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“What do you want?” Amanda asked sharply under her breath.
He looked around. “Can we speak alone, please?”
Amanda’s lips flattened at the request, but she moved without answering him. He followed her to a door with a plague that said “Office.” She entered and left the door open, so he went inside.
“Hey, Gene.” Jo threw him a smile from behind a desk.
At least one woman wasn’t pissed at him.
“Hi, Jo. How are you doing?”
“Hanging in there.” She stood and went to the door. “You two look like you need some privacy, so…”
She pointed at the door and disappeared.
Amanda watched Gene close the door but said nothing. She stood where she was with her arms folded over her chest. The body language and unsmiling face clashed with her cheerful pink patterned long-sleeved dress. She was still lovely despite the unwelcoming vibe.
When Gene didn’t come out and say what he was there for, Amanda tapped her booted foot on the floor in impatience. He was getting to know many sides of Amanda quickly. And he didn’t enjoy being on her shit list.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Gene quickly said, then amended, “You know… at the end.” When Amanda didn’t respond, he added, “You must know I suggested it out of concern. I said my piece, but it’s your decision.”
When she merely stared at him out of stubbornness, it triggered his annoyance. Once he thought of something as important, he felt fervently about it, whether it was a goal or a purpose. He’d learned to temper it, but still struggled when he knew people were making poor decisions based on feelings instead of data.
This time, Amanda’s resistance to the CT made him angry.
fourteen
Aflit of temper colored Gene’s face as he gritted his teeth at Amanda’s silence. She watched him take a deep breath and probably count in his head as he met her eyes. He wasn’t happy about something and was trying hard not to let it out.
Is he mad about having to apologize?
“I wish you would at least consider my suggestion instead of shutting it down right off the bat,” he blurted. “I think taking a risk with your health is short-sighted.”
“Are you suggesting I’m short-sighted?” Amanda asked with more calm than she knew she had.
“You don’t take a chance with head injuries, Amanda.”
“Are you here as a doctor?” she asked.
“There’s no way for me to shut down that part of me who is a doctor, but I care about you. We don’t want to miss something we could’ve prevented. I’m sure you, of all people, would understand that.”
“Of all people?” Amanda frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know if you could’ve prevented your mother’s illness?”
Amanda’s spine tensed at the question.
“Nobody could’ve predicted my mother’s illness. We still don’t know how she developed it. I never even heard of Myasthenia Gravis before.”
“I know.” Gene’s voice gentled. “But if you could, wouldn’t you want to?”
Seeing how her vibrant mother had been limited by the disease over time had been torture for her.
“Of course,” Amanda quietly admitted.
Gene took a few steps closer to her.
“That’s all I’m asking you to do. Just be cautious. There’s a chance they’ll find nothing. But then I can breathe easier knowing you’re okay.”
