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Having it logically laid out helped

"I do need to ask you to do paperwork for the visit, but I think I can have that done after we’re finished, and we’ll just list so, Aina’"

"People must come in orse," Darla said

"No co you’ve seen in a vagina?" I squeaked

"Oh, no--I just ive Darla any lurid tales to take back to Trevor and Joe and share," he assured me as he shooed Darla out

"Quick comment," Darla said as the door literally shut on her, Alex putting obvious muscle into it "When you put the speculum in, be careful you don’t ruin the phone Don’t want to corade" If I could have thrown so at her I would have

Once he’d locked the door behind her, I asked, "Have you ever seen a phone inthere? Like this?" I asked

He shook his head "I can’t say that I have" Mercifully, I had an excuse to lie back and close my eyes then

The procedure was remarkably easy Note to self: buy a speculuencies Alex removed the phone in less than five minutes, as if he’d done this a thousand times before

"Bet that was the easiest birth ever," I joked

"It was the ," he said, a kind suy, sht now

Alex left the phone on a piece of paper towel by the sink as I sat up, s still draped under the exam sheet "You can wash that in the sink and tuck it in your pocket and no one’s the wiser You do have a few s at the cervix You must have been in quite a lot of pain"

A lump in my throat threatened what shred of equilibrium I had I just nodded

"I’’ down for the reason you’re here Which is the truth Some of it, at least"

"Thank you"

"Niceyou, Amy, even if the circu you too, Alex, and I really can’t thank you enough"

And with that, he was out the door As I slid one leg into h froive hier thanthe phone was no big deal and yes--it worked fine No worse the wear for nearly being ainst the corridor wall just outside the room

"Can you hearto use that one

"Shut up," I groaned, rolling my eyes

She reached for her phone, then stopped "Can’t do that anymore, can I"

"You are a psycho hose beast"

"I am your psycho hose beast who just saved you, sister"

"I hate you"

She threw an arm around my shoulders and whispered in ured this out"

The paperas easy to coainstscones and coffee at a shop in the lobby, alked outside and hailed a cab

"Just think – dating will be so much easier now"

"Huh?"

"You just have to say, ‘Siri, find uy will – "

I punched her – lightly – in the shoulder as she laughed, a cab responding to my raised hand

This tiht--I didn’t hate her

Right now she and Dr Alex were my favorite people

Aside froes from him All were just little check-ins, the kind of text you send when you’re in a relationship

How’s it going?

Miss you:)

Call me You free soon?

Little check-ins that had bzzzzzed me to a new level of horror, but that turned out to be so banal, so ordinary, that the juxtaposition against what I’d just experienced see see more real

And there’s no app for that

Chapter Seven

Sam

As I walked toward the apart couches and end tables and boxes, I had 150 cash in my pocket (the owners tipped us--a nice bonus) and the new job lined up for tonight, so life was good

Amy hadn’t answeredMaybe this was her?

Nope Trevor "Hey, you got any ideas for a new peruy sucked"

"It’s hard to join an existing band," I said diplomatically The problem, as we both kneas really that he wasn’t Joe Nobody would be as good with us as Joe And we didn’t need anybody dragging us down--but saying the new guy sucked was taking it a bit too far "I don’t have any ideas, though," I ad "I’ll give Tyler another chance He definitely picked up some attention from the chicks in the crowd"