"You look like you've been thoroughly fucked into oblivion."
Melanie looked up from her lunch, catching Gaila's wicked grin. Swallowing the mouthful of salad, Melanie cleared her throat.
"Excuse me?"
Gaila shrugged, sitting back in the chair. "You've been having sex," she stated. "I can smell it on you."
"Oh my god," Melanie shook her head. "You have sex radar."
"Seriously Mel," Gaila rolled her eyes. "Give a girl some info!"
Melanie placed her fork down and sat back in her office chair, "Yes, I've been having sex.." she admitted, earning a squeal from Gaila. "Please keep it down! I don't want word getting out!"
Gaila nodded, "Sorry," she leaned forward. "Who is it? Is it someone from the office?" she whispered.
"No," she frowned. "I don't shit where I eat, Gaila."
"Well then WHO have you been sleeping with?" she asked.
Melanie sighed, "You remember that guy Nyota brought with her to the Halloween party?" she asked.
Gaila frowned, "Umm…" the look of concentration flashing across her features. "The old guy?" she asked.
"He's not that old, Gaila! He's forty-seven!" she exclaimed, as Gaila's eyes went wide.
"Mel, he's like.. three years away from becoming a fossil!"
Melanie rolled her eyes, "Anyways," she ignored her friend's comment. "We've been seeing each other.." she trailed off, as Gaila motioned for her to continue.
"And?" she asked, before her eyes went wide. "Oh my god! THAT's who you're sleeping with?"
The blonde nodded, "Yeah," she bit her lip. "Since Saturday night."
Gaila sat quietly in the chair, blinking furiously as she thought. "Is he good?" she finally asked, after a few minutes of silence.
"I've had the best sex in the last five days that I've had in the last ten years," she admitted.
"IT'S THAT GOOD?!" Gaila shrieked, nearly jumping out of her seat. "Spill! I want details! NOW!"
Melanie laughed, "I'm not giving you a full recap of what we did!" she exclaimed. "Just use your imagination!"
Gaila huffed, "Please?" she pouted.
"God, you are a sick individual! You should've wrote her dissertation on erotica instead of the Holocaust," Melanie shook her head. "It was amazing. What else do you want me to say?"
"Like.." Gaila waved her hands in a circular motion. "Is he big?"
Melanie coughed, "Gaila!"
"What?" she asked innocently. "It's just a question!"
"You can't just ask me how big he is! I am NOT answering that!" Melanie shook her head, blushing furiously.
Gaila snorted, "That means he's huge," she picked up her drink. "That's why you look worn out. You probably couldn't even walk right after the first night."
Melanie blushed, which only made Gaila laugh harder. "I am never saying another thing to you about my personal life," Melanie huffed, picking her fork up. "Not another single word!"
…
Later that afternoon, once Joanna was home from school, Melanie took her grocery shopping before returning home for dinner and homework. Taking a short break from the unappealing math homework, Melanie put Joanna in the bath.
"Okay, time to get out now," Melanie said, grabbing the towel off the counter.
Helping Joanna out, she wrapped the fluffy towel around her and led her out of the bathroom.
"When's Daddy coming home?" Joanna asked, as they stepped into her bedroom.
"Late," Melanie said, as she searched for clean pajamas. "And you'll be in bed when that happens."
Drying her off, Melanie quickly dressed her and brought her back into the bathroom to dry her hair. Once they were finished, Melanie put the hair supplies away and lightly pushed her towards the door.
"Let's get your homework done and we can start your new Percy Jackson book," she said, as the little girl quietly moved down the stairs.
By seven thirty, Joanna was in bed asleep, leaving Melanie the chance to tackle the growing pile of laundry. Once the washer was set, Melanie moved into the kitchen to clean up the remains of dinner, noting how little Joanna ate that night. Around nine, the dishes were clean and put away, and next load of laundry in the washer.
Folding up the freshly laundered set of clothes in the living room, Melanie sent a quick text to Chris, knowing that he wouldn't answer until way after eleven. Just as she placed a folded towel down on the coffee table, she heard Joanna screaming from upstairs.
"AUNT MELLIE!"
Jumping from her spot off the couch, Melanie raced up the stairs and down the hall to Joanna's room.
"What's wrong?!" she asked, running in. "What happened?"
Sitting up in her bed, Joanna clutched her side and whimpered, tears rolling down her face. "It hurts!" she wailed, as Melanie moved towards the bed.
"What hurts?" she asked, noting how Joanna was clutching her side for dear life. "Do you have a tummy ache?"
Joanna shook her head quickly, "No! It's hurts a lot!" she cried, as Melanie stroked her head.
"Okay, okay," she hugged her lightly. "DO you want me to call Daddy?" she asked, as Joanna nodded. "I'll be right back."
Dashing across the hall to her own bedroom, Melanie grabbed the cordless phone and dialed Leonard's cell. When he didn't answer, she quickly grabbed the emergency number list on her desk and dialed the number to the restaurant. Once she demanded for her brother, the woman on the line quickly got him.
"Mel? What's wrong?" he asked, as soon as he picked up on the other line.
"Jo's really not feeling good," she said, moving back into Joanna's bedroom. "I was downstairs and she started screaming for me."
Leonard shouted at someone on the other end, "Sorry," he said, moving his attention back to her. "Did she say what hurts?"
Joanna whimpered as Melanie sat down on her bed, "She's clutching her right side like crazy, Len," she shook her head. "I'm really worried."
"Shit," he cursed. "Okay, take her to the ER. I'll meet you there in ten minutes."
"The ER?" Melanie yelped. "Len!"
"Mel, just take her! It sounds like appendicitis, but I could be wrong," he said, before shouting for someone. "Better safe than sorry, darlin'."
Melanie closed her eyes and released a shaky sigh, "Okay, I'm taking her to Harborview," she said, standing up. "You know where that is right?"
"Yeah, I know where it is. I'll be there in ten minutes give or take. Keep your cell on."
Grabbing Joanna's shoes, she moved back towards her niece. "Just hurry."
"Mel, it's going to be fine," he assured her. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied before hanging up.
Tossing the phone onto the end of the bed, she pulled the blankets back and motioned for Joanna to move closer. "Aunt Mellie is going to take you to the doctor," she said, carefully pulling her shoes on. "Daddy's going to meet us there."
Joanna sobbed, "It hurts! I want Daddy!"
Grabbing her stuffed penguin, Melanie carefully picked her up and held her. "I know you do," she said, kissing the side of her head. "We'll see him in a little bit."
Moving down the stairs, Melanie set Joanna on the couch and ran back up to get her bag and shoes. Once their coats were on, Melanie got her into the car and doubled checked for her phone and wallet. Sending out another quick text to Chris, she placed the phone down in the passenger seat and pulled out of the driveway.
…
Jim stepped out of the fridge with a bowl of diced carrots, as Leonard moved past him.
"You're leaving?" he asked, as Leonard pulled is coat on. "It's crazy out there!"
Leonard turned to look at him, "My sister just called," he grabbed the scarf off the hook. "She's takin' Jo to the hospital."
"What?!" Jim yelped, nearly dropping the bowl. "What happened?"
"She woke up not feeling good and in a lot of pain," he sighed. "It sounds like appendicitis."
Jim stepped closer to him, "Go," he patted his arm. "I'll tell Chris and if Boyce gives you shit for it, I'll deal with it."
Leonard gave him a small smile, "Thanks Jim," he nodded. "I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on."
The younger man watched as he left directions for one of the chefs on stand-by, before grabbing his keys and phone from the shelf. "What hospital is she gonna be in?" Jim asked, as he moved to the door.
"Harborview!" he shouted, before pushing the door open. "I'll call you!"
…
Chris came back from his quick break to find Leonard gone and Jim standing still in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a bowl in his hands.
"Kirk! What are you doing? And where the fuck did McCoy go?" he asked, startling the young man.
"H-he had to leave," he said, shaking his head quickly. "Jo was taken into the ER."
"What?!" Chris quickly moved to get his phone from his office, finding three texts from Melanie and four missed calls. "Shit!" he hissed, reading the texts.
He then moved back out into the kitchen, glancing the clock on the wall. They only had one hour left before closing and even then, they wouldn't be out until eleven-thirty- midnight.
"As soon as we clear out, we'll head up to meet them," Chris said, steering Jim back to his station. "What did McCoy say?"
Jim set the bowl down onto the counter, "His sister called and said Jo was in pain, I'm guessing it was on her side because Len thinks it's appendicitis."
Chris shook his head, "Aw no," he sighed. "Poor girl."
Jim nodded, "I can't even bear the thought of Jo-jo being in so much pain," he leaned against the counter.
"Try to focus on getting these last few dishes out and hopefully by the time we get there, the doctor will know what it is for sure."
"Alright," Jim nodded, turning his attention back to the salad he was in the middle of preparing. "Don't tell the others until shift is over," he warned. "You know how Scotty and Hikaru are about Jo."
Chris nodded, "I wont say anything, "he promised, before moving away, opening his phone as he moved.
I'm sorry about Jo. Len just left and told Jim that you'll be at Harborview. We'll come by after clean up. Everything will be fine, Mel.
Sending the text, Chris quickly pocketed his phone and went back to work, hoping that the next hour and a half would go by quickly.
