"How long do you think she'll sleep for?" I asked, changing the subject yet again.
"She's probably exhausted. The body needs lots of rest to heal." Explained Kelly.
"The last few days mustn't have been easy for you," she said, looking at me.
"I'm fine," I replied as I brought the mugs of tea to the table.
"Where have you been sleeping?" She asked.
I looked around the cabin and realised I had no option but to tell her the truth.
"I've fallen asleep in the armchair a few times, and I guess I slept in the bed mostly," I looked down at my hands, hoping she wouldn't notice my cheeks were red.
"Oh," was all she said. I looked up to see her grinning.
"There's nothing going on," I said quickly.
"Ok, I believe you," she said. We drank our tea in silence and watched the fire.
I started feeling restless, so I got up and started making some sandwiches for lunch.
"Are you staying for lunch?" I asked Kelly over my shoulder.
"No, thank you. I should head back. I'm doing a shift at the hospital later. I just came to bring Amelia some supplies."
"When will you be back?"
"I'll be back in three days to take out her stitches. Until then, keep doing what you've been doing," She put her coat and gloves on and made her way to the door.
Amelia woke up just as Kelly opened the door to leave and called out to her.
"Stay a bit longer, please,"
"The hospital is pushed to the limits due to the storm. They need me. I'll be back in three days," she waved as she walked out and shut the door.
Amelia and I looked at each other.
"I made sandwiches. Are you hungry?" I asked her.
"Sure," she got out of the bed and came to the table.
"Kelly's nice,"
"She is. She helped me get the furniture for this cabin, and she brings me groceries once a week. I've been lucky with the people I've met on this mountain." She said with a small smile.
"How's your sister? Are you two close?"
"She's good, thank you, and yes, we are. How about you?" I dared ask again "Any family? Anyone you're close with?"
"My family probably don't even know or care that I'm gone," she said looking down at her plate.
I felt awful. I shouldn't have asked.
"I'm sorry," I said. I finished my sandwich and got up.
"I was close to my family not so long ago," Amelia said quietly, looking down at her hands and pressing her palms against each other. I leaned forward and put my hands on the back of my empty chair.
"My name is Amelia Stern. My parents are Ruth and Jeff Stern. Owners and directors of Stern Hedge Fund Management. Eleven months ago, my parents announced they were retiring and making me the director of, the company, which went bankrupt two months later."
She looked at me expectantly. I had heard about her family in the news, just like everyone else in London had. But I had no idea that she was THAT Amelia Stern. I didn't know what to say. The silence was defeaning. She obviously was waiting for me to say something.
"What happened?" I finally asked her.
"The company was successful for many years under my parents' direction. Then, somehow, it all came crashing down as soon as I was director."
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault. The financial markets are notoriously risky. You couldn't have predicted or prevented what happened." I tried to reassure her.
"No, I should have. That's exactly what our clients pay us to do." She said, shaking her head.
"Do your parents blame you?"
"They haven't contacted me since it happened. They haven't been taking my calls. Last time I saw them, they were heading to Bali for a second honeymoon. But I'm sure they know. It was all over the news and social media."
"You don't know for sure" I tried to comfort her again.
She was taking deep breaths and holding back tears. I went over to her and put my arms around her. She didn't push me away. She wrapped her good arm around my back and we hugged for a couple of minutes until she pulled away and removed her arm.
"Could I get some more painkillers please Brandon?"
I handed her the pills and a glass of water.
"We need more firewood, " she told me. I put on my coat and headed out to find and chop more wood.
The air outside was still freezing cold. As I walked around, collecting broken branches, I couldn't help thinking about what Amelia had told me. Everyone knew the financial markets were volatile and risky. Yes, lots of people made money through buying and selling stocks, but many had lost large amounts of money too.
I was a data analyst for one of the banks in the financial sector, so I understood the risks and the odds more than most.
There hadn't been a crash in the market in years. If I had a laptop and internet access, maybe I could help Amelia find out how her company had lost all that money. Something else must have happened.