"A Rose By Any Other Name"
By: Rena Cresten
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Sailor Moon. Seeing as I'm not rich and famous, I'd think that was kind of obvious. But the story is mine, please do not copy or use it without my permission. Thanks.
Author's Note: It has been a long and hard time since I last posted anything. And I truly apologize for not posting something sooner. I just hope I will be able to return to more usual postings now that things have settled down a little … I hope you enjoy this chapter. Not a lot going on, but it is good filler. And great for the characters. Enjoy!
When she said her secretary would get a hold of me, I didn't expect my phone to ring later that afternoon. Nor did I expect the crisp female voice that almost instantly began spouting out instructions.
"Are you writing this down Dr. Shields?" I wasn't, but by God I hurried to get a pen and paper right then. Thankfully she took a full breath before continuing again with her endless lists. "Ms. Kingsly requests you wear a simple black tux, we can work on your wardrobe for the future next week. She wants shoes that shine, and I do not mean with anything glittery. They must be well polished. Your hair should be slicked back but still allow a few pieces to fall in your face."
"How exactly do I do that?" If I had had the time to think, I might have been offended. Thankfully, thinking was out of the question as the woman continued.
"I will send a stylist over sometime this week to help you." I could hear papers being shuffled for a moment before she began speaking again. "You will wear the cufflinks she had sent to you."
"Cufflinks?" There was an exasperated sigh and a decidedly nastier tone in her voice. If I could have zipped my lips shut, I would have. But I couldn't, so I stuck to simply pressing my lips tightly together.
"Yes Dr. Shields. They should arrive tomorrow. You WILL wear the cufflinks. And it is a rather casual affair, so no tie is required. Which means, if you wear one, it will be removed. Now lets see …" Again the papers were shuffled, and I had the odd feeling I had become Pinocchio before he became a real boy. A total puppet, and bending to the master's will.
"You may call her 'Darling' or 'Sweetheart', but 'Honey' is out of the question. Her name is Serena, you will not shorten it. Her middle name is none of anyone's business, especially yours."
"But, what if someone asks?" Another exasperated sigh and I took the moment to wonder who I disliked more, the siren or her secretary. And came to the decision … it depended on the moment.
"You must know how to talk your way out of something so simple. What kind of doctor are you?" All my days I will thank my lucky stars that my brain picked up on the fact that was a rhetorical question. One can only imagine what might have happened should I have tried to answer that.
"Dr. Shields, I will be faxing the full list to you." Somewhere buried under that innocuous statement was the implication that I could not handle these, so called, simple instructions without as much help as humanly possible. Had I not been so dumbfounded by the enormity of what exactly I had signed myself up for, I might have been insulted.
"Well then, my fax number is-"
"I already have it Dr. Shields. And the list is on its way. Once you have looked it over, and if you should have any intelligent questions, please contact me and I will try to straighten you out." Now THAT I was fully insulted by. And had she stayed on the line longer than it took for her to bid me good day, I might have said something. But before I could make my feelings known I found myself sitting there with my mouth open and a dial tone in my ear.
And, in utter obviousness, Amy found her way into my office almost the moment I hung up the phone. Of course, I wasn't angry with her. By the jilted steps, she was obviously pushed through the door. And the shy blush meant the idea wasn't hers. If I hadn't immediately guessed at the mastermind, these telltale signs would have certainly given her away. Before Amy could even begin her stuttering speech, whatever it might have been about, I held up my hand and she thankfully fell silent.
"Mina, come in here please." And the blushing blonde in question slipped through the door with a smile only barely apologetic enough to count. Mostly she was just sorry to have been found out. I certainly hadn't spent nearly five years with these girls and not have learned a few things. I took a moment to stare between the two of them before speaking again. "I know you've both already heard about Ms. Kingsly and myself."
"Serena." If looks could kill. But at least it got Mina to shut up, not an easy thing to do I promise you.
"Yes, Serena. Now, as I was saying. Serena and I have decided to see where our-" I paused for a moment. Unsure myself exactly what it was we had. "Where our attraction will go. And I am going to need your discretion in this." Amy surprised me by speaking up first. I remained silent if only in shock of where my sweet and quiet receptionist had gone.
"Darien, I have to ask-" She stepped forward and actually frowned at me. "What good could come of bringing a woman like that into Rini's life?"
I had to admit I hadn't really taken that into account. And thinking about it now, I was suddenly very upset. My baby girl was everything to me. And what was best for her had always been at the top of my list. Until now, that is. And that little insight sent me shooting to my feet and pacing like a caged tiger.
What would happen to my baby girl around this woman? What horrible behavior would my little sponge pick up. For a moment I was beside myself with worry, and horribly angry that I may have caused it. What sort of father am I?
"Darien, calm down. Its going to be alright." Always full of comfort, Mina was a lot like sunshine. Warm and soothing. But I wasn't ready to be soothed.
"It's not going to be alright Mina. How could I have done this to my baby!" She tried to touch my arm, but I found I couldn't stop pacing long enough to let her. "What am I going to do?"
"Don't go out with her. Call off this relationship before it can really start." Amy had a point. But how could she know. How could she understand.
"I can't just do that Amy. I wish I could. Oh, how I wish I could." I had stopped at my windows and was staring out at the tree rimmed parking lot. "I can't seem to make myself let go of her. My mind won't stop thinking about her. And when I kissed her …" Even thinking about it, my body reacted with an internal shiver. "And she looks so much like my Annie …"
I felt the tears well up at the same moment Mina wrapped her arms around me and Amy left to cancel the last of my appointments for the day. And it seemed my office had never run so well before. Andrew was called, Mina cleaned everything up and Amy finished all paperwork to allow me to come in a little later tomorrow. About the time Drew graced the office with his slightly flamboyant presence, Mina and Amy took off to pick up Rini for the night.
And I was left on my own. My apartment all to myself. A tub of cookie dough ice cream and a pizza with everything but the kitchen sink on it sat on my coffee table. A non stop parade of Three Stooges movies cluttering my VCR. And even among all of the comfort, I came to a rather upsetting realization. I didn't feel like I needed to be comforted. There was no fear about the future, and not a piece of me wanted to take it back.
What was wrong with me?