Page 5 of The Art of Dying

Alecia Kent had pretty much stopped growing in the eighth grade like I had. We’d never be leggy, six-foot-tall supermodels, but Alecia was a bad ass Tae Bo bitch with platinum blonde hair, a thick Boston accent, and the most beautiful, kind eyes I’d ever seen. She stood out in her town, her daddy and boyfriend asking her to fight the constant nagging she felt to go through CLEET and become a cop and stick with being a radiographer. Besides Tae Bo competitions, she took boxing classes and we had weekly dates at the gun range—where we’d met. The first time she’d saidwicked, I was sold. Alecia was the person who ignited my theory that maybe men weren’t our soulmates. Maybe our soulmates were our girlfriends.

“Seriously. Besides him punching my stupid brother, what did you think about him?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s cute, in that high-and-tight, clean-shaven jar head kind of way.”

Alecia shook her head at me. “I just got one question for you. Did you see the size of those hands?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. And I don’t think he’s even six feet tall.”

Alecia made a face. “He’s close. And you’re what? Five-five? What do you care?”

“Ladies,” Nita said, pushing her glasses up her crooked nose. “Patient in the waiting room. Did you not hear the printer?”

Alecia stood up taller. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll help,” I said.

Alecia stood outside the dressing room with her hands in her scrub top pockets while Mrs. Ross undressed, and I smiled as she updated us on her hammer toe and gout.

“You’re here for a chest X-ray, though, correct?” Alecia asked, looking over the order.

“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Ross said, exasperated. “Dr. Porter said so. Who knows why, it’s my foot that hurts.” She pulled back the curtain and waddled into the exam room, following Alecia and answering questions about her medical history.

I lined up the machine as Alecia placed a lead skirt around Mrs. Ross’s middle.

“Oh! I don’t need that. Done with babies a long time ago.”

“I bet you still have bone marrow you don’t want radiated,” Alecia said with a wink. She positioned Mrs. Ross against the board.

I stood behind the lead-lined wall.

“Take a deep breath in,” Alecia said, walking back to join me. “Hold it.” Alecia pushed the button. “Breathe.” Alecia returned to Mrs. Ross, repositioned her, then repeated the process. “Breathe.”

“I’ll clean up,” I said, seeing Alecia was satisfied with the image.

“I’ll walk her out. Mrs. Ross, please follow me.”

Alecia listened as Mrs. Ross talked about her grandson, and I stayed behind, sanitizing everything the patient had touched. I followed up on the computer and cleared the exam out, looking up to smile before seeing it was Nita.

My smile faded.

“I saw you were five minutes late this morning,” she said.

I yawned just thinking about waking up to my alarm. “I turned off my alarm clock when I meant to hit snooze. I’ve already moved it across the room. Won’t happen again.”

Nita nodded and left, passing Alecia.

“Did she say something to you about being late? Because she came in after you.”

I rolled my eyes. Nita was my ex-boyfriend’s mother. She’d gotten me the job, but once Mason left, she’d made it her mission to make me miserable enough to quit. Unfortunately for us both, I could barely afford my bills, much less save enough to move home.

“Hello! The Pike was crazy this morning and the staties were out thick. You’re lucky you live close,” Christy said, practically bouncing in. Her golden curls bounced, too. I could never understand why she was always so happy to come to work. Nita hated her as much as she hated me. Christy’s arrival meant Patricia would be coming in soon to sit in her favorite chair where she’d stay until her shift was over, complaining about how everyone else was lazy. Nita, of course, loved Patricia. They’d gamble together on the weekends and hide in Nita’s office and gossip while Christy did all the exams.

Another paper kicked out of the printer. “I’ve got this,” Christy said, pulling it off and scanning the order quickly. “It’s a portable in ICU. You girls can go home.”

“I’ll stay until Patricia gets back from her exam to help cover the ER,” I said.

“Patricia is in Nita’s office,” Christy said with a contrived smile. “Go ahead, I’ll page her if we get an order from the ER.”

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