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Part 8 - Determinant 

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Two alarms at once. Alright, I was up. Not really, but I was gonna get there. 

Another dream. It felt happier. Sunlight, lake shore, dunes, and protecting Lina. Her furniture-drag snore was missing beside me. Instead, the snoring was lighter, a paintbrush on paper in a slow, regular rhythm. Hypnotic...

No. No more sleep. Not right now. I did put the covers snuggly around her as I got up and checked the laundry. Clean and still warm. 

I tried not to do the mental math on how little we'd slept. I prepped the kitchen for breakfast and set aside Lina's clothes, including what she had picked out last night. Then, I washed one of my bikinis, the white one with a nice chain string and a loop link on the bottom. Not too flashy, but it went well with my hair. 

Lina would have to get something from her place, but we'd have plenty of time. She hadn't moved from the same spot in bed and her noises were just as quiet. To wake her felt like a crime. I washed up first and fast, making sure she had the lion's share of the warm water. 

By the time I was done, she was shifting and groaning. 

"Lina? It's morning."

She rolled over and coughed lightly. "Hmm? Oh gosh...my body. My head. Everything..." Lina groaned and buried her face in the pillow. 

Checking her, it was clearly a hangover. With just one drink. She muttered, "Sorry, dutch a lightweight...such." Despite her protests, I got her up and out of bed and guided her to the bathroom. 

She didn't puke but she had a few shaky moments. I brought her sports drinks and water as she...evicted just about everything in the ways you wanted them to go. I helped her undress and ease into the shower. 

I left her the big towel, set out her clean clothes, and got to work on breakfast. I knew what best to make, from experience. Scrambled eggs with spinach and oatmeal with banana. I even put aside an extra banana. Along with that, some ginger tea and plenty of water.

Lina cautiously made her way out of the bedroom, squinting at the early light through the blinds. Once at the table though, she was ravenous. She took hearty bites and sips of everything while trying not to burn herself.

With a sigh, I told her, "I can take you over to your place for anything you need to pick up, especially if you want to go swimming before lunch."

Lina slowed and said quietly, "Okay. Thank you. I can pick up the games and stuff for the waiting room and my regular bag. I don't need to get a swimsuit though. It was a silly idea to go swimming in the middle of work. Another time."

I reminded, "You said you love it and you feel really comfortable in the water. It's going to be a warm day, maybe the last really warm one of the year. Take the chance when you have it."

She did nod to that but also noted, "I had a lot of fun last night. I'll probably just pass out at lunch for the whole thing. It's okay."

I persisted. "Well, I'll be going. So, you can nap on a chair in the OWL or beside a pool with the spray of the water and the warmth of the sun. Think it over."

"I'll...see how I feel in a few hours." Good enough for me. 

After breakfast, Lina looked a lot better. She wasn't completely convinced about keeping her attire from last night, especially standing beside my regular outfit, but I assured her it would be alright.

Exiting, I noticed another spider crawling in the middle of the porch. It was a little bigger than the one that crawled on me but black like the beetle I crushed. Did they join forces? 

Before I could deliver another message with my heel, Lina walked out and crunched it with one casual step. She staggered back and raised an eyebrow. "Whoops...hope the others don't hold a grudge." I didn't think anyone or anything could hold a grudge with Lina.

At her apartment, she picked up her scrubs, an outfit she didn't let me see, and everything else she needed. As always, her bracelets looked lovely on her hands but it was a shame her golden hairpin remained in her pocket.

Somehow, we made it to the office with enough time. Lina nearly commandeered the sink for washing but I stopped her and told her it would be fine. Then, while she set up for the day, I went over to a little dry-cleaning place I trusted and dropped her scrubs off there. Yeah, I was overspending but it was for her happiness.

When I returned, she was posed like she was set, ready, and in-charge. In actuality, she was asleep with her legs sliding off the seat. I let her rest a few more minutes till opening. 

Once the day got started, she was attentive to every patient, whether calm, bitter, or darting around. A few adult ADHD cases actually bumped her out of her stupor. One in particular, after seeing her pants, tried to tell her more Nintendo history in ten minutes than even she probably knew.

No one gave a big stink about her clothes. Some even asked casual questions. Her answer, "I was in a pub competition last night and this was all I had for today."

Of course, that just invited more questions, which she did her best to answer professionally when she could. A few of the younger guys really liked her look but the older folks sometimes gave her a cold shoulder. And I resisted punting them out the front door.

On my end, it was attack of the old people too. 

I wrangled an old lady who found every word I said like I was screaming at her, all while she howled at me. 

"Where are you?! I can't find a blasted thing! In my day..."

She gave a lengthy story of dealing with a new doctor who was doing this thing that made her so upset. Her old doctor always gave a pat on the rump, a lolly, and said she was fine but, gollyswarnit, this newfangled doctor with their lappytops and their blood testing.

Just think of the pool...

And then, I ignored an older man carrying on separate conversations between someone next to him and me about his results. Go to his doctor. No, he didn't like him. He was an idiot because he told him something he didn't like again. He still had to go to him.

"Do you want me to die!? You don't care! You want me to just die! That doctor will kill me! Everyone killing everyone! Crazy people everywhere! No one cares no one cares!" Then he yelled the same thing at the person there. I could've just hung up but I put him to the side and did some other work.

Eventually, he just wore himself out like a two-year-old at the end of a screaming, sugar high. The other guy there, who sounded much younger and sweet but very tired, answered, "I'm so sorry about my grandpa. I'll take care of it."

I promised him that if he ran into any issues I'd take care of them personally. And if his grandfather tried to call again, "Tell him I am actually trying to kill him and only you can save him by talking to me to keep me from hunting him down with a syringe of anthrax or something." He got a kick out of that.

I had to remember to use something like that on Deb. Actually...nah, he wasn't related to her, as far as I could tell from the chart, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Finally, for extra fun, the stem plunger on the old sink fell off its chain. Cracking my fingers, I got the flashlight, some gloves, and a pocket mirror because whoever made this old thing decided all the access points absolutely needed to be against the wall with just a few inches of clearance separating us from the neighboring building. Bless him, it was probably Archie. 

A few foul-smelling, musty, sweaty minutes later I got the long rod jammed in the right hole, only I wasn't as happy as I should've been under similar circumstances. 

When I returned to the desk to take a breather, I polished off my third tube of hand cream for the day. Sweet apples to finish the morning!

It wasn't Wednesday easy, Monday hard, or even the clusterfuck I expected tomorrow, but setting the phone down at ten minutes to eleven felt so satisfying. Deb was already out. Lina came back with a yawn and a stretch to ask, "Anything else you need my help with?"

Leaning back, I told her, "One thing. How do you feel?"

She took a moment to realize what I meant. "Oh, way better. But wouldn't it be too much trouble to go way over somewhere then eat then get back?"

"Not at all, especially since I have something to pick up for you. Come on."

It was already warm enough outside that turning on the A/C was a necessity for the first time in weeks. Lina floated a few curious questions along the way but mostly rested.

When we arrived, Lina gave me a glance but said nothing. When I returned with her pink scrubs swaddled in plastic on a hanger, she leaned her head on the window and smiled. "Awww. Babs...You didn't have to do that."

"I know but now you get to be a proper Miss Owl for the kids and feel comfortable." Shaking her head, she grinned the whole way to the pool on Wade. 

It was actually several different pools, nearly an aquatics center but a long ways from a park. They had plans for a lazy river but work on it had been slow. I'd packed a few towels for drying off later.

In the lockers, Lina finally showed off her suit. With all the sneaking, I almost expected something scandalous or a signature copy of a swimsuit some video game character wore. Not that I could think of any off-hand.

But her pick was cute. It kinda reminded me of a gymnast's outfit from the Olympics. A lavender, chevron-bordered section led from her girlish hips up to her narrow waist. The rest of the way to her shoulder straps, the suit was a simple, flat blue that complimented the purple. Turning, crossing straps snaked around the open expanse of her back.

Tugging on the creases and checking everything, she asked, "How does it look? I've worn it like once before but it feels comfy."

I assured her it was lovely as I slipped on my bikini. Hoop link bottom and chain loop top which felt immensely-comfortable for me. Lina just said, "Wowsers" with a smile before proclaiming, "You're so pretty, Babs."

"Thanks! So are you." 

She made a little groan. "I dunno pretty. You're pretty. Me...I've shaved my legs and arms as many times as I can count on one hand. It's probably all fuzz down there. I'm afraid to look. And I never exercise. And my crack isn't showing, right?"

Leveling a firm look at her, I assured, "It's fine. You are fine. You're gonna have fun. Or nap the whole time. This is your well-earned break before lunch. Enjoy."

She took a deep breath, closed her locker, and looked to the showers. "Right. Got this. Foop worrying about it."

After we washed up, we stood at the entrance to the pools. There were about five other people, mostly moms with preschoolers. And one sexy lifeguard. 

Chuckling to herself, Lina sat on the edge of the pool and eased into the water. She held the lip, submerged a few times, and smiled through her drenched hair. I decided to use the small, one-loop yellow slide leading into the water. Twirl and a dunk. Wooo!

Ahhh. Fuck you, old farts! Fuck you, annoying doctors! Fuck you, shitty insurance people! Fuck you, the ones I've already intentionally-forgotten! I swam across the length and back then bobbed in the middle with my legs and boobs floating up. 

Lina drifted out too with a laugh. "I always looked forward to swimming lessons every week. Had it for years but mom stuff again. Greg took me to the Y on some weekends back in high school but I just stopped. Back then, I wore a full...thing with like shorts and sleeves too. I like this though." She made her way back to the lip and took a breath.

"You okay?"

Lina nodded and gave a little smirk. "Librarian and gamer. I skip on leg days." 

She covered a yawn by accidentally splashing her face when bringing her arm over. A little after, she pushed up and left through the shallow end. There were two lounge chairs right next to each other. She stretched out with her hands resting on her stomach and shut her eyes for a while. I got out too after another ride on the small, twisted banana slide. 

There was enough shade from the wall to keep a fair, freckled redhead and a pale blonde from cowering in terror but the sun was ever creeping. Couldn't it just take a break too?

Looking at the shadows, it seemed like we would be fine for the rest of our time. But more people were arriving and the chairs would be prime real-estate to be claimed if we went back for a dip. No way was I going to the pool management desk to buy one of their crappy, single-use sunscreens which any hotel would be ashamed to offer for free. At least not for myself.

Deep breath. Relax too.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Swimsuits [https://i.imgur.com/syK3WZK.jpg]

Sigh. God, Lina looked so small and so young lying there. If not for the video, now only in my head, I would never imagine she was my big, beefy man reshaped into the cousin he nurtured better than the one who gave birth to her.

Settling into a comfortable lean on my side, I watched her and thought about what inescapably came next. One week. Finite bets. She showed up last Saturday morning. She would be gone by the next one. But really? My thoughts, my dreams, my fears. 

How would Greg feel? He will have been present for a weeklong, first-person movie of his cousin's life. Would it fade with time? Would it take root? Would the Greg I was getting back on Saturday be the same person I loved?

What about the original? An unsuspecting-Lina surely on her way back from a week of California and games. Her entire heart had been laid bare, copy-and-pasted into another who lived a life unique to this week. I had no idea what to think...

But I knew what to feel. Lina, the Lina of this week, was eye-opening, sweet, sincere, gentle, tragic, optimistic, delightful, potent, dedicated, fun, and also pretty. She was my girl, whatever that meant, as much as Greg was my man. I told myself it would be okay but that didn't make me feel any less anxious about the future.