Page 157 of Rome: The Ballerina

“Whoever told you– well, they didn’t lie. Not that day.”

“Yeah? Well, of course, our girl has to pull through.”

“She will. Just like I can’t break my promise to have her back, she can’t bre–”

“She won’t,” Kasey said, cutting me off.

“Prima Ballerina.”

“Hm?” Kasey asked, pushing more meds into the IV.

She was focused. She was careful. She was in her zone of comfort.

“Tiana’s promise. One day she’d be a Prima Ballerina. It’s a dream of hers.”

“And, do you share the same dream?”

“Yes and no. I’m not all that interested in titles. It’s my talent I’m fixated on. I want to be the best thing Clarke has ever witnessed on stage. If that results in Prima Ballerina then so be it. But, that’s not everything to me or for me.”

“I understand.”

“Kasey–”

“Yes…” She hesitated, realizing she never got my name.

“Rome.”

“Rome. What is it?”

“Your salary?”

“Excuse me?” She paused, finally finding me with her eyes.

“How much is it you make a year?”

Chuckling, she shrugged. “Pretty personal, huh?”

“How much?”

“Eh– it depends. Average, I’d say just under eighty-six.”

“Expect ninety in your account by midnight if you can do me a really big favor.”

“That’s an expensive favor,” she expressed, propping a hand on her hip. “But, I am all ears.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything out of order.”

“That’s a relief.” She chuckled, continuing toward the trashcan to toss the paper she’d pulled from the syringes she’d used.

“Have you drawn blood from Tiana since she came in?”

“Strangely, Tiana doesn’t have labs, which have been our biggest struggle. Her veins have turned to prunes. Shriveled. We struggled to get this IV in when she was admitted. We’ve been hoping it doesn’t blow. We’ve tried getting blood from it, but nothing comes from it.

“However, it feeds her meds through really well. If this one gives out on us, we’re going to have to poke this poor baby a hundred times before we can get a good stick. Not even the ultrasound helped make our jobs easier. We’ve been patiently waiting for a good stick to draw blood but we keep getting nothing. Feeders… not suppliers. That’s all we’ve gotten so far. But, of course we’ll keep trying.”

“Try harder.”

“I–”

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