Page 7 of Knot All is Crystal
I wouldn’t change it, though.
Eve practically raised me. When our parents died, I was eleven, and she was nineteen, and she put her entire life on hold for me. I owe her everything. The idea of either her or Hannah going without does not sit well with me.
Still, I should’ve calculated better.
The tip I received is heavy in my pocket. I’ll need to get up early to deposit it so I can transfer the payment to the power company in the morning. Hopefully, I’ll have power by the time I get off work.
I barely have time to undress before I collapse on the bed from exhaustion.
* * *
“What doyou mean you can’t turn it back on until Monday?” I hiss into the phone. I’m huddled in a corner at the clinic, hoping to avoid being overheard by anyone. “I paid you. You have the money.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Manson, but since the money was not received by the 3 pm cut-off, we won’t be able to reconnect your power today. There is nothing I can do.”
For what it’s worth, the man on the phone does sound sorry. But sorry doesn’t help me.
“I understand,” I sigh. “Thanks for your help.”
I can handle this. I can do this.
I don’t have much food in the fridge, so it’s not like I’m losing a lot there. I can shower at the club. The bathrooms on the pleasure floors are pretty nice. Sleeping in the dark is no problem. It may get a little hot, but I can sleep in the nude.
And I can see Eve on Sunday. She’ll cook for me.
I can handle a weekend without power. I just need to charge my phone while I’m at the club.
“Crystal, there you are,” Dr. Talbot says as he turns the corner. “I’ve got Mr. Ortega here for injections. Has the lab sent over his paperwork?”
I shove my phone in my pocket and push off the wall. “I believe so. Do you want me to print them and bring them over?”
“No need, you can just email them to me. I need you to confirm the other study participants have all gotten this round of testing done and prepare the charts for the rest of the day.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Can you do that?”
Rolling my eyes, I push past the blustering Alpha. “You know I can, Walter. I’ll get it handled.”
He’s always a bit of a douche, but it’s worse after he cleans up one of Kieran’s messes. I’ve found it’s best for me to ignore it. It’s not like I can change it, anyway. He knows I’ll never tell Kieran.
I don’t need his blood on my hands.
The rest of the day continues at a snail’s pace as I confirm appointments and organize charts for the other study participants.
Currently, Dr. Talbot is working on a trial for people who suffer from chronic pain conditions, trying to manipulate their genomes in the same way we Design embryos in hopes of healing, or at least reducing the severity, of the condition.
Mr. Ortega, the one he’s working with today, has severe migraines. I’ve never met him, but his chart is depressing. Three severe, multi-day migraine attacks a month, with a baseline pain of four every day. If this gene therapy is successful, it would significantly improve his quality of life.
That is why I wanted to do this. I don’t enjoy working directly with patients, but reviewing MRIs, EKGs, blood tests, and any other diagnostic tests Walter decides to run is fascinating. Looking for patterns that could help us make someone’s life easier gives me a rush like no other.
At the end of the day, I say goodbye to Walter and climb into my old beater of a car. The greenhouse level of warmth relaxes my muscles immediately, and I soak in it for a minute until it becomes uncomfortable.
I pull up my banking app on my phone and check my account balance. The power company has taken their money, and a few autodrafts are projected.
I have enough.
The brand on the back of my neck pulses in awareness, and I ruffle my blue and purple hair to ensure it covers the bite before starting my car and heading to therapy.
THREE
The needle slidesthrough the nostril of the teenage Beta in my chair. She barely even winces as I set the little pink stone stud in place.
