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Part 6 - Heartfelt

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My first thought upon waking was to check the clock. I'd beat my alarm as reedy, dim streaks of light dusted the room. My second thought was to check my covers for anything moving which hadn't been invited. Clear but I still felt like washing them the next chance I got. 

After a quick session in the bathroom and shower, I called Lina. She picked up on the fourth ring.

"Morning, Babs! What's up?" Sounds of rustling and plastic rubbing together filtered through the line. With an unnecessarily-raised eyebrow, I asked her what was going on.

"I got up pretty early and I wanted to grab all my stuff for the handhelds game share today. I have some old GBAs, a Color, even a classic, and the one DS. I'm trying to pick out the really good stuff and organize it. I know people will only be waiting for like twenty minutes or so. A lot of games don't work in short bites. Also, I honestly do not remember getting home last night or how I got in bed but thank you, Babs."

Smirking for myself, I answered, "No worries. I can prep breakfast and be over soon. It'll give you enough time to test your joysticks."

With a delayed but energetic giggle, Lina cleared her throat and answered in the same 'collector' tone from the other day, "I regret to inform you that Nintendo only includes 'sticks' on their 3DS models and they are unsatisfyingly-small...oh my gosh!..." She leaned away from the phone to let out a few laughs.

After composing herself, she went on, "However tempting, I will continue joystick testing this evening in anticipation of competitive situations on Wednesday." She held it together there.

It hit me then that I hadn't really considered the ratio of men to women at the event. In my vague recollections of old, long-closed arcades there were a few girls around the music/drum and dance things but that was it. Was I setting up my man for a hot geek dicking? I still couldn't imagine it with Lina. Hot date maybe, which wasn't any better.

I replied simply, "Understood." Then inquired, "And breakfast? Any requests? Otherwise, I can just make the same as Monday." Grocery shopping tonight was a must.

Lina adjusted the phone and proclaimed, "I can make breakfast for both of us. I was Googling a bunch of neat, on-the-go recipes before you called. I'm good with scrambled eggs and I can...put them on a thing with fruit or jam. And maybe quinoa."

Brushing my hair back, I took a deep breath and put it the best way I could, "Lina, sweetie, pace yourself. You will be working hard with patients in all-new ways today. Let the OWL team balance things for you. I've got breakfast this day, alright?"

With a small groan, she agreed but argued, "This day. I'll read up more and make something really cool, special, and tasty tomorrow."

"Sure thing. I know you can do it. See you in a bit."

Might as well finish off the eggs and the tortillas. A breakfast quesadilla with whatever was still fresh in the remaining veggie section for Lina and some meat for me.  

Dressing, I thought it was a red sort of day. Black and red. I thought about knee-high boots and wasn't sure why. Another time. Glasses on, hair up, and I was out of there.

Past the steps and into the parking lot, I noticed a scampering black beetle bolting from the complex. It stopped on the embankment. Bad choice. Crunched beneath my heel. I wiped its corpse on the dewy grass beside. Send a message. 

When I picked up Lina, she had a bulgier bag than Monday and a canvas tote balancing on the other shoulder. She showed it off. Lots of stuff.

"Gotta catch them all!" She proclaimed with a smile. Ah, Pokemon. I knew that one. She actually said she hadn't brought any of those. They were too time-consuming.

She noted, "Also, I should've started last night because some are way down on charge. For those that take batteries, we're good."

This was presenting more complications for me dealing with other Lina when she came back from her convention. Could really go for the bet-keepers helping me the fuck out there when the time came. Would even more so like my man back but going on four days there.

Lina nibbled at her warm quesadilla, which nearly dripped on her fresh-out-of-the-dryer scrubs. 

We ate together at the break-room table. Lina had her rechargeable devices plugged in and commandeered a dusty, unused basin for storage. At my suggestion, with a permanent marker, she inscribed "OWL" on the back of each. Her initials would be out of the question but hopefully this would still make sense to other Lina. 

When the first people came through those doors, she had her spot in reception all-organized with the basin beside her under the desk. All highlighters and pens were at the ready too. She still fidgeted but smiled eagerly. 

I broke out a fresh tube of hand cream. It felt like a while since I'd used any, but it had been pleasantly-humid the last few days. I needed it all the time as a kid or my skin would be a mess. Long sniff. Apples and lavender. So relaxing. 

Then, came the storm. Office billing us for sending back a patient who needed a secondary form. No, honey, it didn't work that way. And the beautiful people from the clinic at the end of the road sending us blank forms today after one of those nearly-black, ink-depleting ones yesterday. Apples...aaaappples...

Meanwhile, I checked in on Lina whenever possible. Not because she needed the assistance but because I wanted to see when she put her plan into action. 

The first few clients with a longer wait were older and had tremors. Still, Lina gave it a shot.

"We have some donated...electronic devices you can borrow till you're called back." She held up a purple, folded one. The stillness of the waiting room made me wince. 

The old, scowling man on the side asked hoarsely, "Is there a TV in here?"

With how spartan the walls were, it would've been pretty easy to tell if there was a TV or not you fucking...

"As far as I know, there's no TV. Sorry." Lina politely bowed her head.

After a little muttering, there were no more comments from the waiting room. Hang in there, Lina. 

Deb responded well to me skulking nearby, setting her phone down from whatever typical trash she was reading and resuming work. However, my own body was willfully-ignorant of my disgust at a growing ache along the side of my throat. Fizzy vitamin C powder and hot tea was the only response.

And the hits kept coming as Conroy Family Medical had five people they needed test records from. This was the only information they gave me in over a week. Call them up and you get a different dumbstruck girl who Lina put to shame in her very first hour on the job. Were they fucking stoners who just forgot where the fuck they were? Some of their statements begged that question.

"You need the papers, Babs."

"Yes, please. Fax over the requests."

"I...can't. You need the papers."

"You want their files. We need to know who was tested and when."

"Fill out the papers and send what you have."

My eye was twitching again.

"Your patients. You know who."

"They went to you. Just get the papers."

"I can't get the right papers to you if you don't get the right information to me."

"...What was your name again?"

Bitch, I am Barbara Fucking Finnacker and I am literally going to run the mile it takes to get to you, shove my fist right up your ass, and make my own personal muppet out of your brainless body!

To her credit, she hung up/got cut off right before I could calmly relay my response. So, I didn't have to deal with her right then.

Lina's game basin hadn't moved. The crowd was a little younger. Some teens but everyone I could see had their eyes locked on their phones. Lina sighed to herself and completed her paperwork for me. 

It was getting close to lunchtime when the first couple of kids came in. Broken arm, anemia, and then Lily.

Seven now, she'd been in a few times for hair testing and multiple blood tests. Near as they could tell, she had psoriatic alopecia. She had her pink, fuzzy hat on with light tufts of her remaining blond hair sticking out the sides. Her dad gently brushed the skin flakes from her pale-white top. 

She held herself in a fetal position on the chair and stared at the carpet. Lina approached, crouching beside her. Lily never cried. She would swallow roughly and grimace but not cry. 

When Lina finished her paperwork, she reached into her scrub pocket and pulled out the silver one she'd brought. 

"Since you have a longer wait, I thought you might feel better with a video game. Do you play video games, Lily?"

Small shake of her head. 

As I worked, I caught snippets of Lina explaining the game to her and which buttons to push. Her father leaned close and encouraged her to try it. Slowly, Lily did.

Sadly, I had to deal with an insurance for the next little bit. We had allegedly inputted a diagnosis code incorrectly. Which one? One of them. What was the right one? Damned if anyone could tell me that. No, we had to know the right code for the right situation they were willing to pay in the right field according to this particular policy or we would be given partial to zero payment. Get it all right against their computer and we were golden. No pressure. 

I audited the notes to see what the referring physician should've given us. Turned out he wrote the right code, just in a tiny scrawl where a zero looked like an eight. One headache down, couple billion to go. 

When Lily made her way back, her father had to guide her because she had a tight, close grip on her game. No sounds made during any of the tests, just a pause and a look of disappointment when she was told it was over. 

She closed up the system slowly and trudged back to reception. She wiped it with her sleeve before holding it out for Lina. Crouching down in her seat, Lina smiled and told her, "I want you to keep it. In fact..." 

Digging around in the basin, she put two more games in Lily's hand and told her, "Please enjoy it."

Lily never hugged anyone. She only ever clung to her father's side when she was scared. But she leapt at Lina and buried her face in her stomach with such energy that they both nearly plopped back in the reception chair. Later, Lina told me Lily whispered, "Thank you."

As her father thanked Lina too, I realized I'd never heard Lily say anything in all her visits. She was already back to her game with the faintest trace of a smile on her face as she went out the door. 

Checking in on Lina, she was blinking and sniffling. I told her to take a break. As cute as her crying about yesterday's hug was, doing it in the middle of the waiting room wasn't a good idea. 

Upon returning, she set aside the hesitancy of earlier and firmly announced, "We have games for those who'd like to borrow one while you wait."

It wasn't exactly a sea change but it did draw a few curious people, enough she had to create a separate sign-in list. Fortunately, she didn't run out of stuff to loan. Unfortunately, I didn't run out of people who strained my patience. 

After reminding the staff of Wallrook Medical for the umpteenth fucking time that we were not a free clinic who did their shit when they were overloaded, it was lunch. And I had gone through a full tube of my hand cream. 

At least Lina joined me with a smile on her face after locking up. Even though I'd caught many of the details, she gushed about Lily. 

"Such a sweet kid. Hope she has more smiles from now on."