Page 27 of Indebted

Cue self-destruction.

“Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you and my mother.”

That snuffed the light right out of his eyes, and I regretted the words instantly. I’d gone too far, too real.

We’d reached a sort of truce and I’d fucked it up.

“Katie…”

“Dr. Kingston, I was going to head out for the evening—” Midge came around the corner.

I tore my hand away from Justin’s.

Midge paused, chart in hand, studying us.

Justin cleared his throat and got to his feet, his hands strategically placed in front of his slacks, but I could still see the bulge beneath them. “That’s fine Midge, we should all head home for the night.”

“Of course,” she smiled as Justin passed, casting one last curious glance my way before following him to the back to start locking up.

I dropped my head into my hands and let out a shuddering breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

By the end of the week, I’d made tremendous progress with my programming.

My professor was 100% backing me and was constantly in contact over all the details. We’d even discussed the market for which I could sell it.

In fact, my professor proposed the project to my department chair who’d immediately started to email some contacts. He’d gushed that I could have a buyer by the end of the Fall quarter.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but the idea of taking a huge step into adulthood and independence was both terrifying and exhilarating.

All my downtime at the clinic now involved working on the program. I was feeling on top of the world, until Friday afternoon.

Midge at my side, staring at me. She’d started doing that more often than not, like I was some puzzle she needed to figure out.

I concentrated on the coding in front of me.

“You know,” Midge said, effectively breaking my concentration. “You and Dr. Kingston seem pretty close.”

I kept my gaze straight ahead. “How so?” I feigned nonchalance. This week he’d been too busy to spend any real time at his wall perch, as I liked to call it. I told myself it was for the best, but it didn’t stop the disappointment.

“He’s very protective of you, and you both seem to be very aware of the other whenever you’re in a room together. You don’t get that from someone you hardly know. We’ve also never paid an intern before; do you usually make that much?”

Sneaky, sneaky Midge. She wanted me to admit to something. Too bad there was nothing there.

Nothing, I told myself sternly.

I shrugged. “This internship is to help me with my tuition, Justin must’ve worked something out with my school because of a recent, um, loss of financial aid. Don’t worry, we’re not close.”

She didn’t believe me. Her eyes continued to burn a hole in the side of my head. I knew it bothered her when I didn’t call Justin, Dr. Kingston.

“If you say so.”

The following week I got called to a patient room.

“We’re short staffed, so you can help us,” Midge said, not sounding too happy about it.

Justin was already in the room, attending the patient. A young girl, she couldn’t have been older than me, with her face bandaged like she’d been bludgeoned in the face.

I drew back. “What happened to her?”