"Jack?" Lauren said his name again after receiving no response. "Jack, Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am. I was just thinking about your comments. I uh.." He stopped, trying to remember the last words he'd heard her say. His attention had been sporadic at best. Though he believed he'd managed to comprehend the overall tone of the meeting, his eyes and concern had been focused on Phyllis and, more specifically, on the still labored breathing she presented with. Her chest continued to rise and fall with alarming frequency. "I was just waiting to hear Phyllis' thoughts on the new campaign."

Phyllis stared at him for a moment, knowing all too well what he was doing. "I sent the…" She swallowed hard, the tightness in her chest becoming slightly concerning now. The flu going around and she'd certainly been working a lot. Maybe her resistance was down and she'd managed to pick it up. This could be how it starts. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been sick, so it wasn't as if she could be annoyed.

She forced another breath into her lungs. "You have the Powerpoint, Jack."

"Is it too much trouble for you to go over the high points again?" Ashley snapped from the other side of the table. "I didn't realize your time was that precious."

"Well now you know." She managed a sharp, snappy comment as she glared at her.

"If you look over the Powerpoint, you'll find all the answers…to your…questions." She saw the confused look on Lauren's face and forced a smile.

Lauren nodded. "If you have any questions after reviewing Phyllis' work, you can e-mail either of us and we'll get back to you asap. If there's nothing else, I think we're done here." Lauren stood and quickly gathered her files. She shot a slightly annoyed look over at Phyllis before leaving.

Phyllis placed her on the table. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." She stood and walked quickly from the room, her eyes searching the hallway for Lauren. It didn't take much to realize her lack of involvement in the conversation had annoyed her and she had a lot of explaining to do. Right now though, she didn't feel like explaining anything to anyone as she stopped and stood just outside the door to lean against the wall. She let her hand rest against her chest for a moment, feeling the quick racing of her heart.

"Phyllis?"

She jumped as the voice seemed very close to her. "Jack, I can't deal with this right now. If you want to talk about the stuff in the meetings, we'll set up a time with Lauren later, okay?"

"This isn't about Lauren and you know it. This is about you and whatever is going on with you. Now, something isn't right." He gestured to her hand which still lay clasped against her chest. "Come and sit down."

"Jack." She jerked her hand away from him. "I'm fine. I told you that." She quick motion made her head spin and she was forced to use his arm to steady herself.

He didn't miss the slight sway of her body and he allowed her to lean against the wall as he sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not trying to insinuate myself in your life. I'm honestly worried about you here."

"I'm not yours to worry about, Jack. My life and your life do not overlap anymore. We are business associates and I thought we could be friends, but friends do not berate each other." The fury seemed to fuel her somehow and the adrenaline that pumped through her body gave her a surge of energy that allowed her to yell with a renewed strength.

"Everything okay out here?" Ashley stepped into the hallway. "I can here you all the way in the conference room."

"Everything's fine," Phyllis snapped. "I'm just reminding your brother that I'm no longer his problem. He doesn't need to worry about me."

"Why would he be worrying about you? I thought you and Billy were doing well."

"We are. It's nothing like that." Phyllis sighed. "Jack has this idea that I'm near death or something because I got a little winded coming up the stairs and I'm telling you just like I told him…I haven't had time to go to the gym and I've let myself go a little. That's all it is."

"If I honestly thought that was all it is, I'd let it go. I swear I would, but Phyllis, you were in there and you could hardly…"

"Jack," Ashley shook her head in disgust. "Didn't you hear her? She said she's fine. If she said she's fine, she's fine. Leave her alone. Besides, I don't know that our brother would be particularly appreciative of your newfound interest in your ex-wife."

"Damn it, that's not…"

Phyllis looked at him with pleading eyes and he leaned back a bit.

"You know what," Jack sighed, "Fine. It's your life."

She watched as he stomped he away and closed his office door. Slowly she turned around to face Ashley, the tightness in her chest returning again, "As much as I appreciate your support, I have to ask…what was that all about?"

"What?"

"You know what." Phyllis scoffed as she walked over to the small chair in the hallway corridor. She sat down and crossed her legs, thankful to have a place to sit. She didn't want to worry about this, but she had to admit it was slightly concerning to feel this drained after so little exertion.

"I was just trying to help you out with my brother. I know first hand that he can be like a dog with a bone and I just thought maybe…"

"You just thought maybe if you took my side with this, I might be willing to take your side with something else, like maybe a board of director's decision?" She watched as Ashley's face changed. "Well, I hate to tell you that you wasted your time. I can't be bought."

Phyllis stood, the whooshing sound of the blood rushing to her head almost deafening as she attempted to straighten. She couldn't allow any weakness to show, especially in front of Ashley. Powering through, she headed towards her office, stepped inside, closed the door, and laid her head down on her desk.