Fate is often described as cold and cruel. However, Aurie feels it has more of a sick, twisted, black sense of humor.
It has to be if Lawrence Taylor could be her biological father. She can't think of a better reason to give up the search and risk getting sent back to Mexico than him. It isn't even his occupation that bothers her. Some people want porn and if everyone involved is consenting then who is she to judge? His self-centered, arrogant attitude is what pisses her off. She can understand any defensiveness at her appearing out of the blue to ask him to take a paternity test, but the rest of his aggressiveness was uncalled for.
Thankfully she only has two more men to face and hopefully, neither is nowhere near as bad. Spencer Davis did say Mark Sloan is a nice guy at least. At any rate, it'd be hard for either Sloan to outdo Taylor.
Overall, she's happy with how well things are going with the search so far. Now if only her day would go better than it's starting.
Deciding she needed to continue looking as presentable as possible, she hand-washed her blouse. She would've just worn it as is, but a prominent ketchup stain nixed that idea. She guesses she shouldn't be so anal-retentive about it, but sometimes first impressions are important, especially when considering the wariness the mention of her mother's name triggers.
After washing it she spread it out to air dry before going to bed. It was only slightly damp this morning, which wasn't a big deal, but it looked like she pulled it out from the bottom of a pile of dirty clothes. It was hard to iron it with the old travel iron she borrowed that wouldn't stay hot. She had no choice but to waste time in the effort since the dumpy motel didn't provide any even when she asked. It took forever, but she finally got the blouse to where it looked at least decent.
Right after breakfast, the insole of her left sneaker nearly ripped completely away. Walking with a shuffle to keep the sole from slapping obnoxiously loud, she cruised the nearest grocery store searching for a roll of duct tape. She could've used glue, but that meant waiting for it to dry. With no other shoes to wear, she opts to tape the hell out of it. Depending on how the day goes, she can try buying a new, cheap pair later. She just has to put up with her embarrassing appearance for the time being.
After finishing her shoe patch job and nearly using up the entire roll of tape, she finally sets out for Community General Hospital. Unfortunately, she experiences a horrible case of déjà vu when she takes the wrong bus again. The third wrong bus is the charm when she finally makes it to the hospital on the fourth attempt later that morning.
Shoring up her courage and hoping she won't encounter the same problems as she did at Night Sweat Pictures Aurie enters the lobby and approaches the Information Desk. An elderly volunteer looks up at her from her monitor.
"May I help you?"
"Um, yeah, I'm looking for Dr. Mark Sloan."
"Are you a patient of his?"
"Nno-uh-yeah. Yeah, I mean yes I am. Yep."
Stretching the truth a little won't hurt if it gets her in to see Dr. Sloan.
"First time seeing him dear?" the volunteer asks, smiling gently.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm a little early. Do you know if he's in his office now?" Aurie asks, taking advantage of the old woman's assumption.
"He should be since you have a scheduled appointment unless he was called out for an emergency. I don't have that information, but the nurses stationed near his office should know. You'll have to ask them, dear."
"Please tell me how to get there. First visit and all. Don't want to get lost." Mentally she adds, 'Again.'
"I'd be happy to tell you exactly how to get there. And just so you know, you've picked an excellent doctor. And he's the sweetest man you'll ever meet."
Aurie returns her smile while she explains how to get to Dr. Sloan's office.
The directions the volunteer gave were perfect. Aurie seriously considers getting the old lady a cookie or something but drops that idea just in case she's diabetic. It's nice not ending up in a janitor's storeroom.
Checking in at the nurse's station near Dr. Sloan's office she waits patiently until the brunette sitting at the computer finishes her phone conversation.
"May I help you?"
"Is Dr. Sloan in? I have an appointment," Aurie replies.
"An appointment?" the nurse repeats in confusion. At Aurie's nod, she starts typing into the computer. "Sorry, but I wasn't aware he had any appointments. May I have your name?"
"Auralia Acevedes," Aurie replies. Before the nurse can ask she adds, "That's A-u-r-a-l-i-a for my first name and A-c-e-v-e-d-e-s for my last name."
"Thank you."
The nurse frowns as she clicks through different screens when a blonde nurse approaches from behind.
"What are you looking for, Arlene?"
"This young lady has an appointment with Dr. Sloan, but I can't find it anywhere," Arlene explains.
"Don't stress about it," the blonde replies. "Dr. Sloan has been dragging his heels on learning the new system. He probably didn't bother entering it." Sighing in resignation she adds, "Knowing him, he also has forgotten about the appointment." She looks over at Aurie and smiles. "Don't worry about it. We'll page him. In the meantime, I'll show you to his office and you can wait there."
"Thank you," Aurie nods before following the nurse down the hall.
After the nurse leaves her alone, Aurie takes a good look around. An oscillating floor fan does its best to cool the stuffy office. She wonders if Dr. Sloan considered moving his desk into the hallway since it's considerably cooler out there. Stepping over to the two guest chairs in front of the desk, she sets her backpack onto one.
Wandering the room, her eyes roam over all the books and knick-knacks scattered throughout. Where Spencer Davis' office was a wealth showcase and Lawrence Taylor's office oozed tackiness, Dr. Sloan's office was eclectic, fun, and random, representing a variety of interests with magic being the dominant theme. As expected, she finds lots of medical texts lining the bookshelves and anatomy charts hanging on the walls. The most amusing item is the skeleton standing near the desk wearing a straw boater hat, bow tie, and feather boa.
Relaxing at the thought that so far Dr. Sloan doesn't seem remotely like Taylor, Aurie smiles as she steps over to the fan. Already perspiring in the stuffy office, she relishes the cool breeze while she waits for him.
In the pediatric ward, a small child watches in wide-eyed awe as long fingers reach behind her ear and deftly plucks a quarter out of nowhere. Applause breaks out among the rest of the children and nurses in the ward as Dr. Mark Sloan shows everyone the quarter before taking a bow.
"Thank you. Thank you all very much for being such a good audience. I believe this is yours," he says with a smile, handing the quarter to the appreciative little girl. "All right everyone, back to your beds, and I'll see you all next week."
He smiles and waves as he leaves to a chorus of, "Thank you, Dr. Sloan!"
"That was a good show Dr. Sloan," a nurse walking alongside comments.
"Why thank you, Carrie."
" You should think about doing it professionally. Maybe tour other hospitals and nursing homes," she suggests.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he chuckles. "It's a great idea, but I don't know where I'd find the time."
"True. But in the future, you should maybe rethink your costume," she suggests with an amused grin.
"Costume?"
Mark stops and looks himself over in confusion. He's just wearing his usual lab coat. Still confused, he looks at the grinning nurse. Slowly shaking her head she points at his head. Reaching up, he feels the gag headpiece he wore for his 'I've got a splitting headache' entrance. It looks like a wayward arrow pierced his head.
"Oh," he grins sheepishly. "Just trying to liven up the act."
"If you say so, doctor. And before I forget, you have a patient waiting for you in your office."
"A patient?" Mark asks puzzled, already forgetting the arrow. "I didn't have anyone scheduled this morning."
"That's all I was told. Sorry doctor," Carrie shrugs with a shake of her head.
"No, it's all right. I guess I should get going. I'll see you later," he replies, making his way toward the elevator.
Carrie just waves after him, waiting until he's out of earshot to bust out laughing.
Aurie's attention snaps to the door when it opens, revealing a white-haired doctor wearing a fake arrow piercing his skull.
Stunned silence stretches out as Mark gapes at the young girl raising her folded arm like a bird's wing to allow the air from the fan to hit her armpit.
Realizing, what she's doing, Aurie drops her arm to awkwardly wave at him.
"Um, hi," she sheepishly grins.
Recovering his senses, Mark steps inside, crossing the room to his desk.
"Good morning," he smiles back.
Following his lead, Aurie steps over to one of the guest chairs and settles into one.
"And sorry about the stuffy room. I need to get after maintenance to fix the air conditioning before people start fainting."
"That's okay."
"Well, let's start over. Hi, I'm Dr. Sloan," he smiles warmly, extending his hand to her.
Shaking his hand, she introduces herself.
"Hi, I'm Auralia Acevedes."
"Nice to meet you, Auralia. I'm sorry for being late, but I didn't know I had any new patients scheduled this morning."
Knowing she's busted, Aurie shifts uncomfortably.
"You don't have to apologize because, um, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I lied to get in to see you."
"Oh?" Mark prods in curiosity.
Aurie tries to explain but is distracted by the arrow on his head. Mark frowns as the silence stretches out and notices her eyes flicking up to his hair. Puzzled, he reaches up and feels the arrow. Chuckling self-consciously, he removes it and sets it off to the side.
"Oops, forgot that was there. I was doing a magic show for the kids in the pediatric ward and it was part of my opening and, oh never mind," he waves off his rambling and smiles at Aurie. "All right then, what can I do for you?"
"You're not mad I lied?" Aurie asks in surprise.
"No," Mark briefly shakes his head. "Why would I?
"Because I lied," Aurie states like it should be obvious.
"I'm a doctor. Patients lie to me all the time," he grins. "Besides, you didn't lie to me. Granted it wasn't nice to the nurses, but what they don't know won't hurt them."
Aurie cocks her head slightly in confusion. After Taylor, she was expecting some combativeness, especially with the lying. Deciding to get on with it she takes a deep breath.
"I guess it won't. I came here to talk to you because of my mom. Do you remember Amalia Acevedes?
Mark thinks about it before slowly shaking his head.
"The name sounds familiar, but I do not remember anything specific about her."
"I've got a picture of her," she remembers. "Maybe that might help." Digging into the backpack on the seat next to her she pulls out a small photo and hands it to him. "I think this was taken around the time you would've known her."
Mark takes his time studying the picture in his hand. Surreptitiously he compares the image of the black-haired beauty dressed for a night out to the girl looking about the room while patiently waiting for him.
Auralia favored a lot of her mother's features with a couple of significant differences. She has a much lighter, creamier complexion. A direct contrast to Amalia's mocha-colored skin. Plus, her hair is considerably lighter. Hints of caramel highlights dust her reddish-brown hair. Her nose isn't as broad or big as Amalia's. It's narrower and smoother in shape with an arch to the bridge. Her chin and jaw are stronger compared to Amalia's weak jawline with a slight dimple on the chin.
Her face is rounder like her mother's, but also narrower by comparison and her cheekbones are sharper. Other than having the same almond shape, Auralia's eyes are her most striking feature thanks to the Heterochromia Iridium making her left blue and the right medium brown instead of nearly black like Amalia's. It makes Mark think that whoever her father is he must be light-complexioned.
"I remember her now," Mark grins crookedly before handing back the photo. "I used to see her at some of the social functions I had to attend for the hospital or got bullied into by my neighbors. How is she?"
"Thanks," Aurie replies, taking the photo. "She's fine," she distractedly adds while putting it away. "I saw Mr. Spencer Davis yesterday and he said you could help me with my problem."
Mark wonders why she isn't saying more about her mother after going through the trouble of helping him remember her, but leaves it alone for now.
"Oh? How so?"
"I'm looking for my father and, well, you might be him."
"Excuse me?" he angles his ear toward her, uncertain he heard right.
Sighing deeply, Aurie plunges into what's becoming a well-rehearsed spiel.
"Mom once said Spencer Davis was my biological father. I asked him and turns out he can't be. He said that my father could be one of three men. Lawrence Taylor, you and your son, Steve."
"Steve?" Mark's even more surprised Steve was named as well.
"Yes, sir," Aurie answers solemnly, suppressing a sigh and recognizing he's going to deny the possibility.
Recovering Mark leans forward with a serious expression on his face. His voice doesn't have any hint of anger.
"Look, I'm sorry you went through all this effort, but there's no way I could be your father. And I'm certain Steve isn't either."
She knew it. At least he's being nice about it.
"I know this is weird and, believe me, if I was in your shoes I wouldn't believe it either," she emphasizes, holding his gaze. "Mom was chasing Mr. Davis and thought she drugged him at some party and slept with him. She wanted to get pregnant so he'd have to give her money. But it wasn't him," she shakes her head. "She saw him like a month later saying she was pregnant with his kid, but he told her there's no way he's my father."
"And how is it he's so certain without a blood test? You could still be his child."
Aurie sighs softly in frustration.
"He gave me a couple of really good reasons he can't be, but they're personal and not my business to tell, so you'd have to ask him, but I believe him. He suggested you three because he remembers Mom kinda chasing after you guys as her alternate picks. I dunno," she sighs again. "I still want to do paternity tests anyways even if they're a bust."
"But I can tell you for certain, that I'm not," Mark protests.
With a frustrated groan, she buries her face in her hands.
"Why the hell is everyone scared of a blood test?" she mumbles before dropping her hands away with a calming breath to meet his gaze. "Look, chances are really good you and your son aren't my father, but I want to be sure. There are no strings attached and I swear to never bother you again. I don't have any other possibilities and I gotta know. You're sure, but I've no idea. And I'm paying for the tests, so the only thing you're losing is time and a little blood. Please?"
"Although it's a waste of your money, I'll take the test," he agrees, smiling gently. Then his brow furrows in concern. "You do know how much the tests are, don't you?"
"Oh," she blinks in surprise. "Um, no. Hadn't thought that far yet," she reluctantly admits.
"Well, we can do the blood draws and the tests here in the hospital."
"Really?"
"Yes," he nods. "We're a teaching hospital and have our own labs. Cuts the processing time. It'll take about a week instead of the usual two weeks to get the results."
"A week?" Aurie groans in dismay. "There's no way to get them faster?"
"I'm afraid not. Why?"
"'Cause this is my spring break and I'm supposed to be back at school Monday."
"Oh, that is a problem. I could call in a few favors and try to speed it up, but I can't make any promises. If not you could wait until summer vacation and we could do it then."
Aurie shakes her head.
"Has to be now. I had a hell of a time convincing Taylor to do it and by then he'd probably weasel out doing it," she pauses, sighing heavily in resignation. "Either way I'm stuck. Don't mind missing school, but still not a good thing," she shrugs. "So, how much do the tests cost?"
"Two hundred dollars per test."
"T-two hundred?" she gasps, her mind reeling as she calculates the total. 'What the hell? It'd be six hundred for three tests! Shit!"
Mark arches a brow at her cursing.
"Yes, two hundred. Are you sure you can afford these tests?"
Not wanting to lose face after promising to pay for the tests to convince these guys to take the damn things, Aurie swallows hard and nods.
"Yeah. Just had no clue testing a little blood costs so much."
"You know, you don't have to do this," Mark replies gently.
"Yes, I do," she answers firmly, holding his gaze.
"All right," Mark concedes much to her relief. He glances at his watch. "Look at the time. Would you like to join me for lunch?"
"Lunch?" she repeats, thrown for a loop.
"Yeah, you know, that meal people often have some time between breakfast and dinner."
Aurie's eyes narrow as she glares at him in annoyance.
"Really?" she sarcastically drawls, rolling her eyes at his teasing grin. Becoming serious, she points out, "I thought you'd want to kick my ass out ASAP."
Mark quirks a brow at her swearing again before replying.
"I thought it'd be nice to go get something to eat and get to know one another." At her skeptical look, he adds, "C'mon, come and brave the cafeteria food with me. My treat. Though, I don't think you'll see it as a treat once you try it," he finishes with a chuckle.
"You're not going to take 'no' for an answer are you?" Aurie arches a brow in question.
"Nope," Mark shakes his head, smiling.
"Okay," she relents.
"Good that settles it."
Rising to his feet, Mark walks toward the door, holding it open for her. With some wariness she follows his lead, figuring that if it turns out he's her father it'd be nice to learn a little bit about him.