Chapter Two

     LYNN HAD BEEN watching everyone run haphazardly. She refused to be caught up in such turmoil, mostly cause she had her own drama filled life to deal with. People often complained her head was frequently up in the clouds. She cared less of people's problems and more of hers. In her terms, she was keeping her nose where it belonged, on her face.

     She was on the phone, not with the newspaper editor liked they asked her to, but with her best friend's fiancée, Miley. The bitch was at it again, framing her for trying to steal Benjamin. Lynn had no business with her fiancé, they were just best friends. Yeah, sure she once had feelings for him, but she buried them down a long time ago. She had been a victim of heartbreak too many times, the same basic love story. She'd been hit with deja-vu one too many times, such that she even got physical bruises. Lynn was a complicated woman, a bit more complicated than others. So much imagination and watched too many fantasy movies. She was lonely too, sometimes she liked a bit of silence, other times it got too overwhelming for her to handle.

     "Does Benjamin know you're doing what you're doing now?" She asked honestly.

      "Does that matter, I'm sure-" and like that, Lynn caught her off and hung up. She rolled her eyes.

     She got out her laptop and started with an email to the newspaper editor, maybe after that she could start on the email to the company's banks. She had a workload and she was completely ready to ditch out on it and complete it all tomorrow. But procrastination wasn't permitted in a high establishment such as this one, either complete it today or die from work tomorrow, workers' motto.

     She got through half of it by noon, she hadn't left her office since then. She never does. She didn't like associating with many of the other workers, only a few. No one ever bothered her about it, maybe cause she was in a high rank. Sure she wasn't among the board of directors, but she was the manager dealing with Human Resources. That had to count for something. Lynn cleared out the files her desk, she'll come back for it after break.

     "Lynn, I need you to checkout the profile of this guy." Paisley barges in handing her a few files, somehow she managed talking to her and was on a phone call over a Bluetooth device. "Bradley Myers, he's some kind of attorney or judge, I'm not really sure. But We need to contact him pronto."

     "Sure I'll do that after I'm done with lunch."

     Paisley, oblivious to what she said, was already off, talking nonstop to the other caller.

     Lynn wasn't planning on having lunch with the rest of the staff. She was going to go on a quick run and return before anyone would notice she was gone for long.

     She climbed into her Topeka and quickly drove out. She cruised down the streets and took a few turns till she stopped at a nearby Starbucks, ordered two cups of coffee and was off.

     Lynn didn't take much time to admire the beauty of the streets, she was flustered. It didn't take long till she was at the New Century HC.

     She hurriedly got out of her car and into the large healthcare center. She didn't waste her time with the counter, she went straight into the exact room she was looking for. It was a private room on first floor. She requested it. She stepped into the room. The woman there wasn't awake yet or she just went to bed but either ways her eyes weren't open.

     Mother.

     Lynn dropped the coffee at the side stool. There were bouquets of flowers and a bunch of get well cards and balloons on it too. All from her.

     Her mom was old, older than most mothers who were supposed to have kids her age. She had been here for days. Almost a month now. Doctors said it was leukemia. She hadn't told her mother yet.

     Lynn sat there silently beside her. Praying? No. She had already lost hope in that. She preferred silent wishing. Faith or hope wasn't required, but she still had a little of it. She hoped for her mom to magically turn out fine, cause for her, God wasn't paying attention. Were those tears in her eyes? Most likely, yes.

     Her life was a mess and ever since her mom had been hospitalized everything got worse. Her relationship with Benjamin was on an edge, she hadn't seen much of him. She—like all humans—had haters, and her mom was a weak spot. What could she do? She was aggressive, gave a fight to anyone who spoke ill of her mom, she got suspended from work once for slapping a secretary. Days weren't going her way. That's why she preferred to sit on her own, and talk to a few people. But sometimes it seemed like those few people were all she had and other times she felt like a pest.

     "Miss Cooper," the doctor walks in with a clipboard and a pen. A nurse follows in with medications and long needles. "It's time for your mother's afternoon dosage."

     "How's she doing doc," she dried her tears.

     "She's responding well to the treatment, that will expand the time she has left."

     "And how long will that be?" The world spinning for a moment.

     "9 months at most."

     Lynn stood up. 9 months. She saw it coming, but it was still shocking. And her mother may never get to see those grandkids she always wanted to have. Lynn left the room and headed out. This time she couldn't stop the the dams from breaking.

"Shit!" She swore under her breath. "Big girls don't cry."

She wasn't going to blame herself, she blamed the universe instead. If life wasn't so stuck up on making her miserable, it would've had the time to save her mother.