“Well, you know there’s such a real difference in Elijah since his accident. Have you noticed the difference in the staff's attitude now that he’s different?” I quizzed.
“You don’t know the half of it. It’s all good, let me tell you…” Jefferson explained.
“Go on, please tell,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, nearly everyone has said they are totally relaxed with Elijah now, and he’s so much more understanding and approachable. He’s still the boss, and they still acknowledge that but they no longer expect him to blow his stack for no real reason,” he said as he sipped his latte.
“Well, I for one can see a major difference in people. Even you, you are no longer the grumpy one that you used to be!” I mocked him.
“Ah, my dear, that is not from work, wonderful relationships certainly put a spring in your step, let me tell you. There’s no better feeling than holding the one who you care for, you should try it someday,” he said as he walked to his desk and leaped.
I sat there and smiled at how the office was changing for the better, if only Elijah could know the difference before and how glum he made the staff feel. There had been no end to them threatening to leave because of his attitude. Even I had considered it and had changed my mind.
I had just finished compiling my reports and uploading them to the server, I lifted my head as the elevator door opened and out walked Elijah. I could see from his face he looked haggard and wasn’t his normal, chirpy new self. I wondered if he had gone back to the tyrant boss he was before for a split second. He walked down the hallway and headed straight to the office. Had he forgotten he wasn’t supposed to be here today?
I entered his office behind him and closed the door, “I thought you were out all day visiting your mother, has something happened?” I asked concerned by his unusual demeanor.
“I have had hardly any sleep, I’m knackered and a little worried. Well, not really worried. I’m disturbed, that’s it. I’m deeply disturbed.” My heart dropped with worry.
“Something has happened, Elijah what is it? Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
“Those fucking flashbacks I mentioned. I had another, I woke up just after one am soaked in sweat,” he explained. “This one though was bad, and it’s not one I can explain.”
“Shit, it must have been bad,” I replied as I took a seat. I wanted to help him.
“There is no way I can see my mom like this. I need to figure this out. I need Peter’s help to figure this out. God, the flashback was of him and Dad,” Elijah explained.
“What were they doing in the flashback?” I asked as I tried to tread carefully.
“That’s the problem, Peter was doing nothing, it was Dad, he was giving Peter a real beating, and from what I could tell there was no reason for it. Maybe he just said something to him, or maybe Dad had found out something about Peter,” he said as he placed his head in his hands.
I looked at Elijah, he was truly concerned about these flashbacks, and there wasn’t anything I could do to help physically, he needed to understand them himself. He needed to learn how to deal with them. I was just a bystander in all of this, and there was only Peter who could really help him right now, anyway.
“I need to rest now; can you leave me for a while? Please?”
“Of course, no problem,” I replied as I helped him to his couch. “Lay down for a while, and I’ll take care of everything.” I turned off the light and closed the office door.
I wanted to help, but there wasn’t anything I could for Elijah apart from comforting him in his time of need. I thought maybe I could contact Peter and let him know what had happened. Maybe he could advise me what to do.
“Hello, Peter? It’s Kendall,” I said in a slight whisper over the phone.
“Hi, Kendall what’s up?”
“I have to be quiet. It’s Elijah, he has had flashbacks again. Bad ones this time,” I informed him.
“That explains why he didn’t come with me today, is he okay?”
“He said he had no sleep last night, so he’s resting in his office.”
“Good, so did he say what the flashbacks were about?” Peter said with a concerned voice.
“Yes, he mentioned this one was quite graphic, and it wasn’t of him this time, it was you and your dad,” I explained.
“Well that is strange, all the other have been of him and Dad, I wonder why I was in this one and not him?” he said in a puzzled tone.
“When he told me, he said it deeply disturbed him, and that was why he couldn’t, or wouldn’t go back to sleep, I think it scared him,” I said.
“So, what was in this flashback? I mean what was I doing with Dad? And where were we, at the office or something?” he replied.