The next day, Nejire was in a lot of pain. She knew it was from speed-walking six blocks with a fifteen pound cat in a box, but that didn't make things any easier. She found herself reaching for her prescription pain meds far more than usual. She also noticed that the bottle was nearly empty, so she called the pharmacy. They told Nejire that she was out of refills, and she would need to contact her doctor to renew the prescription.
Nejire hadn't gotten around to finding a new doctor since moving to Vegas. She knew she should look for one, but at this point she would run out of pills before she could get an appointment with a new clinic.
Frustrated, she called the doctor in New York who had overseen her treatment after the accident. The receptionist who answered the phone was very understanding, and Nejire could hear the woman typing away as she looked up the records. Then the typing stopped short. "Hmm. So according to our system, you haven't been in for over a year. The doctor can't write a prescription until you come in for a checkup. Can I go ahead and get you scheduled?"
"Not exactly. I moved away."
"Where do you live now? We have sister locations outside of the city."
Nejire sighed. "I'm in Nevada."
"My goodness," the receptionist said. "Do you need help finding a new provider in your area?"
"That would be great, thank you!"
"Alright then, let me see what I can pull up. Do you still have the same insurance?"
"Yep." Nejire heard her typing away furiously.
"Can you give me your zip code?"
"Sure, it's eight-nine-zero-one-four."
"Hmm. Unfortunately I can't seem to pull anything up on my end. You should try calling the number on your insurance card."
"It's fine. Thanks anyway." Nejire hung up in a bad mood.
Soon, she was back at the tattoo parlor, and this time Dabi was ready for her. He walked Nejire over to the work station. Instead of a dentist chair, this time she got to lie on an upholstered table. Dabi eyed her as she hoisted herself up. "I gotta ask, have you eaten today?"
Nejire avoided his eyes. Of course she hadn't; her stomach had been more sensitive than usual due to her nervousness over the tattoo.
"I thought so," Dabi said, and produced a paper sack from a fast food place. "Eat up."
She opened the bag, and the smell of grilled meat hit her. "You shouldn't have," Nejire said, only half-joking.
"It's fine, I used your tip money."
Nejire had to laugh. Dabi was watching her expectantly, so she pulled a french fry from the bag and popped it in her mouth.
Dabi shook his head. "I know you're tiny, Tiny, but you're gonna have to do better than that."
Rolling her eyes, Nejire unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It was a double cheeseburger with all the toppings. It tasted delicious, but she wasn't used to eating anything so heavy or greasy. After her third bite, Dabi appeared to be satisfied, and he turned away to prepare his tools. Nejire wrapped up the sandwich and took out the carton of fries instead.
Dabi wheeled his stool over, and Nejire stretched out her leg as she ate another fry. Dabi pulled out a small plastic razor, and Nejire froze mid-bite. "Um, what are you doing?"
He glanced up, confused, then looked down at the razor in his hand. "Oh, this is standard. Gotta have a smooth surface for the stencil." Nejire watched as he shaved the front of her leg. It felt strangely intimate. Dabi wiped down her leg, then carefully placed the stencil on her skin. As he peeled back the paper, it reminded Nejire of the temporary tattoos she would play with as a kid. Professional dancers were discouraged from getting tattoos, so the fake ones were all she had ever considered.
Dabi sat back. "How do you like the placement?"
"Looks fine to me, but you're the expert."
He nodded, and Nejire lay back to get settled. Sometimes it was hard to get comfortable, due to the way some of her injuries had healed. She bent her left leg up so she could relax the right side of her body. Dabi started to tattoo the outline of the bird, and Nejire shut her eyes.
Once again, Dabi wasn't much for chit-chat, probably because he had to focus on his work. Instead, Nejire let her mind wander. She thought about Mag's offer. Nejire hadn't performed in any capacity for years. She wondered how it would feel to hear the applause and cheers from an audience once again. Sure, they might be appreciating her body more than her talent, but her ego probably wouldn't mind the difference.
Nejire tried to imagine how she might feel once all her scars were hidden under beautiful tattoos. She could finally stop hiding her body. Except, she had gained weight, and she had lost nearly all of her muscle tone. Nejire had never exactly liked her figure, but back when she was rehearsing seven days a week, she didn't really mind the skimpy dance costumes. Now, that had changed. With her injuries, would she even be able to get back into decent shape?
Suddenly her stomach clenched up, and she tasted acid in her throat. "Dabi," she said, waving her hand.
He switched off the machine. "What's wrong?"
Nejire swung her legs off the platform, one hand over her mouth. "Bathroom," she muttered, and Dabi pointed. She ran for it, slamming the door behind her, and making it to the toilet just in the nick of time.
She felt better almost immediately. Once she caught her breath, she flushed the toilet, then leaned over the sink, rinsing her mouth out with tap water. Then she glanced in the mirror. The scars on her face and neck looked worse in this lighting. She tugged at her hair to cover her cheek.
When she opened the door, Dabi was waiting. "Everything alright?"
Nejire nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, sorry. I think that burger was a little too rich for me."
Dabi didn't say anything, but handed her a can of ginger ale. "Drink this, it should help."
Grateful, she took a sip. "Thank you." Nejire headed back towards his work station.
Dabi helped her back up on the table, then cleaned off her leg again. "Sorry if I was too pushy about the food," he said softly.
"No, it's not your fault. I just have a nervous stomach. That's why I didn't eat this morning." She laid back down, and Dabi got right back to work.
"You're so scrawny, I don't think you can afford to skip meals."
Nejire brushed off his concern. "I've always been like this. When I was a kid, my doctor thought I had some kind of growth problem, but it was just because of how much I was rehearsing."
"But I thought you didn't dance anymore?"
Her throat caught. Dabi was right. She tried to think of an explanation. "Guess I still have the metabolism." He didn't press the issue.
Nejire closed her eyes. The speakers were playing some kind of death metal, but just like last time, she found it weirdly soothing.
Someone was shaking her by the shoulder, and Nejire forced her eyes open. Dabi was peering down at her.
"Did I fall asleep?" She sat up, and realized her tattoo was finished. Nejire gasped as she looked it over. Once again, the finished product was even more beautiful than the sketch. "I absolutely love it. Did you already take pictures?" Dabi ignored her as he cleaned up his supplies. "Hey, what's wrong? Dabi?"
He glanced around, then stepped close, his voice low and threatening. "If we're going to continue to work together, you cannot keep doing this."
Nejire's chest went cold at his harsh tone. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know." She shook her head, ready to protest, but Dabi cut her off. "If you show up to our next appointment without eating, I will not work on you. If you pass out on my table again, I will send you home, even if your piece is halfway finished. Don't try me."
Nejire felt tears welling up in her eyes, and blinked them back. "You didn't have to be so mean about it."
Dabi glared at her. "Apparently I do, because nothing else works." Nejire turned her head to wipe away a tear. When Dabi spoke again, his voice was gentler. "I just want you to take better care of yourself."
Nejire looked straight at him again. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Dabi seemed like he wanted to say more about it, but he didn't. "Do you want to talk about your next piece?"
"Can we do my back next?"
"Your back? I didn't know you had any there. Show me."
She looked at the other people in the area. "Not out here."
"There's a room in the back." He helped Nejire down from the table. She followed him past the restrooms and the employee break room. There was a small room with another tall platform in the center. Nejire wondered what kind of tattoos or piercings required this level of privacy, then immediately regretted the thought. Dabi only partially closed the door, leaving it open a crack.
Nejire took a slow, deep breath. It felt strange to be back here alone with him. She turned around and lifted the back of her shirt up so Dabi could have a clear view of the scar down her upper back. Exposing this much skin made Nejire feel vulnerable.
She felt him step closer, and she held very still. Dabi's fingers trailed over her scar and the skin around it. "This one has a little more raised texture," he said. "But it should be simple enough to disguise. Did you have any ideas?"
"Actually I was hoping to do something bigger this time; not just to cover it, but something more. I know that's above and beyond, so I want to pay for it."
"How big were you thinking?"
She reached back and indicated with her fingers, just over her shoulder blades. "About here?"
Dabi pressed his fingers below hers. "So, this wide?"
"Yeah. Is that too much?"
"I don't think anything's too much," he chuckled. "But remember, this is what I do."
Nejire pulled her shirt back down and turned to face him. "Do you think it would look alright?"
He raised an eyebrow. "On you, it'll look hot as hell." Nejire blushed, and Dabi cracked a smile before turning professional again. "I should warn you though, a piece this big, it could take a full day. I'd recommend splitting it up into two or three sessions."
"That sounds good. And you'll let me pay for it?"
Dabi scowled, thinking for a moment. "I'm not charging you my full rate, but I'll let you cover my shop fees for the time slot. That'll keep Tomura off my back. Deal?"
"Deal," she said, and they shook on it. "Why would Tomura care, though?"
"Because he runs the place," Dabi said, as if that were obvious. He saw her surprised reaction, and laughed. "Oh, you assumed he's… what, our receptionist?"
Actually, Nejire had assumed that, but she would never admit to it. "Wait, so is he Stain?"
"No… they used to co-own, but they had a falling out. Tomura never got around to changing the name."
"Is he an artist too?"
Dabi shrugged. "He always jumps in to help when we're slammed, but he mostly lets us handle things. Easiest boss I've ever had."
That gave Nejire an idea. Before she left, she stopped to chat with Tomura. "You've lived in Vegas for a long time, right?"
"Since I was five."
Nejire smiled. "Great! I was hoping you might know somebody who could help me out. See, I haven't been able to find a new doctor around here yet, and I have some prescriptions I've run out of."
"What are you looking for?" Tomura took out his phone, while Nejire pulled the pill bottles from her bag to show him. He squinted at the labels while typing into his phone. "These shouldn't be too hard to find. Give me your number and I'll text you once I've got them."
"Thank you," Nejire said, putting the bottles away. "Really! You're a lifesaver."
The next morning, it was time for Nejire to get her cat from the animal hospital. On the drive there, she pulled up her instagram. A few days ago, she had posted a picture of the cat, along with the story of how she'd found him. Several people had suggested names. Some were pretty basic cat names like Fluffy or Whiskers. A few struck a chord with her, like Journey or Chance. Others were downright insulting, like Bones or Scruffy.
A different veterinarian came out to speak with Nejire while the receptionist got the paperwork in order. All the tests were coming back fine, and the cat had been eating and drinking. They had also treated him for parasites, and cleaned him up a little before the sedatives wore off.
They gave Nejire some antibiotics to put in his food, plus a goodie bag for new pet owners, with toys and treats. When the receptionist asked for the cat's name to put on the account, Nejire remembered one that had been suggested to her: Gulliver, from the old story Gulliver's Travels. It had resonated with her, since she could only imagine where this cat had come from or what he'd been through before she found him.
Soon they brought the cat out in a fancy cardboard box with holes in the sides. He growled as they set the box on the floor, and Nejire was hit with a wave of anxiety. She hadn't cared for a pet since she lived with her parents. She didn't even know if this cat was tame. Yet, it seemed they were stuck with each other.
Back at home, Nejire put the box in the center of her bedroom. Gulliver's litter box, cat tree, and toys were already arranged around the room. Nejire poured some kibble into the food dish, and plugged in the drinking fountain. Then she opened the box, and Gulliver immediately shot out to dart under the bed.
Nejire was feeling worse than usual, so she ordered a ride to an urgent care clinic. She waited for over half an hour before a nurse took her back to a room. Due to some issue with their computer system, they weren't able to pull up her records from any of her previous doctors, so a nurse sat down to get Nejire's medical history. "Tell me everything you can recall about your injuries from the car accident."
Nejire sighed, trying to decide where to start. She pulled her hair back from her face. "This is where the safety glass from the window got me."
The nurse leaned closer, looking at the marks scattered randomly across Nejire's cheek and down the right side of her neck. "Lucky it was safety glass and not bigger shards. What else?"
Nejire pulled the neck of her shirt down to show the straight scar over her collarbone. "The seat belt snapped my clavicle. They put a metal plate on it."
The nurse nodded, typing on the keyboard. "We might need an x-ray of that."
Nejire pulled up her pant leg, then remembered that the scar was already covered. "The ligament tore in my knee, so they had to do surgery."
The nurse bent closer. "Was it your PCL?"
"No, the ACL."
"Damn." The nurse winced.
"No kidding." Nejire sat back and pulled her shirt up a little to show the scar across her stomach. "This one is for my spleen."
The nurse raised her eyebrows as she continued to type. "Did they remove it?"
"No, they were able to repair it." Nejire let her shirt drop back down, then turned to gesture at her upper back. "I also had some disc problems from the whiplash and everything. They fused C4 to C6."
"Wow." The nurse gave a sympathetic look as she kept typing. "Is that all of it?"
Nejire chuckled. "There were other fractures and sprains, but that's all the major stuff. Oh, and I take xanax for PTSD."
"Gotcha," the nurse hit a few more keys. "The doctor may need a few minutes to look over all this, but he should be right in."
Nejire waited another twenty minutes before the guy finally came in, looking exhausted. "I'm Doctor Mera." He shook her hand. "I see you're dealing with some lingering pain from a car accident."
"That's right," she said. "The meds that my old doctor prescribed are working fine, but his office is in New York, so I can't really go back to get refills."
Doctor Mera folded his hands, giving Nejire a stern look. "To be honest, Miss Hado, I don't think you still need all of these. Over-the-counter pain meds should be enough."
"I've tried that. They don't help at all."
He was unmoved. "Well, before I prescribe you anything, you'll need to complete six weeks of physical therapy. Then we can talk about getting some imaging done to see what's going on."
Nejire let out a huff. "I did an entire year of physical therapy. It doesn't get any better!" Doctor Mera just stared at her, his expression flat. Nejire sighed. "Fine. What about the xanax, then?"
He shook his head solemnly. "That's got far too many side effects. Let me write you a script for vistaril; it basically has the same results." He got up and shuffled towards the door. "Come back in about two months and we'll see how you're doing."
Fuming, Nejire left the doctor's office and went to the drug store. They called her to the counter when her prescription was ready. The pharmacist glanced over the labels as they rang everything up. "Just so you know, you shouldn't drive while taking this medication. Any questions?"
"Yes, actually. What does this even do?"
They hit some keys on the computer. "Let's see… primarily, this is used to treat allergies, but it has a lot of other practical applications."
"Allergies? It's supposed to be for anxiety! Is this even the right thing?"
They double checked the doctor's notes. "Hydroxyzine is the generic form of vistaril. Plenty of doctors prescribe this for anxiety; it can help you relax, or fall asleep."
Nejire frowned. "Wait, do you mean like how benadryl makes you sleepy?"
The pharmacist cracked a smile. "Pretty much."
"I don't need to fall asleep. I get panic attacks! What am I supposed to do?"
"I'm really sorry, I wish I could help."
Nejire left the drug store empty-handed.
She could hardly contain herself when she got the text from Tomura. Nejire dropped everything and headed straight over to the tattoo parlor. When Tomura saw her, he reached under the counter and pulled out a small bag. It rattled when he set it down.
Nejire was overwhelmed with relief. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. How much?"
He tapped his nails on the counter. "For you… seven hundred."
"That's fair." Nejire dug through her purse for the cash.
"How's your cat?" Tomura asked.
"Oh, I think he hates me. He only comes out when I'm not around."
"That's normal. He just needs some time to get used to you as his new master."
"I hope that's all it is." She handed Tomura some folded bills, and tucked the bag inside her purse. "It's not like I expected him to be a sweet lap cat, but it would be nice to at least see him once in a while. The only way I know he's alive is because he eats and poops."
"I'm sure he's grateful that you took him in, but he doesn't know how to show it."
Dabi came around the corner. "Hey there, Tiny Dancer."
"You still have that as my name?" Nejire giggled.
"Well no, but I thought you liked it when I call you that."
Nejire blushed. Maybe she did like it.
Dabi showed her two different sketches. Like her other tattoo, both of these had a music theme. One was curving piano keys and music notes, while the other was an outline of a cello with flowers wrapped around the fingerboard. Nejire found them both equally lovely and fascinating.
Giran came around the corner, ignoring them to speak with Tomura at the counter. "Hey bud, I gotta reschedule."
"No problem." Tomura clicked around on the computer. "Anything wrong?"
"One of my guys twisted his ankle, and now I gotta scramble to find a replacement."
"That's no good," Tomura said absently as he tapped on the keyboard.
Giran suddenly noticed Nejire's presence. "Nejire! You don't happen to know any choreographers, do you?"
She quickly shook her head. "No, I haven't made any connections out here. Sorry!"
Dabi looked at her, curious. "Couldn't you just do it?"
Nejire felt like a deer in headlights.
Giran perked up. "Have you done much choreo for contemporary dance?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"I can forward you the info so you can look it over. You'd really be doing me a solid."
Now all three of them were looking at her. Nejire sighed. "Let me think about it. Send me the details, and I'll let you know."
Giran passed Nejire his phone, and she put in her contact information. He was beaming. "I could hug you right now."
Dabi patted him on the chest, keeping him back. "Calm down, man. She hasn't agreed yet. "
"I know, I know!" Giran laughed. "I'll keep looking, but I really hope you say yes. You won't regret it." Soon he was gone, leaving Nejire reeling.
She glanced at the guys, trying to get a handle on things. "So… is he legit?"
"Yeah," Tomura nodded, "he's good."
Dabi agreed. "He can be pushy, but he's trustworthy."
Nejire went back to looking at the sketches, but she was distracted.
Dabi noticed, and offered her an out. "Tell you what… why don't you mull it over for a few days."
She let out a deep sigh. "You're right. Can I take pictures?"
"Go for it." He laid the two sketches on the counter, and Nejire took a photo of each of them with her phone. She could show Toga later and get her opinion. Dabi gave her a subtle smile as he put the pages back in the folder. "Be in touch, alright Tiny?"
