Untitled Chapter 4/?
“Andrea,” Miranda called from her office the next morning. Rather than the soft footsteps of Andrea’s feet, she was greeted with the clambering about of Emily on crutches. “Have you had a sudden case of amnesia and forgotten your name Emily, or are you taking after all second assistants and answering to that of the first’s?” Miranda asked coldly.
Emily visibly winced. “No Miranda. She left the desk almost ten minutes ago.”
“Well where did she go?”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Emily answered confused as to why it would be so important to Miranda where Andrea was. “She received what appeared to be a personal call on her mobile and rushed out afterwards.”
The doctor, was the thought that immediately flashed through Miranda’s mind. “That’s all,” she said tersely as she made her way out of her office.
She headed first to Nigel’s office knowing that Andrea would often make her way to her closest friend at Runway whenever an issue occurred. After not finding her there, she called her cell as she made her way back to the office in order to get her coat and go in search for Andrea.
As she passed the bathroom, she could hear a faint ringing. She opened the door and noticed a pair of legs kneeling in front of the commode.
When Andy felt as if she was no longer going to be sick, she stood up and made her way out of the bathroom stall. She was startled to see Miranda leaned against the wall, a wet paper towel waiting in her outstretched hand. “Thanks,” she whispered.
After she had washed her hands and face, Andy stayed leaned over the sink with her head bowed. “So?” Miranda asked from the same position against the wall.
“They wouldn’t say anything,” Andrea said, not bothering to raise either her head or her voice. “They asked for me to come in as soon as possible, so I told them I’d be there this afternoon.”
***
Miranda sat in her study late that night, sipping a glass of wine. Andrea hadn’t come back to the office, had only called Emily to inform her she wouldn’t be back in but would deliver the book.
She had been distracted the rest of the afternoon after receiving this news from Emily. She couldn’t figure out why Andrea would need the entire afternoon off. She found herself almost hoping that Andrea was in fact pregnant, and that due to the shock of this information Andrea needed the afternoon off because any other scenario that had played through her mind was unacceptable.
Miranda heard the soft click of the front door close and immediately rose from her chair. Before she reached the doorway, she heard the footsteps of her daughters making their way quickly downstairs. She guiltily wondered whether they were no longer afraid of being caught since she already knew of their fondness for Andrea or if she had just not paid enough attention in the past to notice it.
She impatiently sat back down, wanting to give the three a moment to visit. After having sat for nearly twenty minutes, Miranda had just about decided the girls had spoken with Andrea long enough and needed to return to bed and she needed to speak with Andrea herself. Just as she came to this conclusion and was sitting her wine glass back down, she heard footsteps in the stairway. She caught a glimpse of Andrea and the twins walking past the door hand in hand. Curious to see what new nightly ritual they were starting, she quietly followed them.
She watched from the doorway as Andrea carefully tucked Cassidy in first. “And we can call whenever?” she heard Cassidy question sleepily.
“Of course,” Andrea answered as she leaned down and placed a kiss on Cassidy’s forehead. “Now go to sleep.”
Miranda hid in the darkened hallway as Caroline and Andrea made their way next to Caroline’s room. She watched again as Caroline crawled into bed and Andrea covered her up. “Good night,” she said as she leaned down to place a kiss on Caroline’s forehead as well.
“Night Andy,” Caroline mumbled sleepily. Then so quiet, Miranda wasn’t even sure if she heard correctly, she added, “Love you.”
“Oh honey,” Andrea said, tears evident in her voice, “I love you too.”
Miranda herself was fighting back tears as she made her way back to the study. She had never seen her daughters so easily accepting or affectionate with another person and from Caroline not even with her. She cleared her throat and softly called for Andrea after she heard the soft closing of Caroline’s door.
“Shit,” Andy breathed out in the hallway. She quickly wiped her eyes and entered the doorway of the study. “Miranda,” she said an apology obvious in her tone.
“Sit,” Miranda said cutting off the unnecessary apology or excuse. She watched closely as Andrea practically dropped into a chair opposite her. Miranda studied her as they sat silently. Andrea looked exhausted; her eyes were rimmed red from obvious crying, her clothes were wrinkled and hair in disarray. “So?” Miranda finally asked.
Andy sat silent for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m not pregnant,” she finally said. Miranda released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Before Miranda could even really grasp this information, Andy took a deep breath and continued without looking at Miranda. “I’m going to have to leave Runway Miranda.”
“That is unacceptable Andrea,” Miranda said, panic immediately forming in her chest. “Why?”
Andy began fidgeting and still refused to look at Miranda. “A uh… A family issue has come up, and I need to be there.”
Miranda swallowed around the panic in her throat. “Well take care of it as quickly as possible and then return to work.”
“It’s not that simple,” Andy said exasperatedly. “I have absolutely no idea how long it will take. It could take anywhere from two weeks to over a month, over a month being the more likely. And you’re not really known for your understanding for the needs of time off Miranda.”
“You being absent for a month would be much more acceptable than you being gone completely Andrea,” Miranda said with a pointed stare. “And what exactly is this family issue?”
Andy finally looked up, meeting her eyes directly. “Are you asking as my employer or as my…” she trailed off, waving a hand between them.
“What difference does that make?”
“Well as my employer, I would say that I am under no obligation to explain it to you fully. As for the other, the fact that I don’t even know how to define whatever this is with us adds weight to the fact that I don’t have to give you all the details,” Andy said, boldly meeting Miranda’s stare the entire time.
“Andrea,” Miranda said softly, “defining what our relationship is or is not is not what I am most concerned about at the moment. My main concern is you staying at Runway, any other option is unacceptable.”
Andy sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “Definitely not the main priority,” she added with a breathy chuckle. “So?” she asked after sitting up and looking at Miranda again.
Miranda raised a finger to tap her lips, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Two weeks to a month,” she said absently. “Alright,” she said after coming to a decision. “Take a month, but come back before if the issue has been resolved. Since it’s only temporary, we’ll just move one of those insipid girls who run around apparently doing nothing to run the mundane errands and have Emily handle the rest. If at a month’s time you are unable to return, we’ll renegotiate.”