Everything to Everyone

by Sherryl Hancock

  “No one,” Shiloh replied with an embarrassed grin.

  “Uh-huh… Tell.” Harley said, smiling.

  “It’s that Agent Salinas,” Shiloh said.

  “From CPU?” Harley asked looking surprised.

  “Yeah, you know he’s been stopping by my desk a lot…” Shiloh said, biting her lip.

  “Oh ho!” Harley replied her eyes wide. “So what did he say?”

  “He wants to take me out…” Shiloh said, her look chagrinned.

  “What’s that look about?” Harley asked.

  Shiloh shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just nervous about dating again.”

  “They’re not all going to be like that last asshole,” Harley said, having heard the story finally of why Shiloh’s parents had disowned her.

  “I know,” Shiloh said, picking at the plant that sat on the table they were sitting at.

  Harley narrowed her eyes slightly, seeing Shiloh’s agitation and not sure what it was about. Roslynn walked out of the house then, so Harley didn’t have a chance to pursue the matter. A little while later Roslynn and Harley left to go to the class. Shiloh had decided not to go.

  At the studio, Roslynn noticed that once again all the femmes in the group seemed to pay an inordinate amount of attention to Harley. Roslynn stayed apart from the group sensing they didn’t want to associate with her. During the class, it became very evident to Roslynn that Harley could indeed dance, contrary to what she’d said at The Club the night before. Roslynn commented on it on the way back to Harley’s house.

  “So you can dance…” Roslynn said, looking over at Harley.

  “Never said I couldn’t,” Harley said.

  “You said you don’t,” Roslynn replied.

  “True,” Harley said, noncommittally. “You seemed like you’d found a willing dance partner,” she said then, her tone impassive.

  “You didn’t seem to mind,” Roslynn shot back, instantly on the defensive.

  “I didn’t,” Harley said simply.

  “Did it make you jealous?”

  “Did I seem jealous?” Harley asked, her tone still frustratingly impassive.

  “No, you seemed really cozy with your assistant!” Roslynn snapped.

  Harley looked over at Roslynn, her blue eyes widening slightly at Roslynn’s outburst.

  “Did it make you jealous?” Harley asked evenly.

  “Yes!” Roslynn exclaimed.

  Harley licked her upper lip, looking at Roslynn pointedly as if to say that was the point. Roslynn realized she’d been beaten at her own game. She’d allowed her jealously of Shiloh’s obviously close association with Harley to cloud her judgment and make her do something stupid.

  Sighing loudly, Roslynn shook her head.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand on Harley’s hand. “I was really stupid and I shouldn’t have done that to you, especially not in front of all your friends.”

  Harley’s look flickered, as she looked over at Roslynn. “Ros, what my friends think or don’t doesn’t really matter. When I’m with someone, I’m with them and no one else and I think they should have that same level of commitment if they want to be with me.” She looked over at Roslynn then. “And if that’s not what you want here, Ros, that’s fine, but I need to know that and you need to move into one of the other bedrooms during your stay here.”

  Roslynn pressed her lips together, nodding. “You’re right. You’re totally right,” she said, looking contrite. “And I do want to be with you, I really do… Last night I was just…”

  “Just what?” Harley asked when Roslynn didn’t continue.

  Roslynn blew her breath out. “I was jealous and I let that make me do something stupid.”

  Harley nodded. “Okay.”

  “Can we try again?” Roslyn asked looking hopeful.

  “In terms of…” Harley asked, wanting to make sure they understood each other now.

  “In terms of making it up to you,” Roslynn said, sliding her hand up Harley’s arm. “We could go out tonight again, and I promise I won’t even think about anyone else but you.”

  Harley narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering if this was even a good idea.

  Finally, she blew her breath out, nodding. “Okay.”

  Roslynn sensed that Harley wasn’t exactly sure about them at that point. She was going to prove to Harley that she had nothing to worry about.

  That night they went to The Club. A few members of the group were there, but not in the numbers they were the night before. Roslynn did as she’d said and paid attention only to Harley, refusing to allow any jealous feelings she had about any other woman in The Club to show. It was a much better night.

  Harley and Roslynn spent a lot of time together and many late, late nights. Shiloh worried about Harley, but knew that she needed to stay out of their business. The fact was Harley was an adult, and if she wanted to stay up all hours of the night with the woman she was dating, then that was her business. It was, however, harder and harder to get Harley out of bed in the mornings to go to work.

  One morning, a week and a half after Roslynn had arrived in Los Angeles, Shiloh walked into Harley’s bedroom after Harley had hit the snooze button so many times the alarm had stopped going off. It was the second day in a row that Harley had done that.

  “Harley,” Shiloh said, touching her shoulder. She deliberately didn’t whisper, not caring if she woke Roslynn up.

  Harley didn’t move. Shiloh put her hand on Harley’s shoulder fully and was surprised to find that it was quite warm. She shook Harley’s shoulder lightly, repeating her name, louder this time. Roslynn stirred, giving Shiloh a dirty look, a standard for her lately whenever Harley wasn’t looking. Shiloh didn’t pay any attention to her, she was more worried about Harley’s lack of response.

  “Harley!” Shiloh said again, louder this time shaking her friend harder.

  Harley gave a slight groan, then looked up at Shiloh. She could immediately see that Harley was sick. Her normally bright blue eyes were very dull.

  “Are you getting sick?” Shiloh asked, putting her hand to Harley’s forehead. “You definitely feel like you have a fever.”

  “I don’t feel good,” Harley said, sounding like a little kid suddenly.

  “I’m gettin’ that,” Shiloh said, grinning. “You want to take the day? Rest?”

  Harley nodded, sniffling as she did.

  “Okay, I’ll email Rayden,” Shiloh said. “Can I get you anything?”

  Harley just shook her head and closed her eyes again.

  Shiloh left the room then, doing her best to tamp down on the irritation she was feeling. She knew that Harley was getting sick because she hadn’t been getting enough rest. Harley hadn’t been getting enough rest because Roslynn was apparently insatiable when it came to going out and partying, and then coming home and having sex for hours on end. Even Shiloh was tired from all the late night noises. Even so, both she and Harley had gone to work every day and Harley hadn’t slowed down in the slightest. But now Harley was sick. Shiloh was curious to see how Roslynn would handle this development.

  She found out an hour later when Roslynn came downstairs with her suitcase.

  Shiloh was sitting at the dining room table with her laptop answering work emails. She saw the suitcase and made a rude sound, shaking her head.

  “What?” Roslynn snapped immediately.

  “Now you’re leaving?” Shiloh asked.

  Roslynn shrugged. “I was supposed to go back four days ago,” she said, her tone not the least bit contrite.

  “So, you stick around long enough to wear Harley completely down, and now you’re just going to leave when she’s sick?” Shiloh asked acerbically.

  Roslynn gave a short offended snort. “I have a life too, you know!”

  “Yeah?” Shiloh queried her look and tone openly hostile. “Where’s your life been for the last week and a half?”

  “I don’t answer to you,” Roslynn snapped. “If you want Harley s
o bad, why don’t you go climb into bed with her now.”

  “Now that you’re out of it, I just might,” Shiloh shot back. “You can go ahead and leave now.”

  “I’m waiting for a cab,” Roslynn replied primly.

  “Wait outside,” Shiloh said, her tone brooking no argument.

  “Bitch!” Roslynn snapped.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Shiloh replied, staring Roslynn down.

  Roslynn finally picked up her suitcase and slammed out of the house. Shiloh pulled up the house security system and locked the door behind her, then opened the front gate, indicating that she expected Roslynn to wait out on the street. She smiled as Roslynn made her way out to the street, tripping on the rail the security gate slid on. She then closed the gate.

  “Bye bye…”

  She texted Devin to let her know what was going on with Harley and that Roslynn had just left. They’d been in communication all week about the goings-on at the house. It had been Devin who’d warned Shiloh to stay out from between Harley and Roslynn.

  “She left? What!? What a using little bitch!” came Devin’s texted reply.

  “I made her stand out on the street to wait for her cab,” Shiloh replied with a little devil emoticon.

  “You go girl!” Devin replied. “Let me know how Harley’s doing, I’ll come by and check on her and you tonight. You need anything?”

  “No, I just want Harley to get better and to get that wench out of her system,” Shiloh replied.

  “Fortunately, our girl has a short attention span when it comes to women,” Devin texted.

  “Why did she have to be so awful? Harley was so excited about her coming here.”

  “I know, I hate it too,” Devin replied.

  Later Devin told Skyler what was going on.

  “She really just picked up and left?” Skyler asked, surprised.

  “Yeah,” Devin said, nodding. “Now that she ran Harley into the ground, she left Shiloh to deal with the aftermath.”

  Skyler looked back at Devin, her light green eyes narrowed. “You want her with Shiloh, don’t you?”

  Devin looked back at her wife and grinned. “Would that be so bad?”

  Skyler shook her head. “But Shiloh is straight.”

  “Did she look straight that night at The Club when she was kissing Harley’s neck to make Roslynn jealous?” Devin asked.

  “Well, no, no she didn’t,” Skyler said, grinning.

  “And Shiloh actually cares about Harley. She’s not after her money or her car or her connections, she just cares about her.”

  “Okay, babe, but does Harley feel the same way?” Skyler asked.

  Devin hesitated. The time Harley had just spent with Roslynn would indicate to anyone else that she didn’t. But then again, a lot of people didn’t know Harley the way she did.

  “I think you’d be surprised,” Devin said, smiling.

  Skyler narrowed her eyes at her wife, knowing that Devin was forever scheming when it came to her friends. She wanted every one of her friends as happy and in love as she was with Skyler. She’d done her best to push Quinn and Xandy together originally too. She’d also found a girl for Skyler’s best friend and co-pilot Jams and for Skyler’s little brother, so she did have a good track record.

  Skyler sighed. “Well, I just hope it doesn’t go south on you,” she said, shaking her head.

  “It won’t,” Devin said confidently.

  Shiloh let Harley sleep for four hours, checking on her frequently. At one in the afternoon, she went into the bedroom and kneeled next to the bed. Harley was pale, her skin almost ashen. Shiloh blew her breath out. She touched Harley’s forehead and was sure it was warmer now that it had been that morning. She went into Harley’s bathroom, looking in the medicine cabinet for a thermometer and for something to help break the fever. That’s when she noticed there wasn’t a bottle of medicine to be found. There were little brown bottles lined up with various colored labels on them with words like, Lavender, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, and Sage, but no medicine. She thought it was strange, but closed the medicine cabinet and went back into the bedroom. She kneeled back down and carefully put the digital thermometer in Harley’s ear. She grimaced as the thermometer displayed 103 degrees.

  “Harley,” Shiloh said, touching Harley’s shoulder. “Harley,” she repeated louder this time.

  “Mmm?” Harley murmured, opening her eyes blearily.

  “Hon, your temperature is high, we need to get it down. Can you tell me where you have like Tylenol or Motrin, or something?”

  Harley shook her head. “I don’t have any,” she said, her voice the barest whisper.

  “Okay, I can go get some,” Shiloh said, moving to stand.

  “I don’t take medicine, Shy,” Harley said simply.

  “What?” Shiloh queried, not sure she’d heard Harley right.

  “I don’t take medicine.”

  “Ever?” Shiloh asked her tone shocked.

  Harley simply shrugged.

  “Okay, hold on for a minute,” Shiloh said. She got up again and went to get a cold washcloth from the bathroom.

  She walked back in and laid it on Harley’s forehead, then sat on the bed next to where Harley lay. She picked up her phone to text Devin.

  “She doesn’t take medicine?!” she texted.

  “Oh, she’s still not taking stuff huh?” Devin replied. “She told me that at MIT, I figured it was some kind of hippy thing.”

  “Well it’s not and she’s got a 103 temp!”

  “Keep an eye on that, if it goes over 103 or doesn’t come down we’re going to need to take her to a hospital.”

  “How’s that going to go over with her no meds policy?”

  “I don’t think we’ll care at that point.”

  Shiloh put her phone down and touched the cloth on Harley’s forehead. It was already hot. She went to the bathroom and cooled it again, then put it back on Harley’s forehead. She went downstairs and got a bowl of water to keep by the bedside. She picked up a couple of dishtowels as well. Back in Harley’s room, she put the towels in the cool water, and lay them on Harley’s back and over the back of her neck. Harley sighed, reaching her arm out and touching Shiloh’s hand.

  “What is it, Harley?” she asked gently.

  Harley mumbled something, but Shiloh couldn’t understand. She lay down putting her face next to Harley’s.

  “I didn’t catch that…” she whispered.

  “Stay,” Harley repeated.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Shiloh told her. She brushed her hair back off her face. “I’m staying right here with you, okay?”

  Harley nodded, closing her eyes slowly again.

  They spent the day with Shiloh consistently changing the cloths, doing her best to cool Harley’s fever. She’d managed to get it down to 101 degrees but it wouldn’t drop any lower. She’d searched online for a few natural remedies. When Harley was deeply asleep she’d done a search of the bathroom cabinets and found that Harley did have some herbs, but not the ones Shiloh had read about. Shiloh texted Devin to ask her to get some elderflower, yarrow, and some natural ginger, plus a steeper to make the tea with. Devin had responded immediately and said she’d be there with the stuff as fast as she could.

  True to her word, Devin arrived an hour later with a bag of items.

  Devin took over watching over Harley as Shiloh made the first of three different teas that had been suggested. While she was gone, Harley stirred to find Devin sitting next to her. She looked perplexed.

  “Hi,” Devin said, brightly. “Shiloh’s making you some kind of tea with some kind of yicky herby stuff in it to try and break your fever.”

  A grin tugged at Harley’s lips at Devin’s description of the tea.

  “You got a good one there,” Devin told Harley. “Don’t be stupid and ignore it.”

  Harley looked perplexed again. “Shy?” she asked with a scratchy voice.

  “Yeah, Shy, Harley,” Devin said, sighing.
“She’s been taking care of you since the day she walked back into your life. So be smart and do something about that when you feel better, okay?”

  “She’s… straight…” Harley said.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Devin said airily. “She’s in love with you, Harley, don’t be a dumb ass for once.”

  “Gee… thanks…” Harley muttered.

  “Anytime,” Devin said brightly.

  Shiloh came back a few minutes later with a cup of tea.

  “Harley, you need to take this,” Shiloh said, seeing that Harley’s eyes were open now.

  Harley nodded, looking extremely tired. Shiloh moved to the other side of the bed and set the tea down so they could help Harley sit up.

  “Okay, I put some sugar in it to make it a little more palatable,” Shiloh said, handing it to Harley who reached up with shaking fingers.

  “Never mind, I have it,” she told Harley, holding the cup to her lips. “Just drink, babe… Carefully…”

  Devin heard the endearment and suppressed her smile. She knew she was right about how Shiloh felt about Harley. She still wasn’t completely sure about Harley, but she had a feeling she was right there too.

  Harley took a few sips of the tea, grimacing at the bitterness.

  “Well you’re the one who doesn’t want to take nice tasteless Tylenol…” Shiloh said, winking at Harley with a smile.

  Harley took a few more sips then moved her head away.

  “Okay, I’ll add more sugar to the next batch,” Shiloh said, grinning at Devin.

  The two of them laid Harley back down on the bed. Shiloh pulled the covers up over her and then walked Devin downstairs.

  At the front door, Devin turned to Shiloh. “How do you feel about Harley?”

  Shiloh looked surprised by the question but took a moment to think about how to respond.

  She shrugged. “She’s the best friend I’ve ever had.”

  Devin nodded slowly. “But what about romantically?”

  Shiloh’s eyes widened, then she bit her lip.

  “Oh boy,” Devin said. “I can see we need to talk.”

  “I need to get back up to Harley.”

  Devin smiled thinking that alone answered her question. But Shiloh needed to come to that realization herself. She nodded.