Chapter 1

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Running down the sidewalk while getting pelted by frigid rain is definitely not my idea of a good time. Yet, here I am avoiding puddles, growing annoyed that my umbrella broke months ago, and wishing that I had spare funds to get an Uber. If only I had woken up with my alarm this morning instead of unintentionally shutting it off.

I guess the only thing I can really blame that on is myself. If I hadn't taken that extra shift last night at the diner then I would have been able to get the rest I needed last night. Originally I wasn't scheduled to work either of my jobs yesterday, or for that matter today. My co-worker, Rebecca, had a medical emergency regarding her three year old son, and if she hadn't managed to arrange a replacement she would have lost her job. I couldn't let that happen. So, I took a late shift and didn't wake up appropriately due to the excess exhaustion.

I stop for a second underneath a restaurant awning to catch my breath. I have to be on time for this appointment. I can't miss it, but I am terrified that will be exactly what happens. I look down the sidewalk toward my destination and can barely make out the sign above the door a couple blocks away. I pull out my phone to check the time and notice that I still have twenty minutes. Phew!

I continue down the sidewalk at a more leisurely pace. It's still raining but I don't need to be in as much of a rush as I originally worried about. Plus, I'm already drenched so it's not like my clothes can become any more saturated than they already are.

I have had this appointment booked for six months now, but I have been awaiting it for five years. I can only hope that my soulmate has been able to wait for me this long. I hope and pray that I won't be one of those few people that don't have a soulmate. Because of the plague-like illness that attacked many females ten years ago, declining the population, the occurrence is rare that a woman won't have a soulmate, but it is still possible. I mentally shake away the negativity that has clouded my brain. Only one more block now.

Three minutes later and I am walking through the doors of the clinic. The nurse behind the reception counter gasps at me. "Oh goodness you got caught in the rain!"

I find myself mildly annoyed at her reaction. It's full of sympathy, but I almost want to respond with. 'Obviously." Instead I take a moment to regain my composure and say, "Yeah, I slept through my alarm and didn't have time to catch the bus like I originally had planned." I try to smile in a 'what can you do' kind of expression, but I am sure that the grimace I was fighting still managed to grow on my face.

"Let me get you a towel." She rushes off before I can tell her that it's no trouble. Although, truthfully, I am kind of dripping all over the laminate floor. Only a few moments later she is handing me a few towels. They are the size and thickness you would find at a budget hotel so I am definitely thankful that she handed me more than one. While I am wringing out my hair in a quick attempt to soak up as much moisture as possible she greets me. "You must be Daisy Keegan."

I nod in response. "I sent the appropriate paperwork via fax a few weeks ago."

She smiles. "Yes, thank you for that. It makes our job much easier. So, that leaves only one thing left to settle. The financials."

The reason I have had to wait so long was due to a lack of funds. I nod in response and pull my bank card out of my wallet to settle the balance. I only sat for five minutes in the waiting room before I was called in. A nurse took my vitals and assured me that the doctor would be right with me. I found myself getting consumed by memories while I waited.

Russell and Marjorie Keegan. Tears still well in my eyes when I even think of their names. My parents were two of the greatest people I have ever known. They were rarely selfish, always thinking about others before themselves. (I tried my best to emulate that in my own day to day life.)

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