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GERMAYNE

B eing in a healthy and thriving relationship with a woman who fills my heart with peace is something I didn’t realize has been missing from my life.

After experiencing toxicity, it's been great to simply laugh, bond, and date without forcing any of our encounters. With Chaniya, I have found myself smiling more, laughing harder, and more relaxed, which has been noticed by the people around me. The complexity of my job means a change in my schedule, depending on the needs of the hospital. I’m also still working with Dr. Carpenter and have been contemplating requesting permanent placement under her.

Delivering babies has given me more joy than any of the other wings of the hospital.

I didn’t anticipate loving the tasks under labor and delivery as much as I have.

Yet, it’s been an unmatched reward since my first shift.

“Uh, Germayne, Dr. Speedle needs you to check out the patient in bed twenty,” Nurse Sharma says, cutting into my wayward thoughts.

Nodding, I stand and head to do Dr. Speedle’s bidding without grumbling the rebuttal hanging on my tongue.

Dr. Speedle is one of the laziest doctors here, and instead of teaching the PAs working under him, he delegates everything to them.

Most of us can’t stand working with him because not only is Dr. Speedle a lousy teacher, but he also likes to cut corners to expedite patients off his plate.

Unfortunately for me, the emergency room was busier than laboring mothers, so I had to be reassigned to where I could be most useful.

“Good evening. My name is Germayne Malone, and I’m one of the physicians assistants here. What seems to be troubling you?” I ask after entering the patient's room less than five minutes later.

“Assistant? Does that mean you’re not a doctor? I know they didn’t send a trainee in here to see about my mama.” The pale-faced toddler, whose face is beet red and spotty from the craters he’s neglected to address, stands, waving his arms.

While the individual is older than a toddler, his unnecessary tantrum qualifies him to hold the title, which is also why I ignore him and address the person lying in the bed.

“Can you provide me with the details of what led you to the ER this evening, Ms. Donovan?” I ask again.

“Where the hell is the real doctor? Don’t say nothing, Mama. You can either get someone else in here, or I’m taking my mother out of here, boy.” The doofus rants while stopping his foot.

Not wanting this idiot with zero skincare regime to shift my great mood, I nod and exit the room without another word.

“You might want to call Dr. Speedle because junior doesn’t want his mother to be seen or taken care of by a boy trainee,” I tell Nurse Sharma, who’s approaching me.

“Wait, what? Did he really call you a boy?” Nurse Sharma’s face blanches, and a deep frown erases the smile she had been wearing.

“Does shit stink? Let Dr. Speedle earn his elaborate salary. I’m taking a break.” Shrugging, I turn in the opposite direction toward the bank of elevators.

While this isn’t my first rodeo with a patient releasing the bile festering within them about the color of my skin, it is the first time it has come from someone younger than me. The more things change, the more idiots continue fucking to breed more despicable people like them.

“Hm. Job or no job, I would have cussed his little ass out. I can’t believe he had the audacity to disrespect you like that,” Chaniya rants.

A slow smirk slides into place at the aggression in her tone and the offense in her words at the encounter I had not long ago.

It’s well after 9:30, which is Chaniya’s usual bedtime, so I didn’t anticipate her still being up.

Yet, I needed someone to keep me in the mood I was in, and Chaniya was the only person capable of doing so, which is why I sent a text to test the waters.

When her reply came two minutes later, I called her, and here we are.

“If I react and respond to every hillbilly that enters this hospital, I would be dealing with a blood pressure diagnosis. Unfortunately, stuff like this comes with the territory, and instead of bucking against it, I choose to remove myself from the mess. My only hope is that these people find out their unfounded hate can be reciprocated by someone less tolerant than me.”

“Or that they find an angry bull with a vendetta who will ram its horn in their raggedy asses. Maybe then they’ll be able to shit properly because, clearly, the constipation they’re suffering from is affecting their common sense.”

“What in the world are you saying, Cha-Cha?” Laughing boisterously, I shake my head at the antics coming from her mouth.

“I’m just saying. Sometimes, the usual remedies don’t help, and you have to go to more drastic measures.”

“Why in the world are we talking about constipation, woman?”

“It’s why I’m up past my bedtime and sleepy as hell. Caleb has been struggling to poop for the last day or so. He’s miserable, which means I’m sleep-deprived. I might even be delirious at this point, so you might want to ignore whatever comes out of my mouth right now.”

“Awe, poor Cha-Cha. What can I do to make it better for you?”

“Stick your hand in Caleb’s butt to release the backup.”

“What the hell?” Another round of laughter escapes my mouth from the statement and whine in Chaniya’s tone.

“I’m just saying, that’s what Nana did when he was a baby dealing with constipation. She would break off a piece of soap and insert it into C?—”

“Got it, Cha-Cha, but I think Caleb is beyond the point of that being an acceptable method of relief. Have you tried apple juice?”

“Mhm. Didn’t work and only gave him gas. Funky gas that almost had me throwing up, but yeah, that didn’t help at all.”

“Try a warm?—”

“Bath, mhm. I did that too, and I tried massaging his tummy too. It only produced more gas, and I promise I thought his little ass would fart me into the living room.”

“Well, it looks like you’re gonna have to just wait it out, love. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but sometimes these things take?—”

“Mommy! Mommy!” Caleb’s squeaky yet alarmed voice cuts me off.

“Shit!” Chaniya shouts before air and the sound of movement distorts what’s happening on her end. I listen intently to make sure everything is okay.

“I pooped! I pooped!” Caleb cheers.

“Thank God, but ooh, you stink. Handle your business, Son,” Chaniya says, sounding like she’s in distress or agony. “Whew, the Lord is kind,” she says to the receiver.

“Yes, He is, and always on time. Looks like this crisis is averted. I hate to run, but I’ve gotta get back on the floor.”

“Damn, just when I was gonna have something else to talk about.”

“No worries. Call me when you go on break or lunch tomorrow.”

“I must be in trouble with you or something because I ain’t heard from your narrow behind since Essence’s wedding. Why do you have a stick up your butt with me, Germayne Kadeem Malone?” Grandma Jolene questions while giving me a death glare.

“You almost had me back in the single streets, but I ain’t mad at you. I’ve just been busy working and trying to build my relationship. You obviously felt guilty or something because it took you a month to miss me enough to call.”

One of the bad things about frequently working the night shift is that most everyone else works the day shift and doesn’t understand that you need to sleep during the day.

In Grandma Jolene’s retired status, her time is her own, so she never considers what others have going on.

Thankfully, I was able to get roughly five hours of sleep before she called, requesting my presence.

I’m surprised it has taken her this long to reach out to me because it’s the longest we’ve gone without communicating or me visiting.

However, my reasoning isn’t a lie, and I don’t feel bad about nurturing the relationship that’s shaping up to be my best one yet.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.

I got caught up in Chaniya’s ability to engage with me without any objectives.

That other thang only wanted to bond with me because she was trying to gain brownie points with you.

Chaniya is genuinely attracted to you and doesn’t need watering by being smothered by you.

I got lost in her authenticity, so I apologize if it caused any waves for you. ”

“Are you dying? Sick? Been cloned?” Staring intently at Grandma Jolene, I move to circle her body to inspect anything that appears out of place.

Grandma Jolene doesn’t apologize for anything she says or does, making this entire exchange out of place.

“I’m fine, but your daddy chewed me out and told me to fix it because he doesn’t want any bad blood between the family and his new daughter.”

“Come again?”

“Don’t be acting like you didn’t spend that entire weekend staring at the poor child like she would disappear if you didn’t watch her. You practically threw me out the way to dance with her with your thirsty ass,” Grandma Jolene informs me.

“What do you know about somebody being thirsty, old woman?”

“Your mammy is old and smells like twenty-day-old fish,” Grandma Jolene sassily states.

“Wow. That’s low, even for you. What did Ma do to you?”

“Nothing other than having your daddy sniffing behind her fast-tail ass in high school.”

Before I can respond, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I remove it with a cheesy grin forming upon seeing Chaniya’s name flashing on the screen.

“I already know who that is.” Grandma Jolene shakes her head before exiting the kitchen.

“What’s good, Cha-Cha?”

“It’s been a horrible day. There have been four animals who’ve been put to sleep, and I’m a melting pot of tears.” The dejection in Chaniya’s tone has me pulling a chair and taking a seat, hoping to change her downcast mood.

“How can I help?”

“Cook dinner for Caleb, me, you, and our grandmothers. I think I’m ready for you to meet him officially. I also think our grandmothers would hit it off and help remove the pressure for us with intertwining Caleb into our relationship.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that step? It hasn’t been long between us, and I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“What happened to . . . ‘I’m not going anywhere, so whenever you’re ready’?” Chaniya asks in a horrible interpretation of a male voice that’s supposed to be me.

A low chuckle escapes my mouth because my question was more for her benefit than mine, which I relay to her.

“Nothing on my end has changed. I’m here for the long haul. I just want to make sure this is truly what you want because we can’t unwind the clock once we take this step.”

“With you, I feel comforted, secure, cherished, and confident in what we have. For the first time, I don’t feel like I have to keep Caleb from the man I’m with. With you, I feel like Caleb will receive the same things that you provide to me. So I’m sure, unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“Nope. When do you want to do this? I’m at Grandma Jolene’s house now and can get something set up.”

“I’m down for whatever.”

“Me too. Let’s sync calendars once you are off. In the meantime, I’ll put a bug in Grandma’s ear so she’ll be expecting a date soon.”

“Great. I gotta go. I l—will talk to you soon. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You do the same, Cha-Cha.”