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“Have you heard?”
“The rumours about Doctor Sinner? Of course.”
Mikael was sulking. Those that didn’t know him might not have noticed, but to Cassiel, David and Raphael, it was as clear as day. A crease had formed at his brow, and there was a slight twitch to his fingers as he steadily tapped away at the wooden surface of the table before him. His lips were pulled into a barely discernible frown, his gloomy visage further accentuated by the stormy grey of his eyes.
“I’m sure I can dig up some information,” David was saying.
Mikael’s reply was icy. “That isn’t necessary.”
Cassiel and Raphael shared looks.
“Maybe you should just talk to her?” Raphael suggested, ever the voice of reason.
It was too bad that logic had left the table with the arrival of Audrey’s mystery guest.
“Did you see Doctor Sinner’s visitor? He was so handsome!”
“Do you think they’re seeing each other?”
“They seemed pretty close…They’d be a cute couple, for sure!”
Mikael stopped dead in his tracks, making Raphael slow down next to him. The nurses were quick to apologise, assuming he was about to chastise them for gossiping instead of working.
“Mikael…?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s continue.”
Still, the words wouldn’t leave Mikael’s mind, and he found himself wandering over to the psychiatry department during his lunch break. He hesitated at the door, which revealed an empty office.
“If you’re looking for Audrey, she’s gone out for lunch,” a voice said from behind him. It was Mimi, one of the psychologists. “I can’t believe she’s been hiding such a handsome man all this time.”
“Can you blame her?” Sammy asked. “Remember all the fuss you made about Lucifer and Vicky?”
“That was ages ago! And what did they expect would happen when they got caught making out in the storage closet? Really–”
Mikael didn’t stay for the rest of their conversation. Instead, he tracked down the one person who always knew what was happening in the hospital.
“Audrey’s guest? Yeah, I heard. Why? Are you jealous?”
Mischief sparked in David’s eyes.
Mikael, who would rather die than admit his jealousy to David, said, “No, just curious.”
“Right…Then you wouldn’t care that he brought her flowers?”
Things had deteriorated from there. Each round brought a new rumour, and David was all too happy to goad Mikael on, taking delight in the usually stern man’s sudden trepidation.
Cassiel found himself missing Felonia. He was sure the cardiothoracic surgeon, whose tongue was as sharp as the scalpel she wielded with terrifying precision, would have shut down all this nonsense already; instead, he and Raphael were left to fight a battle of attrition against David and Mikael, who were assigning way too much weight to the gossip that was circling the hospital faster than the flu in winter.
“Have either of you actually seen this mystery guy?” Cassiel asked. “Or are you worrying over mere rumours?”
“No one is worried,” Mikael said.
No one believed him. His pager beeped, and the neurosurgeon excused himself. Concerned and amused looks followed him out. Cassiel narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the latter, which came from David.
“Why are you promoting this?”
“I think it’s a good thing. Maybe it will finally get Mikael to make a move. He’s been pining over Audrey for so long, it’s about time, isn’t it?”
The neurosurgeon and psychiatrist had become fast friends, often bumping into one another due to the overlap in their work. It hadn’t escaped their friends’ notice that Mikael took every chance to consult with Audrey for ‘advice’, and to ensure their lunch breaks lined up. Much to their frustration, he hadn’t done much else, and shut down any and all attempts made at persuading him.
“Just watch,” David said, leaning back casually. “We won’t even have to lift a finger.”
Mikael was continuing to act like nothing had ever happened. He made his usual visits and stopped himself from questioning Audrey about the rumours floating around, no matter how much he wanted to. And as if the universe was listening to his unspoken desires, the object of that gossip appeared.
“Malek?” Audrey was surprised. “What are you doing here so early? I thought we were meeting up for lunch.”
Lunch again? The thought bordered on mutinous.
The man paused next to the small table Mikael, David and Audrey had taken over for a short coffee break. Mikael hated to admit it, but the rumours weren’t wrong. He and Audrey really would have made a good-looking couple.
“Change of plans. I’m not sure if you saw the message, but Mother wants you to come over for dinner. She says it’s been too long since she saw you.”
“Yeah, that should be fine. It’ll be good to see Astrea.” She was still a little confused. “But why did you come in person? A phone call would have been fine.”
Yes, why are you here?
“I wanted to meet your colleagues I’ve heard so much about.” He smiled apologetically at Mikael and David. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Mikael forced out a polite greeting. David did the same, though he was infinitely cheerier about it. Malek’s gaze lingered on Mikael, curious. Audrey hastily broke the tension.
“Was there anything else?”
“No. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Nodding at them once more, the visitor departed (only after placing a short but sweet kiss on Audrey's cheek, to Mikael's despair). Audrey didn’t offer up any further details, and Mikael didn’t ask. It wasn’t his business, after all. David, however, had no such reservations, and immediately jumped on the opportunity.
“Dinner with the parents? Are you nervous?”
She frowned, perplexed. “Why would I be? Astrea practically is my mother.”
There was an audible click – from the cup Mikael had set down with just a little too much force, or the sound of his teeth clashing as his jaws clenched; David wasn’t sure which.
His recount of the whole situation made Raphael shake his head in dismay.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Raphael insisted. “Plenty of people are close with their friends’ parents.”
“I don’t know…” Cassiel said. “It is pretty strange.”
Raphael stared at him as if he’d committed high treason. “Cas.”
“I’m not saying they’re right, they’ll need much more evidence to convince me. Right now, everything is circumstantial.”
Cassiel’s required proof came a few days later in the form of a Code Grey.
A patient had lapsed into a psychotic episode, and had attempted to strangle Audrey. Mikael was informed of the incident minutes after it was resolved by a quick-thinking Raphael, who’d been nearby and managed to sedate the patient. Somehow, Mikael managed to walk slowly and calmly over to the ward, despite his racing heart. David and Cassiel had beat him there, David as the hospital’s legal counsel, and Cassiel having emerged from a surgery next door. Both men were crawling on their knees, evidently searching for something. Audrey watched them attentively, wringing her hands in a nervous gesture.
“Are you all right?”
She didn’t look away as she answered, “I’m fine…But my necklace broke…”
David crowed triumphantly, whirling around as he presented his find. “Look what I found!”
Audrey sighed with relief as he placed the precious object in her hands: a ring.
Noticing the look on his face, Raphael whispered half-heartedly, “It could be an heirloom…”
Cassiel fussed around Audrey anxiously. “Do you want one of us to take you home?”
“No, no, I’m okay, really.”
“Don’t bother,” a cool, even voice spoke. It was Eragon, head of emergency. “I already called your emergency contact. Malek Sinner? He’s a professor at Oxford, isn’t he?”
Mikael’s heart stopped dead in his chest. Now, it felt as if he was the one who had been strangled.
“Yes, but it wasn’t necessary to call him–”
“Go home, Audrey. Relax. That’s an order.” Eragon turned to the others. “One of you, whoever’s available, make sure she actually listens.”
“Of course.”
An awkward silence descended. David excused himself, citing paperwork, dragging Raphael with him as a witness. Cassiel was left as an unwitting mediator.
Audrey gave them the side-eye. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’d let me sneak off?”
The men replied in unison: “No.”
Sighing, she reached for her neck out of habit, then withdrew.
Cassiel said, “I never noticed you wore a wedding band on your neck.”
“I only started wearing it recently. Malek gave me the necklace for it last week as a gift. It’s a shame I broke it so soon.”
Though Cassiel wasn’t as nearly upset about the whole situation as Mikael, it still stung that Audrey had never mentioned Malek to them before. He couldn’t hold back the question, “How come you’ve never spoken about him before?”
“Why would I? You never asked, and it’s not like he’s around much anyway.”
The simple statement made Mikael scowl. Audrey deserved better than an absent partner. Mikael opened his mouth to say as much, but was interrupted by Malek’s arrival. Striding up to them, he examined Audrey with a critical gaze. He was far too calm for Mikael’s liking.
“Let’s go. You can stay at mine tonight.”
Everything Mikael was about to say came to a screeching halt.
“Yours?” he echoed.
Malek stared at him like he was an idiot and drawled, “Yes, mine. How else can I make sure she gets some rest?”
Cassiel thought it was a shame that Raphael wasn’t there to witness as Mikael finally asked, “What exactly is your relationship?”
“Audrey is my sister. My mother took her in when we were both teenagers. Did you not know?”
Though his question was directed at Mikael, his gaze was on Audrey. She shrugged, baffled.
“I guess I assumed that since David knew, you all knew, too.”
Mikael went very, very still.
Around the corner, David bid a hasty retreat from his hiding spot, dragging a disapproving Raphael with him. A Code Grey was enough for today; no need for a Code Yellow, too.
Bonus:
“Did Mikael at least ask her out after all that?” Fel asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Malek replied. “I had to fake an emergency to get him to volunteer to have Audrey stay at his place. Only after that did they actually go on a date.”
Raphael had his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you all planned this.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Cassiel added.
“No way either of you could have kept it a secret,” David pointed out. “The entire plan would have crumbled. And we wouldn’t be able to enjoy this!”
David gestured toward the corner of the cafe, where Audrey and Mikael were engaged in quiet conversation. Both had soft smiles on their faces, and the neurosurgeon was gazing at the psychiatrist as if she had hung the moon.
“You can applaud now,” David told them.
“I’ll save it for your funeral,” Fel said. “As soon as the honeymoon period is over, Mikael is going to kill you.”