One coffee hadn't been enough.

Two...

Three.

“Amy!”

I shot up from my desk that I had been strategically slumped over in a slumber.

“Amy...”

I rubbed my eyes, my mascara rubbing with it.

Elizabeth walked across the white carpets to me, “What are you doing?”

I mumbled as I fixed my hair and pushed my bangs away from my forehead, “Nothing...”

“Were you asleep?”

I looked to her and sighed, “No...”

“Yes, you were.” She pointed out, “What's wrong with you lately?”

“What are you doing in here?” I didn't want to answer her questions cause they all led back to him.

“Uh...” She looked at her watch, “It's lunch.”

I perked up, “Oh, thank god, I'm starving!”

“You...are?” She watched me as I got up and smoothed out the mess of my hiked up skirt.

I nodded, “Yeah... I haven't ate since seven.”

“Well, uh...” Elizabeth watched me, “Okay. Where do you want to go?”

“Pizza or something.” I said quickly, finding my coat.

“Pizza?” She echoed back, “Like the kind that's greasy and full of fat?”

I looked to her and paused, “Well, I'm sure they have healthier options for you.” I slipped my jacket on and headed for the door.

Elizabeth was laughing, “Says the girl who lived off vegetables the past year.”

I grunted, “I'm way over that.”

“I know but still...” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Are we going to sit here and talk or are we going to eat?”

“Eat.” Elizabeth headed for the office door and I was right at her side, “So, Steve's working late tonight.”

I nodded, glancing at my blackberry before actually taking in what she had said. We stopped in front of the elevator.

“Do you want to do something?” She then asked and I had known it was coming.

“I don't know. I feel sort of sick. This morning I was a wreck.”

“You were sleeping on your desk.” She pointed out, “Maybe you should go home and rest?”

I wrinkled my nose, not over my dead body was I going home early, “No.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and we stepped inside the steel box. Some others joined us and then we were on way to the bottom floor.

“How long you been feeling sick?”

I shrugged, “Few days... nothing major.”

“Have you been throwing up?”

I sort of wanted to hit her, sometimes she could get too concerned, “No.”

“What are your symptoms?” She yapped in my ear.

“I don’t have symptoms.”

Finally the doors dinged open.

She lifted her hand and started on her index finger as we walked out of the building, “Fatigue, need to consume foods of the fat kind, pale faced, grouchy...”

“Where are you going with this, Beth?” I grumbled, seeing the pizza place across the street. I lined up my steps, and headed straight for it.

Elizabeth followed diligently, like she always did, “I'm just saying...”

“Uh-huh.” I wasn't paying attention anymore, I was focused on greasy food across the street. We got there and just as we stepped inside the smell hit me. It was overwhelming awful and putrid. I put a hand to my stomach and held back my new disgust.

Elizabeth got in line and I followed with short steps, “So, did you want to do something after work? Maybe drinks?”

“Sure.” I shrugged, the room was starting to get dizzy and I wasn't sure if I was going to survive much longer. I felt the bile building and took a moment to try and regroup.

“Amy?” Elizabeth turned to me.

I covered my mouth and then ran to the back of the pizza place, busting open the nearest door and falling to my knees in a toilet stall. A gross, disgusting toilet stall that only helped me puke more.

The taste of my digesting breakfast from earlier was awful and I gagged more.

“Amy! Are you okay!” Elizabeth was now in the stall, holding my hair.

I finally stopped heaving and slowly stood, my legs were shaking, my hands worse – I was a complete mess!

I leaned into the stall door as Elizabeth rubbed my back.

“Hun, are you okay?”

I closed my eyes and flushed the toilet as I felt the stall quickly.

“Amy?”

I turned on the tap, I was freaking out – I was actually sick. I never got sick.

“I don't know what's wrong.” I started to wash out my mouth.

“Look like death, babe, you need to go home. I'll take you.”

I spat out another mouthful of water and shook my head, “No, I'm fine.”

“Amy, what will Doug say if you puke on him at the three o'clock meeting?”

I winced at the realism that entailed and stared at my droopy eyed, pale faced, sweaty complexion, “Shit.”

“You're going home.” Elizabeth pressed her hand to my forehead, “Maybe it's food poisoning?”

I looked to her, “If it's that will it end?”

Elizabeth stared at me, “How long have you been feeling like this?”

I didn't want to think, I didn't want to do anything – I wanted my bed, “I few days. Four, five... a week?”

“Amy!” She exclaimed, “That's way more than a few days...”

I cringed, “Well, I don't know! I've been working!”

“Amy!” She stared at me with her big Elizabeth eyes and then she leaned in, “Are you pregnant?”

I stared at her and tried to figure out if she had just legitimately asked me that. Then I actually physically screamed, “What!”

She grabbed my hands and tried to calm me, “It's okay. It's okay...”

“Are you crazy!” I snapped at her, “I'm on birth control. Plus you have to be having sex to get pregnant. I'm a celibate loser!” I exclaimed, then cupped my mouth in astonishment.

“Amy, you're not a loser.”

I grumbled and dropped my hands, sickness coming over me again, “Let's go back, I need to finish that report.”

“You're going home, Amy.” Elizabeth took my hand and led me out of the bathroom, through the hole in the wall restaurant and out into the city.

I grumbled, “No, I feel a lot better now.”

“Till you spew again.” She suggested, “You need to rest, you've been sick all morning.”

In all truths, it was a bad day it seemed. I was so out of it, not even screwing over that other company had seemed fun, “Fine but Doug is going to flip out.”

“Amy, when was the last time you even thought of taking a sick day?”

I thought a moment, “Does vacation count?”

“No.” Elizabeth shook her head, “That so far from counts. Call Doug.”

“We'll just go up there, I'll talk to him.” I suggested.

Elizabeth looked me over and I stood in front of our building, now feeling uncomfortable.

“What are you looking at!” I finally snapped.

“You look like you went through a food processor.”

I turned to the window and stared at my reflection, I really did look bad, “Shit.”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth said, “Just call him.”

I rolled my eyes and took my phone from my jacket pocket, I hit the top number, because really, Doug was the only one I ever talked to and waited as it rung.

He picked up on the third ring, like usual, “Amy.”

“Hi.” I really didn't want to go home, meeting, meeting, meeting is all that played through my mind.

“Are you ready for the phone conference at three?”

“Doug, I hate to do this but I'm... sick.”

“Sick?” Doug echoed, I could just imagine him siting and making that weird face that he did when I gave him less than thrilling news.

“Yeah.” I finally said, “I just threw up and I'm a mess. I just can't do it.”

“Well, crap, this never happens to you, Amy.”

I wasn't sure if he was getting upset or not but I tried to ease him, “I know, I don't know what's wrong...”

“Well, you better go home and get back here tomorrow.”

“Yep, thanks, Doug.”

“See you tomorrow.” He grumbled and the line ended.

I knew it hadn't gone over that smoothly but it was better than him freaking on me, “Okay...”

Elizabeth nodded, “Cool. Let's go.”

I let her drag me to a cab, even if my apartment was only a ten minute walk and then we were in the back. The motion of vehicle already was bugging me.

“So, do you feel a bit better?”

I glanced over to her, “Sure...”

“Amy, I think you should take a test...”

I didn't understand her, did she think I was the freaking virgin mary or something!

“Beth, there's no way I'm pregnant. I haven't been with...” I lowered my voice once I noticed the taxi driver listening in, “I haven't been with anyone.” I snapped in a hushed voice.

She lifted her eyebrow and leaned in, “What about Ean? That was like five weeks ago...”

“Oh god!” I exclaimed, “We need to get out!” I shouted, handing the driver a twenty as I fled the car.

Elizabeth was behind me, running to try and catch up as I speed walked down the sidewalk, “Amy...”

I swung around to her once she caught up to me, my emotional turmoil was now flooding everywhere, “Don't say anything about him!”

She stared at me, “Hun, I'm sorry...”

I actually felt my eyes watering, “I can't believe you would bring him up!”

“Well, Amy...” She started.

“No, I can't do this!” I started to walk again.

“Amy.” Elizabeth persisted, “I wasn't trying to make you upset... you just don't seem yourself.”

“I'm fine.” I started to cry, but at that very moment. I knew I was so far from fine. I needed to just forget the whole entire morning by some blessed miracle.

She put her arm around my shoulder and leaned in, “Are you sure?”

I stopped in front of my apartment building and looked to her, getting myself all back in check, “I can go up myself.” I told her, ignoring her emotional need to talk me through my feelings.

“Oh, Amy...” Her voice broke.

“See you later.” I trudged towards my door.

“I'll come by after work!” She called to me.

I waved a hand and entered the glass doors, actually happy I was going home to bed and not my corner office.

NEXT UPDATE : FEB 4th 2014