xp_logs | (Backdated) Dori's Bad Day

x-squirrel.livejournal.com posting in

While visiting home, Dori gets some court mandated tests done and is surprised to figure out exactly what they are...

Claws made the wheel on her iPod almost impossible to do deal with, but she managed it. Doreen, after spending so much time in New York had a hard time taking any enjoyment out of the type of heat that pressed the L.A. air together with the smells of sweat, smog and thousands of different bodies all together.

She wrinkled her nose. Dori really wished she had a cold or something because nothing could cover up the stench of a lot of hot people on a bus in the morning. She didn't even want to be in the city, not today. Not after a long day at Disneyland. Even she had limits to energy and had wanted to spend the day with her Mom and her brother Ryan who was, surprisingly, with Mom and Grandpa.

But no, here she was on a bus going out to fulfill a court order for a blood test that she didn't have any idea what it was for. At least she could drown out the sound with the music, she thought as she slipped Monkey Joe something to munch on from his spot in her bag.

The little boy had to turn almost all the way around in his seat to see what was going on, because there was something interesting in the seat almost behind him and once he saw it, he tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mama! Ese senorita tiene un ardillo en su mochila!" He pointed, and tugged a few more times. "Y ella tiene una cola! Mama porque tiene una cola?"

His mother shushed him, and without making eye contact at Dori, turned the boy around in his seat so he was no longer facing backwards. "No mire! No mire! Es grosero!"

Doreen flushed a bit, she only got part of that, but it was enough to be pretty sure it wasn't exactly nice. 'No mire' was telling him not to look. She had only heard that one at least once a day since she started high school. The kid asked about the tail, which the mom had responded with something that sounded like she was calling it gross. Don't make eye contact, she reminded herself. It saved her from accidentally starting a lot of trouble when she had to go into the city here back before... she had a better home. It didn't always work, but it was a good rule of thumb. Don't make eye contact.

But it was hard when the little kid kept staring, so she tried to smile.

It was hard to look at the lady and her squirrel when his mother kept making him turn back around, and finally he gave up, because she was threatening a spanking and he didn't want that at all. He waved once, and then sat facing forward until they got to their stop and his mom led him off the bus. Then he waved again, because she had a pet squirrel! It was so neat! "¿Puedo tener una ardilla mascota?", he asked, once they were off the bus.

Crap, she really should have paid more attention in Spanish. When it came down to it, the first things Dori had learned - after the insults - was how to order food. And somehow she doubted a small kid would respond well to the first thing that came out of her mouth re: the subject of food. It didn't help that she was always hungry. Even right now, even after eating before she got on the buss, it was a nagging thing that never really went away. But back to translating, Puedo was 'can' or 'to be able'? and she knew tener was 'to have' if only because of how to say 'I'm hungry.' She figured the last was mascot and realized he was asking about Monkey Joe. She opened her bag slightly, letting her squirrel out and up on to her shoulder where he sat looking sidewise at the kid, "Um... he's my friend, so he'll stay with me, but you can pet him if you like." Hopefully he spoke English. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.

"No, vamos a casa!" Before the boy could say anything, his mother grabbed his hand and pulled him away. She was always keeping him from doing neat stuff, it wasn't fair. He pouted, but followed his mom away from the lady and her neat squirrel pet.

"Bye..." Dori said, waving slightly before looking around. Where she had to be was near here. The walk in the sweltering heat didn't do much to improve her mood and when she arrived at the clinic, she was broiling, sweat drenched to even her tail and looking like she was about to fall over. Forget physical training, nothing tested endurance like having to walk on the hot L.A. streets. At least most people kept their distance, which helped with the smell.

The clean smell of air conditioning at the clinic hit her in the face as she walked in, up to the desk and waited for the nurse there to notice her. It was hard to miss the girl with the tail.

"Yes?" The nurse asked, blandly. "We're not the women's health clinic, do you have an appointment?" It wouldn't be the first time, the women's health clinic was only a few blocks down and people mixed it up often enough that she had no patience for it anymore.

"I know you're not," Doreen said, "I'm here for a blood test, I have the court order in here somewhere..." Doreen said, shuffling through the bag while Monkey Joe, hidden inside, made muffled angry clicking sounds. I'm sorry, she apologized silently. She wasn't going to be clicking out loud to him right now.

"Do you have a dog in there?" The nurse glared. "There are no pets in the building. This is a clinic, not a animal hospital!" She leaned over the desk and pointed to the bag. "Take the dog outside, and come back for your "test" later."

"It's not a dog," she muttered, but took Monkey Joe outside anyway simply because she really wasn't in the mood to argue. Taking him out she sat him down in one of the trees they had outside the clinic, [Wait here. I won't be that long, okay?] It wasn't that different from high school, when he had to wait outside for her or deal with being put in her locker. He'd stay put, his agreeing clicks attested to that. He was just as used to it as she was, after all. Though lately he had been totally spoiled, even her boss at her job at the comic store had a set up for him and he was more or less their mascot. Monkey Joe Recommends even had a spot on their spotlight wall. But that wasn't here, and for all it's talk about being progressive, California could be a total hell hole, she realized.

She walked back in and dryly opened her bag at the counter, free of squirrel, "No dog. Now, I have a court mandated appointment?"

"Paperwork?" The nurse waved a hand. "If you are testing a child, you need to bring the child with you at the time of the appointment." She said, irately, as she took the papers from Dori. "This says a paternity test regarding Miss Doreen Green. You will have to return at a later date, obviously." She smirked. God, the girl was probably trying to get some idiot for child support and didn't even know to bring the baby? They were getting stupider ever year.

"I'm Doreen Green," Dori said, fishing her license out of her purse and forking it over. She thought it would have been obvious, but then again, she really shouldn't be surprised, "And what do you mean it's a paternity test?" she said. That took her aback. She knew it was court mandated, but what...?

"It is a paternity test. Do you know what paternity means?" The nurse was clearly having a bad day. Or bad year. maybe a bad life. "Someone informed the court that your parentage was in question." Frankly, she didn't blame them. "The attending nurse will draw your blood and they will send it to a lab to compare your DNA against the other sample."

"I know what a paternity test is," Doreen said, "Who questioned my parentage," she simply wasn't getting that at the moment, "Can I see the paperwork you have?"

"It is a confidential court document." The nurse said tersely. She had no idea if it was or not, she just wanted this kid out of her hair. "Go sit down, your name will be called when someone is available to administer the blood test."

Dori sighed and walked over where the behind-the-desk nurse indicated. Now wasn't the time to really be stirring stuff up, no matter how badly she wanted to. Now it was just waiting for them to call her name so she could get this over with. And then maybe pay Dad's office building a visit.

The blood test sucked, but she was half convinced the nurse doing it had stuck her wrong. If worse came to worse, she'd have her Mom look at it later. She had Monkey Joe in her handbag again as she walked out of the oppressive heat of the day into the cool, cool air conditioning that was one of L.A.'s many office buildings and up to the desk there.

"Um, excuse me," she said after a moment.

Oh. The girl. She'd been told about her, after hours when Micheal was two drinks in and telling her about how his ex-wife must have cheated on him. The secretary - executive, thank you very much, and well-paid for what she did, looked over the rims of her (designer) glasses. "You most certainly do not have an appointment, do you?" She said, voice falsely sweet.

"No, but my Dad works here. I want to talk to him," Dori said, sounding as calm as she possibly could.

"I am quite certain that is not going to be possible." She palmed a cell phone under the desk, and started tapping out a text message, telling Michael that his ex-wife's freak daughter was in the office. "This office has a no-trespassing policy that is strictly enforced."

"Gee, visiting family members is trespassing?" Dori asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Otherwise it would've been dripping over every letter.

Another patently false smile. "Well, maybe you aren't family anymore." She made a gesture towards the phone. "I don't know or care what you want, but Mister Green is not to be disturbed, and if you do not leave, I will call the police, and you can see if they care that you're claiming to be his daughter. After all, you don't look anything like him." She leaned forward and gave a nasty smile. "He doesn't have a tail."

Dori took another deep breath, "No, he doesn't. And you can tell him I think he misplaced his soul too," she said, turning around and walking out, her hands clenched into fists as she resisted taking her anger out on the building, the bad taste in her mouth caused by the last few good memories of her Dad being shattered by the reality of it all.