Nobody stopped.
I did.
Maybe Gavin was right about one thing.
Stopping had cost me everything.
But even sitting there with my future collapsing around me, I knew I would stop again.
The waitress approached carefully.
“You okay, honey?”
I gave her a tired smile.
“Been better.”
She glanced toward the untouched coffee.
“Bad morning?”
“I got fired.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“For drinking bad coffee?”
I almost laughed.
It was the first human sound I had made since leaving the parking garage.
“No. For being late.”
“That seems harsh.”
“I stopped to help someone.”
Her expression changed.
“You got fired for helping somebody?”
“Apparently that’s bad for productivity.”
The waitress shook her head and muttered something about people losing their minds before walking away.
My phone buzzed again.
This time the caller ID showed the agency.
I stared at it.
Then I answered.
“What?”
There was silence.
Then one of the receptionists whispered, “Christopher?”
