I was overcome by an unexpected sadness when I entered my apartment and there was no friendly kitty to greet me. I knew she would be happy at my parents' house, and she would finally be able to go outside. But I did it for Harry, and I knew he would be grateful to not have to dope up on antihistamines just to hang out with me. 

I wasn't sure what to do. Despite my repeated attempts yesterday, and a call and text this morning, I still hadn't heard from him. I was worried, and all of the possibilities were disturbing on some level. Had he drunk so much that he passed out all weekend? Was he embarrassed to admit it to me? Had he gone out with friends and crashed somewhere else?

It was close to ten in the morning, certainly a reasonable time to check in on him. Carefully gathering my courage, not knowing what I might face, I grabbed the CDs I had bought for him and took the elevator to the penthouse. I had to be sure not to approach him on the offensive because he hadn't actually done anything wrong, but part of me just wanted to launch into a do-you-know-how-worried-I've-been tirade. 

Taking a deep breath, I rang the bell and waited patiently. It felt odd approaching his door this way. He usually knew if I was coming up, or else we were together when we went to his place. I heard movement, but I had to ring again before the door was opened.

I was unprepared to come face to face with a woman who looked very familiar. "Hi, I'm Ellie," I said cheerfully, thinking at first that she was his sister. "You must be-" But I stopped cold when I realized exactly who she was and that she was wearing one of Harry's dress shirts, unbuttoned low enough to reveal a skimpy tank top. Her bottom half was covered, just barely, by tight yoga shorts. 

"I'm Logan," she said, with not even a hint of reciprocating the smile. 

Just then, Harry stepped into view and his face very clearly declared his shock at seeing me so early in the day, his jaw dropping as if the hinges were broken. I had told him I'd be back later in the evening. 

"Ellie," he said guardedly, and took a step forward.

I held up my hand. "Don't!" I spun around and walked through the doorway of the stairwell so I wouldn't have to stand there in my humiliation while I waited for the elevator. Once the door closed behind me, I raced down the stairs, almost tripping and falling, trying to get away as fast and far as possible. It wasn't until I crashed through my apartment door and locked myself securely inside that I started bawling like a baby.

What the hell? Logan was back, and he didn't even bother to tell me? At the very least, I deserved a phone call saying, "I'm really sorry, Ellie, but...." How long had she been around, or was he fucking two-timing me all along?! No wonder he didn't want to come up north with me!

I couldn't even think straight except to grab my things and jump in my car, which hadn't even cooled off from my earlier drive. I showed up at Bridget's door, unannounced and pounded in desperation. She called out groggily, "Wait a second!" Then I heard her fumbling at the door and I realized she had only gotten off the night shift a few hours earlier. 

"I'm sorry I woke you," I frowned as I stormed into her apartment in the most impolite way and fell onto her sofa, burying my face in the cushion. 

"Wanna talk?" She asked bluntly.

I turned my head to the side and spat, "His ex is back!"

"What?" Bridget yelled and dropped on the sofa next to me. "What the hell?" 

"I was gone two days and they're already like shacking up or I don't know what the fuck is going on! All I know is that he was all lovey-dovey, texting me for half the day on Saturday and then he just shut down, not responding to my texts and then I called him after the concert and he was all I'm just distracted with this project bullshit and I even bought him a CD-"

"Hey," she interrupted me. "Slow down. So you're saying his ex somehow popped back into the picture since Friday?"

"Something like that," I huffed. "Unless he had been seeing her all along and he was just lying to me, that fucktard."

Bridget laughed at my new name for him. "So how did you find out she was back in the picture?"

I gave her an evil look, not directed towards her, of course, and said, "I went to check on him this morning since he had dropped all communication and I was worried. She answered the door, wearing one of his shirts over her skanky tank top and yoga shorts." 

"You're mean when you're angry," Bridget said, laughing harder. "But it does sound like they were getting cozy. What did he say?" She slumped against the couch, picking at a hangnail while she listened.

"Do you think I'd wait around to have a civilized discussion with the two of them? I got the hell out of there and came straight over here." I buried my face back into the pillow, but I managed to let out a muffled apology. "I'm sorry I woke you. I know you just got off of work."

"Shit, forget about that, Ellie. I'm just sorry this happened. What a rotten thing for him to do." She sat upright with her indignation.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Do you want to punch something?" She asked and hopped up onto her feet.

"Yes!" 

An hour later, I found myself at Bridget's fitness club, wearing her clothes and boxing gloves. 

"Okay, so let's start with a jab," she said, demonstrating the move while she talked me through it. "You take a small, quick step forward and throw your left fist at the punching bag, right here," she pointed. "Pretend that's his head." I laughed at the thought of punching Harry, but then again, I knew it would make me feel better. "Fully extend your arm and then pull it back quickly. He won't even know what hit him."

I did the same move several times until I felt I'd gotten the hang of it. Bridget showed me a few more basic moves, and I was happy to execute them over and over again, taking my rage out on a leather-bound sack rather than the man who had caused it. Bridget did her normal workout routine while I spent almost two hours kicking the tar out of my imaginary opponent. And it wasn't just Harry I was imagining; if Logan had really been in front of me, her face would have been unrecognizable by the time I was done with her.

When we finally arrived back at her place, I could hardly move. "How am I going to make it through tomorrow night's shift?" I whined. 

"Ice your muscles, and then do some stretches tomorrow before you go," she advised.

"Well, that helps with one thing," I grumbled. "How on earth am I going to work with that cheating bastard?" 

Bridget's laughter caught me off guard. "Remind me never to cross you, girl! I've never heard you swear so much." 

"Do you blame me?" I asked, letting the misery overtake my heart once again. The punching bag had been a fantastic way to release my anger, but nothing could take away the hurt of seeing him standing there behind her, his mouth gaping open like a hungry fish.

"Not at all," she said, shaking her head. "Are you going to let him explain?"

"What's there to explain?" I mourned. "The woman was wearing his clothes and little else. It didn't look like she stopped by for a business meeting."

"Still, he should apologize to you."

I agreed, but I wanted nothing more than to lie on the couch and feel sorry for myself for the rest of the day. So that's exactly what I did. I was only awakened around dinner time when Bridget announced, "Look who's here! We're gonna take care of you tonight." 

I looked up and found Darius and Kane staring down at me, holding bags and cartons of Chinese takeout. Bridget announced that Lynda and Gloria, another patient care tech from work, would be joining us soon.

"That smells fantastic," I said, practically drooling at the scent of egg rolls. I hadn't eaten anything since the muffin and coffee I'd snagged before leaving my parents' house early in the morning. I shoved myself off the couch and joined them at the table where Bridget was getting out plates and utensils. "So, aren't you guys wondering why I need to be taken care of, as Bridget put it?" I laughed, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Oh, we already know what he did to you," Kane answered. "That bitch."

That got me laughing, but then I said, "Bridget, if everyone knows about it, they're gonna take it out on him at work."

"That's the point," she laughed. 

"Which is exactly why we're discouraged from dating co-workers," I said. "This is going to be awful."

"Awful for him, revenge for you," Kane remarked.

"No!" I protested. "You guys are gonna get me fired!"

"Don't worry, we won't do anything too terrible," Bridget assured me. When Gloria and Lynda arrived, we all binged on Chinese food and watched slapstick comedies. When the night was over, I was exhausted but feeling better emotionally. 

"I'm sorry you didn't get much sleep," I told Bridget before I left. 

"Eh, it's all right," she shrugged. "I've got a few days off so I'll catch up." She hugged me tightly for several minutes, and then she asked, "Are you going to be all right?"

"I have no choice, right? I mean, god, I was falling so hard for him, but it was only a month, so it's not like I wasted years of my life on him."

"Yeah, but it still sucks," she commiserated.

"Sure does, but I'll be okay. I'm strong," I said weakly, making a pitiful excuse for a muscle flex.

With a giggle rising out of her throat, Bridget hugged me one last time and said, "Kane and I'll start playing matchmaker in a few weeks. Pretty soon, you'll forget why you ever liked Dr. Styles."

I appreciated her attempt at helping me, but I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be able to forget him unless I stopped seeing him all together. And that wouldn't happen unless I moved and quit my job.

* * * * *

Guys! Doctor's Orders is ranked #60 in fanfiction! I'm freaking out (in a good way). Thanks to all of you for  helping me get there. xoxo *J*