Chapter 29
Kerrie groaned, rolling over. Monday had come too soon. She grabbed her blaring phone and slid the alarm off. She was tempted to hit the snooze button but wasn’t sure she would wake up if she tried to catch a few more winks.
For the last two and a half days, she had done nothing but drink Gatorade, be shadowed by Kenny, and reiterate to Bette and Mabel that she was okay. She was happy to be leaving the house and away from them. It was touching that they all cared so much for her, but she couldn't take being treated like glass anymore. She all but had to make Mabel and Bette go home. She was thankful Kenny had gone to bed early the night before; the stress of the last few days was draining him. She finally had a moment alone to sit in her recliner with the TV muted and a glass of sweet tea with just a lamp on for light. Mabel and Bette both had gotten onto her about the sweet tea, claiming it was going against her hydration, but she'd be damned if she'd give up one measly glass. One wasn't going to hurt anything.
Kerrie carefully swung her legs over the edge of the bed, still a little susceptible to vertigo. She decided firmly that a few more days of Gatorade and getting back into a routine would fix everything. She needed to get back to normal.
After getting herself ready, she went downstairs to the kitchen to start breakfast and heard Bette's car start up. S he must be going in early to play catch-up from missing Friday. That would save her the argument of Kerrie going to work. Thankfully, Mabel didn't know that the doctor had told her to take the week off; otherwise, she would have refused to sit with Kenny like normal.
The morning routine went off without a hitch, except for the fact that she had to sit down for a moment after making breakfast, which she thought was a little sad because all she did was make bacon and scrambled eggs. Kenny stared at her with concern, but he didn't voice it. She knew he was scared. Their roles seemed to have reversed. It was like he was expecting her to break into a million pieces at any moment. And sometimes, the same thought would enter her own head, but she would quickly push it back into the deep, dark places of her mind. No need for that kind of thinking. She was just a little tired. She would be fine.
As her little pickup neared Turtle Grove, she mentally crossed her fingers that Bette would be down at The Main for the morning meeting. She had purposely left a few minutes later than normal so she would arrive at exactly 8 am and hopefully not see Bette until she had already clocked in and had been there for an hour. Bette would not be happy to see her at work. She would just have to get over it, though. Kerrie rested for two days and did what the doctor asked. Well, mostly. Not the resting for a whole week part, but she needed to get back. Turtle Grove needed her.
Kerrie let out a breath when she saw that Bette's office door was closed. That would give her a little longer before she had to face Bette.
She clocked in and passed Wilson's office, and he called to her, asking her what she was doing there. She grunted a reply of 'I'm working' and stalked back to her office.
Shutting the door behind her, she was finally in a place where she had control. In her office, she was able to help others. She was able to decide what was to happen. Nobody looked at her like she was fragile. Nobody getting on to her for drinking sweet tea. And nobody to remind her that she was only human.
She fired up her computer and began to work. Just as she had imagined, taking one day off meant she already had several audits, emails to return, and two new people on her caseload. She had forgotten that two of her clients had graduated on Friday when she was out. Apparently, they were quickly replaced. She would have to do the paperwork to close their charts and the paperwork for the new clients. It was a never-ending revolving door.
After about 40 minutes, she could hear the clatter of men coming down the hallway from their morning meeting. A familiar sound that gave her comfort.
About 10 minutes later, Wilson stuck his head in her office, not bothering to knock to let her know that he would be doing group. He had already planned what he was going to do because he thought that she wouldn't be there for the rest of the week. She quickly corrected him and said that he had been mistaken.
Irritation began to build. She had things she needed to do, and people thinking that she couldn't do her job was only adding to the problem. It was also irritating that Bette was apparently telling people about her business. Her medical problems were personal. Bette didn't have the right to tell it.
By 10:00, fatigue started setting in. She was frustrated. All she was doing was sitting in a chair typing, yet she felt like she could take a 5-hour nap and still be tired.
A knock sounded on her office door, and she hesitated before saying to come in.
She held back the swear that was at the tip of her tongue. Bette poked her head in, looking every bit as perturbed as she had anticipated the blonde to look.
"Why are you here?" No, hello, or how are you doing? Just a demanding answer. Sighing, Kerrie rubbed her face. She really didn't have the strength for an argument. "I'm working, Bette."
She stepped further into the office, shutting the door behind her. She put her hands on her hips. "You were supposed to take the week off. The doctor said to take the week. You don't even have your color back. You are the same color as the wall behind you."
Kerrie rolled her eyes. "I really don't have time to do this with you today."
"To do this with me? I'm looking out for your health. You had a major health setback the other day, and you're acting like there's nothing wrong. You heard the doctor, Kerrie. She said you would be right back where you were if you didn't allow yourself time to recover."
"I know my body better than you or the doctor. I'm just sitting here working on the computer. It's not like I'm doing manual labor."
It was Bette's turn to roll her eyes. "Clearly, you don't know better. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ended up in the hospital to begin with."
Anger began bubbling up in Kerrie's chest. She didn't like being chastised or being made to feel like a child. She certainly didn't have the energy to be getting worked up. She tried her best not to let the anger in her voice show, but it was hard. "I'm going to need you to go now. I have things to do."
Bette stared at her for a moment, then huffed and left the office, slamming the door behind her. Kerrie was surprised that Bette left the first time she asked. She had anticipated the argument would have continued.
Kerrie shrugged but felt mildly guilty for being so coarse with Bette. She would just have to understand that Kerrie knew best.
About an hour later, another knock sounded at her door .
Tyler popped his head in, his trademark smile in place. Kerrie wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his face. The only time he ever came to visit was when he needed something or had something bad to tell her.
Walking in, he plopped himself into the chair in front of her desk. His smile changed to concern, which made her concerned. He leaned back in the chair, steepling his hands and looking at her thoughtfully. "I thought you were taking the week off."
She shook her head and then wished she hadn't because she was a little dizzy from the movement. "I never said that I was going to take any more time off."
"It was my understanding that you were to be off for a week."
"And what gave you that impression?" Kerrie asked, sensing she already knew the answer and she didn't like it.
"The doctor told you to take the week off. Did she not?"
"How do you know that?"
Tyler sighed. "I really don't want to do this, Kerrie. We go back a long time, and we both know how each other works. And you work too much. You exhausted yourself to the point that you collapsed. The doctor told you to be gone for a week, and you're going to do that. You need to clock out. Go home and don't come back without a work release from your primary care physician."
A whooshing sound filled Kerrie's head as she could feel her blood pressure rising. With heated cheeks, she stammered, "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. If you won't do what's best for you, then I will. Effective immediately, you are not allowed back to work without a work release. A printed on paper and signed professional as hell work release."
She shook her head frantically, only making the dizziness worse, and she had to brace herself on the desk, closing her eyes tightly. Tyler jumped up, moving around to her side, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, which she slapped off. "Get off me. I'm fine."
"Clearly, you're not. Do I need to see if I can find someone to drive you home?"
"You don't. Come on, Tyler. Don't do this to me. I need to work," she pleaded.
"You have plenty of days built up, so it's not like you're not going to be paid. Wilson and Bette can handle what's going on here, and I'll ask one of the other counselors to come and help. You do your fair share. No, you do more than your share around here, and it's time other people stepped up. Now, get your shit and go home."
He left without entertaining any further argument from her .
Kerrie stared at the door in disbelief. What just happened? Had one of her worst nightmares just happened? Never had anyone told her to go home. Work was a lifeline to her. She needed to keep going, moving, and helping.
Kerrie pounded her fist onto the desk, causing the monitor and keyboard to bounce. Her chest tightened, and her vision blurred a little from all the movement. She was so angry. Just so angry. Why did people not understand?
Her attention turned to Bette. Tyler wouldn't have known what the doctor said had Bette not told him. He probably wouldn't even have realized that she was at work. He was never the most observant boss.
She turned off the computer with a huff. She could only imagine the kind of crap she was going to come back to. A whole week off was going to be miserable to catch up on. Nearly impossible. It would take forever. The whole point of hiring Bette was to take some of the load off, and here she was making it worse.
She didn't bother grabbing her lunch box or her thermos. She was too angry.
Shutting her door with a hard thud, she stalked down the hallway. She didn't bother to knock on Bette's door.
Bette jumped at the sudden intrusion, a startled look on her face. The look turned to concern as she looked at Kerrie.
"How dare you interfere with my job? You had no right talking to Tyler about me and my medical problems," seethed Kerrie. She knew her face was red from the blaring heat overcoming her.
If Bette was intimidated, she didn't show it. She turned her nose up. "If you're not going to take care of yourself, then someone has to."
Kerrie couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she not see the boundaries Bette crossed? The huge problems she was causing. "You're crossing boundaries, Bette. You don't get to make decisions for me. I am not your child, and I'm not your wife. You don't get to take away my bodily autonomy."
Bette looked surprised, her brows knitted together as she frowned. "I wasn't trying to control you. I care about you, and I want you to be okay."
Kerrie sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself, but was quickly losing the battle. Bette still didn't get it. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't do this."
"Do what?" She asked, her frown deepening .
Kerrie motioned between the two of them. "This. This thing that we have going on. It's just too much. We work together, live in the same house, and now this. I can't do it. I don't want to be with somebody who can't respect my boundaries."
The bewildered look on Bette's face gave Kerrie a momentary sense of victory. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"Yeah, I am. I think we should just remain co-workers and landlord and tenant. I think it's for the best."
Bette stood and started walking towards Kerrie, but Kerrie put her hands up. If Bette touched her, she may go back on her decision. She was too upset to let that happen. "I've made up my mind. And now I'm going to go home, where I have been banished for the rest of the week because of you. If you think I'm stressed now, just wait until you see me next Monday when I'm having to clean up all this shit that I should have been doing this week."
Kerrie turned and slammed the door behind her. She clocked out and left The Church.