Page 47 of Street

“I’m glad to be here with you.”

“Good. I’m not going to let you go anywhere.”

His voice was firm and solid. A hint of emotion colored the words, increasing their importance. Street wasn’t afraid to let her know how much he cared. She liked his openness a lot.

“It’s Saturday, right? You don’t have to go to the warehouse?” Rosa guessed. She’d never not worked. Keeping track of what day it was had become challenging when she didn’t need to finagle two or three shift schedules.

“No work for me. Remember, I’m taking you to see Razor today, and tomorrow we have the barbecue.”

“Let’s reschedule that exam for another day,” Rosa said, trying and failing to eliminate the nervousness from her tone.

“Not happening, Little girl. Razor’s going to check your hand. If it’s healed sufficiently, Fury’s finishing the plumbing tomorrow and invited you to help.” He held up his palm when she opened her mouth. “That’s a big if.”

“My hand doesn’t hurt at all. I’ll wear the gloves you got me this time.”

“After Razor checks you out.”

“And your knuckles?”

“Yes. He can do both. Then, he’s got time to examine you for birth control. I want to make sure we protect your health.”

Rosa wrapped her blankie around her chest as she pushed herself up to sit on the mattress. “I don’t really need a physical.”

“I get that you don’t want an exam, Little girl. No one enjoys going to the doctor. I will be in the room with you.”

Her cheeks heated. “Those visits are so embarrassing. I’ll skip that part. Just have him check my hands. Maybe I can talk him into a generic birth control prescription without doing an exam.”

“Razor won’t prescribe anything without making sure that you are healthy. Even a medicine as simple as aspirin can cause problems. You’ve had a pelvic exam before?” His gaze assessed her.

“Yes. Several years ago when I thought I’d picked up something from a stupid fling. The doctor looks at everything. And I have to see Razor all the time. Honey is a friend of mine.”

“Aha. Now I understand. Razor is an excellent doctor who cares about his patients. I trust him. More than any other doctor I’ve known.”

“But I have to run into him a lot. Like at the barbecue.”

“Honey is aware that Angel, Caroline, and Winnie all go to him as their doctor. Do you think she’d be upset if you let him treat you as well?”

“Probably not. She’s too sweet.”

“Would you like me to see if Razor will give us the name of another doctor?” Street asked quietly.

“No. I don’t want him to think he’s the problem. That would make things even more awkward. I’ll check if he can give me pills without examining me today. I’ll tell him I’m on my period. That would make examining me impossible. Then, I’ll go to a clinic somewhere after I earn some money. We can keep using condoms, right?”

“Of course we can, Rosa. Condoms aren’t as reliable as the pill. Lying to Razor doesn’t sound like a good idea. You can tell him the truth. He won’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“I’m a terrible liar,” she confessed.

“He’s a very smart man.”

“I know he’s a good doctor. We didn’t really talk about exams and personal stuff like that at the slumber party, but Razor’s name came up several times in our conversations.”

“You were gossiping about the Daddies, hmm?” Street asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“We weren’t gossiping, Daddy. Angel mentioned Razor had helped her a lot after being held captive by the Ravagers.”

“Yes. He’s extremely knowledgeable. He has both a medical and psychology degree. I’ve talked through a few sticky life things with him,” Street admitted.

“You did? Like something bothering you mentally?” Rosa didn’t want to pry, but she didn’t know much about Street’s background. He was obviously intelligent and self-controlled.