<div style="text-align: right"><b>Tuesday Evening: Close to Midnight<br/>
At home.<br/>
Nowhere. Somewhere near the middle.</b>​</div><br/>The people here were so damn friendly, it was unnerving. Lexi was sitting in front of her dressing table, and the wide open window meant that the cool night air tickled her bare legs. She was still wearing her spider man shorts , but the heat meant that she'd changed out of the top into a red satin camisole, and as she sat, she brushed her hair. Just like when she was a child, she could remember her grandmother sitting in the ancient armchair back home, and Lexi would be on the low stool in front of her, with her back to her as her Nonna brushed. Always a hundred strokes, which she counted in her sing-song voice - first one section, then the next, brushed until it shone.<br/><br/>The knock at the door had been the lady from the grocery store - who had brought back her cell phone. Lexi hadn't even noticed that she'd left it there, in fairness, and so she had been very grateful. The woman had gone out of her way to be helpful and she really hadn't needed to. Of course, that being the case, Lexi had invited her in and they'd sat and chatted for a while. Vivian, the grocery store owner as it turned out, had been happy to come in and the two women had got talking.<br/><br/>Initially looking at the reflection in the mirror, Lexi's gaze dropped to the piece of paper, on which she'd written a name and number. Apparently, Vivian's husband ran a small club in town - by the name of<i>The Cave</i>, which allegedly had a reputation for excellent music and needed a regular set. Lexi had used to play regularly in a small bar near the hospital where she and Sandra now worked - which was where they'd trained, too. She missed it. Of course, the place might be a dive, but from speaking to Vivian, Lexi was confident that the woman knew about music. The Cave cultivated local talent, mostly with solo acts, although there were a few regular small bands. The music was eclectic, ranging from entirely acoustic to solo vocalists.<br/><br/>Vivian had suggested, having heard Lexi play just as she arrived, that Lexi might want a set - a single try-out, with the potential of it being regular. It had been something which Lexi had considered but now - more than ever before - she had the time. Working in the GP surgery, Lexi was working more regular hours than she did in the hospital, and she'd found the time then.<br/><br/>While Lexi would have been happy to take the number and that was that, Vivian apparently had other ideas and, somehow, in a whirlwind, Lexi was talking on the 'phone to Vince, Vivian's husband, after Vivian had talked to him regarding her music. Lexi rarely felt bullied, but Vivian was like a force of nature.<br/><br/>She put the brush down, then stood up and slid into her bed. Lexi never slept with blankets or such - a single cotton sheet covered her and she reached out and turned her bedside light out. With a slight smile on her face, her eyes started to close as she considered that, on Thursday, she was going to be playing in<i>The Cave. </i><br/><br/>The light on the answering machine was flashing, but she hadn't heard the ringing of the phone, because she was playing the piano, and by the time Vivian left, she had simply made herself ready for bed. In the morning, she'd be up and out far too early to notice.<br/><br/><br/><br/><div style="text-align: right"><b>Wednesday<br/>
6pm - ish.<br/>
At home.<br/>
Nowhere. Somewhere near the middle.</b>​</div><br/>Some days were just rubbish, Lexi thought as she closed the door behind her. Sighing, she locked the front door and flung her bag to the side. Kicking off her shoes, she bent to pick up the mail. It had been a difficult day. Two patients who had cancer diagnoses - which she had to give them - one young widow who needed a referral to counselling and, then, the email:<br/><br/><i><b>From: </b>Patrick Smithson<br/>
<b>To: </b>Alexandria McCallington<br/>
<b>Subject:</b> Rain Check<br/>
<br/>
Lexi,<br/>
<br/>
I won't be able to make Friday. I'll call by the house on Saturday. See you then.<br/>
<br/>
Patrick.</i><br/><br/>It wasn't the fact that he needed to call by - that didn't bother her in the slightest. Meeting him Friday night in a restaurant or Saturday in her home was no odds. But, the point was that it was<b>her</b>home, for all that he owned it. For this year, this was where she lived and she didn't like the assumption that he could just turn up. It irritated her no end. So, she was frustrated and grouchy as she walked in. The answering machine was flashing and she hit the play button with a frown on her face. That frown began to clear as she listened to the message.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right"><i>“Uh, yeah, hello, Dr. McCallington. This is Ray, er, Raymond McCalling- I mean, Ray Sanheim. Raymond Sanheim."</i>​</div>He sounded<i>nervous</i>and Lexi smiled slightly, listening closely. That was borderline adorable, she thought.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right"><i>This message is to, uh, answer your question from the parking lot earlier today. About the local music scene. Yeah, well, there’s an awesome, intimate venue in town known as The Backstage. An awesome band from Wisconsin will be playing there this Friday night, calling themselves BoDeans. Think Springsteen, but minus the E Street Band. These guys are a foursome. Yeah, real good harmony, too.</i>​</div>That meant that he had called last night. While she was chatting with Vivian, or playing for Vince. That was strange, she thought; just the sound of his voice made her smile.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right"><i>I mean, there are other spots for live music, but you really can’t go wrong with The Backstage.<br/>
So, um, g’night, Dr. McCallington, and thank you again for your words about Olivia.</i>​</div><br/>Was he asking her out? Or was he just answering her question? She decided that it was the latter, but that didn't matter in that moment because he was someone who had reached out to her. And she liked him. And he seemed to be like a decent man. And then - she pressed play again, and listened to it again.<br/><br/>Then, she called him back. It rang. It rang some more. Then, of course, there was an answering machine.<br/><br/>"Hello, Ray. It's Lexi. Lexi McCallington. Dr McCallington. I just wanted to say thank you. I'll be there on Friday, I'm looking forward to it, very much. I hope maybe I'll see you there? It would be nice to. Thank you, so much, for letting me know. Goodnight, Raymond. "<br/><br/>She hung up and realised that she was smiling.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right"><b>Thursday<br/>
8pm.<br/>
<i>The Cave</i>.<br/>
Nowhere. Somewhere near the middle.</b>​</div><br/>Nerves.<br/><br/>Of course, she felt nerves. Waiting backstage, she'd chatted with Vince. He was a nice man, and she liked him, and she liked this place. It was small, intimate, dark and<i>intense</i>. Vince was concerned with music - only with music. He'd been friendly and she had found herself liking him. But now, she was on her own as Vince was introducing her.<br/><br/>Thankfully, the way that the lights worked here, as Lexi heard the applause start - polite and unsure - she couldn't see anyone. So, she stepped out onto the stage. Stepping out, her high heels clicked against the floor. Lexi was wearing a white dress, with white shoes and she wore her hair loose and down to the small of her back.<br/><br/>Sitting at the piano, she spoke into the mic which was there for her. "I'm going to play a mixture of my own stuff, and covers. First, we're going to set the scene with a piece from Suzanne Vega." Her fingers danced over the keys as she spoke, and she smiled. "Grab a drink, and lets have a good evening."<br/><br/>She began to play, her fingers moving swiftly as she started to sing. Lexi's voice was soft and melodic and her ability to play the piano was indicative of how she had been identified as a musical prodigy early on in her life. She closed her eyes, let her hands play the music and Lexi began to sing.<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-G4-2HpT6do&amp;hash=bf240c3015a3964a86623ecfab66714a" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G4-2HpT6do" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"><b>The song</b> </a>was more relevant than she might care to admit. But so, she played, and she lost herself in the music as she did. Her reception from the regulars there was very positive - she played exquisitely and sung well.<br/><br/>But she didn't see them. Rather, she played the music which coursed through her veins. If being a medic had not been her career, she would have perhaps seen that this was her calling. That night, for those strangers, Lexi played.