It's 1AM, August 22, 2014. I just posted updated versions of the first three chapters. I hope one day to finish chapter 10. Also credit to Feriku for betaing up until this point. Not sure if she'll still be interested by the time I get a new chapter ready.

Maybe it hadn't been such a bad day after all.

It had certainly looked grim that morning when James, barely conscious after a few hours rest, found himself staring at his alarm clock one hour after it was supposed to have woken him up. As he rushed to get himself out the door his mind went back to the same worries that had robbed him of a good night's sleep...and the cause of those worries.

He hated to think of Mary like that, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He also had braced himself for whatever Mary's reaction might be - shock, disdain or despair - but when she finally came out of her room she kept it to herself. Then again, with her own worries perhaps she just didn't have time to fret over him today.

Out the door fifteen minutes late, the final blow of the morning came as he ran to the store to find that no one had beaten him to his usual parking space after all. Parking further away had still got him in with ten minutes to spare, less than he was used to but still good enough, but somehow knowing he had done it for nothing managed to stick in James' craw for most of the day.

Well, at least on the way back he got a fairly peaceful walk. A nice little break between work and the mess at home.

As he walked passed the woman with the sweater under the jean jacket she did seem a little upset, but he barely gave her a second thought. Well, not until she ran past him, her hand over her mouth, off the sidewalk onto a dirt path along the overpass. It had caught him off guard, and he couldn't help but peer around the corner to see what she was doing.

Once she apparently felt she was out of the sight of other pedestrians, the woman fell to her knees. James quickly realized what he was about to see, but didn't turn back as, after a brief false start with a cough, she began vomiting into a ditch. It wasn't even a short burst either - it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but seeing a seeming continuous stream of clear puke was rather unsettling.

Finally, she threw her body back to lean against the highway, trying to catch her breath.

James's curiosity piqued, it quickly got the better of him. He too began slowly walking down that dirt path. Mary could wait a few more minutes.

One glance from the woman, however, was enough to stop him in his tracks. Her eyes, shown clearly as she pushed her dark shoulder-length hair back while turning to face James, were wide open in shock. Evidently, she did not take kindly to having her privacy, what little she had expected out in the open, violated.

But turning back never crossed James' mind. He would never get another opportunity to find out what had happened, or if he could have done something.

"You okay?"

She seemed about to say something, but it was drowned out by the cars running by, and she gave up on it rather quickly before gulping and turning away.

James continued to approach, squatting down by the woman as, apparently now finished, she turned her head back up, but still not facing the man.

"I'm fine." It was a slightly deeper voice than he had expected, but still rather soft-spoken.

"You sure? Are you sick?"

"It was something I saw at work..." The woman finally turned to look him in the face. "I couldn't stop thinking about it all day."

He looked her over as he got back up. The first explanation that came into James' mind was drugs, and admittedly the woman did look a little pale, but she didn't sound that out of it...at least, not the sort of 'out of it' he would expect. She seemed more sad than anything else.

But what could you see that's so bad it makes you wanna throw up? Is she a nurse or something?

"Look. I..." He hesitated. "I feel bad just leaving you here."

No response. He tried again, "What's your name?"

She turned away again, shaking her head and hugging her legs to her chest, before finally blurting out a response. "I'm sorry..."

"About what?"

The woman sighed. "Angela," she finally replied, her voice now more tired.

"James. Sorry if I'm...creeping you out."

"N-no, I..." She sighed again. "I'm okay."

He extended an arm to help her back up. It managed to get Angela's attention, but nothing else.

She shook her head again. "I'm just a little tired...that's all..." Her voice seemed to grow uneasy. "I just need to get home..."

"You sure you're gonna make it there?"

Her mouth was open, but no reply came, and she was looking all the more agitated as she seemed to try and throw one out. Oh no...I just wanted to help you out...

"Look," James finally spoke up again. "How about...you know the burger place on Barracks Road? How about I get you something there?"

His offer seemed to only make her even more gloomy; he was pretty sure the woman even had a few tears starting to form. Yeah...I guess I wouldn't take that kind of condescending pity if I was...

But then she nodded, and reached out for James' arm again, trembling in his grip and almost topping him as well as she got back onto her feet.

"Thank you."

The soda was not going down easy. Angela didn't expect it to, but at least she got rid of the aftertaste already in her mouth.

It brought her mind back, thankfully for only a moment, to how her mother had her drink soda whenever she was sick when she was a kid. And, even less comforting, how she still reeked of puke, and that anyone else who felt like taking a table outside would smell it soon enough. They'd probably think she was crazy.

James probably already thinks that. You were treating him like he was gonna kill you or something and here he is buying you dinner.

She tried to not think too much about it as she took another sip. Maybe he is just nice - not everyone's trying to hurt you. Can you think of anyone else?

Then she saw him coming out with a tray through the window. Okay, just...try to act normal.

She took another drink as James approached, setting the tray on the table. "Hey...got you your own fries too."

"Thanks." She tried to make it a little more enthusiastic, afraid that if she still sounded tired and grumpy it would come off as ungrateful. Judging from James' face, it didn't work that well.

Angela took a fry from the closer of the two boxes as James sat down. She gave another glance to the ring on his right hand, another reassurance to herself that nothing was amiss.

James spoke first. "So...what did you see at work?"

She cringed, looking back down to the table. Oh no...now you're gonna think I'm a freak. How can I even explain this?

Fortunately, James quickly followed up with "Yeah...talk about making you puke just when you're eating - bad idea."

Angela looked back up again, getting a fleeting glance at what she thought was probably the first time James smiled in front of her.

"Angela, where do you work anyway?"

She began to unwrap the paper around her burger. "The Harbor Motel just down the road. Just in housekeeping." Angela always liked to call it that. It made life a little easier if she could avoid thinking of herself as a maid, and most people were nice enough to let her get away with it.

"Hmm...guess I probably don't wanna know what it was."

As she took a bite James spoke up again. "What do you think?"

"It's...pretty good. Thank you." She hadn't even had time to get the taste of it; fortunately she couldn't find anything wrong with it.

The man got another smile on his face, this one that seemed to last. "I used to come here a lot, ever since I was a kid."

Immediately, he made another comment under his breath, apparently just to himself. "Should get a milkshake too..."

As he noticed he had taken Angela's attention from her meal, his face turned grim again. "My wife...she's been sick for a while now...I figured she might want something. She's going to see the doctor tomorrow."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay...do you have any family around here?"

She shook her head. "I just live a little north from here with a friend. It's...I'm okay."

Angela tried to rush through the last few bites; fortunately, James didn't seem to notice. "Is there anything else you've thought of doing? That you want to do?"

The question stopped her. James further clarified "In a few years from now?", but it didn't help. If anything, her inability to answer just made her feel even worse.

I can't do this anymore. "I...I think I should get home soon. I...I don't wanna worry my friend..."

James looked somewhat startled to see her get up out of her chair. "I could give you a ride..."

"N-no...I'd probably stink up your car..."

But she didn't leave just yet. Even if their was some merit to her excuse, and James didn't seem to raise any objections, the man still looked rather upset.

"But...thank you. It was really nice what you did for me...I hope your wife's gonna be okay."

The man rested his head on hand as he let out a sigh. "Thanks."

That was all she needed. Immediately Angela turned and began walking along the street.

She turned at the first corner she reached. It didn't matter that it was in the opposite direction of home; she just had to get away.