The rest of the day went smoothly, and much quicker than you expected it to pass. You found yourself a little disappointed when the day was over, if you were honest with yourself. Working with Frederick was nice. There was an instant rapport between the two of you.

Frederick too was pleasantly surprised when he realized he enjoyed teaching you. Having someone to chat with in between the training was nice too. He discovered he looked forward to seeing you at the office as the days went on. It made going to work much more bearable, having a kind face waiting for him. Of course, Gloria was nice enough, but there was something different about you. He wanted to get to know you better, hoping he might have acquired a friend in you. But he wasn't sure how to best go about it.

A few weeks into the job, you had a rough night. You got a call from Marcus, wanting to chat. You hadn't thought to block his number, and chastised yourself for not doing so. You answered without looking at the caller ID, having rushed to get the phone after you had taken a shower. Part of you was hoping it was Chilton on the other end of the line, though you weren't really sure why.

Your heart sunk and bile rose in your throat when you heard your ex's voice on the other end of the line. That same condescending tone. Marcus spoke to you as if he was entitled to still call and chat, as if there remained some link between you two.

His audacity angered you, that he dared to think you owed him something. You wasted enough time on this man, and him calling to see how you were was maddening. You weren't sure why he was bothering you, but it was as if he knew somehow that you were starting to be happy again. And he couldn't let you have that. He had to try and ruin it, like he did with everything else.

After listening to him blabber a few minutes, your heart beating so fast you thought you might faint, you asked him to please leave you alone, hanging up the phone. You broke into sobs, shaking. Eventually you calmed down, but you only slept a few hours. Marcus still wouldn't leave you, even invading your dreams.

You considered taking off work the next day, but that seemed like Marcus would be winning. You had spent enough time and energy fitting your life to his whims. No more.

And though you didn't want to admit it to yourself, you wanted to see Dr. Chilton. Working with him always seemed to put you in a better mood.

Still, it appeared you couldn't stave off the crying the next day at work. A patient snapped at you, and you bit your lip, trying not to cry. Not here, you begged of yourself. But the emotional dam you had built up wasn't strong enough to hold back your sorrows. You excused yourself, heading quickly to your office, slamming the door shut behind you. Placing your hand over your mouth to muffle a sob, you sat behind your desk and wept. You clenched and unclenched your fists, willing this attack to pass.

Chilton had watched you run past him, in your state you hadn't spotted him. He felt an ache in his chest that pained him as much as his own injuries. Seeing your lovely face so sad was troublesome, and he had the sudden urge to do anything he could to fix whatever had happened. Anger bubbled within him too. If someone had been cruel to you, that simply would not stand.

Frederick walked to your office door, now closed. He hesitated, fiddling with his cane. He didn't want to make you feel worse by bothering you. Still, he couldn't stomach leaving you in your state. He knew how it felt, breaking down all alone. Wishing with his whole heart someone was there to hold him until it passed and tell him it would be alright.

Frederick knocked gently at the door, hoping he made the right choice. That you wouldn't be distressed further by his presence.

You let out a tiny gasp when you heard it, pulling your hands from your face. Shit. Why did someone need you now. You wiped at your eyes, wincing at your hands rubbing at the tears, the sensitive skin surrounding them already irritated.

"Come-come in," you stuttered, setting your jaw and trying to stay calm. You can do this.

Frederick slowly entered, closing the door behind him. You looked so sad, you had clearly been crying. It made Frederick want to cry too. No one so sweet should look so despondent.

You looked up to see Chilton, green eyes holding nothing but concern for you.

"Did…did you need something Dr. Chilton?" You asked, your voice small and shaky. You squared your shoulders, trying not to look him directly in the eyes. You pinched the skin of one of your hands under the desk, the pain at times distracting enough to hold off tears.

You gave him the most pitiful smile Frederick felt he had ever seen. He could tell you were using every ounce of your energy to try and stay calm. He had to stop himself from running to you and wrapping you tightly in his arms. The thought stunned him momentarily, and he paused before walking over to your desk and shaking his head gently.

"I just…I wanted to see if you were alright?" He asked, his voice sincere and gentle.

His tone broke what little control you possessed and you began to cry in earnest. You and Chilton had chatted before, and you had considered him a nice coworker, friend even, but you never intended to let him see this side of you.

Embarrassed, you apologized profusely in between tears, one hand wiping once more at your face. Can't I just disappear, you thought. And things seemed to be going so well for you.

You realized after a moment that Chilton was kneeling next to you. Drowning in your sorrows, you hadn't noticed him moving. If you had, you would have seen the small wince, a signal of the pain brought on by this change in position. He had ignored it, seeing you upset hurt him more than the slight physical pain.

You shook as you continued to cry, biting your lip to distract yourself as you looked over at him, the shock of his actions slowing your tears a bit.

He gently and tentatively offered his hand. "I have panic attacks," he confessed quietly, looking to the floor. You responded by taking his hand, and he squeezed your hand gently in return, a lopsided smile formed on his face. "I…I hope it's okay," he whispered, eyes going to your joined hands, a slight blush forming in his cheeks.

Chilton fought for the right words, usually not at a loss. He wanted to explain how sometimes he ached for just a hand to hold, basic human contact when he panicked. He didn't have to explain though, you understood and simply whispered "Thank you." He sat with you through your attack, just holding your hand. It helped more than you could say.

You still felt a bit awkward when it passed, and apologized again.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Frederick said firmly, as he used his hold on your hand to get up without aide of his cane, straining a bit with the effort. You noticed, tightening your hold on his hand to help support him. He stood smiling at you, not letting go of your hand. You liked the feeling, and your thumb gently caressed the back of his hand.

"Would you like to go get some lunch? Take a little break?" He asked.

"Alright, thank you, Dr. Chilton," you said, standing and giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go to grab him his cane, which rested against the wall.

Frederick felt his throat tighten with emotion as you passed it over to him, smiling more fully now. You were so kind, rarely was anyone considerate of him. At least not in a way that didn't make him feel defensive and weak.

"I'm just going to run to the ladies room, perhaps I can meet you out front Doctor?" You said, wanting to rinse your face.

Your words brought Frederick out of his thoughts, and he nodded. "Certainly. And this isn't a work lunch. Call me Frederick," he said, opening the door for you, ever the gentleman.

"Okay, Frederick," you said, and he felt his heart skip a beat seeing you more at ease and happier. Anything was worth it to see the pain fade from your face.