Read Playing His Game (The Reynolds Brothers) Online
Authors: Justine Elvira
Playing His Game (The Reynolds Brothers) (28 page)
“Thanks, doll,
I’ll text you this afternoon and let you know what my plans are. I may just end
up hanging out here, and go see Daddy,” I say, and hang up. When I moved to
Charleston for college, Daddy sold the house and came out here too. I don’t
think he wanted to be in that big house all by himself.
I turn my radio back on and let the music help clear my mind.
Everyone picks on me for my very eclectic taste in music. The playlist on my
iPod will go from Elvis, to REO Speedwagon and Aerosmith to Linkin Park or
Eminem. I can listen to just about anything. There's something soothing about
losing yourself in the lyrics of a song. I can listen to the same song on
different days and get a different meaning out of it, depending on my mood.
~
I let my mind
wander off as I make my way into the parking garage. Sometimes I worry myself
wondering how in the hell I make it from point A to point B. I have no
recollection of driving the past thirty minutes, but thank heavens the car and
I make it there in one piece, and we apparently didn’t have any incidents along
the way.
Walking into the
hospital, I make my usual greetings to the patient transporters and various
employees I see every morning on my way in. This is my safe place. I can come
in, do my job, and blend in. I can focus on helping heal others and it makes me
feel like I have accomplished something worthwhile. I make it up to my floor,
stash my belongings in my locker, change into these hideous hospital scrubs and
make my way into the lab.
“Nae Nae!” I hear
as soon as I walk in the doors. Great, Michelle seems to have stopped for
Starbucks on her way in this morning. She is probably the only other person as
wide awake as I am in the mornings, but give that girl caffeine and watch out.
She's ball of energy on Red Bull!
I grab my scrub
jacket from the back of the chair; it’s freezing in here even though it’s the
middle of summer. I look at Michelle. She’s my best girlfriend. I met Michelle
in nursing school, and we decided we had to work together no matter where we
ended up. We’ve helped each other study, pass finals, and we sat for our
licensure exams together. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life,
especially since Sly stayed back home in Birmingham.
“Hey, Michelle,
where’s mine?” I ask, knowing she wouldn’t deprive me of the nectar of the gods
that is coffee if she was going to get some for herself.
Michelle smiles
her devious smile that means she's up to something. “I’ll let you have it on
one condition.” She holds up her hand as I open my mouth to say something. “You
are going out with me and Gabbi tonight. There's this new band that is supposed
to be really hot playing at Metro tonight, and you are going, Nae Nae!”
Sweet Jesus! I
really have no clue where in the hell Michelle came up with the Nae Nae thing.
It drives me batshit crazy, but because I love her, I won’t stop her. Some of
the doctors tried to call me that, but they got my death glare, and learned
quickly not to push that button.
“Come on,
Michelle, you know that clubs really aren’t my scene. Just give me my damn
coffee, woman!” I reach out for my cup as she pulls away, giving me that look
that tells me I’m not getting out of this that easily. I don’t want to go.
Being in a crowd like that makes me uncomfortable; I don’t want to be in a dark
enclosed space, it brings back too many memories. A chance to lose myself in
some new music for a few hours does appeal to me though.
Gabbi walks
in from behind me and Michelle looks over my shoulder. Gabbi fit into our
friendship seamlessly. She was in hospital orientation with us and we
immediately hit it off. “Gabbi, tell Nae Nae that she is going to Metro with us
tonight, and we aren’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. She has blown us off way too
many times.” She pouts, looking from Gabbi to me.
Even when Michelle
and I were in nursing school, I never went out to parties or anything. I didn’t
feel like I could let my guard down to get to know anybody else, especially
men. Every man I met reminded me of
him.
I was content to stay home,
study, and maybe talk on the phone with Sly for a few hours. It had been years since
I wanted to actually go out on the social scene. I only went to my senior prom
because Sly came to the door and dragged my ass upstairs and made me get
dressed in a dress I didn’t know Daddy had gone out and purchased for me with
Sly’s help.
“Fine! I’ll go,
will you please just give me the damn coffee!” I sigh, turning my head to look
at Gabbi, who was resting her chin on my shoulder. Gabbi lets out this annoying
girly squeal then holds up a brown bag for me. As I grab it and look inside, I
realized that resistance was going to be futile. If they didn’t talk me into
going by holding my coffee hostage, Gabbi was holding my number one weakness in
her hand. She handed over a large bag of gummy bears. I will do just about
anything for gummy bears.
I snatch my coffee
and bag of candy, and walk the rest of the way into the lab to look at the
schedule board. Only three procedures are scheduled for today, so hopefully it
won’t be that bad of a Friday. I notice that Dr. Morrison hadn’t added any
additional procedures on yet. Fingers crossed he won’t.
Michelle and Gabbi
skip in behind me and start getting the supplies we needed to get our day
started. Right before Michelle goes into to procedure room, she turns to me and
says, “Lynae Michaels, you
will
be coming over to my apartment after
work this afternoon, and we
will
be doing your hair and makeup. This
messy bun, geek chic thing works for the hospital, but we are going to show off
that rocking body that I just know is under those scrubs, missy!”
Great! This is going
to be a long night! What did I agree to? I just need to remember that I’m going
out for a night with my girls, I can drown myself in the beat of the music and
just be me. I shoot a quick text off to Sly, telling him I’ve been roped into
going to a club with Michelle and Gabbi and I won’t be heading back home
tonight. His response makes me smile.
Sly:
Have fun,
sweet cheeks! Shake that ass for me!
In A Heartbeat by Liz King
is available now!!!
www.facebook.com/authorlizking
Justine Elvira is a best selling author at multiple
retailers. She is also a mother and the Queen of Procrastination. Writing is
her form of therapy and helps her escape reality for a little while.
When she's not writing you can usually find her with her
kids, or attached to her kindle.