But before I could say a word, he'd already rolled over and gone to sleep.
Took most of the blanket with him, too.
From that day on, I never asked him for help with anything again.
Sybilla's tone was coy, half-scolding, but the corners of her lips curled upward.
“Dr. Delgado, it's just a little itch. You're making way too big a deal out of this.”
Bertram kept his expression flat.
“Allergic reactions can be fatal. Stay in bed. Once the results come back clean, I'll take you out.”
Ha.
So he did know allergic reactions could kill.
It was just that my life didn't weigh as much as someone else's.
I typed quickly on my phone：“Where are you?”
Thirty seconds later：“Working overtime.”
He must have heard my phone chime,
because he looked up,
his gaze landing on me.
Less than half a second. Then it slid away.
I walked back toward my room, scrolling to my emergency contacts.
First contact：Bertram Delgado.
Second contact：Maura Thomas.
I deleted the first one without hesitating.
If he couldn't be reached when it actually mattered,
there was no point in him holding that spot.
The day I was discharged,
I ran into Bertram at the entrance to the apartment complex.
Sybilla was right behind him.
The moment he saw me, Bertram stepped forward, half-blocking Sybilla from view.
A posture of instinctive protection.
“Sybilla and I just got back from a work trip. She got a little carsick, so I brought her home to rest for a bit.”
“I didn't know you'd be back during the day. If it bothers you, I'll take her home right now.”
His mouth opened and closed.
I almost didn't recognize him.
Outside of arguments, this was a man who barely spared me a handful of words.
Now, whether out of guilt or something else,
he'd strung together four or five full sentences.
More than he usually said to me in an entire day.
Sybilla kept her head down, her voice small and timid.
“Dr. Delgado, maybe I should just go. I can tell your wife doesn't really like……”
“I don't mind.”
The words landed,
and a flicker of surprise crossed both their faces.
After all, I'd always been friendly to the other interns in his department.
Sybilla was the only exception.
It wasn't that I'd singled her out on purpose.
It was that I kept finding things Sybilla had “accidentally” left behind in Bertram's car.
Lipstick, a compact mirror, stickers……
Every time I showed them to Bertram, he'd frown and scoff：“Childish.”
I'd thought so too.
Only a kid who couldn't have the candy would taunt the one who did.
I just hadn't noticed the faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Not until two months ago.
She sent me a photo of herself and Bertram lying on the same bed.
I lost it.
I hurled my phone at Bertram, screaming at him like a woman unhinged.
He said it was just a cot in the lab.
They were both fully clothed. What could they possibly have done?
And even if they could, there were other people running experiments in the same room.
Surely I didn't think they'd fool around with a third person right there?
Sybilla called at just the right moment：
“I'm so sorry, Mrs. Delgado. I was just trying to joke around. There were actually four of us in that room.”
Bertram chimed in：“If it bothers you, I'll keep my distance from her.”
Looking back now, the fact that I'd swallowed that story was embarrassing enough on its own.
Once we got inside, Sybilla headed straight for the master bedroom.
Bertram caught her arm, then glanced at me carefully.
I smiled：“It's fine. Go rest.”
It wasn't like I'd be using that room again anyway.
Something complicated surfaced in Bertram's eyes.
Like he was searching my face for something else entirely.
