Face The Music

Not Alone

My mom put her scrubs back on and scooted around me, giving all her coworkers a death glare. Kenzie and Lauren, the hygienists, took a step back. Rose was standing there with her arms crossed. Down the hall, Josie was peeking out from behind the front office. She rushed back over to her chair when we made eye contact.

"Are we all set here? Things like this really can't keep happening. We're already running way behind," said Rose.

"And now Lauren and I are waiting on our exams," said Kenzie.

"I'll be finished with my patient soon. Don't worry. We'll all get to lunch on time," my mom said as she went back down the hall with Rose.

I rolled my eyes. She was such a pushover. I'm her kid. Her only kid. I'm her number one priority, and they knew that.

"How's it going, Denali?" Lauren asked, trying to be polite.

"Well, my life is absolute shit right now, but thanks for asking," I said.

Lauren's eyes went to the floor.

"Look, I'm sorry you feel that way right now, but this happens practically every month," Kenzie said. "This is the clinical side of the building. You can't just come in here and pull Doctor Andrews out of something she's doing. It makes us look unprofessional in front of all our patients."

Is this girl seriously trying to push my buttons, today of all days? Who does she really think she is?

I mean, I knew who she thought she was: the queen bee. She'd been working with my mom for ten years. She knew everything. The patients loved her. She's Mackenzie freaking Jones. She acted like she owned the place, because she literally did. Her husband was a local real-estate mogul and my mom was leasing the office from him. If she fired Kenzie, she'd lose the building.

"I don't know what to tell you, Kenz. If I need my mom I'm gonna show up, period," I said.

"She does have a phone, though. You can always call. You have, you know, other options besides coming into the building and disrupting what we're doing," said Kenzie.

I made eye contact with Lauren for a brief second, who turned around, went back into her room, shut the door, and started talking with her patient. She wanted no part of this. And to be real, I didn't want any of it, either.

"Just chill out. I'm leaving, okay?" I said, walking past her.

"Fine, but you just need to at least try calling her first, next time. We really can't have you in here like this."

I turned around to face her.

"Last time I checked, my mom's name is on the sign out front, not yours. It's her practice. If she has an issue with me being here, she'll tell me about it. You're not the boss of me."

I didn't let her answer. I just walked into the waiting room and out the front door instead. I heard someone calling me as I walked down the steps, and when I turned around, Josie was standing there. I thought I dropped something on my way out.

"What's up, Josie?" I asked her.

"I don't normally leave my desk and I don't want to butt into your business but...are you pregnant?" she asked.

I sighed. "Yup. Sixteen and pregnant because I couldn't go through with the abortion."

"Yeah, I thought that's what I heard." She came down the rest of the front steps, standing eye-level with me on the sidewalk. "No one else at the practice knows this, but my older sister was a teen mom. She had a baby when she was still in middle school. She didn't want to get an abortion either."

"Wow...in middle school? Did she keep it?"

"No. She put her up for adoption. It's a really beautiful thing. She's happy with her adoptive family. She's actually almost your age. She's as old as my sister was when she had her," Josie said. "My sister is a really successful author now. She actually writes stories about teen moms. Her pen name is R. L. Vander. She's doing a book signing at Porter's next weekend. If you want some advice I'm sure she can steer you in the right direction."

"Yeah...that would be really helpful. But I'm actually supposed to be at Nationals next weekend."

"Oh. Well if you ever want her info just let me know."

"I will. Thanks, Josie." I wasn't a big hugger, but I gave her one before I left.

I got in my car, and for shits and giggles, went around the corner to Porter's Pages, since it was on my way home. My mom used to bring me in here to get cookies from the bake shop and picture books.

When I walked in, the place smelled like it used to: of coffee and new books.

I went over to the teen section and found all five books they had by R. L. Vander. I grabbed all of them, paid a crazy price of seventy-five bucks on my debit card, and went back to my car. I didn't know if these teen mom stories were going to help me, but I had to do something to help myself after the morning I had.