Love Consequences (Season 2 of Nata & Phillip's Romance)

8: You are doing everything right

Phillip

With a slam of the door, Nata rushes into the waiting room of the private clinic that Dr. Lutz and the OBGYN he referred us to work from.

Her gaze lands on me and I put my phone away, mid-email. "Didn't know you were a sprinter."

She stretches her lips for a second, acknowledging my attempt at cheering her up, but the frazzled look remains on her face. "The last mouse had a reaction. We had to document and see if we could pinpoint the reason before administering the new formula to the rest of them."

"You'll figure it out." She has her hair in a low bun and the black slacks hug her muscular legs and blue sweater-vest combo makes her look like a librarian. Add glasses and a book under her armpit, and the look will be complete. Or add a set of La Perla lingerie underneath, and we could see if the front passenger seat of Dad's SUV reclines far enough. My grin tugs at my mouth.

Nata perches on the chair next to me and pulls her phone out. Her fingers fly over the screen in jerky motions as she scrolls through a stream of messages. She rubs her eye with her free hand. "I should be there and not here. I feel fine." The pounding of her heel on the floor is faster than the numbers for seconds that are changing on my watch. "I should've been there yesterday. I knew I couldn't take a day off–"

I lay one hand on her bouncing knee, stretch my other arm across her shoulder, and pull her into me, my lips over her ear. "We are fine. You are fine. The study is fine. Breathe."

She draws in a gulping breath. The steel rod of her back relaxes. Nata faces me and her glistening eyes set my heart to the rhythm her knee was going at. She nibbles on the corner of her lower lip. "I can't afford any mess ups now that I'm in charge."

"I get the feeling, but you know it's not possible." With a chuckle, I massage the tightrope of her neck muscles. "Instead, maybe close your eyes and think about how you'll deal with potential messes. No matter how much we plan or do, they're bound to happen."

She relaxes into my touch. "I know, but I'm still terrified." Her voice trembles.

"Van der Heuvel?" A nurse inquiries from a semi-open door that leads to the doctors' offices.

Nata stares back at the phone in the palm of her hand. "Damnit."

I kiss Nata's temple. "Do you need a minute?"

She shakes her head. "Let's go. The sooner we do it, the sooner I can get back to work."

Not the words I'm looking for, but I'm here to support her and I know all too well what it feels like when work is a shitstorm. I wrap my arm around her waist and help her up, not because she needs it, but because I am not ready to let go of her yet.

The nurse takes us to a room and sits Nata on the medical chair in the middle, does the routine blood pressure measurements, and promises the doctor will be in soon as she closes the door behind her.

Nata resumes the chewing of her lip. "You didn't have to be here."

"I thought you wanted me here."

"Yes, but it's the middle of a workday, and this isn't close to either of our offices. There is nothing you have to be here for." She crumples the parchment-like paper covering her medical chair. "I could've relayed the information to you. Somehow I feel like I'm wasting your time by making you be my emotional-support human."

Her attempt at pushing me away is not going to work. Not now. Not ever.

I take her hand away from the crinkling paper and kiss the inside of her wrist. "I'm happy to be your emotional support human any time you need me."