Forever Girl(4)

"You'll meet her today. She's being introduced to all the parents and patients by Dr. Stoner."





The children's names get called by Nurse Julie. We're taken to the  scales to get their height and weight. Jazz goes first she's thirty  inches tall and weighs thirty-eight pounds. Jamie gets on after his  sister and he's forty-one inches tall and weighs forty pounds. Jasmine's  in the regular percentile for her age. Jameson's a little taller than  the normal percentile but his weight's right on. Julie shows us to the  exam room. I pull out a book to read to them until they're seen. I have  almost finished reading the second book when the door opens. I swear I  think I'm going to faint. Dr. Stoner rushes to me and asks if I'm okay.  There's still a ringing in my ears. I come out of the paralyzed state  and look at Nic. She is standing in front of me for the first time in  six years. She's looking at me and then at the twins. Tears start  running down her face as she's shaking her head telling me she's sorry.  It's only then that I realize I also have tears streaming from my eyes. I  have my hand covering my mouth. She rushes to me from the doorway and  gives me a tight hug.

"Oh my god Lyric. I'm so sorry I didn't know." Nic keeps saying to me.

My children are scared and confused. They're trying to get her away from  me and get into my lap. They've never seen me cry. They don't  understand who she is and why she's made me upset. Nic moves away from  me and I get the twins on my lap.         

     



 

"Can you gives us a minute with the new Doctor please?" I ask Dr. Stoner.

"Take as much time as you need." She looks at all of us one more time and then walks out the door and shuts it behind her.





I sit both of the children down in the chair. I squat down so they can see my eyes.

"Do you two remember looking at the pictures of your daddy and Auntie Nic yesterday?"

"Yes momma." They answer looking unsure of why I'm asking that question.

I can see their little minds going a mile a minute. I see it click when  they look at me and then Nic. It's then that they realize who she is. I  move out of the way as they both jump up.

"Auntie Nic!" They yell.

She squats into a position so she can brace herself for the hurricane  that's Jameson and Jasmine. She starts laughing and hugging them tight.  They start to pepper her with questions about where she's been. They ask  her when their daddy will come home and see them. She looks at me over  their heads and all I can do is shrug my shoulders. I know we have a lot  to talk about and questions that need answered on both sides. I tell  the children that they need to get their physicals finished. I ask Nic  to figure out a time she can come over and we'll sit down and figure  everything out.





Chapter 4



Lyric



Then





I walk into work at grocery store and see my friend Jessica. She's getting ready to start her shift also.

"Something's different about you?" She says to me.

I grab her hand and pull her into the bathroom. I tell her about getting  my period for the first time. When I look up she has this look on her  face.

"What?" I ask

"You should've started your period years ago." She states as she shakes her head.

"I know but I guess it's stress or something."

"Have you told your doctor about you not starting? What did she have to say?" She asks with concern.

I look down at my shoes and shake my head no.

"Well why the hell not?" She whisper yells.

"I haven't been to the doctor in years." I whisper as I lower my head.

She gets this look on her face and I think she's getting ready to cry. I  start babbling about not needing a doctor because I don't get sick.

"I should go to your house and kick your rotten cunt of a mother's ass." She spits.

"I'm fine I promise. Ali would just find a way to make me pay for her  getting her ass kicked anyway." I laugh but we both know it's the truth.

"You need to make an appointment with my doctor. They have a sliding  scale. With you being a minor you should not have to pay more than a  couple of dollars. They give you prescriptions and things like that  there in the office also."

Jessica's nineteen years old but got emancipated when she was fifteen. I  sometimes wonder if I should try to emancipate myself but I'm getting  ready to turn seventeen. I only have one more year until I can leave and  never look back. I have a 3.8 grade point average. I can go to a good  college if I can get grants, scholarships, or financial aid on my own.  I'll do what I have to do to get out of Ali's house. I shake my head to  clear my thoughts. I tell Jess that we have to go punch in.





The line's relentless today and I'm tired and these craps are killing  me. I look up to greet the next customer when I see those sexy green  eyes. I greet him all breathless like I just ran a marathon. I groan and  give a little cough. He looks at me and has this look like are you  dying or something.

"Are you okay?" He asks me with concern in his eyes.

"I have a little tickle in the back of my throat from it being dry."

My answer must pacify him because he gets a huge smile on his face.

"It must be the refurbished air in this place." He replies with a smirk on his face telling me that he knows I'm lying.

Delia comes up behind him with another cart and starts putting the contents onto the conveyer belt.

"I didn't think that we would need this much stuff." She says to us.

I remind her that they just moved here and the first shopping trip's always the worst.





As I'm saying good night to Jess I look up. Dean's standing with his  back leaning against his car with his legs crossed at the ankles. He's  looking sexy and I can't help but do a slow appraisal from his muscular  legs up to where you can see the bulge in his pants. I stay there for  just a minute until my eyes start the slow crawl up to his tight stomach  and defined chest. I continue to appraise his muscular arms that I  would love to have wrapped around me. I move my eyes to his face and see  a small smirk on his face that tells me that he knows what I just did  and he liked it. I tell Jess good night as I walk towards him.         

     



 

"I wants details tomorrow." She grabs my arm and says with a huge smile on her face.

"Get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a great night." I say as I laugh at the expression on her face.

She hugs me and swats my ass as she walks to her car.





Delia and Dean have lived next door for a couple of weeks now. I spend  most of my free time at their house or showing them around. One day  Delia stops me as we're walking.

"We should come up with nicknames." She says out of the blue.

I give her a look like you're crazy.

"I'm serious. I hate my name and I want one that suites me."

"What's your middle name?" I ask.

"Nicole" She says.

"You can be Nic or Cole" I say.

"Well I think I'll be Nic then" After she thought about it for a minute and then smiles.

"It's nice to meet you Nic" I say to her.

She shakes her head and tells me I'm crazy.

"What is your middle name?" She asks me.

I tell her it's Jade.

"That name's awesome too." She says with a look of aww.

"Well at least Ali named me something cool right." I laugh because the look on her face is funny.

She shakes her head and agrees.

"I can't come up with a cool nickname for you. When I figure one out I'll let you know."

"I don't need a nickname, but I like yours." I say with a smile and a laugh.





From the moment Dean picked me up that first night; we all three spent  our free time together. He would take me to work and pick me up. On my  days off we would take drives to different places like Red River Gorge,  Cumberland Falls, Mammoth Cave, and into the Mountains down by the  Kentucky-Virginia state line. I knew he was going to College for  Geological Engineering as well as Coal Mining Engineering. Dean wanted  to transfer here because of the Engineering Program and Delia followed  because U.K. has a good Pediatric Program. I'm happy they moved next  door from me. For the first time I have friends that have made my summer  amazing. Normally I would be working all the time or trying to stay out  of Ali's way. My birthday's in a couple of days and this is the first  time I'm actually looking forward to it. Even if we don't do anything  it's the fact that I get to spend the weekend with them that makes this  the best birthday ever.





Today I turned seventeen and I'm excited knowing I have less than a year until I can get out of Ali's house.

"I was running behind and wasn't able to take the car home to Dean." Nic says as I get in the car.

"It's fine. Y'all really don't have to take me to work and pick me up all the time." I say as I get in the car.

"Yeah right like my brother would let you walk home at night now. Even  though he knows that's what you've done ever since you started working."

"I have managed to stay in shape this way." I say with a smile.