Page 178 of Solanum

Nora nodded, and drew in a slow breath. She looked up at me with cheeks bright red as she fought her emotions.

"You got this." I nudged her chin with my knuckle. "And I got you. Right?"

"Yeah." She smiled despite her suffering. "You do."

Unlike any other doctor office I'd ever been to, Lewis' space offered a sort of calming comfort belonging to a yoga studio. Chairs lined the carpeted waiting area, dimly lit and carrying the soft fragrance of lavender in the air around us. Tidy, minimal, and an open format left little to be desired. Nora's tense energy calmed slightly when we entered. She glanced around and met my gaze after a moment.

"Weird place," I muttered, and she smiled.

The sound of soft footfalls drew our attention, and a somewhat tall woman with light brown hair appeared wearing a lab coat. She smiled right away, her eyes on Anita first. Under her open coat, a pair of sleek jeans and a T-shirt accompanied her sneakers.

"Afternoon, everyone," she said, glancing between us with a pleasant smile.

"Hi, Lauren." Anita kissed her cheek when they greeted each other, then she immediately turned to Nora. "This is Nora and her partner, Caroline."

"Good to meet you both." Doctor Lewis smiled and extended her hand to Nora first.

Nora accepted her hand and replied, "You, too."

"Thanks for seeing us, Doc," I said, shaking her hand with it.

"Of course. Anita keeps me in high demand." She narrowed her eyes at our mutual friend, and she laughed.

"Only the best are in demand," said Anita, a smile playing on her lips.

"Hmm." Lewis narrowed her eyes at her, then chuckled before turning back to Nora. "Do you have any questions, Nora? Anything you're worried about?"

"Um…" Nora shook her head, fading into the quiet immediately.

"That doesn't sound too sure to me." Lewis smiled while motioning in Nora's direction. "I have a suggestion if you'll hear it?"

"All right," Nora responded, her voice soft.

"My office is there." She pointed to the closed door on the right. "And the exam rooms are down the hall. How would you feel if we spoke in my office for a few minutes before we do anything else?"

"Okay." Nora agreed to that readily, and released my hand when Lewis waved for her to follow. She glanced back at me and I offered her a small nod.

"So where are you originally from?" asked the doctor.

"I grew up in Alabama, but we live in Seattle now," answered Nora, her voice soft but her posture firming with confidence in the moment.

"Seattle? Lovely. I have a cousin who teaches physics at the University of Washington up there," she said, holding the door open for Nora before they disappeared together.

I watched until the door closed, then glanced to Anita.

"She'll be all right." Anita motioned to the seats beside us, and we sat together. "Lauren knows what she's doing."

"Is she some sort of specialist?"

"She is. She's a gynecologist and works with high-risk people. Most of her patients are sexual assault survivors, women who've needed plastic surgery to repair physical damage from assaults, and women with all of those complications plus pregnancy. She also works with the transgender community for their specific needs," explained Anita now that we were alone. "She's a walking safe space for so many people."

"So that's why she's Sali's doctor…"

"It is. She has a plethora of specialties in order to help folks." Anita crossed her legs, smoothing her sweater down over her jeans. "And she's a genius."

"And she's hot. You could've said that instead of saying attractive." I smirked and leaned back against the chair in a slouch before resting my ankle on my knee. "Is she queer?"

"That's not for me to answer, Caroline. You can ask her yourself if you're so inclined."

---