I fumble with the bottom of my white button up before I head into the building, my mind reeling with every step. I hold the little yellow slip in front of me with a nervous hand. In delicate handwriting, the message read:

Interview with Naomi Bennett, 1:00 P.M.
Oceanside Wellness Group, floor five.
April 23, 2006

I take a deep breath before walking through the doors and across the lobby. My strides were long and swift, until my high heel caught the end of a rug causing me to stumble. I kept moving forward, not daring to look back to see if anybody had noticed. I make a sudden stop in front of stainless steel elevator doors, pressing the arrow pointing up. The moments passed quickly and then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open smoothly. I look to make sure there isn't anybody exiting, and then step inside, praying that the doors would close before someone else came in.
I gave a sigh of relief when the door closed and I was alone. I leaned against the back wall, looking at my blurry reflection in the silver doors. The blob was black with a thin strip of white. I was wearing a black blazer and dress pants with a white blouse. Shiny black platform heels to finish. I chuckled nervously, my mind trying to ease itself. The elevator dinged once more, and the doors slowly slid open, revealing a nicely furnished lounge. It was comfortable to look at and I was sure that it must be comfortable to wait in. The walls by the front desk were a little bit darker than mustard yellow, and most of the walls were windows, giving the room an open feeling.
As I walk into the private medical practice, I locked gazes with an attractive blonde man wearing a blue button up T-shirt manning the front desk. He had shaggy hair and ocean blue eyes. It was like the waves were pulling toward his pupils.

"Welcome to Oceanside Wellness, how can we assist you?" he made a small smile.
"Uh, yes, I'm Delilah Valentina." I extend my arm
"My I'm Dell Parker." He grabbed my hand and shook it.
"Anyway, I'm here for an interview with Doctor Naomi Bennett at one?"
"Of course, let me just look here." Dell ducked behind the desk, shuffling through papers. "So, I suppose you're looking for a job?"
"How could you tell?" I laughed.
"I dunno, some people just call me a genius around here."
"Oh really, now?"
"Oh yeah, always. Anyway, what are you joining for?"
"I'm here to team up with Doctor Violet Turner and be an assisting therapist. Then once I get enough hours, and I possibly start doing some on my own."
"That's cool. Violet is amazing, and super easy to get along with."
"Thanks for the tip." I grin, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you here for?"
"I'm going to be a midwife. It's just something I've always been passionate about."
"That's great, Dell."
"Thanks." He pulled out a planner knocking over a stack of papers. "Dammit."

I chuckle as I walk on the other side of the desk, crouching down to help him with the mess.

"I suggest that you need to get some better organization skills."
"How could you tell?" he laughed, throwing my words back at me.

We finish picking up the scattered papers and got them placed in a neater pile on the corner of the desk. Dell opens the large planner and runs his finger over the white pages.

"Yup, you're right on time, go hang out in the waiting room and Naomi should be right out."
"Thank you so much, Dell." I say over my shoulder as I walked across the room and settle in a light green chair.
"Not a problem."

I sit for a few moments, not being able to resist looking back at Dell. I kept trying to look around, looking for something to focus on other than him. However, that's all my brain would think about. I looked back once more, seeing that he was already looking at me. We both jumped and quickly turned away, no doubt that color was rising into my cheeks. My attention then snapped to the soft clicking of heels on the floor. I look up and see Naomi Bennett, an African American woman with shoulder length, shiny black hair. She had warm brown eyes, and was wearing a black and white floral printed dress.

"Hello! You must be Delilah!" she greeted, smiling widely.
"And you must be Naomi." I stood up, returning the smile
"Please, come right this way to my office." She motioned for me to follow her and walked away.

We walked down the hallway, it was pretty quiet. There were different things going on in different rooms. One we passed had a man in front of a giant shelf filled with herbs. Another room had a man checking a little girl's heart and lungs. We then stopped in front of a door with the name next to it, showing "Doctor Naomi Bennett"

"Go ahead and have a seat." She said as she walked across the room to sit at her desk.
"Of course." I brushed off my thighs before sitting down in a brown leather chair across from Naomi.
"So, I've taken a look at all of your paperwork and you seem to be a very fitting candidate to shadow under Doctor Turner."
"Thank you, so much."
"Of course, now we go further into personal history. If any questions are touching a nerve, please feel free to let me know, alright?" Naomi's eyes were filled with sincerity.
"You got it."
"Perfect. Let's get started. Why did you choose this Oceanside medical practice rather than any others around the area?"

"Well, I've done my research, and all of the patients that have been here, or continue to go here have said nothing but positive things. You share both sides of medicine, the natural way, and the prescribed way, and it's very small and personal. I feel like there's more of a connection with the patients and the doctors. It also has a nice laid back environment."
"What would you do in a situation where you were pressed for time?"
"I would talk to the patient, see what they needed. If it was something that I could do on my own, then I would take care of it. However, if I needed help, depending on what field it was in, I would go to the doctor and get their medical opinions on it, and share it with the patient. I would also ask the doctor to help assist me in the time I would have with that patient."
"How are you working when it comes to working with others?"
"I'm great in a team. I'm more of an introvert, so I'd be quiet but fast. However, in certain circumstances, I would be more than willing to take charge."
"Last but not least, what do you hope to achieve in Oceanside Wellness?" she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap.
"I want to give every patient what's best for them. I want to help a patient make it through a hard time. I want and I will give a patient hope they once had, but had lost for whatever reason. I want to help a person rebuild themselves after they had broken down. Most importantly, I want to help guide them down a path that they couldn't reach on their own. Be their shoulder they can cry on, or someone that they vent to. A helping hand when it comes to giving them peace of mind."
"Excellent. If you don't mind waiting in the lobby again, I just want to share some things with Dr. Turner, and I'll be right back with you."
"No worries." I stand up and exit the office, making my way back into the lounge.

I sit down in a chair and look up at the lights hanging from the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone walk over and sit down beside me.

"So how did it go?" Dell.
"I think it went rather well. Naomi was a lot more relaxed that I imagined."
"When you get the job here, you'll see that everything's a little more relaxed than you're used to."
"Don't you mean if?" I raise my eyebrows and look over at him.
"I can tell that she's going to give you that job. You have a very professional vibe to you, and you'd make a great shrink."
"I hope you're right. I like this place, it gives me good feelings."
"Don't worry. You'll be fine." He stood up "I have to get back to work before Naomi gets ticked at me. Let me know how things went."
"Sure." I smile and watch him walk back over to the desk.

Five minutes later, Naomi walked into the lounge with another woman. She was average height with long brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a satin green t-shirt and light gray pants.

"Delilah, this is Doctor Violet Turner."
"Hello, Dr. Turner, it's so great to meet you." I stand up and walk over to her.
"It's nice to meet you, too. Please call me Violet." She smiled, shaking my hand.
"So, we have some good news for you." Naomi said with a grin.
"And?" I ask, my eyes growing wider.
"Welcome to the practice! Violet is now going to be your mentor. We have an open office right next to hers, very nice and roomy. You officially start on Friday, but you can starting bringing things here and set up your office the way you'd like, alright?" Naomi said pulling me into a hug.
"Sounds perfect! Thank you so much, it means a lot. I look forward to working with you, Violet."
"As I do, you. Welcome to the family Delilah."

I say my good-byes, and walk away from my new co-workers and back to the front desk where Dell was filling in some paper work. He looked up at me with lively eyes.

"You were right, I got the job." I said, throwing my hands up.
"Told you. We should celebrate by you getting a drink with me, tonight."
"Oh really?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
"Yeah, I've been here a while, and I can give you the know-how with everybody. Come on, it will be fun."
"Sounds like a plan." I say, grabbing a blank sticky note off of the desk and taking a pen out of my pocket. "However, it might help if you had my number." I scribble it onto the paper, sliding the note in front of him.
"Awesome. I'll call you at seven, and you can guide me to your place." He said waving the pink piece of paper.
"I can't wait."

I walk across the floor and back into the elevator. My mind was swirling with excitement, and I couldn't hide the smile that was still growing on my face.

New beginnings. I thought. Let's get started.

PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-

I look into the mirror, running my fingers through my hair for the millionth time. I was wearing a Caribbean blue strapless dress with a black over shirt, a white diamond necklace with matching earrings, and black platform heels. I check my eyeliner again; making sure it was nothing less than perfection when my phone started ringing. I sped over to the dresser and picked it up, pressing the green 'answer' button.

"Hello?" I ask, my voice hinting desperation
"Delilah, hey! It's Dell."
"Hey, where are you?"
"I'm passing by the practice now, how can I get to your place?
"I'm on Crimson Street. On the right, about five places down you'll see a gross white building, go around the back. I'm in room 42."
"Okay, let's see if I can get lost." He laughed.
"You'll be fine, now get off of the phone. You're driving."
"Yes, sir. Just kidding, I'll talk to you in a few."
"Alrighty, bye." I press the red button ending the call.

I walk over to the couch, sitting on the end playing with the ends of my golden hair. I was wearing it mostly down, with a braid circling around the back. Every thought in my mind was terrified of tonight going badly. Dell seemed nice enough for things to be okay, I didn't want to ruin that.
After several agonizing moments, light taps came from my door. I stand up, brushing off the front of my dress, grabbed my purse, and made my way across the apartment, opening the door. There was Dell, smiling.

"You look incredible." He said gesturing at me.
"Thank you." I blushed.
"Come on, let's get out of here." He held an arm out.
"You're so corny." I said, grabbing on to it.
"I'm just trying to be a gentleman."
"Well so far, so good."

PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-

We arrive at the bar; it was mostly empty, surprising for a Thursday night. We made our way across the dusty floor and up to the counter.

"Can we get two Jacks, on the rocks please?" Dell asked as we climbed on the stools.
"So Dell, what are the deep dark secrets of Oceanside?" I ask, popping a pretzel in my mouth.
"There aren't too many secrets. It's basically all about the people. There's me, Naomi, Violet, Cooper, Pete, and Sam. Naomi is Sam's wife, and they both put their heart and soul into this practice."
"What do they all do?" I ask, taking a sip of my drink that just arrived.
"Pete is a doctor that tries to have the body heal itself with natural remedies, that would explain the lines of jars in his office. Cooper is a pediatrician who is great with kids. They all love him. Sam is another doctor that helps patients when Pete can't. Violet is a shrink, and you're going to learn all about her for yourself. If you see her hanging around Coop, it's normal. They're best friends. I usually run the front desk, take phone calls, make appointments, but right now I'm working toward being a midwife. I'm already applying to different schools."
"That's great!" I place my hand on his shoulder.
"What about you?" he asked bringing the glass to his lips.
"I want to be a therapist. I managed to get an option of shadowing under Violet and I figured I can take the shot. They told me it was a quicker way to get my degree."
"So are you only shadowing for a quick fix?"
"No, I want to get a feeling of what it's like in the field. See if this is really what I want."
"Sounds like a great plan." He smiled "Hey, Al. Can we get two beers?"
"You got it." The tall man behind the bar replied.

The rest of the night passed in a flurry of alcohol and lame jokes. It was nice. Dell turned out to be super sweet and a little of a hopeless romantic. He has a daughter named Betsey with his ex-girlfriend Heather. As he got more alcohol in his system, he revealed that he had a darker past of abuse and abandonment.

Once my vision went blurry, I knew it was time to stop. I look over at Dell and he was staring at his empty glass. I place my hand on his forearm and he turned toward me. His blue eyes glazed over.

"Dell," I slur "I think we need to stop." He cackled
"I know we need to stop."
"Hey, Al!" I shout, waving my arms around. Al raised his eyebrows
"I don't think you guys should get anymore." He walked over and leaned against the counter.
"No, no, no. We don't want anymore. We would appreciate it very much if you could call us a cab."
"You got it." He gave a smile and walked over to the phone hanging on the wall.

I set my forehead on the cool glass from the bar, breathing slowly. I hear a loud thud and look turn my head. Dell had tried to do the same thing I did, but was far more aggressive. I started giggling.

"Are you okay? That sounded painful."
"Yeah, it dud hurt. But now I'm looking at you, so I feel better." He gave a cute, dorky smile.
"Aww, Dell." I reached my arm out and brushed my palm against his shoulder.
"It's true. You're the first woman in a while that has given me butterflies."
"I give you butterflies?" I choked out.
"So many. They're flying everywhere right now. Or it could be the whiskey." He looked up questioningly.

The next few moments passed in heartwarming silence. Dell's and my faces were still against the bar and we couldn't look away from each other. I would smile and laugh, he would as well. Even though we were drunk, there was a part of me that knew this was real. I haven't had a relationship since God knows when, but maybe, just maybe, I can see one with him.

"Hey guys, the cab's here." Al said, looking down at us.
"How do I move?" I chuckle.
"We'll figure it out." Dell said, moving to stand up.
"Help me?"
"Fine."

He reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet. Once I was standing, we both wrapped our arms around each other and made our way out of the bar and into the cab. When in the backseat, Dell and I leaned against each other with synchronized movements.

"Martin, can you take us back to my place?" Dell called out sleepily.
"You got it."
"How do you know everyone here? This is L.A., not exactly a small town."
"When you leave bars too drunk to drive home, you get to know a lot of the taxi drivers." After he finished his sentence a small chuckle came from the front seat.
"I'm glad we did this." I said tugging on the end of my dress.
"Me too, I really enjoyed getting to know you."
"Okay, I do have one question though." I say, sitting up slowly.
"What's that?" he turned and looked at me.
"Is Dell your birth name, or just a nick name?"
"Dell is my middle name; my full name is William Dell Parker. I think William is lame, so everybody calls me Dell."
"I like Dell. It's very flattering." I laugh and lean my forehead against his.
"Dell likes you, too." He smiled.

And with that, pieces started to fall into place.

PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-PP-

Hello again! I'm having wicked writers block with my Supernatural stories and I've been on a Private Practice kick. So I figured I'd give something for you guys while I work through my struggle. I hope you like it, and please follow, favourite, and leave reviews! Thanks for reading!