Page 31 of Tangled Desires

“Nope, where are the others?” Lyric asks.

“Well, my sister is on vacation with her girlfriends. They do an annual trip once a year and this is their week.” They’re younger than I am by about six years or so, my sister, Coralynn is what my older brother, Zane likes to call the oops baby. Whereas we’re two years a part, he and our baby sister are eight years apart. At least she doesn’t get the never-ending older brother tales that she’s adopted or is the milkman’s baby. I swear he’s a pain in the ass and I still love him even with his dumb jokes. “As for Blair, she quit this morning.”

Lyric’s mouth opens and closes, that’s about the size of it. I’d felt like a fish out of water, also trying to come up with a new instructor on the fly isn’t as easy as you’d think. Which means I’ll be working all of the classes and somehow finagling changing the schedule if I can.

“Are you looking for someone to replace her?” Lyric recovers, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I would like to, but with the short notice she gave me and Coralynn being out of town it’s going to be hard.” Coralynn helps out with the dance classes, contemporary and ballet. I know she’d help, if she wasn’t boozing and sunning it up with her girl gang.

“Damn,” I nod, agreeing with her just as the phone on the desk rings.

“Hi, thank you for calling LITHE. This is Shae, how can I help you?” Lyric stays where she is, leaning on the counter, pulling out her hone, and texting someone. I think it’s safe to assume she’s texting either Jagger, her man or the girls in her group. Winnie brings her son, Sebastian in, and she’s probably letting her know the group might be canceled for the time being.

“This Camden & Gallo Obstetrics and Gynecology. I’m calling to confirm your appointment for tomorrow at one o’clock.” I close my eyes, mouth the wordshit.I’ve completely forgotten about my appointment with everything going on today.

“Is it possible to reschedule, something came up unexpectedly,” Lyric raises her arms, waving them in a way to grab my attention. “Can you hold on for just a moment, please.” I ask the receptionist.

“Sure thing, but if we get disconnected, you’ll have to call back.” She replies, makes sense, time is money and money is time.

“No problem,” I cover the mouth piece.

“Is everything okay?” I question, feeling the lines in my forehead furrow.

“Yes, I’ll do the class tomorrow. I’m not working at theclinic, you’re in a pinch, and I’m available. Use me and if you can’t find anyone to pick up Blair’s shifts, I’m sure I can. Please, allow me to do this. I’m so bored that I’ve been tempted to ask Jagger for a job,” Lyric’s hands come up in a praying manner and as much as I’d like to say no. I can’t, not only because she’s Lyric Skye, almost Steele, she’s sweet, pure, and genuine.

“Are you sure? I mean this is a big favor and of course, I’ll pay you.” There’s a reason I’m hoping Lyric will pull through. I’ve had my period for longer than normal, above normal really. It started happening a couple of months ago. The normal three-to-five-day menstrual cycle went to two weeks. I let it roll off my back, figured stress could have caused it, when it ended, I put the notes in my period tracker app, and went about my day. Then the damn thing came back a week later, I called the gynecologist immediately and between the clashing of schedules this has been the first available appointment.

“Yes, now tell the nice lady on the phone that you’ll be there tomorrow.” I do as Lyric says, breathing a sigh of relief when it’s all said and done.

“Thank you, are you looking for a job?” Lyric laughs, I’m not sure if she’s thinking I’m not being serious or not.

“Kind of, maybe. But.” she puts her finger up in the air, “I don’t want full-time. I especially don’t want later in the evening or weekends. God, I sound like a brat.” This time it’s me that laughs.

“Well, we can see how you like tomorrow and go from there. The mommy and me classes are during the day, so you wouldn’t have late evenings plus we don’t have them onweekends either,” Lyric probably knows the schedule backward and forward, she’s been here enough times with Winnie and Sebastian. Especially when we have our summer program and all the moms are looking to get the littles out of the heat while still getting their energy out.

“I can totally do this, I mean it’s basically coordinated chaos. But, just in case, show me the ropes. That way tomorrow we’re not rushing, and you won’t feel overwhelmed to get out the door.” The reason I’m seeing Doctor Gallo in the first place is from her recommendation to begin with. I’d bleed through my tampon, Lyric mentioned it before I could notice, being the type of real friend, everyone wants, and then I proceeded to break down on her.

“Exactly that. Come on, I’ll show you everything and grab you a shirt. The bottoms are up to you, leggings, shorts, or joggers are fine.” My clothes are mainly athleisure wear and today is no different, a pair of dark teal leggings and tank top set.

“Are biker shorts, okay?”

“Definitely.” I have another thirty minutes before the next class, enough time to show Lyric the ins and outs, hand over an application in case she decides to join the employee side of LITHE and take care of my womanhood that’s slowly trying to kill me off.

“Perfect,” she tosses her cup in the trash on the way to the back before we get into what I’ll be paying her tomorrow and the rates she could potentially make if she comes to work for me.

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“How much longer until you go on maternity leave?” I ask the next day, following Lennie through the halls of the gynecologist office. It’s nice to see a face I’m already familiar with, it’s helping calm my otherwise haywire nerves. When I told my mom I had an appointment today, she asked the usual, what, when where, and why. We went down the list, she hummed for a moment and then told me to keep her posted. It didn’t help in the least, I’m more than aware my mother had a hysterectomy at a young age. She had me and Zane in her early twenties, my bother at twenty, me at twenty-two, and my sister at twenty-eight. Six months post-partum and she’d been taken straight to the hospital from the doctor’s office for emergency surgery.

“This is my last week, I wanted to work until my delivery date, except my husband, Asher isn’t having any of that.” She says holding the door open to my room. We’ve already been through the intake forms, my weight, a urine sample, and now she’ll finish the rest of what I’m sure is taking my pulse, temperature, and blood pressure.

“You look amazing, and you’ve been able to keep up with the classes you’ve been taking too. I’m sure that will help with labor and delivery.” I sit down on a chair, preferring it over the exam table. My palms are sweating and no matter how many times I wipe them down on the pair of jeans I’m wearing, nothing helps.

“It better, Doctor Gallo said staying active and hydrated is key. I swear between him and my husband, they’re force feeding me water. I’m either peeing, eating, or sleeping.” Shegives a soft chuckle, acting put off but you can tell there’s an excitement in her tone. Lennie goes about getting everything ready, pulling out a gown, and the instruments used to do a pelvic exam just in case.

The nurse over the phone explained they may have me come back, it’d be up to the doctor and what he decides. I’m lost in my own little word, when Lyric mentioned seeing Doctor Gallo, it reminded me that I no longer had a gynecologist of my own. He retired two years ago, and between the studio as well as life, things fell by the wayside.

“Knock, knock. Hey Lennie,” the door opens, my eyes swinging to the door. My mouth goes dry, his voice is dripping with calm control, thick, and slow, drawing you deeper into the sound.

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