1. An Invitation

Coraline spent about thirteen days in the hospital, but even after she was released, she was instructed to attend physiological therapy for her leg for two weeks, three times per week. In addition, she was given. plenty of exercises to do daily in order to strengthen her leg. The flesh wound had healed, but the bone. had not. So, there was still a cast around her thigh, and she needs to use a crutch to move around.

But she looks considerably happier now she’s been released from the hospital, her eyes regaining that glow that makes them sparkle. Her parents are also relieved to have her home.

Two days after Coraline comes home, I get a call while I travel to Zelt Tech after a particularly grueling day of exams.

“I wanna get back to work,” she says before I can even greet her.

“Coraline, there’s no rush, I can handle it here until you get healed sufficiently,” I argue, “seriously, Gerald and I doing quite alright.”

We were not. Gerald was not doing badly, but I was plain overwhelmed with all the exams I was facing, and all the studying I was doing combined with my responsibilities as the COO without Coraline’s help. Truly, had Coraline been in my position, she would’ve managed it all without a hint of complaining.

But I will be damned if I let my incompetence get in the way of her healing.

“No, you don’t understand. I have to get out of the house, it’s driving me crazy being stuck in here. I’ve done nothing but read and watch movies for two days straight and dammit I feel antsy. I’m not used to this!”

“Coraline, it had been only two days,” I insist, “you still can’t walk ten steps straight without sweating as if you’d run a marathon. You need to get better.”

“But you guys have to be absolutely floored over there,” she retorts, “admit it, Jace, you need my help.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re not stepping foot inside the office until the doctors give you the green light.”

can almost feel Coraline gear up to protest, but then in the last

the office. But that doesn’t mean

“Coraline-”

for the time being, but I’m mentally sound. More than sound, and pretty fricking bored. I might even go crazy here without having anything to do. So, send me everything I can do with a laptop while sitting down, Jace. I can handle

my ground. But as it were, there were about twenty unanswered emails in my inbox with more analytical charts and

and send her a good portion of work

tells me that I did

not meant to take

vacation right now,” I groan, feeling the weight of yet another set of

be getting a vacation soon. The biggest break of them

don’t tell me you’re not fully planning to monopolize my time once

Gerald, who doesn’t even have the decency to look chastised. “Well,

sigh and get back to eating my lunch.

***

semester finals end, and I feel like I can breathe again. By then, Coraline had gotten the green light. from the doctor and proudly limps back to the office. I firmly declare that we are not taking any walks out. of the office premises whatsoever until the shooting menace had been eradicated. Whatever traveling we will

doesn’t argue. Because behind the bluster and the bravado,

then another shooting happens. Another Zelt

area lacking the relevant signals, which is of course, typical. The police scrambled to find the perpetrator behind the shooting because the tapes they’d managed to get from the establishments surrounding the location of

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