3

She drove to the place her brother had told her about in his message, and she spotted his car. She knew he was there even though she was a little late. She figured they might have moved on already. She knew that they often hopped places from her brother's stories when they got together during the week for lunch or dinner. She had a good idea of the group of friends that he was going to introduce her to as well. Things about them had been dropping for a while. Christian seemed to really like some of them. Henni was leery because it seemed they were more interested in their family and not just Christian. She just didn’t want her brother to get hurt. That would be something that would set her temper off. She might not like the family, but she did like Christian. He did try with her.

Henni got out of the car, took off her hospital lanyard, and then thought twice about it. Somehow it being there around her neck would give her the strength to go in and do this. She put it back on and then shut and locked her door. She walked into the crowded place. She had to struggle to see over the crowd to make her way to a place that she could really see where they were. It shouldn’t be all that hard to see Christian in any crowd. He was often the tallest one there.

When she found a break in the crowd, she went through it and to a place that she could scan the room. She spotted her brother, who was with a group of people. They were all laughing, and then she could see the faces of the women that were there. Henni knew this was not going to be fun nor easy. They were all so made up she had to wonder what they must really look like under the layers of paint they had on. It was caked on much like a clown all made up. She wanted to turn around. This wasn’t going to go well.

She moved slowly to the group, and Christian saw her. His darkened eyes lit up for a second. “Hey guys, I have someone I would like you to meet!” he said over the group. All eyes went to him and then to her. “This is my little sister, Henni.”

“Hello,” Henni said as the group looked her over and then back to him. They were all confused, as were most people when the siblings got together.

“There is no way you two are brother and sister.” One of the women said in the cattiest of voices. She was scoffing at the thought. It was written on her face that she couldn’t wrap her mind around that people come in different colors in families. Many people thought one-dimensional when it came to these things.

“Actually, we aren’t just brother and sister. We are twins.” Henni said as she glanced back. “Genetics can be really weird at times.”

“Not possible.” She said again. “I mean, you are so white, and he isn’t.”

“Well, actually, neither am I.,” Henni laughed. “I just don’t have the high levels of melanin in my skin, but I assure you we are twins. This isn’t the first time we have been questioned.”

“No. Maybe half brother and sister.” She continued on. She was waving her hand around and making motions like she was the most brilliant person in the world. The other women were just nodding their heads and agreeing with her.

“Okay, whatever. I am sure that you know more about our family than I do.” Henni said with an eye roll. The woman in front of her kept going on and on about the subject and how it was totally impossible. Christian looked down at her, and she up at him. The stares were the thing that said it all. He didn’t want her to rise to the challenge, and she wasn’t going to for once. This was one battle that wasn’t worth it to her. Christian liked these people. Henni didn’t care what they all thought about her. This was definitely a one-time thing for her. She wouldn’t be going out with this group again. She was already ready to leave. She looked at her scrubs quickly. Would it be too early to do what her boss had suggested to do? She wished she knew.

Henni kept her mouth shut for a minute more.  She wanted to go ahead and leave then, but she knew Chris would get mad at her for bailing out so early. He leaned down and asked in her ear, “Why are you still in your scrubs?”

“I am on call.” She said as she looked at him. “You left a voice mail that I didn’t get until about an hour ago. I had no way to go home to change. I also had no one to cover my shift.”

“Cute outfit.” The same woman walked a bit closer as she looked her over, “What are you, some nurse assistant?”

“No, I am not,” Henni said. She wasn’t going to say anymore to the woman. Henni could already read her and knew that she thought she was the queen of the group. The man standing in the back of her was a good-looking young man. He was probably the same age as her and Christian.

In contrast, everyone else in the group was possibly four or five years older. The main woman must rule with an iron fist because though the man was looking Henni over, his eyes darted away moments before the woman would rant and then turn to him and ask him a question to confirm she was correct. Henni wanted to laugh at how utterly stupid the woman really was. Nothing she said made too much sense. The woman who looked like her was off to the side. She was a few inches shorter than her sister, and she was not made up as much. This was the other set of twins Christian had told her about. That did make her want to laugh.

That these two were the ones who were trying to be designers. She wanted nothing more to do with this group. She didn’t want to deal with a mean girl like this. She hated every moment of this. It was going to take a lot to unwind from this. She would love to just go back to work and stay there for the rest of the night.

“Well, you can’t be a nurse.” She said as she looked over the new woman in her sphere. The look was almost impressive. It was one that her mother would have had. Though she didn’t have the actual aggressiveness to be like their mother.

“I am not one,” Henni said with a smile that if anyone actually looked at her with it, they would know she could be as deadly as she needed to be. To her as she also looked over the woman who was taller than her by a good six inches and then had heels on as well. Henni was in her sneakers which were the most comfortable pair of shoes to wear for what she did.

Henni had a tap on the shoulder, and she turned. She smiled slightly more. She knew this person was going to out what she was, and there would be no need for Henni to have to clarify it or have to hear it, “Dr. Hanson! I thought it was you. Before you go, you have to let me get you a drink!” She looked at the man who worked in the transport division for the hospital said. She had run into him a few times as his office was in the same basement hallway hers was in. They saw each other often and had to work together for transport for the people she worked with.

“Thank you, Sam. We will see.” She said, “I am on call for the night, though.”

“Well, that sucks.” He said as he shook his head. “You work too hard. Maybe next time.”

“Maybe.” She replied, and he turned and walked away.

“Dr?” the woman in front of her asked, and then she started to laugh. She was looking Henni up and down as she spoke. “There is no way you can be a doctor.”

“It kinda says it on my hospital ID. It also says it on the nine or so Diplomas I have for my work. Not to mention the others ones I have.” Henni said as she stared down at the woman. This was the time that Henni knew that she would be leaving sooner rather than later.

“There is no way.” The woman said as she again looked at the smaller woman. There was no way this younger, smaller woman could be anything that was better than she was.

“What exactly do you do?” Henni asked.