Chapter 14: Chapter 14

LEXI

Lexi put her hair into a high ponytail, pinched her cheeks for some color, and applied lip gloss. Her outfit for the day was a simple white polo T-shirt, blue jeans, and Converse sneakers.

When he came out of her room, Reece was being loved up by one of her “daddies” on the velvet couch. Lexi can’t see his face because they were kissing each other savagely. She guessed that meant her best friend had fun at the club last night.

Lexi rolled her eyes and headed to the kitchen. Midway there, she stopped and frowned. She lost her appetite since seeing Da—

~No, don’t say his name.~

Lexi tried to shake away the thoughts brewing in my head. Without getting any food, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

Lexi arrived at the university campus just before class started, but she almost wished she’d stayed home. The psychology lecture today was another dig at her self-esteem.

The professor loaded a passage for everyone to review on the projector screen. It was about a woman in the 1820s who brewed medicines in secret. The country she was from did not respect women at all, didn’t give them voices to speak their opinions, and certainly didn’t give this woman a safe environment to practice medicine.

However, she broke the rules; she didn’t let them tell her what she could and could not do. She became one of the most influential women in that country at that time, starting a rebellion even though she knew she would die for it. She stuck to her guns, doing what she thought was right, and many women were able to step a little further out of their own comfort zones because of it.

And here Lexi was, sulking like a little girl because of a boy.

~This historic woman would surely be ashamed of me.~ In silence, she made a promise to herself: ~I will stay away from him.~

After the lecture ended, Lexi walked a block off campus to her friend’s clinic. Marcus was the only man Reece let her spend time with—and only because she knew his character well. He ran a small but pristine clinic where women felt safe for their checkups and procedures.

Lexi met Marcus over a year ago when she started having horrible menstrual pain. Reece recommended him, and the next day, he discovered several fibroids growing in and around her uterus. He surgically removed them, and she was now tumor-free. They became good friends after that.

Marcus always looked cool when he slipped on his white coat and pushed a handsome, professional onto his face. It helped that he wasn’t a bad-looking guy either. He was tall and dark, and he’d been happily married to his wife, Kim, for six years.

At first, Lexi would only come into the clinic to chat with Marcus, but then she began to volunteer whenever he needed a helping hand. It was the least she could do since he practically operated on her for free.

Lexi’s insurance didn’t cover the surgery costs, and lord knows she didn’t have cash for the procedure. She wouldn’t let Reece pay for it either.

~I think it’s safe to say there are still good men in this world. It’s just a pity that most of them are already taken.~

While volunteering, Lexi realized that she liked being there. Liked being busy. It also gave her the opportunity to learn all she needed to know about the female body.

Perhaps that’s why she held onto her virginity this long; she’d learned about so many STD symptoms that it just seemed smart to wait.

The office was cold and quiet when Lexi walked in. Two young girls were in a corner scanning a form, while a mother and her crying teenage daughter sat on one of the couches.

Lexi walked to the Employee’s Only door and swiped the key card Marcus gave her.

“Hey, Lexi,” one of his temp medical assistants greeted. She was Hispanic, mid-thirties, and really pretty, but Lexi could never remember her name.

“Hi,” she said. “Is Marcus in?”

The assistant pointed toward his office, and Lexi thanked her before walking over and knocking firmly.

“Come in,” Marcus’s voice traveled out to the hallway.

Opening the door, Lexi was about to greet him when she saw two legs spread out and a shiny twat on full display. She covered her eyes immediately. “Oh my god, I’m sorry.” She attempted to rush out, but he called her back.

“Don’t be silly. Come in, Lexi. She’s knocked out cold.”

Marcus motioned for her to shut the door and sit beside him.

Lexi nervously walked over, avoiding the urge to look at the woman’s face. “Are you sure you don’t want me to wait outside?”

He nodded. “Yes, it’s fine, just a termination procedure. I’m almost done.” He said it as if it was no big deal. “I’ll need you to assist me with prep next time if you’re comfortable, so consider this part of the training process.”

Lexi couldn’t contain her shock as she whispered, “She’s having an abortion?”

“Yeah. Sit down, though. You don’t look so good.” Seeing her face, Marcus added, “You’re not the one getting rid of it—why are you so pale?”

He gestured for her to sit, and she did, feeling dizzy. Obviously, she had heard of abortions before, but she’d never actually seen one being done.

~Why am I so annoyed? Is it because of my childhood? Motherless, hungry, and lonely? ~

Images of her past flashed before her.

Lexi remembered the concrete house where she grew up. No doors or curtains to keep out intruders, no warmth, no love…just cold.

Her mother always wore a smile, though. She would smile every time a new man showed up to supply her with the one thing she loved in this world. The thing she loved more than her own daughter.

Lexi could only vaguely remember her mother holding her. Or even reading her a bedtime story.

~What am I saying? I never even had a bed; I slept on a pile of old clothes. My mother would rummage through them to find me something to wear on the nights when she left me there alone.~

Child services finally came after Lexi hadn’t seen her mother for days. Days of no food or water. Just cold, cold, cold.

The bitter memories made her shiver.

Lexi finally gathered the courage to look at the woman’s face. Hatred overflowed in her gut like lava.

Her mother was an evil woman who loved no one, but at least she gave her a chance to survive. This wench was just lying there sleeping while an innocent life was being torn from her womb.

Lexi sent daggers to the operating table.

“Don’t worry, Lexi. It’s perfectly safe.”

~Marcus, this isn’t the time for doctor gibberish. I know it’s not going to hurt this bitch, but you’re still hurting the baby.~

She narrowed her eyes at her friend, and he chuckled briefly. She tried not to look at the blood on his gloved hands.

“You don’t have to watch; you can go help Marissa with the paperwork,” Marcus said. “I’m practically done anyway. Just remember patient confidentiality: what you see and learn here stays here.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She walked out of there immediately and tried not to slam the door.

Lexi’s emotions were all over the place. Breathing techniques seemed to help, but she still wanted to go back in and yell, ~Use a fucking condom next time! Go on birth control! Or in your case just take your womb out!~

~Ugh!~

***

When Lexi returned to the front, Marissa was still sitting at her desk, now eating an apple and drinking coffee. ~What a weird combination.~

“Hey, Marcus says I could help with the paperwork,” Lexi said, trying to keep the indifference out of her voice.

“Si, you can help the lady he’s with now. Photocopy her information and update her patient file.”

Lexi envied Marissa’s professionalism. She knew that Marissa watched those procedures being done all the time, unperturbed, while Lexi was freaking out.

“Okay, sounds easy enough.”

Lexi found a seat at the customer service window, separated from the waiting area by a privacy screen. That way, no one else could see the documents she was making copies of.

The woman’s folder was bigger than Lexi expected. New clients usually had no more than three pages, but this woman had several. ~She must have been here more than once.~

Lexi scanned all the paperwork at the copier. While placing it in a folder, she couldn’t help but read the front page.

Name: Gloria Wanton

Age: twenty-five

Marital status: single

Job: Personal Assistant to CEO Daniel Jackson

~What the shit kind of crazy coincidence is this? She’s Daniel’s assistant?~

Lexi had to remind herself that it was none of her business.

She closed the folder and filed it like Marissa asked. The assistant then offered her an apple and coffee, and she accepted them both—anything to get her mind off Daniel.

~Here I am trying to distract myself from all things him, and I walked into a room where his assistant was having an abortion. What are the odds of that?~

~Now everywhere I go I’m going to be paranoid that the next person I interact with will be his employee or friend or family member or something… Maybe I should move to another state.~

~No, it’s not that bad. This feeling will pass. I’ve read in romance novels that first crushes aren’t forever. Eventually, I’ll get over it…I mean, him.~

***

At the end of her shift, Lexi left Marcus’s office without saying goodbye. She was too horrified to stick around any longer, afraid someone else associated with Daniel would show up there. She didn’t want to take any chances.

Lexi had a few hours left before her shift at Maker’s started, and she was curious about how good or bad it would be. Thanks to Daniel, she’d already met the worst customer, so she was confident that she could handle anything anyone else threw at her.

Lexi hadn’t eaten much today—only the apple and coffee Marissa had offered her—but now her appetite was back, and she craved donuts. There was a Dunkin’ Donuts a short walk away, so she decided to go there before her shift at Maker’s.

The line inside DD was short, which was strange since the store was usually packed. As she waited, Lexi began to whistle, and the gentleman in front of her turned, frowning.

~I guess whistling isn’t lady-like… Well, I’ve had a rough morning, mister. I might need to whistle all day to salvage my mood.~

When Lexi got to the checkout counter, a perky blonde cashier with crumbs on her shirt said, “Hi, welcome to Dunkin’ Donuts. What can I get you?”

“Uh, let me see.” Lexi scanned the menu, thinking she should’ve picked something before getting to the front of the line.

A familiar male voice said, “She’ll have a jelly donut with coated sugar and a chocolate-glazed one for me. We’ll also get two chocolate shakes, please.”

~Where do I know that voice from?~

Lexi turned to face the man who ordered for her and was taken aback. It was Daniel’s best friend, Josh.

~This day just keeps getting better and better.~