Page 69 of Love Bank
I smiled, the pain in my head dulled to the point I could function.
“Morning, Keva. Do you mind taking over the patient appointments today while I work in the sample room? I’m not feeling well and don’t want to get our patients sick.” Apparently Lucille 2.0 lied quite a bit too.
She nodded happily and started grabbing charts. “I’ve been hoping to help you out, but I’m so sorry it’s because you’re sick. Want me to grab chicken soup from Forty-Diner for lunch?”
Well, crap.I nearly cringed with guilt. “No, I’ll be fine. Thank you, though.”
I hustled to put my things down in my office and then get busy in the sample room. I figured being busy was the key to getting through the day. That and not seeing patients who might ask me about how Bain and I were doing.
The first two batches of samples were packed and ready to ship to the lab. It was while I was getting the third batch together that I opened the refrigerator where Bain’s sample was stored. I told myself not to even look at the bottom shelf, but my gaze darted there anyway. I really needed better eyeball control.
I stepped back in shock, seeing the empty space I just now remembered from the day the inmates had robbed my clinic. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. There were now four empty spaces where sperm samples should have been, including the spot that had held Bain’s.
We had a serial sperm robber.
I grabbed my phone and punched in the chief’s number.
“Y’ello,” he answered right away.
“Chief, it’s Lucille. We have a problem at the clinic.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, another inmate with a gun?” I heard his truck fire up and knew he was on the way.
I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. “No gun, just stolen sperm samples.”
The chief sighed, but promised he’d be right over.
While I waited, I tapped my foot and stared at the open refrigerator, still not believing my eyes. This was my fault. I completely forgot about the missing sample when that robbery went down. It had been missing for weeks now and they must have come back to steal several more.
“Oh my God,” I mumbled.
I slapped my forehead and groaned. Bain’s sample was gone too. Could that be why Addi Townsend had shown up pregnant on Bain’s doorstep when he claimed he didn’t know her? Maybe she didn’t hook up with him right before he moved to Hell. Maybe she was lying because she’d actually stolen his sample and gotten herself pregnant that way. It was weird and off timeline-wise and a little insane, but then again, I’d witnessed my life change because of a magical goat.
“Lucille?”
That didn’t sound like the chief. I slammed the refrigerator closed and hustled down the hall. Poppy and Yedda stood shoulder to shoulder inside the lobby, set lines on their faces and arms crossed over their chests. Which was unfortunate because I just didn’t have the time for an inquisition today.
“We know about Addi Townsend and we want answers, missy.” Poppy stomped her rubber-soled sneaker, the sound more a cute squeak on the linoleum than a firm kick to impart how serious she was.
“What we mean is we’re here to help you, doll,” soothed Yedda. “You and that handsome boy are meant for each other, so let’s figure this thing out.”
Ethel twined between my legs and then sat down to eye Yedda. I hadn’t had the heart to give her back, so she was officially the clinic’s mascot. I nearly barked out a laugh at the idea of Bain and me being meant for each other. Right then I was certain of no such thing.
I needed to stop this gossip freight train before my emotions got the better of me and the waterworks started again. Crying to my mom and my best friends was one thing. Crying in public was not something Lucille 2.0 intended to do.
The door flew open and the chief barreled in, nearly bumping into Yedda and Poppy before coming to a halt surprisingly fast for someone so large. His poor hair was askew and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a mustard stain on the front of his uniform shirt.
“What’s going on here, Lucille? Did these ladies steal your sperm?”
26
Bain
Loss was a funny thing. It had waves or phases, similar to grief. I went from angry to numb to disbelief to sadness. Finally around daybreak, I made it to desperation. Lucy and I couldn’t be through. We just couldn’t. And while logically I knew my mind should be on Addi and her allegations about a baby, I couldn’t get my focus to shift from potentially losing the one woman who made me want to settle down and become a father. I had to fix things there first. Then I could deal with Addi.
I was going to be late to work, having forgotten to set my alarm while I beat my head against the wall to come up with a solution to get Lucy back. As I rushed through a shower and pulled on my work uniform, my head pounded away. No amount of ibuprofen was going to kick this hangover. I vaguely recalled spilling my guts to Nugget, a surprisingly good listener behind that gruff exterior. The guy had tattoos that I was pretty sure meant he’d been involved in a gang in his youth, but he had a nice soft shoulder to cry on.
I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone and ran out the front door. I didn’t even stop to lock the damn thing, remembering how Lucy said it was safe around here. My bright idea was to meet her at the clinic, drop to my knees, and beg her for a second chance. She was a logical woman. If I just told her that Addi was before I ever met her and that quite frankly, I only had a vague recollection of Addi’s face and therefore might not even be the father of her baby, she’d see I’d done nothing wrong.
