arm into a stand of glass tubes as she spun to face the open door. Where Matthew stood. Shit.
Feeling like an idiot, she pressed her hand to her chest and blew out a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come down the hall.”
His smile was a shadow of what it had been before Jason’s accident, but it warmed her nonetheless. “I should have made more noise. What’s this about being fired?”
“Nothing. Nothing.” She checked the tubes to be sure she hadn’t broken any and turned her back to slide them into the case. “I was just talking to myself. No one else to talk to, with Jason gone.” Idiot . What a stupid thing to say. She had a staff, and it wasn’t as if she’d sat around shooting the breeze with her patient, anyway.
“No one’s getting fired, Dr. Berwell. There’s still a lot to be done.”
“Please, for the millionth time, call me Gabby.” She transferred the last batch of samples and closed the case, locking it and printing the record of her access. Matthew pulled the cart out into the hall and closed the door behind her, watching as she secured it, too.
“I’ll try to remember.”
They started walking down the hall, back toward the lab and her office.
“What are you…I mean, what can I help you with?” Gabby asked him.
Matthew shrugged and waited as she opened the door to the lab and stood back for him to push the cart through. “Everyone else has left for the weekend, mostly. There aren’t any active jobs I can monitor tonight. Jason checked in, and Lark’s okay. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
They went into Gabby’s office and she motioned to the love seat in one corner. Matthew dropped tiredly onto it and rubbed his hands over his face. She sat in her desk chair, watching him.
“Was Lark in trouble?”
He froze, then let his hands drop. “In a way. It doesn’t matter.”
She thought it did matter, but he’d obviously not meant to bring up the subject. “Well, I’m glad she’s okay.” They sat in silence for a minute. Gabby felt awkward and had no idea what to say. “Um…probably not the best time to ask, but…since we’re done actively testing the technology, what—what’s going to happen now?”
Matthew stared at her for a moment. She could almost see his brain click over from whatever he’d been thinking about to her question.
“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty to do. We can’t use what we learned from Jason’s application, but we can continue the work we were doing before his accident.”
That was the problem. Gabby hadn’t been involved until Jason was almost killed. She’d been a consultant on the theoretical application of the science, but only came on board full time that night to be the overseer of the medical team. They didn’t need her for that now. She wasn’t a researcher, which the program required at the stage it had been six months ago.
She sighed and pushed ahead, even though she didn’t want the answer. The uncertainty was much worse. “Given the way things have changed, though, do you really need me here?”
He frowned. “Have you had offers elsewhere?”
“No! And it’s not—I mean, I’m happy—” She deliberately stopped and tightened her jaw. She hated being the babbling misfit, unable to communicate smoothly with her boss. “I don’t want to go anywhere. But I can’t see what role you want me to play now.”
“Of course you have a role to play. The team is used to following you. They need you to guide them.” He leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. “You know how vital it is that we go in the proper direction without taking shortcuts or revealing what we’ve done with Jason.”
She noticed his voice changed when he said his friend’s name. Not for the first time, she wondered if she was being blind. But she couldn’t ask him if he was in love with his best friend, for God’s sake.
“I thought you’d want Tompkins to take over again,” she said, a bit reluctantly.
“No, you’re a much better
Feeling like an idiot, she pressed her hand to her chest and blew out a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come down the hall.”
His smile was a shadow of what it had been before Jason’s accident, but it warmed her nonetheless. “I should have made more noise. What’s this about being fired?”
“Nothing. Nothing.” She checked the tubes to be sure she hadn’t broken any and turned her back to slide them into the case. “I was just talking to myself. No one else to talk to, with Jason gone.” Idiot . What a stupid thing to say. She had a staff, and it wasn’t as if she’d sat around shooting the breeze with her patient, anyway.
“No one’s getting fired, Dr. Berwell. There’s still a lot to be done.”
“Please, for the millionth time, call me Gabby.” She transferred the last batch of samples and closed the case, locking it and printing the record of her access. Matthew pulled the cart out into the hall and closed the door behind her, watching as she secured it, too.
“I’ll try to remember.”
They started walking down the hall, back toward the lab and her office.
“What are you…I mean, what can I help you with?” Gabby asked him.
Matthew shrugged and waited as she opened the door to the lab and stood back for him to push the cart through. “Everyone else has left for the weekend, mostly. There aren’t any active jobs I can monitor tonight. Jason checked in, and Lark’s okay. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
They went into Gabby’s office and she motioned to the love seat in one corner. Matthew dropped tiredly onto it and rubbed his hands over his face. She sat in her desk chair, watching him.
“Was Lark in trouble?”
He froze, then let his hands drop. “In a way. It doesn’t matter.”
She thought it did matter, but he’d obviously not meant to bring up the subject. “Well, I’m glad she’s okay.” They sat in silence for a minute. Gabby felt awkward and had no idea what to say. “Um…probably not the best time to ask, but…since we’re done actively testing the technology, what—what’s going to happen now?”
Matthew stared at her for a moment. She could almost see his brain click over from whatever he’d been thinking about to her question.
“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty to do. We can’t use what we learned from Jason’s application, but we can continue the work we were doing before his accident.”
That was the problem. Gabby hadn’t been involved until Jason was almost killed. She’d been a consultant on the theoretical application of the science, but only came on board full time that night to be the overseer of the medical team. They didn’t need her for that now. She wasn’t a researcher, which the program required at the stage it had been six months ago.
She sighed and pushed ahead, even though she didn’t want the answer. The uncertainty was much worse. “Given the way things have changed, though, do you really need me here?”
He frowned. “Have you had offers elsewhere?”
“No! And it’s not—I mean, I’m happy—” She deliberately stopped and tightened her jaw. She hated being the babbling misfit, unable to communicate smoothly with her boss. “I don’t want to go anywhere. But I can’t see what role you want me to play now.”
“Of course you have a role to play. The team is used to following you. They need you to guide them.” He leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. “You know how vital it is that we go in the proper direction without taking shortcuts or revealing what we’ve done with Jason.”
She noticed his voice changed when he said his friend’s name. Not for the first time, she wondered if she was being blind. But she couldn’t ask him if he was in love with his best friend, for God’s sake.
“I thought you’d want Tompkins to take over again,” she said, a bit reluctantly.
“No, you’re a much better
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