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"I’lad," said Dr Banks, and led me to the office door
He talked while ere in the elevator going down, the usual easy, less chatter about stock prices, recent news reports, and the weather He see, but that didn’t stop hi with his ile, teht down the ether with ness to back off when he saw that he had pushedwas, as I listened to hi but the sleepwalkers, I realized that Dr Banks genuinely seemed to care about what happened to ood grasp of how to show it, and he was al me lies, but he wanted lancing inapproval from the lines of my face He wanted me to be happy Whether or not that was possible was irrelevant We all want things that can never happen, and even e know they’re not going to beco in front of the elevator bank when the doors finally opened on the underground lab level Her norhtly less well tied than usual, resulting in a few flyaway hairs around her face; like Dr Banks, she looked just a little unfinished, overwound, and tired "Sir," she said, offering Dr Banks a polite nod before turning her attention to uess," I lied I didn’t feel like getting into it with her "How are you?"
"Busy" She paused, realizing her mistake, and amended, "But always happy to see el prepared for you"
"I hope you understand the importance of Miss Mitchell’s co in his voice that was enough to make me feel uneasy
It orse for Dr Sanjiv; she worked for hi until it looked like someone had manually locked her spine into place "I promise the utmost care will be taken in the procedure You can ask Sally yourself, if you’d like Dr McGillis and I have done this multiple times, and she’s never had any complications"
"They’re so up my cue It was the truth, and even et in any more trouble than was absolutely necessary I was, after all, planning to disappear on their watch It o a little better for them if they weren’t already in trouble when that happened
"If you’re positive," said Dr Banks He looked toas he searchedfor I wasn’t really sure I wanted to know "Sally, you know you can tell , don’t you? I’ clearly, and I apologize"
"That’s okay, Dr Banks," I said, fighting the urge to squir away, her face schooled into an expression of careful neutrality The way he was phrasing things, it sounded almost like he’d lad of thatto have to deal with the entire staff of the lab thinking I’d been sleeping with their boss "We’ve all had a hard week It’s why I asked if I could have an ultrasound"
Dr Sanjiv laughed, an odd little rippling run of notes that sounded artificial only because I had never heard her laugh before "She falls asleep every ti; we’ve never seen anything like it The gel floods in, and Sally checks out She stays asleep for the whole process I wish all our patients could be as easy to ith as she is"
"I always told you Miss Mitchell was special," said Dr Banks
I was still trying to figure out why sometimes I was "Sally" and someti my hands before I could step out of his reach
"Maybe you knohat I mean by this and maybe you don’t, but Sally, some doors are closed because they’re meant to be closed Do you understand me? Not every door is supposed to be opened, and not every open door is supposed to be used You have a choice"
My choice had been ed the thu before then Still, he looked so sincere, and so worried, that I felt I owed hi to look confused and supportive at the same time, I nodded, and said, "I understand, Dr Banks"
"Good Good, Sally" He let go ofa step backward, toward the elevator "Dr Sanjiv, I’ her in your care"
"Yes, sir," said Dr Sanjiv
Dr Banks stepped into the nearest open elevator, which slid closed behind him Dr Sanjiv motioned for me to follow her down the hall to the ultrasound lab As pro a series of commands into the co
Sherman looked up from his study of Dr McGillis’s monitor and smiled "Hello, pet," he said
When it beca to move on my own, Dr Sanjiv planted her hands on my shoulders and pushed me bodily into the rooe to keep fro until I was far enough in for her to close the door "Well?" she snapped I wasn’t sure who she was talking to I hoped it wasn’t me, because I couldn’t answer her I could barely breathe