She needs a job

Laura nodded. "I can keep my mouth shut," she said.

"Excellent. I need to get your paperwork into the system. As of right now, you're hired as a temporary receptionist. Give me two days to get you squared away. You'll probably start on Friday, next week. After that, I'll need you here from noon to eight at night. We close at one am and reopen at ten. A lot of our patients need simple things like bloodwork or simple tests. Treat everyone with respect and I'm sure you'll do extremely well here."

Laura felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She'd have an income to help with bills, however small the income might be. "Thank you, thank you," she repeated.

Dr. Tony rose and clapped her on the shoulder with a large hand. She felt her knees bend at the sudden weight. "It honestly brings me joy to help people in need. Mack didn't talk much about your situation, but could you tell me what's found you in such dire straights?" he asked.

"Doctor, you have two waiting on you in exam room three," a soft voice called from the door. Laura turned to see a tiny blonde in scrubs looking up from a clipboard. She might have been four foot nine.

"Jess, thank you. Laura, we'll continue this conversation on another day. Welcome to the clinic and if you need anything Letta will be your trainer until you pick things up for yourself. Please, going forward, call me just Tony."

After talking with Letta and Yevette, Laura started to drive back to the apartment. She spotted a hand-made yard sale sign and decided to see if she could pick something up for extremely cheap. What she found only seemed to brighten her mood.

"Hey, I'm home," he called as he walked in the front door.

"Hey dear, look what I found for a little over twenty!" Laura called as she appeared in the bathroom doorway. In the middle of the room were two stools, a battered-looking folding table, a lamp, and a black radio. "I saw a garage sale on a sign. Oh! I have better news! I got that job with the clinic. Tony said he'd try and get me as many hours as I needed. Yevette, the other receptionist, is going out on maternity leave soon. She's about to pop," she declared with a bright smile.

"Wonderful!" Dan exclaimed. His face showed relief.

"It is. I'll work from noon to eight. I have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. Tony said they don't have too many people come in on those days. Mostly the weekends will be the busiest days."

"Hey, anything that will help is more than welcome."