Part 6 – Heartfelt
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Part 6 - Heartfelt
 
 
 
#########
 
 
My first thought upon waking was to check the clock. I'd beat my alarm as reedy, dim streaks of light dusted the room. My second thought was to check my covers for anything moving which hadn't been invited. Clear but I still felt like washing them the next chance I got. 
 
After a quick session in the bathroom and shower, I called Lina. She picked up on the fourth ring.
 
"Morning, Babs! What's up?" Sounds of rustling and plastic rubbing together filtered through the line. With an unnecessarily-raised eyebrow, I asked her what was going on.
 
"I got up pretty early and I wanted to grab all my stuff for the handhelds game share today. I have some old GBAs, a Color, even a classic, and the one DS. I'm trying to pick out the really good stuff and organize it. I know people will only be waiting for like twenty minutes or so. A lot of games don't work in short bites. Also, I honestly do not remember getting home last night or how I got in bed but thank you, Babs."
 
Smirking for myself, I answered, "No worries. I can prep breakfast and be over soon. It'll give you enough time to test your joysticks."
 
With a delayed but energetic giggle, Lina cleared her throat and answered in the same 'collector' tone from the other day, "I regret to inform you that Nintendo only includes 'sticks' on their 3DS models and they are unsatisfyingly-small...oh my gosh!..." She leaned away from the phone to let out a few laughs.
 
After composing herself, she went on, "However tempting, I will continue joystick testing this evening in anticipation of competitive situations on Wednesday." She held it together there.
 
It hit me then that I hadn't really considered the ratio of men to women at the event. In my vague recollections of old, long-closed arcades there were a few girls around the music/drum and dance things but that was it. Was I setting up my man for a hot geek dicking? I still couldn't imagine it with Lina. Hot date maybe, which wasn't any better.
 
I replied simply, "Understood." Then inquired, "And breakfast? Any requests? Otherwise, I can just make the same as Monday." Grocery shopping tonight was a must.
 
Lina adjusted the phone and proclaimed, "I can make breakfast for both of us. I was Googling a bunch of neat, on-the-go recipes before you called. I'm good with scrambled eggs and I can...put them on a thing with fruit or jam. And maybe quinoa."
 
Brushing my hair back, I took a deep breath and put it the best way I could, "Lina, sweetie, pace yourself. You will be working hard with patients in all-new ways today. Let the OWL team balance things for you. I've got breakfast this day, alright?"
 
With a small groan, she agreed but argued, "This day. I'll read up more and make something really cool, special, and tasty tomorrow."
 
"Sure thing. I know you can do it. See you in a bit."
 
Might as well finish off the eggs and the tortillas. A breakfast quesadilla with whatever was still fresh in the remaining veggie section for Lina and some meat for me.  
 
Dressing, I thought it was a red sort of day. Black and red. I thought about knee-high boots and wasn't sure why. Another time. Glasses on, hair up, and I was out of there.
 
Past the steps and into the parking lot, I noticed a scampering black beetle bolting from the complex. It stopped on the embankment. Bad choice. Crunched beneath my heel. I wiped its corpse on the dewy grass beside. Send a message. 
 
When I picked up Lina, she had a bulgier bag than Monday and a canvas tote balancing on the other shoulder. She showed it off. Lots of stuff.
 
"Gotta catch them all!" She proclaimed with a smile. Ah, Pokemon. I knew that one. She actually said she hadn't brought any of those. They were too time-consuming.
 
She noted, "Also, I should've started last night because some are way down on charge. For those that take batteries, we're good."
 
This was presenting more complications for me dealing with other Lina when she came back from her convention. Could really go for the bet-keepers helping me the fuck out there when the time came. Would even more so like my man back but going on four days there.
 
Lina nibbled at her warm quesadilla, which nearly dripped on her fresh-out-of-the-dryer scrubs. 
 
We ate together at the break-room table. Lina had her rechargeable devices plugged in and commandeered a dusty, unused basin for storage. At my suggestion, with a permanent marker, she inscribed "OWL" on the back of each. Her initials would be out of the question but hopefully this would still make sense to other Lina. 
 
When the first people came through those doors, she had her spot in reception all-organized with the basin beside her under the desk. All highlighters and pens were at the ready too. She still fidgeted but smiled eagerly. 
 
I broke out a fresh tube of hand cream. It felt like a while since I'd used any, but it had been pleasantly-humid the last few days. I needed it all the time as a kid or my skin would be a mess. Long sniff. Apples and lavender. So relaxing. 
 
Then, came the storm. Office billing us for sending back a patient who needed a secondary form. No, honey, it didn't work that way. And the beautiful people from the clinic at the end of the road sending us blank forms today after one of those nearly-black, ink-depleting ones yesterday. Apples...aaaappples...
 
Meanwhile, I checked in on Lina whenever possible. Not because she needed the assistance but because I wanted to see when she put her plan into action. 
 
The first few clients with a longer wait were older and had tremors. Still, Lina gave it a shot.
 
"We have some donated...electronic devices you can borrow till you're called back." She held up a purple, folded one. The stillness of the waiting room made me wince. 
 
The old, scowling man on the side asked hoarsely, "Is there a TV in here?"
 
With how spartan the walls were, it would've been pretty easy to tell if there was a TV or not you fucking...
 
"As far as I know, there's no TV. Sorry." Lina politely bowed her head.
 
After a little muttering, there were no more comments from the waiting room. Hang in there, Lina. 
 
Deb responded well to me skulking nearby, setting her phone down from whatever typical trash she was reading and resuming work. However, my own body was willfully-ignorant of my disgust at a growing ache along the side of my throat. Fizzy vitamin C powder and hot tea was the only response.
 
And the hits kept coming as Conroy Family Medical had five people they needed test records from. This was the only information they gave me in over a week. Call them up and you get a different dumbstruck girl who Lina put to shame in her very first hour on the job. Were they fucking stoners who just forgot where the fuck they were? Some of their statements begged that question.
 
"You need the papers, Babs."
 
"Yes, please. Fax over the requests."
 
"I...can't. You need the papers."
 
"You want their files. We need to know who was tested and when."
 
"Fill out the papers and send what you have."
 
My eye was twitching again.
 
"Your patients. You know who."
 
"They went to you. Just get the papers."
 
"I can't get the right papers to you if you don't get the right information to me."
 
"...What was your name again?"
 
Bitch, I am Barbara Fucking Finnacker and I am literally going to run the mile it takes to get to you, shove my fist right up your ass, and make my own personal muppet out of your brainless body!
 
To her credit, she hung up/got cut off right before I could calmly relay my response. So, I didn't have to deal with her right then.
 
Lina's game basin hadn't moved. The crowd was a little younger. Some teens but everyone I could see had their eyes locked on their phones. Lina sighed to herself and completed her paperwork for me. 
 
It was getting close to lunchtime when the first couple of kids came in. Broken arm, anemia, and then Lily.
 
Seven now, she'd been in a few times for hair testing and multiple blood tests. Near as they could tell, she had psoriatic alopecia. She had her pink, fuzzy hat on with light tufts of her remaining blond hair sticking out the sides. Her dad gently brushed the skin flakes from her pale-white top. 
 
She held herself in a fetal position on the chair and stared at the carpet. Lina approached, crouching beside her. Lily never cried. She would swallow roughly and grimace but not cry. 
 
When Lina finished her paperwork, she reached into her scrub pocket and pulled out the silver one she'd brought. 
 
"Since you have a longer wait, I thought you might feel better with a video game. Do you play video games, Lily?"
 
Small shake of her head. 
 
As I worked, I caught snippets of Lina explaining the game to her and which buttons to push. Her father leaned close and encouraged her to try it. Slowly, Lily did.
 
Sadly, I had to deal with an insurance for the next little bit. We had allegedly inputted a diagnosis code incorrectly. Which one? One of them. What was the right one? Damned if anyone could tell me that. No, we had to know the right code for the right situation they were willing to pay in the right field according to this particular policy or we would be given partial to zero payment. Get it all right against their computer and we were golden. No pressure. 
 
I audited the notes to see what the referring physician should've given us. Turned out he wrote the right code, just in a tiny scrawl where a zero looked like an eight. One headache down, couple billion to go. 
 
When Lily made her way back, her father had to guide her because she had a tight, close grip on her game. No sounds made during any of the tests, just a pause and a look of disappointment when she was told it was over. 
 
She closed up the system slowly and trudged back to reception. She wiped it with her sleeve before holding it out for Lina. Crouching down in her seat, Lina smiled and told her, "I want you to keep it. In fact..." 
 
Digging around in the basin, she put two more games in Lily's hand and told her, "Please enjoy it."
 
Lily never hugged anyone. She only ever clung to her father's side when she was scared. But she leapt at Lina and buried her face in her stomach with such energy that they both nearly plopped back in the reception chair. Later, Lina told me Lily whispered, "Thank you."
 
As her father thanked Lina too, I realized I'd never heard Lily say anything in all her visits. She was already back to her game with the faintest trace of a smile on her face as she went out the door. 
 
Checking in on Lina, she was blinking and sniffling. I told her to take a break. As cute as her crying about yesterday's hug was, doing it in the middle of the waiting room wasn't a good idea. 
 
Upon returning, she set aside the hesitancy of earlier and firmly announced, "We have games for those who'd like to borrow one while you wait."
 
It wasn't exactly a sea change but it did draw a few curious people, enough she had to create a separate sign-in list. Fortunately, she didn't run out of stuff to loan. Unfortunately, I didn't run out of people who strained my patience. 
 
After reminding the staff of Wallrook Medical for the umpteenth fucking time that we were not a free clinic who did their shit when they were overloaded, it was lunch. And I had gone through a full tube of my hand cream. 
 
At least Lina joined me with a smile on her face after locking up. Even though I'd caught many of the details, she gushed about Lily. 
 
"Such a sweet kid. Hope she has more smiles from now on."
 
Only one game was missing but Lina had a duplicate of it. However, she hopefully-wondered, "Maybe it got dropped behind a chair?"
 
While searching, she asked, "Do we have a vacuum?" 
 
Indeed, we did. An old Kirby vacuum Archie bought ages ago from a door-to-door salesman and had kept supplied with replacement parts ever since. It looked like something pulled from another era with its chrome head and long, tan bag but its suction was a thing of reverence. Lina giggled when she saw the name.
 
I helped her haul the massive beast into the hallway. Greg usually vacuumed, working up a thick, glossy sweat by the time he was done. Plugging it in, Lina wasn't prepared for the forward thrust, but she was soon able to wrangle it in the right direction.
 
While she cleaned, I sanitized the important parts of the restroom. No reason to do a full job until we were sure there would be no more surprise "wall artists".
 
Back in the waiting room, I pushed chairs and benches aside for Lina and carefully wiped down the blinds. It wasn't that bad. In Albuquerque, where I grew up, you sometimes had fucking dunes after less than a week. Still, the result was nicer and more professional. However, Lina discovered the game she was looking for was under some paperwork on the reception desk. No harm done but I was really eager for lunch.
 
We went about a mile up the main road to Jean's Diner in the heart of old downtown. The parking was shit but I'd been there a few times and enjoyed it. Lina picked the daily special and I got the chicken platter because I can never have enough cock. I quipped this to Lina and she let out a little snort-giggle through her tea. The old lady in the booth beside us gave me a disgusted look. Clearly, she wasn't getting enough either.
 
Tracing her cup lip with her finger, Lina announced, "I've been thinking about staying on at the office after this week. I like the work. Dealing with the people who come in, like I said yesterday, has really been satisfying. And I've been doing stuff I never thought I'd be able to do." 
 
I took a deep breath and listened to the little model train chug along the circular track above us. After a sip of coffee, I told Lina, "If it were up to me, you'd have a permanent place at OWL, but that's not my call. We already have three full-time staff in the front office. John, despite being a soggy bum lately, is the reason I don't lose my mind some days."
 
Lina nodded and breathed over her tea. "I get it. I wouldn't want John or anyone else to lose their job because of me."
 
Rubbing my forehead, I noted, "You're a great person for reception. We all usually take turns and it's so chaotic. I'd love for you to stay but, even if you came in early and late like we talked about, would working all those hours be worth it?"
 
"Yes", Lina looked up and answered without a flinch or pause. "No matter the pay or the exhaustion, it's worth it to me."
 
I raised my cup and told her, "In that case, I'll do what I can to make sure you're hired."
 
She clinked my cup and smiled. "Thanks."
 
Despite my words, I knew with my eyes that this Lina wouldn't last the week. I'd do my best to help the other one, though I barely knew her. She likely never found her way to Greg's bedroom. Never became an outsider in her own life. Never wore pink scrubs. Never gave a video game to a little girl with her hair and scalp falling out. Could she and I even be friends?...
 
Nah, not worth fretting about. We had now. We had lunch on a Tuesday. And I had a long piece of cock to eat, just not the one I was truly craving. 
 
Back at the office, the afternoon session was eerily-manageable. Deb did her thing. No soul-leeching orders came through, just the usual crap. Lina had only a few borrowers and their reactions were subdued. Still, she smiled through the end of the day.
 
After locking up and waving a friendly middle finger goodbye to Deb's black-smoke-puffing sedan, I sat down before the doctor scrawls we'd received. These would go into the archives. Like an archaeologist trying to decode ancient runes, I worked line by line to make everything understandable in case anyone ever tried to blame us again for a thing they screwed up.
 
Some of it was hopeless. I knew my fucking shorthand, but one note was literally just packed strings of circles. Any notes with those went in my metaphorical burn pile.
 
When I finished the last of them, I stretched, adjusted the shoulder straps of my bra, and glanced around for Lina. Nowhere. 
 
Standing, I checked both the break room and reception, expecting to see her slumped over something and snoring away. Nope. Same with the x-ray area, the lab, and Deb's space.
 
The last place was the restroom. In retrospect, I should've tried there first, but Lina had made far fewer trips today than Monday. I knocked and she quickly called through the door, "Oh! Just a sec! Be right out!"
 
Wow, she must've saved it all for one long go.
 
Listening, I heard clanking and scuffing, followed by water running and limbs banging into the sink and paper towel dispenser. Then, gasps and whimpering. 
 
Rushing back, I took the emergency key and unlocked the door to see Lina clinging to the wall with her weight off her feet and the lower half of her scrubs barely on sideways. One of the game machines she'd brought to share lay by the side of the toilet. 
 
I figured it out before Lina said, through winces, "Pins and needles..." 
 
Yeah, if you sit on the pot for an hour, that will happen. Granted, I spent a lot more time than I should've the same way, with books as a teenager and with my phone before it turned to the path of evil.
 
I supported Lina until the pain went away and she was able to fix her clothes. I had no idea what Dragon Warrior 3 was, but it sure had her in its thrall. 
 
She put extra effort into helping me finish off the last few things but still received her payment for the day with downcast eyes. 
 
No down notes. Setting my hands on her shoulders, I announced, "Let's go shopping."
 
I needed to eat, and she needed to make Wednesday breakfast. Her eyes lifted up and she flirted with a smile at the reminder. "Sure!"
 
A mile down the road the other direction, just past the highway, was the Frostwell Walmart. I could pick up four dozen eggs and still not spend a full dollar. Not that I had any real use for that many, but I could. Bless the fact we were literally surrounded by local farms (aside from over-anxious cocks). The fruits and vegetables were all local too, so Lina had plenty of cooking material to choose from. 
 
Along the way, she picked up a one-month supply of overnight pads and a massive set of toilet paper rolls. I curled my lips back and held my tongue. 
 
I intentionally-avoided seeing most of what went into her cart since she talked on the way about keeping the meal a surprise. But I did watch when she wandered over to the accessories section in clothing. 
 
She held a barrette against her head. She tested the feel of a scrunchie, a band, and a ponytailer without breaking the packaging. And she traced a hair clip with her finger before she noticed I was around. 
 
"I was just looking. I haven't really done anything fun with my hair...gosh...in almost a decade now."
 
With a frown, I asked, "How come?" 
 
She set the clip back. "Family. Most of them. Greg actually taught himself and me how to braid my hair. Mom didn't like it. I had these little Triforce clips. I loved them. But, one day, this girl who I thought was my best friend...snapped them in half, just because." She closed her eyes and sighed through her nose.
 
I looked at the selections on the wall. Triforce? Fuck. I might've seen it once in my life but...Gold triangle, maybe? 
 
I picked out a golden, triangular clip and ripped it out of the packaging. Lina looked around nervously. Whatever. It was two bucks. I was gonna buy it, no matter what. 
 
She slipped it in her hair and over her ear. It held that droopy lock out of her face. She checked herself in a little mirror nearby. 
 
"I love it", she proclaimed with a pearly flash of teeth. "And it holds really well." Despite her soft protests, the clip and its packaging went in my cart to buy.
 
When we were done, Lina immediately dodged away from the self-checkout and straight to the regular cashiers. She wore the clip the rest of the way back to her place (while prodding me with two dollars in repayment).
 
A homemade breakfast would be my repayment. She eventually gave up trying to give me money, partly because her eyes were starting to droop and mostly because I wasn't budging. 
 
After she'd taken in her groceries and we'd said goodnight, I thought about whether I should make a backup breakfast in case something went wrong. Like she crashed on the couch and woke up right before work time. Or it didn't come together how she wanted. 
 
I could do that, but I resisted the urge. I had faith in her.
 
Back home, once everything was put away, I put on something carefree and light and took a nice bath. 
 
Good thoughts. No bugs. No justifiable murder of senseless people on the phone. No twitches. No worries about the rest of the week. Just calm thoughts of sweet dick. Ahhhh...
 
However, sounds plagued my night. Paper rustling by the dresser. Beams settling in the ceiling. Rattling in the window. Someone shuffling over a tile floor. A far-off crashing like trash cans struck by bats. A car peeling rubber on the nearby road. Some rumble like a train thundering over tracks.
 
In the end, the cacophony of chaos became my lullaby to sleep...
 
The door slammed. Greg roared, "How fucking could you?!"
 
We were in the bathroom of the OWL. His voice echoed in my ears. "I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do."
 
"You let Lina believe lies! She died in the middle of the night, sobbing in agony and fear as her life slipped away. Her lost soul will be inside me till the day I die!"
 
Scalding, bitter tears dripped down his face. 
 
I shook my head. "Not lies. I told her at first and she nearly broke. It was mercy. It was kindness." 
 
He punched the wall, cracking the hard tile. "I remember every single moment of your self-absorbed, so-called kindness. Just biding your time till I was back. You never really cared about her. You just wanted another nice fuck. Well, fuck you."
 
He slammed the door and left. Never to return. Never to speak to me again. His gorgeous scent burnt away by his fire. The cold of the tile closed in all around me, dragging me down until...
 
A succession of four, careful knocks on the door.
 
I blinked, my eyes bleary and wet around the edges. My phone was playing that annoying, default ring I never bothered to change. The faintest mottle of morning light dripped over the nearest window. I shivered as I realized I'd kicked the covers off in the middle of the night. Knocking again. 
 
Wiping at my eyes, I hustled to my front door and unlocked it. 
 
Lina stood there in her scrubs with a couple bags on her shoulders and in her hands. She beamed. "Surprise! I hope I didn't come too early. But I saved you having to drive over to my place. I took a cab."
 
My thoughts and emotions were in a whirl. I had the fragments of my dream still rattling around. Greg remembered being Lina and he hated me. But Lina was in front of me right now. I cleared my raspy throat and moved aside to invite her in. 
 
As I went for water, I finally spoke, "Sorry. I literally just got up."
 
Lina grimaced. "I'm sorry. Guess I didn't time that right."
 
I assured her it was fine. God, had I even set an alarm? Fortunately, yes. It immediately went off in my bedroom. 
 
Still getting my bearings. Lina asked, "Need help with anything? I was gonna set up breakfast."
 
"I'm fine. Just gotta do my morning prep."
 
I was not fine. On some level, I realized Greg would remember being Lina. It was how bets like this worked, back to that first horseman bet. But I didn't put too much thought into it. This was Lina now. Greg was gone till later. 
 
As I picked apart the logic of the dream, I realized it didn't make sense. Greg knew my thoughts. He responded with anger and fury when he never did that. It wasn't Greg in my dream. It was me. 
 
Maybe I was afraid that Lina's ending would break Greg. He might lose a deep connection with the shy cousin he cared for like a surrogate parent. But he also would know her gratitude and all the stuff she never told him. And I didn't lie to Lina. I just told her she would be alright. We just didn't really talk about where Greg might've gone.
 
The cloud of the dream lifted as the sun trickled through the window and my time in the bathroom cast out any lingering, mental shadows. 
 
Lina fanned her hands over the table as I emerged in my work clothes. She still had the golden clip in her hair. The meal was set in my returned plasticware with paper plates covering them. Dramatically, she pulled back the plate to reveal....an omelet with a full sausage on the side.
 
Grinning, Lina announced, "The Babs Special Omelet! It comes with a side of bright red ketchup like your pretty hair and a full, meaty sausage because...you know." 
 
She suppressed a giggle and continued, "In the omelet are mushrooms and pieces of chicken because...same reasons. But there is also ham, which is grilled up nice and pink. It represents the pink scrubs you bought for me and my work at the OWL. There's melted cheddar out of thanks for this. It's a new thank you but it meant a lot to me." She put a hand to her golden hairpin. 
 
She finished, "At that point though, the symbols get difficult. These olives are a bit like the ones we've had together in meals and the peppers kinda have the same color as your car. But the point is thank you, Babs. Thank you so much for helping me through the last couple of crazy days. Thank you for what I'm sure is going to be a butt-kicking good gaming time tonight. And thank you for all the good times ahead!" She clasped her dainty hands in front of her and looked me in the eye warmly.
 
The omelets looked really tasty. Nice color. Not burnt or runny. Everything cooked in with the egg. Greg taught her well. "Thank you, Lina. This looks beautiful. And smells lovely too." 
 
I sat down with my omelet and let her serve it out onto the paper plate. I could've noted some flaws in her fold or the lack of seasoning, but I smiled and told her, "Great work, Lina. I love it and I'm touched you personalized it so much. It's awesome."
 
The sausage was great too. But then I would take any sort of sausage. Oh, so juicy...
 
Lina did more watching me eat than eating herself. Hers was an uneven lump but still looked decent. After a bit, she confessed, "I screwed up soo many of my practices. But I'm so glad these turned out okay. You don't want to see the abominations that were my first tries. Greg always did the omelets for me because I had trouble, but I got them this time." She breathed a faint sigh of relief and actually ate her meal too. 
 
Finishing up, I asked her, "So you took a cab? Why didn't you take the ALPH? It's a dollar and half per trip to anywhere in the county."
 
Her response was to frown a moment before her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh...I forgot. That was actually advertised at the library too. Whoops...and this is my second trip."
 
"And the first?"
 
She raised a finger and noted, "It was late last night. Almost before the local game shop closed and definitely after buses stop running. I just bought a few more little things. For game loaning."
 
The little things were another "surprisingly-cheap" system like she gave away to Lily, a handful of "really neat" games, and a "steal" on another older system with "a game or two". Well, she's a collector. That explained the extra bags with her, but I still had one question.
 
I picked up my handset and checked the caller logs. Right when I woke up, yes. Lina nodded. But she didn't have her phone, the other Lina did. She fished around in her bag and came out with a brand-new phone. I squeezed my forehead. 
 
"I got it in the same area as the game shop. It's a cheapie you just put minutes on. I hate being stuck to a landline and this has some interesting internals I can tinker with." The price she cited was decent but, bless her, she was burning through cash faster than she was earning it. Not that it mattered in the long run, I guess.
 
With a sigh, I returned to the point, "It's fine. Thank you again for this lovely breakfast but remember...a gift is not a debt. Nothing I've done for you is a debt that needs to be evened out, okay? I deeply appreciate all of this, but you don't owe me. Ever."
 
She set her bags in her lap and nodded gently. "I know. But I wanna do whatever I can. I could only take help from Greg and not give it and it made me feel useless. I can do so much more now and I want to. I want to do all I can."
 
I urged her, "Within reason. Like a team. Sharing the load so one single person doesn't need to exhaust themselves." God, I sounded like a fucking management meeting from my last job. But here, it was sincere. 
 
Lina got it and that was good because what extra time we had from the early start was melting away and we needed to get going. 
 
Of course, heading to the main road, we had probably the longest red light in town. As I waited, a tan SUV pulled alongside with the window rolled down. A gray Labrador sat in the passenger's seat with its head half out the window. It stared right at me.
 
I smiled back. It stared, stoic and still. The car ebbed forward and it turned to follow me. I crept up a little too. Still the same, unwavering gaze. I laughed to myself, drawing the attention of Lina, who looked over and declared, "Aww, cute pupper."
 
Then, it kept staring. I looked back several times. It wasn't mad. It was calm. Its face started to feel strange. Like it wasn't even a dog's shape anymore. It was like a rearranged human face looking at me, like someone I knew. Freaky shit.
 
I pushed through the intersection first when the light turned green. I could still feel its eyes on me, but I didn't look back. 
 
Rationally, I told myself it was a dog thing. He smelled the faint traces of breakfast on us even a lane over and with our window closed. But I'd put it aside by the time we pulled into OWL. 
 
Now, sensibly, one would expect Wednesday would be our hardest workday. No shoreline of the weekend. Plenty of orders coming in, right? Not quite. 
 
Wednesday tended to be the day most physicians in the area just took off. Golfing, conferences, whatever. Still, lots of nurse practitioners filling in. But it did mean the regular load was down.
 
Yet, our longest lunch break was Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 2PM. A remnant from Archie's era no one wished to change. Once my hair was up and my glasses were on, I cracked open a new tube of cream and got to work.
 
No Lilys up front but the occasional game-loaner. For me, a slow day typically meant more calls from people who got our bills and were trying to argue them. Yes, that is from us. Yes, that is the price after it went through your insurance. You clearly do have a co-pay and/or deductible. I don't know, I'm not your insurance. Seriously, they are literally the people making you pay this, not me. Sure, you could not pay it, but you agreed to pay whether your insurance did or not by signing our forms. Yeah yeah, go post it on Twitter. I'm sure the Internet will solve it for you.
 
Then, on the other side were the insurance companies. They enjoyed communicating in cold, analytical faxes and other written messages. But sometimes they liked to call. Yes, I found the file and we processed that as this. Because the doctor asked for it. Because he's trying to make his patient well. Yeah, testing can be done pretty often, especially with some patients. You obviously know better than me what the average is. But I am not his doctor. And we don't have a contract with you anyway. Yeah yeah, go post it on Facebook. I'm sure whoever is there will get on with shitposting it to all their grandchildren.
 
Mostly, it was a day for avoiding minor emergencies, like that a stool sample sitting around at room temperature is a ticking time-bomb. And a day for reordering all the stuff we needed from the web of suppliers Archie arranged deals with. Some preferred to talk to Greg, especially one in particular. They always chatted about wrestling.
 
I offered the phone to Lina. She clearly was not a watcher of wrestling, but she had picked up a few fragments from Greg. The end result was about the same, only the supplier clearly had a different sort of wrestling in mind by the end of the call as he mentioned getting a pair of tickets to a show and asked for her personal number. It didn't hit Lina till after she told me.
 
She reflected, "I'm bad with those sorts of clues. I've never really thought of myself as someone others might desire or want to be with...But I'm working on it." She chuckled and crossed her legs.
 
I desired her, just not exactly like this. 
 
Lunch was definitely the laziest of the week: a half veggie, half meat lover's small pizza delivered.
 
And we just talked. One topic leading to the next...
 
----
 
Lina rubbed her shoulders. "I love the summer months. Except when it gets really sticky. I've always wanted to go to that ice festival." For me, anything was better than the dry, soul-sapping desert heat of my youth.
 
----
 
She had a spate of giggles. "So, there's this video of a cat and the guy with the camera goes over and the cat is just 'woah'. Like literally it sounds as if someone is saying 'woah'." Lina tried to make her voice sound as deep as possible for the quote. Through some voodoo magic, she got it pulled up on my phone. It was a cat with paralyzed vocal cords. Its meows sounded oddly-human without being an obvious fake.
 
----
 
"Gosh, I own like five shoes. This comfy, everyday pair. Some rugged, brown snow boots. A really nice pair of black dress shoes with a slight lift for anything fancy. One set of white high heels still in the box from my aunt for graduation. And a pair of blue sandals which don't see enough use. I bet you have a lot more than that."
 
Definitely more but not a lot more. Enough to not remember the exact number though. But far more heels. And many more boots. Lina smiled when I talked about my black, leather boots. Slightly too big for her though. 
 
----
 
"So my one uncle, not Archie, had a little dog named Scruffles, who looked like he'd been hit by something heavy and angry, and my other uncle had a cat, also named Scruffles, who looked like the thing that hit him. Somehow, Archie was probably responsible for the situation, hehe."
 
I preferred cats, especially on a day where a random dog decided to include me in the creepiest staring contest. Champ was the best kitty. That girl rubbed her crotch all over everything in the house till the day she died. I respected that.
 
----
 
"I have all these little moments I do my darnedest to forget. The moment when I was the only person in a class to fall for a math-related prank by the teacher and everyone else was snickering but I didn't know why because I thought he was going to leave us. And the moment I got paired up with Dylan Comstock in Health for Heimlich practice. He was over six feet and covered in muscles because he was...something on the football team. He seemed so clever and funny. And I was behind him and I zoned out. Next thing, I hear 'Eww, the f'...only the full f-bomb. Instead of his chest, my hands were at his crotch."
 
Lina's face went flush as she grimaced. The embarrassment ebbed only a little as she tried to smile while saying, "First time for me. But like ten minutes earlier one of the cheer girls 'accidentally' did about the same to another guy. The teacher said something but they both laughed it off. With me, everyone in the room laughed. Dylan said a whole bunch of things, but I couldn't process it. I must've laughed it off too and apologized. People tell me I did. Apparently, the teacher was just setting us up to show what to do when the normal position is too difficult."
 
I scowled and shot out, "What an asshole teacher. They shouldn't have put you in that position where you were sure to feel embarrassed. I've seen decent people teach life-saving procedures while helping all sorts through them. That teacher is a piece of shit and should've been the one laughed at for being a goddamn dumbass."
 
I could tell in Lina's dipped eyes there was more she was going to say. More bad memories. But she resisted them and smirked as she declared, "Yeah, he was pretty lousy. And now...I'm better at health things than he ever was." She flicked her tongue out to send a raspberry to wherever the jerk might be.
 
She was pretty darn good. Fully-certified in CPR and first-aid (the library offered free classes). Just a negative TB test and a few more classes and she could replace Deb. Actually, not a bad idea. Except she had even more problems with needles than some patients. Not unfeeling and cruel enough to replace Deb. Sorry.
 
My afternoon work included a doctor who was convinced that his patient was just trying to get pain drugs from him so, even though he sent her over to get an x-ray, just play along with her. Yeah, just play along with a woman who crumbled in pain at the least movement of her arm downward. Just play along with a fracture of the humerus so obvious that even I could fucking see it. And you be sure to play along when she sues your old ass for malpractice. 
 
Lina's afternoon work included trying not to draw blood from her fingers as a restless brat with one of the loaners didn't realize that swinging it around back and forth at people was not how to control it. I noticed an old lady with close-cropped, graying hair who had the most animated reactions to everything in her game. Guy falls down a hole, shake a closed hand and laugh. Music plays, little clap for victory. Beast comes out of nowhere, hold out a hand as though that would stop it from attacking. At least everyone seemed to be having fun.
 
As we locked up, Lina made sure everything was done. She finished my transcriptions, notes, and logs. She scrubbed and tidied all over. We were out before the sun had even finished setting. 
 
I took her back to her place first so she could change out of her scrubs. She emerged in quite an outfit. 
 
Same shoes but bright-blue drawstring cargo pants covered in "sprites". There were all sorts of characters. Some of them looked vaguely-familiar but all of them seemed to be jumping or running around their area of the pants. 
 
Her fitted top was not the PAC-MAN one we bought together but a silver one that showed a woman standing before a surreal, cutout landscape marked, "Aperture Labs External Testing Site" and "P3". Little symbols, like a slice of cake and a cube with a heart, adorned the rest of the top. Over that, unzipped, she had a navy windbreaker with orange trim and more sci-fi imagery.
 
She did have on the purple-and-pink fingerless gloves from Saturday and, as she lifted a pant leg to show, a pair of knee-high black socks with a blue Pac-Man chasing ghosts around a field of dots. She also still had the golden hairpin and her canvas bag.
 
Pouting, she lamented, "I wanted to take my Onett tote but it wasn't in my closet. If the extra me took it to California...they better bring it back and with plenty of swag."
 
From my place, it was easier to just walk since The Salty Lemon's parking lot was not designed with cars actually entering and leaving in mind. Besides, it was just two blocks away. 
 
I changed into an older pair of jeans and a long-sleeved top with a nice neckline before we left.
 
Lina scampered ahead and ducked under the dense, low branch of a tree slowly dropping red leaves. Looking back, she asked, "Did you sign up too?"
 
I chuckled. "Nope. Just here to cheer you on and drink a lot."
 
She grinned and remarked, "I'll be ready to call a cab to take you home."
 
God, no more cabs. I flashed my tongue and told her if I had to crawl home for an hour like a zombie then fine. 
 
As expected, the parking lot was half full of parked cars and half full of cars slowly trying not to hit parked cars. The eponymous Salty Lemon glowed on a dangling sign. It balled up its cartoon fists, chomped on a wood pipe, and sprayed juice at some unseen foe. With a strut in her step, Lina walked up to the front door and held it open. 
 
Inside, there was already a busy roar. The theme of this pub had always been kinda all over the place. It led you in like the railing on the side of a boat but the bar was more of a garden with some real lemon trees by the skylights. Past the billiards and the pinball machine, the restrooms were sea-themed with "buoys" and "gulls". 
 
I could see laptops on folding tables and other...hardware set up in the main area. A little in front of us, behind one of the booths, was a small sign-in table. A woman with a pixie cut of purple hair and a heavy coat of lipstick sat there with stickers and a stapled sheaf of papers in front of her. She wore a top with a phrase that annoyed the crap out of me. The name on her chest read "Becky". I didn't recognize her.
Becky the B-word

Lina went up to the table and said, "Here for the competition tonight. Lina Owlswatter."
 
As I approached beside, a long moment passed where Becky stared right at Lina. Sharply, she answered with a voice like she had something dangling in her throat, "Sorry! Too late. No more." Her filthy-purple, long nails hastily-covered the papers in front of her as she kept her still stare.
 
Lina stopped in place and said a soft, "Umm...I...", looking to me before looking back. 
 
With a gasp, Becky cackled and said, "Juuusst screwing with ya. They're still getting ready and shit. We got rounds. Gotta sign up ahead of time, Lina Oswell."
 
Less than a minute and I already wanted to stab this bitch in the face with her own fucking claws.
 
Lina took a deep breath and clarified, "I'm actually Lina Owlswatter. O-W-L-S-W-A-T-T-E-R. And just Lina, L-I-N-A."
 
Becky snorted. "Owl swatter? Crazy name. Alright. O...W...nuh-uh. Not on here." She barely turned the page to check...
 
Whatever smile on Lina's face slipped away. Her eyes searched with uncertain panic as she tried, "But..umm.."
 
My turn. "She is registered. It was called in on Monday. I spelled the name out several times. Check again."
 
Becky flipped the papers around and hid the stickers. "Not by my list. Tough luck. Try next month."
 
I glared at the list. I was either gonna find Lina's name while her lazy, rude ass couldn't or I was gonna feed it to her page by page.
 
Lina turned, sighed, and tried her best smile. "It's alright. We can watch the competition and cheer people on together."
 
Nuh-uh. I called. I made sure. Someone here screwed up. 
 
I stepped around Lina and set my hands on the table. Becky looked really fucking smug. 
 
Restraint. I dealt with worse all day long. "I would like to discuss the registration with the manager, please."
 
She folded her arms across the table. "The manager isn't responsible, I am. I took down the names and my list is official. Your friend or whatever isn't on the list. Screwww up..."
 
From around the booth, a tall, older man with golden-blond hair and a face like some guy from a movie joined us and asked, "What seems to be the problem over here? Becky?"
 
The purple cunt leaned back and puffed up her ugly lips. "They didn't register. They're not on the form." 
 
The older man looked between me and Becky. I told him, "Monday afternoon, I registered my friend, Lina Owlswatter, for the gaming event. The person on the line took down the name. I spelled it several times and confirmed it. I'm trying to understand why her name isn't listed." Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Becky pantomiming my words.
 
The man listened and nodded. "Of course. The list, please." Becky plopped it in front of him. 
 
He paged through and asked for the name again. I spelled it out carefully but also wondered where Lina was. Behind me, somewhere. I hoped she hadn't retreated to a corner or run off crying. God, was this even worth it?
 
With an uncertain sound, the man shook his head and informed me, "I'm afraid that last name isn't here but...let me skim a little...oh!"
 
He turned back to the first page and announced, "There is a Lina here.. Allwetter though. A-L-L-W-E-T-T-E-R." 
 
The callback number matched my beautiful, piece of shit phone.
 
Becky pouted. "It's a stupid, crazy name. And the phones here are shit. How am I supposed to hear weird names on them?"
 
The man sighed, put a hand to his chest, and told me, "My apologies for all this trouble. I can offer you both free drinks for the evening plus appetizers, if you aren't drinking. And....Becky..." He turned to her with a stern look. "Grow the fuck up. This is a pleasant event for fun and lively gaming competition. Candace can finish the sign-ins."
 
Becky snarled. "Godammit, daddy! You're such a fucking...oh my god!" She puffed and stormed off.
 
With the storm cleared, I looked around to check on Lina. Thankfully, she hadn't gone far. She clasped her hands in front of her with a wide gaze of surprise. And I could see the faintest smile on her face.
 
Candace took care of us in every way Becky did not. She got the fucked-up name blotted out and the right one written in the right place. She got a little sticker name-tag for Lina as a registered competitor. And she even told her, "Your pants are the coolest."
 
Personally, I thought everything she was wearing was "the coolest". Lina gave her the link to where she bought them and let her take a picture with her phone. Reviewing it, Candace marveled, "There's even Donkey Kong. Wow...I could stare at these pants all day long."
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