201 Unwell

Elle woke up to darkness. Since it was winter the sun rose late and the world around her was still dark. Elle reached out with one hand and found that the spot beside her was empty and the sheets were cool to the touch.

'When did he leave." Elle wondered as she withdrew her hand. She checked the time, groaning when she realized how late it had gotten.

Elle wanted nothing more than to bury her head in the sheets and sleep a little longer, but she had responsibilities to maintain. With a long groan she rolled out of bed and rushed to get ready.

Her eyelids protested, and no matter how hard she tried she could not shake the groggy feeling she felt. 'Just a few more days until the weekend.' Elle told herself in an attempt to gather her spirits. 'Just a few more days and then I can rest.'

A few hours later Elle was sitting around a boardroom table with the rest of her team around her. They had been brainstorming ideas for a new project while Elle zoned in and out.

"What do you think?" One of them addressed Elle, snapping her out of her daze.

Elle stared blankly for a moment before realizing she had been missing the conversation. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Yes, I was just saying..." They continued, repeating the point they had already made. "...but what do you think?"

Elle blinked twice. She missed their point a second time. "I'm sorry everyone, I have a lot on my mind. Can we postpone this meeting for later?"

"Of course." Everyone replied with slightly worried expressions. Elle quickly grabbed her things, eager to get back to the solitude of her office. She must have stood up too quickly because her knees suddenly felt weak.

Elle stumbled once, grabbing hold of the back of a chair for balance.

"Are you okay director? You don't look well." The worry was more evident on their faces now.

"I'm fine." Elle attempted to say but her words slurred. She felt lightheaded and her body felt weak. With no strength left in her, Elle's world went black.

~~~

By chance Adam had also been in a meeting. It was an important client meeting and he had been sitting through it with his usual serious and attentive demeanour.

They were still in the middle of that important meeting when David came in with a pale expression on his face. Adam's eyes narrowed as he watched him cautiously approach.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Hayes, but there was an urgent message for you."

"What is it?"

David approach and quietly whispered, "It seems Elle's been taken to the hospital. They called since you're listed as her emergency contact. She's fine now and resting."

Adam's fist clenched as he tried to hold back his panic. "I'm sorry everyone, something important came up. I'll need to reschedule this meeting."

David looked at Adam with eyes that asked 'are you sure'.

"Please help reschedule the meeting. I'll be leaving first." Adam confirmed as he quickly left the meeting room. Without sparing a second thought, Adam rushed to the hospital to see her.

When he arrived in her room she was sleeping soundly. As Adam sat down next to her he couldn't help but notice that her face was a little pale. Her eyebrows were scrunched together slightly, as if she was worried.

Adam's strong hand reached out to gently stroke her head. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

~~~

Elle's eyes gently fluttered open. She remembered coming to the hospital and speaking with the doctors but she didn't remember falling asleep again. As she became more awake she noticed a tapping sound echoing in the room. Elle turned to see Adam sitting by her side, with a laptop in hand, quickly typing away.

Adam happened to glance up and meet her open eyes. The noise halted as he suddenly stopped typing.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's okay. I don't remember what woke me." Elle admitted. Adam closed the laptop anyway. He put it away and took her hand between both of his instead.

"What time is it?" Elle asked, looking between Adam and the daylight outside the window. "Is it okay for you to be here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"How can you still think of work at a moment like this? Of course I should be with you at times like this."

"The doctors said I'm fine though, I just need to rest a little. If you need to go back..."

"Enough." Adam said sternly. "I'm thankful that you're understanding, but you're prioritizing work too much. Nothing will fall apart if I'm away for one day. Our project will be successful even if you don't oversee every part of it."

Elle was shocked by him. It was the first time she had ever seen him so cross.

"I'm sorry." Her voice came out in a whisper. Adam looked at her worried expression and let out a sigh.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just worried. I wanted to indulge you by letting you work on the filming as much as you wanted but I should have stopped you when I noticed it affecting your health. It's my fault."

Elle couldn't bare to see him look so guilty. "No, it's my fault. I should be responsible for myself after all. I should have stopped when I noticed it was affecting my health but I thought I could just power through it. I can't say I'll stop working on the filming, but I promise I'll hold back a bit. I'll take care of my health first."

"Okay, it's a promise." Adam quickly agreed. Elle couldn't help but feel she had been tricked a little.

Adam sat by her side and diligently took care of her but Elle could still see a bit of anger in his dark eyes.

"How long will you continue to be upset with me?" Elle complained.

"At least an hour longer."