Erin felt like squirming under his penetrating gaze, but she fought it; her short blunt nails dug into the flesh of her palms as tiny beads of sweat formed at her nape. “We are fresh and have our own unique style of branding that draws attention and has been increasing our clientele across the country and internationally,” she spoke slowly.
“Tell me why our numbers have been slowly declining in Asian territories.”
Erin’s heart slammed against her chest, and there was a rushing sound in her ears. Sweat started to form on her brows, and her palms felt clammy. Those markets had been doing great.How had she not caught the deviations? How could she have slipped like that? But, after what happened at her last job, perfection was the only option for this one, and here she was, caught slipping.
“Erin, are you okay?”
The voice of her boss brought her out of her stupor. Her mouth opened and closed. She shook her head, attempting to clear her brain fog.
“You’re pale,” Archie spoke with concern. “Why don’t you take a seat? Have some water.”
Erin swallowed, pushing back the lump, constricting her airway. Her head felt light. “I need… I need to use the bathroom,” she croaked.
“Yes, of course,” he readily agreed.
Erin turned to the door, ready to make her exit, but as she took a step, the whole room began to spin.Her heart pounded in her aching chest, and her lungs screamed for air. She started to panic when her vision blurred, and the feeling of numbness traveled from the tips of her fingers up her arms.
“Erin, what’s wrong?” her boss called out in alarm.
“I-I-I…” Her mind was a haze. She tried to suck air into her burning lungs as her heart fought to escape the protection of her ribcage. She opened her mouth to speak again, but no words came as her vision darkened even more.
“Erin!”
She felt herself falling forward, but there was nothing she could do to break it as her body became too heavy to handle. Finally, she felt herself being lifted before she made an impact with the floor.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
That was the last thing Erin heard before her eyes fluttered open to find herself in a hospital room hooked up to a drip and a patient monitor. She slowly eased herself into a sitting position. There was a dull ache at her temple, and her mouth had a dry, cottony texture.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.”
She looked across the room to see a man with thin, silver hair slicked back and wearing a pair of spectacles, a white coat, and a stethoscope around his neck.
“How are you feeling?” the man asked with a grin.
“Like…” She tried to swallow the small amount of saliva she’d produced against the large lump in her throat.
“Take your time. You’ve been through a rough couple of hours,” the man spoke with a reassuring smile.
“I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus,” she finally answered, her voice coming out low and raspy.
“The good news is you weren’t run over by a bus. No broken bones, not even a head concussion,” he joked, coming to stand by her bedside. “I’m Doctor Smith,” he introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” Erin returned. “What happened?”
“Mr. Archibald Jones brought you in. He said you were shaking, and by the time he got to you, you had fainted and were cold to the touch. Do you remember any of this?”
“A little,” Erin replied, furrowing her brows as she tried to remember more details of what had happened.
“Okay, you had a panic attack, and we realized you were also dehydrated.”
Erin widened her eyes at this, and her lips parted slightly.
“It’s quite natural for people who work in a high-stress job, and it can be managed with a few lifestyle changes,” Doctor Smith assured her. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
Erin nodded and watched the man pull up a chair to sit and reach for a clipboard on the small table in the corner.
“Was this your first time experiencing the symptoms of a panic attack?”
