Free All Strung Out by Josey Alden

co-owner of an up-and-coming tech company.
    Stubbornly, I manage to finish the run and get my shower and my ride back to work. I jog up the stairs and go into the office. Jen is already there, headphones on, fingers flying on the keyboard. The girl is a freakin' machine. She's amazing.
    But she doesn't look like she feels amazing. The circles under her eyes are darker. She stops typing every few minutes to suck down more water. And she goes to the bathroom three times in the next half-hour.
    When she comes out the third time, I say, "If you're sick you need to go home and rest."
    She sinks into her chair and looks up at me. She is thinner. I'm sure of it. My first thought is an eating disorder, but that doesn't add up. What if it's cancer? What if she has cancer, and she's keeping it a secret? My brain runs with these questions, coming up with dire reasons for Jen's symptoms.
    "Not to be rude, but you look like hell," I say. "I really think you need a break. Take the day off. Please."
    She holds up a finger to tell me to wait, and then she slaps her hand over her mouth and runs for the bathroom. Sick. That's what I thought. I hear her retch a few times, flush the toilet, and then, nothing. I knock on the bathroom door.
    "Jen, are you OK?" I say through the door.
    No response.
    "You're scaring me." I say. "I'm coming in."
    I'm relieved that she didn't lock the door, but that relief lasts only seconds. Jen has collapsed on the floor in front of the toilet. She's still conscious, but she can't seem to keep her eyes open. And why does it smell like someone has been painting fingernails in here? Weird. I've never seen Jen with nail polish.
    "Did you fall?" I kneel down next to her. She's breathing so hard she can't speak. She looks at me, and all I can read on her face is fear. Adrenaline floods my body. "I'm going to get my phone. Don't try to get up."
    I run to my desk. As I fumble for the phone, I glance at Jen's empty chair and hope like hell it doesn't remain empty.

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    Copyright 2014 by Josey Alden. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously.