Page 89 of Blaze & Ajax

After I got my shoes on, I kissed him again. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Call me if you need me foranything.”

“Can’t. No more phone, remember?”

“That’s right. Shit, now I’m going to be stressed out all day. Okay, we need to get you a new one somehow because I’m going to be worried as fuck until you do.”

“I’ll ask Alpha for more help tonight since I plan to work.”

“You’re pushing yourself, Precious.”

“Maybe, but I need to start earning money again. Come here. One more kiss.”

After a quick kiss, I grabbed my board, headed outside, and then skated toward the hardware store. Fuck, I didn’t want to face my boss, if he was even my boss anymore. How could I explain what happened to me enough so that I could keep my job?

When I arrived, I popped- my skateboard and tucked it under my arm before taking a deep breath to build my non-existent confidence. I opened the door and stepped inside the quiet hardware store. No one shopped there this early in the morning, so it was always quiet then.

I headed toward the office and knocked on the closed door.

“Come in.”

I opened the door to find Barry sitting behind his desk, typing on his ancient computer.

“Hey, Barry.”

He looked up at me wide-eyed before his brows slammed down. “You’ve got a lot of nerve walking in here after ignoring your job and my calls for days. You do know you’re fired, right?”

My eyes watered, and I took a shuddered breath. I had expected his anger, but my mind was still so raw and sensitive, despite trying not to take it personally. He had a business to run, and I’d failed him.

“I ah… was in the hospital, and my phone is broken.”

Barry leaned back in his creaking office chair and sighed. “Jesus. What happened? Looking closer at you, you seem… different. I can’t pinpoint how or what. You don’t quite look like you.”

“Can I sit?”

He nodded and waved at the chair in front of his desk. I put down my board and sat. “So, the hospital was only a one-day visit… yesterday, but… Ugh, how do I explain this? It’s deeply personal, but you have a right to know. Remember when I’d been a bit chaotic at work and was basically reorganizing everything?”

“Yeah…” he replied carefully, untrusting.

“That was the start of it. I was getting manic… technically, I was hypomanic before full mania took over, which only lasted a few days. Then, I crashed. I was in such a depression, I couldn’t even get out of bed or to bathe.” I rubbed my face with shaking hands. “This is so… personal. God. If it wasn’t for my…” Boyfriend? Friend? Lover? Partner? Aiden and I told each other how we felt, but we hadn’t defined our relationship yet. “My… boyfriend found me and took me to the hospital where I was treated. In fact, I have my first outpatient visit today at four. I have… bipolar disorder. This is the first time I’d had symptoms that I’m aware of, so I had no idea. Maybe I had before, but this was… noticeable enough to send me to the ER. So many people had been calling me, and I ended up smashing my phone against my wall because I was pissed and wanted to be left alone. I’m really sorry. I… understand you want to fire me. It was my fault, but I’m getting treated, and I’m medicated already, but it needs to be monitored. The doctor said I could work because I’ve been stabilized. I’m just asking for another chance. I need this job, and I kinda like working here.”

God, that speech wore me the fuck out. I pulled out a note the doctor signed for me to give to my employer should they ask for it. Barry took it and read it.

“I’m very sorry you’re going through a rough patch, Jaxon. I can’t say I know much about bipolar disorder, but I’ll be sure to research it.”

“Does that mean…?”

“It means that since I haven’t hired anyone to replace you, you can come back. But I can’t have this interfering with work. If you feel the depression coming on again, you need to let me know so I can get other team members on hand to work in your stead.”

I sat up straight and nodded. “You got it. I’ll be here. Thank you so much, Barry.”

“You’re welcome, Jaxon. You’ve always been punctual and a hard worker. I’ve got no complaints until recently.”

“I’ll do my best, I promise.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

I smiled, stood, and shook his hand. “I can work today if you want.”

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