With a soft sigh, the hydraulic hinge eased the door closed behind him the last inch, and for a moment none of them moved. Not frozen, just watching the space he’d occupied, like something might shift back into it.
The waiting room still held him, in a way. With their up-tuned senses, each girl was aware of the faint indentation of where he’d stood near the desk just minutes ago, the air not yet settled. A beam of light from the parking lot slanted in through the front windows, catching dust motes and the glossy edge of the reception counter.
Randi exhaled first, sharp through her nose. She was perched on the edge of one of the visitor chairs, one well-muscled leg crossed over the other, the bold black-and-white pattern of her blouse pulling across her expanded chest as she leaned forward. “I don’t like this,” she said.
“No,” Lakshmi agreed immediately, shaking her head and stepping closer to the window, as if to look out into the lot for him. The soft blue fabric of her scrubs shifted with the motion of her movement, tightening across her enormous rear. Her posture was still composed even as her expression tightened. “I do not either.”
Josie was still half-turned toward the door, arms loosely folded like she’d been trying to keep herself from scooping him up and keep him from leaving - which she may have done if he’d hesitated one second longer. Her scrubs hung a little looser on her frame than the more voluptuous Lakshmi’s, sleeves slightly rumpled, but her stance was all tension. “He looked okay?” she offered, not fully convinced, “Steady enough?”
“Looked steady, yeah,” Randi said, “But he’s still like the size of a second grader. And we just let him go out there alone.”
“The way girls are today…” Shanette started.
She didn’t need to finish. She stood near the side door, one shoulder resting against the wall, the soft white of her sweater dress commanding light and shadow to outline the hourglass of her shape in a way that felt deliberate even when she was casually standing still. Her arms were crossed loosely, but her gaze was sharp.
They all knew every woman these days would love to have their own little ‘Dr. Vulni’, and more and more of them were becoming bold enough to act on it.
Aubrey didn’t say anything at first. She was still behind the desk, fingers resting on the open drawer she’d pulled the mask from earlier. The edge of it pressed lightly into her palm. Her blue polka-dot blouse - soft, almost retro - contrasted with the tension in her face, the fabric dipping at the neckline as she leaned forward just a fraction. Her eyes lingered on the doorway that led out of the waiting room. “He also didn’t nap today,” she said quietly, “Not even a little.”
“And he just bumped his head earlier this afternoon,” Lakshmi added.
“We know,” Randi replied, softer now.
Shanette shifted her weight, uncrossing and re-crossing her arms under her big bust. “Melissa will be there to meet him at the coffee place,” she said ,“She won’t let anything happen. Even with his little legs t’ll take him, what, fifteen minutes?”
“Yes,” Lakshmi said, “If he keeps moving.”
That helped the mood. A little. Still, no one fully relaxed.
Josie shifted her weight, sneakers squeaking against the polished floor. “It’s literally right down the street. And he has the mask.”
A beat.
Then, with a small shake of her head, Randi pushed herself upright from her chair in one smooth motion, heels clicking with authority as she stood and straightened her skirt. “Okay,” she said, clapping her hands once. “He made the call. We let him make it. We’re not going to stand here and fucking stress-text him every thirty seconds.”
“Speak for yourself,” Josie muttered. She was already playing with her phone.
Randi shot her a look.
“…fine,” she said, though she didn’t sound convinced. She pocketed her phone, glanced back toward the door again and remembered a moment earlier today, when they’d all stepped outside with him to get some fresh air, snap some pictures. She recalled the way he looked up at her. Weird how that had felt, and weirder still on how fondly she was already remembering it.
The tension didn’t vanish, but it shifted - maybe loosening just enough to let something else in.
Shanette took the opening, uncrossing her arms fully now. “Can we talk about something else for a minute?”
Randi glanced at her. “Like what?”
“My meeting,” Shanette said. “Last night?” <<>
“My meeting with the music people,” Shanette said. “Last night?”
That got everyone’s attention.
Randi leaned back slightly, one arm folding across her waist while the other rested loose at her side, head tilting. “Yeah, you got to meet Lacey,” she said, “How’d it go?”
“It went good,” Shanette nodded, fighting back the dimples of a proud smile that threatened to blossom across her face. It had all been so exciting, a whirlwind really, the attention she had been getting after her singing performance at the Vendare Center just two days ago.
“The Lacey that was a study patient with us?” Aubrey asked from behind the admissions desk, cocking her head. The drawer finally slid shut with a soft click.
“Yeah I played soccer with her in high school, and come to find out she’s an exec at a music production place downtown,” Randi answered, “I thought it would be smart to hook her up with our new siren here. I figured you two would click.”
The light chocolate skin of Shanette’s cheeks took on a faint blush, but at first she didn’t say anything. Then she nodded. “We did,” she answered, “the whole team - everyone there - was really nice to me. Even the boss guy, though he seemed pretty quiet” She stepped away from the wall, moving a few paces into the room, the hem of her white sweater dress stretched across her thick thighs as she walked. Not pacing, just finding her spot. “It wasn’t like I thought it’d be.”
Lakshmi watched her closely. “How so?”
Shanette shrugged lightly, searching for the right words. “It was, like, quieter," she said, “more…focused. Like they already knew what they wanted before I even got there.”
Randi’s eyes flicked, interest sharpening. “That’s usually a good sign.”
“Yeah,” Shanette said. “I think it was.” She paused, then added:
“They didn’t waste time. No, like, ‘tell us about yourself,’ none of that.” A small huff of a laugh. “They just…had me sing.”
Josie perked up. “Right away?”
“Pretty much. Right there in the meeting room.”
“And?” Randi asked.
Shanette’s mouth curved slightly - a grin, pride, along with something more measured. “They listened,” she said. A beat, as she made eye contact with everyone. “Like…really listened.”
The room held that for a second.
Lakshmi’s expression softened. “And how did that feel?”
Shanette considered that, biting her lower lip in thought. “Different,” she finally said. “Not like performing. Not like trying to impress anyone.” Her gaze drifted briefly, unfocused, like she was back there for a second. “More like…they were waiting for something specific. And checking if I had it.”
Randi’s fingers tapped once against her arm. “And you did.” It wasn’t a question.
Shanette glanced at her, then nodded once. “Yeah.”
A small silence settled - this one not tense, just…absorbing the moment, as if reliving it with Shanette.
“So what do they want to do?” Josie asked.
Shanette exhaled, shifting her weight onto one leg.
“They want to move fast,” she said, “Like, now fast. One, maybe two songs. Clean, simple. Not overproduced.”
“What kind of vibe?” Josie asked.
Shanette’s brow furrowed slightly, remembering. “They kept saying maybe we do a recording of ‘Rise in Her Name’, but also something of my own, my own song.” She trailed off, then gave a small shake of her head. “And when I say ‘my own song’, I really mean ‘our own song’. Ours, Melissa’s. Do you know what I mean? Like, I feel like it’s not just me singing, but us singing."
“Yeah I get that,” Josie agreed. As arcane as it all sounded, it made sense to the group of them.
“So what is our first song going to sound like?” Randi asked, though something in her eyes made it look like she already knew the answer. .
“Not as much ‘empowerment’,” Shanette answered, “and not, like, loud. Not aggressive yet. More like…”
“Warm?” Lakshmi said quietly.
Shanette looked at her, maybe a bit surprised. The group of them had been so in sync recently and it was sometimes kinda weird. Good weird. “Yeah,” she said. “Exactly.”
Randi’s lips pressed together, thoughtful.
“They said it should feel like…” Shanette continued, slower now, “…like something you put on and just…feel better. Calmer. Like everything’s going to be okay.”
Aubrey let out a soft breath. “That sounds…kind of nice.”
“It does,” Shanette said, but something in her tone suggested that wasn’t the whole story. “And they already have ideas, places for it,” she added.
Randi nodded, and her eyes lifted. “Yeah tell us.”
“Like - it’s not just ‘we’ll release it and see what happens,’” Shanette said. “They were talking about where it goes. Specific playlists, events, places where people are already…” She gestured vaguely. “…I dunno. Looking for something.”
Lakshmi nodded faintly. “Receptive.”
“Yeah,” Shanette said again, a little quieter.
Aubrey shifted behind the desk, fingers brushing the edge of the counter. “That sounds…big.”
Shanette gave a small shrug, large bosoms jiggling at the neckline of her tautly stretched dress. “Maybe,” she shrugged, but she didn’t sound uncertain. “They said my voice-” she started, then stopped, like she was deciding how much to say.
Randi caught it immediately. “What about it?”
Shanette hesitated, then continued. “They didn’t talk about it like it was…talent,” she said, “Not exactly.”
Josie frowned slightly. “What else would it be?”
“It’s a fucking weapon is what it is,” Randi answered, “if we want it to be.”
Shanette let out a small breath through her nose. “I don’t know, yeah, but,” she admitted, “they asked how it feels when I sing. What I notice. How people react.” She glanced between Josie, Lakshmi, Randi and Aubrey. “Like they were…tracking something.”
Randi’s gaze sharpened again, but she didn’t interrupt.
“And?” Lakshmi asked gently.
Shanette met her eyes. “I told them the truth,” she said. Another beat. “That people relax,” she continued. “They open up. They…listen differently.”
“They come in their pants,” Randi added, dryly. “Did you also tell them you made a whole crowdful of guys at the mall blow their loads?”
Josie snorted.
“They…knew that already,” Shanette answered, with more bashful pride and another bloom to her cheeks. “They’d heard.” Once again, a beat. “But that’s not what they’re looking for, at least not right away.”
Aubrey nodded faintly. “They want an anthem, but they also want you to sound gentle.”
Lakshmi’s expression had gone thoughtful, almost distant. “People will be more open to us, to Melissa,” she said softly, “when they feel safe.”
Shanette looked at her again. “Yeah, I guess,” she nodded, “and I think I can do that.”
Randi exhaled slowly, then uncrossed her arms. Her mouth curved - just slightly. “Good,” she said, “that’s just what we want, too. Let’s see how they all like a lullaby from Mama Shanette.”
The twist to her smile said she was not joking. Not entirely.
“What’s the next step?” Josie asked.
“I go back early next week, sit with the songwriting team,” Shanette answered, “They’re going to have some ideas for me.”
“I want to go with you,” Randi said.
There was a brief pause - thoughtful, as both women considered the new roles they were growing into. Together.
Shanette nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
Then, a soft buzz.
Randi’s phone.
Again, uptuned senses. All eyes went to her.
She pulled it out automatically, thumb already moving across the screen.
“Okay hey we should get going,” she announced. It had been her maps app, telling her there was traffic, “We don’t want to miss the Coming Attractions."
“Wait what?” Josie asked.
Curiously, Randi also took a quick look at the security app for the building. Kori from Marketing was still here, and in the elevator to the upstairs apartments, which was kind of strange. She shook off the weird little twinge that gave her. “Yeah uh,” she answered Josie. Aubrey was already closing up the front desk. “We’re going to the movies. I got us tickets.”
“The movies?” answered Josie, only slightly taken aback that her friends were planning her life for her. She perked up. She loved the movies. “What are we seeing?”
Randi put her phone into her purse, which Lakshmi had grannies from one of the chairs and was handing to her. “The new Stepford Wives remake.”
“Isn’t that just like ‘Heads Above Harry’?”
Lakshmi was headed behind the desk, to grab her own purse. Shanette was putting on her jacket, a short, cute denim thing.
“No this is different,” Randi answered.
“How’s it different?”
“I dunno,” Randi snorted, checking her hair in the dusky reflection of the window, “this one has robots or something. Let’s get going.”
================================================