’s planning on tying the two together so this place can triple in size, but the extra funding that’s being provided will allow us to do so much more. We can have proper training for those that are trying to get back on their feet. Counseling sessions for those suffering from addiction and mental health. Ashley, this man is a godsend.”
She couldn’t keep her mouth from falling open. It all sounded way too good to be true. It was a massive undertaking that would cost a fortune. “Who is this person?”
Dennis shrugged. “I don’t really know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” The skeptical part of her brain was waving a red flag.
