Her eyes felt heavy; that was the first thing she remembered feeling as her eyesight tried to adjust to the dim darkness flooding the room.
Nausea pervaded her body, unsettling her stomach and making her feel so weighed down.
She honestly didn't think she could come into work that day…

Chris came into the staff room, immediately surprised to see Tom already in. "Wow. You're in early."
He smiled softly. "Giving you a run for your money, am I?" He watched him sit down heavily on the chair next to him. "Good time off?"
Chris smirked a little. "It would've been if I had someone to share it with."
"Aww…" Tom rubbed him down his back a few times. "You were on your own? What about spending it with your folks?"
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Things had gotten quite bad with them…they spent their time mostly apart."
"Sorry to hear that, mate."
"It happens." Chris gazed at him. "How about you? Yours couldn't have been much worse than mine."
Tom stopped his rubbing. "Well, it was ok. Spent most of the time with the family, and then paid a visit to the in-laws."
He nodded slowly. "You haven't seen Karen at all…have you?"
"Well…no." He lowered an eyebrow. "She's usually in quite early."
It was his turn to look worried.
"Is everything ok with you?"
"I think…so." Chris felt a little weak and shaky. He'd hoped that the tension between him and Karen wasn't still present – in which case, that wouldn't be good if it was.
"Chris, we're mates. If anything is worrying you, say so." Tom noticed him start to get up, and he placed a hand on his arm. "Please…"
"I'm fine." He forcefully pulled his arm away. "Just let me know if she's going to be in or not."

Chris couldn't help but feel so weighed down; he found himself descend into a dreamlike sort of torpor from what had happened between him and Karen weeks ago but he found it so hard to block it all out.
He was so distracted that he failed to hear his door open and then close.
"Chris?"
His eyelids lost their heavy-lidded feeling and he snapped to, finding himself gazing up at Tom as he came in.
"Are you sure everything is all right?"
"Tom…" He inched himself away from his desk slightly, but stayed pretty much where he was. His muscles ached for some unknown reason. Probably from anxiety, was all he could put it down to.
"I know when something bothers you. You go all quiet and secretive, then start hiding yourself away." Tom perched himself on a desk and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I can't have you worrying the way you are, because that's when you'll start to make yourself sick."
"Nothing is wrong."
He gazed at him, unconvinced. "Next time something bothers you, let me know. Ok?"
Chris gazed at him hazily; he was sure he still felt tired from losing a few hours of sleep. He nodded slowly.
"Good." Tom moved away from the desk he'd perched himself on. "Karen called in anyway. She won't be in – she'll probably be off for the whole week."
"I-is she sick?" He didn't think he'd made her feel that bad. And why didn't she call him? After all, he was the one who acted up if she wouldn't be in!
"She wouldn't say, mate. She didn't sound well, put it that way."
He felt a little bit better.

Karen could barely move herself out of bed; she could hear someone at her door, and she was completely unaware of how long she'd been asleep.
Feeling the muscles in her legs ache and weaken, she answered the door.
She was shocked to see Chris standing there.
"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now…" He started, as he noticed a blank expression casting itself across her features. "…But after hearing you weren't well, I had to make sure you were ok."
"Why the sudden concern?" She placed a hand on her hip. "I'm not off because of what happened, if that's what's sent you over here."
"No, I know." Chris felt that Karen was no longer hostile towards him, but he was genuinely worried about why she was off. And why did she look so tired? "You wanna talk?"
Karen came over slightly exhausted. "It's nothing you should worry about." She went to close the door, when he placed a hand on her wrist, pulling her back to him. "You don't have to worry about me or my private life, Chris, because everything is fine."
"No, everything is not fine, Karen. And I think I should worry about you because look at what it's all doing to you." He protested, a protective shimmer present in his eyes.
"What's made you take the whole week off?"
"Chris, I…" She felt nausea settle in the pit of her stomach, and she tried to hold it back. "Please don't worry about me."
"If it is at all about what happened…I'm sorry."
She smiled weakly. "I know you are and you don't have to apologise for that. I should've believed you. Both Jess and yourself."
"I couldn't hurt anyone." Chris swallowed hard. "But whatever's made you unwell…"
"Go back to work." Karen pressed him. "Stop worrying yourself."
"I don't have any more sets." He put to her firmly. "So I'm not leaving till you tell me what's made you sick."

Chris was led into Karen's lounge, and he positioned himself not too far away from her; he wanted to remain close to her, but not intimately so.
"I don't even know who put you up to coming here, to be honest." She closed her eyes as a wave of exhaustion swamped her.
"No one put me up to this, Karen." He insisted. "And no one sent me."
"Good." She swept her bangs off her forehead.
"I'm just worried about you." He told her honestly. "Why didn't you call me instead of
Tom? I was already there and I act up in your absence."
She gazed at Chris shakily. "Because I didn't want you to be annoyed with me about what had happened…I'd pretty much forgotten about it, but if you hadn't…"
"Why would I be annoyed at you?" He asked, incredulously. "None of what happened was your fault."
"I didn't believe you."
"So if this isn't about that…what is it about?" He desperately wanted to know. He didn't care how personal it was, as she'd told him a lot about what had gone on in her private life. After one incident that involved both of them, that couldn't have made their friendship become any less…could it?
Karen placed a hand on his. "Chris, I appreciate your concern, but all you have to know is that it is not about what went on."
Chris flitted his gaze from her to the floor. He half-expected to feel nothing from her subtle touch, but there was something there that made him feel a little…warm.
"Get yourself home." She smiled softly. "Get some sleep. You look like you've lost some."
"So do you."
"Nothing caffeine can't fix." She led him back to the front door, although she knew that he couldn't quite shake off that sceptic feeling he had.
"Please don't do that." He pleaded with her. "That'll only make the anxiety and insomnia worse."
Karen nodded dimly.
"Just keep yourself warm…that's the best way of getting to sleep quicker." He suggested. "Are you likely to be better by the end of the week?"
She smiled a little bit easier that time. "I should be."