NINETEEN

"What's going on?" Sarah asked in worry as she walked into the office with Abby. They had been chatting loudly as they made their way back from the cafeteria, and hadn't noticed Lyra's mishap.

Lyra held up her bleeding finger. "I cut myself with a piece of glass," she explained.

Sarah's eyes widened with concern. "Oh no, let's get you cleaned up," she said, rushing out to grab the first aid kit.

Abby stayed behind and held her handkerchief over Lyra's finger to help stop the bleeding. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking worried.

Lyra nodded, gritting her teeth as Abby's handkerchief pressed against her cut. "It stings," she admitted.

Abby gave her a sympathetic look. "What object cut you?" she asked, trying to distract Lyra from the pain.

Lyra shrugged. "I don't know, something shattered and I tried to pick it up," she said, wincing as she spoke.

Abby quickly assessed the severity of Lyra's cut. Blood was still seeping out from the wound, but it wasn't gushing out, which was a good sign.

“Thankfully it doesn't look too deep" Abby asked, examining the wound closely.

Lyra winced as Abby probed her cut with a gentle touch. "I'm not sure. It feels pretty deep though," she replied, gritting her teeth.

Abby nodded, "It's okay. Let's get you treated so that it doesn't get infected."

Sarah came back into the office with the first aid kit and set it down on the desk. "Okay, let's take a look at this," she said, pulling out some antiseptic and a band-aid.

Abby opened the first aid kit and took out a bottle of antiseptic solution, cotton balls, and a band-aid. She poured some of the solution onto a cotton ball, and then held Lyra's finger firmly with her other hand.

"Okay, this is going to sting a little, but it's necessary to clean the wound," Abby warned her before dabbing the cotton ball onto the cut.

Lyra winced again, as the antiseptic solution stung her cut. She took a deep breath and held on tightly to Abby's hand as she continued cleaning the wound. Abby made sure to get into the nooks and crannies of the cut, making sure that there was no debris or glass remaining inside.

As she finished cleaning the wound, Abby examined it once again. "It's not bleeding as much anymore, but we need to cover it up so that it doesn't get infected," she said, reaching for a band-aid.

Abby unwrapped the band-aid and placed it carefully over the wound. She pressed down on it gently to ensure it was in place. "There we go, all done," she said with a smile.

Lyra examined the band-aid closely, grateful for Abby's help. "Thank you so much, Abby. You're a lifesaver," she said, smiling back.

As Abby finished cleaning Lyra's cut, Sarah, who was already behind her desk noticed something on Lyra's desk - a black stiletto heel. She pointed to it and asked, "Is that yours, Lyra?"

Lyra turned to look at the heel, blushing slightly. "Yeah, it's mine," she said.

"I slipped in the lobby and nearly fell flat on my face. I've never felt so embarrassed in my life."

Sarah and Abby both chuckled sympathetically. "I know the feeling," Sarah said.

"Sometimes our accessories can't be trusted."

Lyra shook her head ruefully. "I really thought these shoes were going to last me longer," she said, looking down at her wrapped finger. "But I guess not."

Abby finished up with the antiseptic and put the first aid kit away. "Don't worry, Lyra," she said. "We've all been there. Shoes can be unpredictable."

Lyra laughed, wincing slightly as the movement made her cut sting.

"Thanks, Abby. You guys are the best," she said, feeling grateful for their support.

Sarah suddenly got up from her seat and walked over to her drawer.

"Hey, I have an idea," she said, rummaging through her things. "I keep a spare pair of tennis shoes in case something like this happens. Would you like to borrow them?"

“That's like the thing she needs the most right now, Sarah,” Abby said, rolling her eyes.

Lyra.chuckled, her face lighting up with gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Sarah."

Sarah handed her the shoes, which were a plain white pair of tennis shoes.

"No problem at all," she said. "I'm glad I could help."

Lyra slipped the shoes on, feeling a little self-conscious about the change in her outfit.

"I hope these don't clash too much with my dress," she said, looking down at her clothes.

Abby gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, you look great," she said.

"And most importantly, you won't slip and fall again."

Lyra smiled gratefully at her coworkers. "Thanks, you guys," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lyra carefully took the stiletto heel from her desk, cradling it in her hand. "I don't want to throw it away," she said, inspecting the heel for any damage.

"Maybe I can fix it."

Abby looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Lyra?" she asked.

"It looks pretty broken to me."

Lyra sighed, realizing that Abby was probably right. "Yeah, you're probably right," she said, looking down at the broken heel.

"I just hate to throw things away if they can be fixed."

Sarah chimed in, "Lyra, we can get you a better one. It's not worth the hassle of trying to fix this one. You could even get a new pair of shoes!"

Lyra's face lit up with the suggestion.

"Really? That would be amazing," she said. "I've been needing a new pair of heels for a while now."

Abby nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we can definitely help you out with that," she said.

"It's the least we can do after you nearly injured yourself wearing those."

Lyra chuckled, feeling grateful for the kindness of her coworkers.

"Thanks, guys," she said. "I really appreciate it."

Sarah stood up, ready to take action.

Abby threw the broken heel into the trash can with a satisfying thud.

"Good riddance," she said, laughing. "Now let's go finish up our work so we can enjoy our evening out."