Brooks pushed the button down, watching the numbers spin as the medicine injected. “Now we’ll remove that needle, and the lancet from the other one, and put them…”
Shit. I didn’t have my sharps container. It was still at my apartment. I’d been using my trash can, and they were all still in there. “Usually put them in a sharps container so that no one emptying the trash sticks their finger on a needle. Especially one that’s touched blood. But it’s still in my apartment. The bathroom trash can has my needles from this week. I’ll bag them up later.”
Reaching out, my Alpha ran a finger over the raised bump under my skin. Sometimes the insulin pooled before the body absorbed it. Looked a little weird, but it was fine. “Thank you for showing me.”
“Things like this are scarier when you don’t understand them. I promise I take care of myself as best I can.”
“I know you do.” He lifted me across his lap and held me close. “I know you do.”
I needed to get ready and do my training, but this felt nice.
“Why don’t you have something in your arm? I see a lot of people with them.”
“Continuous glucose monitors. They don’t think I need one. My levels are stable enough, and I’m not on enough insulin. Plus, the finger sticks are more accurate. I’ve had them before. They last about two weeks.” I sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m clumsy enough that I usually endup pulling them out by accident. One time, I tripped and fell into a doorframe. It pulled the sensor out. I’d only had it in for three days.”
He laughed softly. “I’m sorry. The mental image was funny.”
“Rude.” I playfully smacked his back. “Anyway. I need to get ready for work.”
“Me too. With Bastian’s fight coming up his training is fairly intense right now. Especially since we’ve taken a little break.” When he saw me pouting, he kissed me. “Don’t worry. Intensity doesn’t mean you won’t see us.”
“Good.”
“Have a good day at work, okay?”
“Okay.”
The space in the air between us rang with… something. Like the interaction wasn’t complete, though we had nothing else to say. Like there were words missing even though it hadn’t been long enough to consider them.
Instead, I kissed him one more time.
By the time I got to work, my training complete, I felt settled enough to function. The first draft of the Element piece was due to Edgar, and there were pieces running next week that needed a final read-through. Plus some other admin tasks I loathed so much that I avoided thinking about them on purpose.
Edgar knocked on my door midafternoon. “Hey. Susie brought in a bunch of snacks, if you want some.”
I glanced up at him. “You came all the way to my office to tell me there are snacks?”
“Nah. I came to ask you when you’re going to send me your article.”
“In about an hour.”
“Good. Can’t wait to read it.”
I laughed. “You know this could have been an email.”
Edgar snorted. “Andyouknow I don’t trust that shit. Besides, I should walk more.” He knocked once on my doorframe before walking away.
He made me laugh. If there was an option to type the whole magazine on a typewriter, he would take it. Stretching, I stood. I might as well have a snack. It was about that time.
People were clustered in the break room around the snack table, chatting. It was a nice spread of things. A couple bowls of dips that looked like peanut butter and maybe caramel. Some popcorn and veggies. It looked so familiar.
There was a party downstairs.
Dad left, and I hid in my room. Now I was hungry. A party meant there would be food.
Eleanor used to bring me food when Dad was gone, but now Eleanor was gone too. I guess being eight was old enough not to need a full-time babysitter.
I peeked around the corner. Val stood in front of a group of ladies, all dressed up. They were fancy, like when Dad went to his special events. But at home wasn’t for fancy clothes, so I wasn’t sure why they were dressed up.
