RESPIRE (LGBTQIA+)

Barely Breathing

V. BARELY BREATHING

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KAL'S P.O.V

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LETTING OUT AN EXASPERATED SIGH, I looked up from my paper-cluttered desk to see Ben talking to the others, all while they stood around drinking their morning cup of coffee before starting, leaving me to take my punishment on the chin for the other day when Ben had me go through other people's paperwork before I started on a new case.

I'll hold my hands up and come clean that I shouldn't have left when I did, especially since nothing came of it other than learning that Nichole will not talk, and I have no idea why. I don't know if Scott has said something to her, and with the way Mum floats around him, it would not surprise me if she has gone along with it to agree with him. Either way, Mum was just as tight-lipped as he was.

I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about what it could be that I could have done that has upset Nichole, but at the same time, the feeling that I have been having is still there in the pit of my stomach, and it has just continued to grow. As promised, I dropped the subject and haven't mentioned a single word of it to Ben. It has been a few days since, and I haven't even been to the house to see Mum, let alone Nichole. I finally knew when to back off.

I stacked the last few papers when I let out a long sigh and stood up for a stretch, feeling my bones pop with satisfaction before shutting the final one of the folders, taking this as my time to go and make a coffee to rid the sluggish feeling from coming in a little earlier.

"Good morning, you look tired," Ben commented when I walked towards him, watching the others leave to sit at their desk while he made me a coffee.

"Is it that obvious?" I smiled a thank you as he handed me the drink.

I took a long sip of the hot drink, hoping it would give me the all-needed boost to get me through the day since I found sorting out paperwork was a mind-numbing job to the point my brain ended up sluggish. However, I did agree to this, so I can't complain.

If I was going to be truthful, I was tired. I felt sleep-deprived because my brain raced through every situation that was and could be happening right now. There is no way to silence it so I can get a peaceful night's sleep. And right now, there is nothing more that I would like to do other than lie on my sofa wrapped up in a blanket.

"Anything you want--" Ben began to ask when my mobile phone started to ring out.

I held up my index finger and excused myself as I walked over to my desk, feeling confused about who could be ringing me while I was at work since they should know that I couldn't take personal calls. I picked up the phone to see the words withheld on the screen as I sat down and held it to my ear.

"Kathleen Daniels speaking, may I ask whose calling?" I answered professionally, wanting to get to the point of who it was, seeing Ben giving me an unimpressed look from across the room.

If anything, over these past few weeks, I would not be surprised if I am in his bad books, and I will have to sort through more paperwork. And besides, curiosity got the better of me in wanting to know who it was.

"Good morning, Miss Daniels. It is Miss Coldroy. I am calling on behalf of Nichole Daniels." She began to say, my ears ringing at hearing Nichole's name.

At that moment, the blood drained from my face when I felt my heart stop, not understanding why she was calling me when Mum was her first emergency contact.

"Has something happened? Have you called her mother since she is the first emergency contact?" the questions slipped free before she got down to why she was calling.