27
“You didn’t have to come in here with me. It’ll only take me a second to get what I need,” Renee said, as I followed her through the sliding doors of Walgreen’s.
“I ain’t tryna sit in that car with Rell. If I do, I’ma curse him out for being late picking us up from the airport. The only reason I haven’t already is because you asked me not to.”
“Because you need to lighten up. He wasn’t even that late.”
“He was late enough. Shit, traveling is exhausting. I’m ready to get home. More than ready.”
She glanced at me as she stopped in the feminine hygiene aisle and picked up a package of maxi pads. “Stop pouting.”
“You on your period? Shit…”
She rolled her eyes. “No, but I will be. You know, it comes every month, so I like to be prepared.”
“Thank God, because I’ma have to have me some when we get home. I need to relieve some stress.”
Shaking her head, she slowly walked down another aisle, stopping at the soap. “You need to take your grumpy ass to sleep. I’m not giving you any while you have an attitude.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Now you’re sorry, huh?” she said, as she headed to the pharmacy counter.
“What you picking up here?” I asked.
She gave the clerk her name and then turned and looked at me. “Zo, I love you, but you are worrying the hell out of me. Go to the car.”
“I don’t want to,” I said, and watched as the clerk handed her a small bag. “What’s that?”
“Blood pressure medicine. Come on, let me pay for this stuff so we can go.”
She started walking away, and I just stood there. She was at the end of an aisle when she stopped and turned around. “What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“You take blood pressure medicine? Since when?”
“Since during my divorce, during the peak of my ex acting a fool. That plus work was stressing me out. But I’m on a lower dosage now, and my doctor thinks I can probably be off the medicine soon if I keep doing well. I just need to exercise more.”
I stared at her, thinking to myself that I should’ve let Rell seriously fuck her ex up. We were way too easy on his Lilliputian ass. “Doc—we’ve been together for months now. How’d I not know this?”
She shrugged. “I usually take my medicine at work or after breakfast when you’re closed up in your office.”
She extended her hand to me and I took it, letting her lead me toward the front of the store. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
As we got in line, she said, “I don’t know. Didn’t think it was important. Besides, I’m better now that the divorce is over.”
“What about work stress?”
“Work is what it is. But Cass and I have been talking about possibly bringing on another midwife to lighten our loads. Just not sure if the budget can handle it.”
Once her stuff was rung up, she pulled out some money, and I stared at her.
She looked up at me. “What?”
I reached across her and slid my credit card through the card reader. “You know better than that shit.”
*****
As tired as I was and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t get to sleep that night. As Renee lay next to me softly snoring, I started to go downstairs and get some work done, but knew my mind was too preoccupied for that. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind that Bitch-ass had her taking medicine. I was three seconds from going over to his house and surprising him in his sleep. And I wasn’t even thinking about taking Rell with me. I wanted to handle this one on my own, but I also knew I was probably too mad for that. Dude might not come out of it alive this time. I wasn’t trying to go there. Still, I had to do something.
So when she shifted in bed, I said, “Doc, you up?”
“Hmm?” she replied groggily.
“I’ll pay for the third midwife.”
“Hmm, what?”
“I’ll pay for the third midwife.”
She stretched, then scooted up in the bed and turned a bedside lamp on. “Babe, what are you talking about?”
“The midwife. Having a third one will take some of the stress off you, right?”
She yawned. “Yeah…”
“So let me pay her salary. Or his salary. Dudes can be midwives?”
“Yeah, there are a few out there, but Zo…you can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t own Genesis, you’re not on the board, nothing.”
“I’ll make a donation and specify it’s for the salary of another midwife.”
“Zo, why? It’s not that crucial.”
“If you’re taking fucking medicine, it is that crucial. Either let me do this or I’ma have to figure something else out, and it won’t be pretty, Doc, because right now I’m so angry I wanna tear your ex’s head off!”
She jumped a little, and it occurred to me that I was yelling. So I said, “I’m sorry,” and left the bed, pacing the floor. “I’m sorry for raising my voice, but this shit is upsetting. You’re taking blood pressure medicine? That’s serious, Doc.”
“I know, but like I said, I’m better. My dosage is lower, and I’m working toward totally getting off the medicine. I’m watching my salt, trying to make myself exercise more than just in this bed…”
She was trying to make me smile. It almost worked.
“Zo, I’m fine. I really am.”
“Doc, if something happens to you, I don’t…”
She stood from the bed, naked and looking good enough to eat. “Zo, I’m not going anywhere. I. Am. Fine. Please calm down and stop worrying about losing me in any way. I love you. I’m fine. Stop this. Okay?”
I sighed and closed my eyes as she wrapped her arms around me and leaned against my body. “Okay…but I’m still making that donation. You work too hard. You’re co-owner. You’re supposed to have more days off than you do.”
She shook her head against my chest. “That’s not something that has to happen now. Me and Cass are only considering it. Besides, I’m used to the stress of my job. It was the divorce that had my blood pressure up. That and my love of potato chips. My divorce is over, thanks to some miracle, and I’ve almost, kind of, just about given up chips.”
I chuckled.
“So I’m good.” She lifted her head and rose up on her toes to kiss me.
I smiled down at her. “Okay, but I’m making the donation. I’ll pay for two years’ salary. How much is that?”
She backed away from me. “I’m not telling you. Now let’s go back to bed so I can help you get some sleep.”
I grinned as she took my hand and led me to the bed. “How you gonna do that?”
She pushed me onto the bed and crawled on top of me. “Guess.”