7 Years Later

Part 4 - Present Day

The next morning at work, my office manager, Wendy, was putting a bunch of papers into a folder. They looked like training papers.

"Is someone new starting?" I asked her, taking my seat behind the reception desk. I was in my dark blue scrubs, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. I hadn't slept well the night before, and I tried to cover my under eye bags with concealer. I put down my tumbler full of iced coffee.

Wendy nodded, "Yes, on Monday. She's a nurse, but of course she has to learn the ways of the office. She's a new graduate, her name is Allison. She seems very sweet."

"Good." I said, "We could use more nice people around here."

All throughout the work day- Matteo was on my mind. All throughout the weekend- on Friday night when I ordered pizza, Saturday morning when I went to the gym, Saturday night when I went to Target to buy makeup, and on Sunday when I dreaded going to work at 8 AM on Monday morning- I could not stop thinking about Matteo.

Fucking hell, Cassidy.

On Monday morning, I walked into work just as tired as I had been on Friday. We open at 9 AM on Mondays, but I had to be at work at 8 AM for the weekly Monday morning meeting, and to prepare some paperwork for the week.

Do I love my job?

No.

But am I comfortable there and is it good for now?

Yes.

When I sat down at the desk, my fellow receptionist, Virginia, was already there.

Virginia calls me her "work daughter". In the year that I've been at the Dermatology office, we've gotten close.

"I hear we've got a new hire." she said, taking a sip of her coffee, her red nails around the mug. Virginia always has her nails done. I've never seen them not look perfect.

"A new nurse, apparently. Her name is Allison." I said, "Wendy said she seems nice."

About 10 minutes later- Wendy walked out from her office- and when I saw who was walking behind her- I almost did a double take.

It's HER. The girl from the store. Matteo's girlfriend. Wife. Whatever.

Wendy walked up to Virginia and I and immediately Allison looked at me.

"Hey!" she said, "How was the wine?"

"Good." I said, "Thanks for the recommendation."

Wendy looked between us, "Do you two know each other?"

Allison laughed, "We met at the grocery store last week. I suggested my favorite wine to her. Crazy that we now work together!"

"That's too funny." Wendy said, "Well, ladies, this is Allison, our new nurse."

"Hey, honey." Virginia said, "I'm Virginia. Pleased to meet you."

"Cassidy." I said, "It's nice to meet you as well. Again."

Allison grinned at me.

I smiled back- even though on the inside I was screaming.

She was a cute girl. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had deep blue eyes with long lashes. She had small features- a small nose, lips, and eyes. She was petite, probably an inch or two shorter than me, and she wore maroon scrubs.

I looked at her hands quickly to see if she had a ring on. She didn't.

"Allison, did you just graduate?" Virginia asked, "You look so young."

"I did, last winter." Allison said, "I'm 23."

"Are you from around here?" Virginia asked.

"No." Allison said, "I grew up about an hour from here. I just moved into an apartment about 10 minutes away from the office a couple of weeks ago."

"What brought you here, the job?" I asked.

Allison shook her head, "No, actually. My boyfriend is from around here, and he just moved back. I decided to move here as well."

I felt my heart skip a beat.

So Matteo is back in town.

"Nice." I said, "Welcome. We're glad to have you."

"Thank you, Cassidy!" Allison said, and I could tell she was glad to have a warm welcome.

As the day went on, I was completely on edge.

In between patients, Virgina turned to me, her dark eyes on me.

"Are you good?" she asked me, "You haven't said much all morning."

I looked around, to see if anyone was near us.

"No." I whispered, "I'm not."

"Well, what's going on? How can I help?"

"Allison's boyfriend is Matteo." I said back quietly.

"Oh, shit." Virginia said back, her eyes widening, "How do you know this?"

"When I met her at the grocery store, he was waiting for her at the end of the aisle." I said.

"Oh my goodness." Virginia said, "These past days must have not been easy for you. And what are the chances you wind up at the same workplace?"

"You're telling me." I mumbled.

Virginia knew about my past- which included Matteo. She knew the severity of this situation.

When it reached lunchtime, I went into the break room. We get an hour for lunch, and I brought a salad with me. Virginia and I usually eat together, sometimes with a medical assistant or even a Physician will join us.

We sat down at one of the tables- and Allison walked in.

"Hey, lady." Virginia said to her, "Did you bring lunch? If not, there are a lot of great restaurants around here."

"I did bring something." Allison said, "I made some chicken and rice last night, not very exciting."

Allison went to the refrigerator, and grabbed out a lunch bag. She then put the container of chicken and rice in the microwave, and after she took it out, she asked, "Cassidy, Virginia...can I join you?"

"Of course." I said, "Pull up a chair."

Allison looked grateful for the invite. She grabbed a chair from another table, and sat across from me.

"Thank you." she said, opening the lid to her container.

"How has the morning been going?" Virginia asked her.

"It's been a lot of training manuals and going over information with Wendy." Allison said, "I will start my actual training tomorrow."

"Is this your first nursing job out of college?" I asked.

"No, I did work at a hospital until I moved. The night shift on the psych unit, it was rough. When I moved I was expecting to get another job at a hospital, but I applied for his job on a whim." Allison said, "I'm glad to be working normal hours."

"That must have been tough." I said.

"Oh, it was! I never got used to the night shift. I'm usually in bed by 9."

Well, that's unlike Matteo.

"That's how I strive to be. But I usually wind up watching trash TV until midnight." Virginia said, nodding toward me, "And this one here- she goes to bed even later."

"That's how my boyfriend is!" Allison said, "He can never sleep. Nothing helps him. He claims he has always been this way."

He has been.

"So, tell us about this boyfriend of yours." Virginia said to Allison, "Have you been together for long?"

"Just over a year." Allison said, "His name is Matteo."

So that confirms it. Even though I already knew.

"How did you two meet?" I asked.

"When I was trying to find a nursing job, I worked at a coffee shop." Allison said, "He would come in often before work. We got to talking, and it eventually just became more."

Even the thought of that made me upset. But I had no right.

"What does Matteo do for work?" Virginia asked.

"He's an engineer." Allison said, "A computer engineer. He is a little bit older than me, he's 25, close to 26."

"Very nice." Virignia said, "He must be intelligent,"

He is.

"Oh, he is!" Allison said, her blue eyes widening, "Super smart. He's kind of nerdy, honestly."

Hearing that almost made me smile.

"What brought him back to this area?" Virginia asked.

I appreciated her asking these questions. It was friendly, but it was also giving me information.

"His mother is having some health issues." Allison said, "He is helping her out. He has an older sister, but she lives in Maryland, so a few hours away."

"And his father?" Virginia asked.

"Unfortunately his dad died when he was in middle school." Allison said.

I felt my heart sink.

His mother is having health issues now too?

"Oh my." Virginia said, her tone upset, "That's awful, honey. Is it serious, what's going on with his mother?"

"It is." Allison said, "She's only 56, but she has early onset dementia. He's living with her."

"That's terrible." I said, my heart aching for what Matteo was going through.

"It's been really tough on him." Allison said, "I just try to be there as much as I can."

I wished there was something I could do.

But there was nothing I could do.

And that killed me.