Watson yawned, showing all his teeth, looking like a tiny lion who'd decided this conversation was boring. Ava scratched under his chin, and his eyes went half-lidded with pleasure.
"Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." She met my eyes. "For all of this. I know it's... a lot."
"You don't have to thank me."
Our eyes held across the room. Something passed between us. A current, a question, a possibility.
I cleared my throat.
"I should shower. Get some sleep."
"Yeah. Of course."
I stood, moved toward the bathroom, then paused at the door.
"Ava?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here."
She smiled—not the guarded one, not the professional one. The real one.
"Me too."
Saturday morning, we met Shane, Maya, and Zoe in the lobby of their building. A solid brick walk-up in Sunnyside, the kind of place that had been standing since before the war.
Maya spotted us first and crossed the lobby with her arms already open.
"Dr. Rothwell." She pulled Ava into a hug before Ava could react. "It's good to see you again."
"Ava, please." Ava's voice was slightly muffled against Maya's shoulder. "And it's good to see you breathing normally."
"Thanks to you." Maya released her but kept hold of her hands, squeezing once. "Shane told me what's been happening. I'm so sorry. But you're in good hands with him."
She gestured at me. I tried not to look too pleased.
"Ava." Shane's grin was easy, familiar. "Nice to see you when nobody's bleeding out. Brian talks about you a lot, by the way."
"I do not?—"
"Constantly."
Zoe stepped forward, fifteen, with her mother's sharp eyes. She extended her hand like she was conducting a job interview.
"Hi. I'm Zoe. I'll be showing you the apartment today."
"She insisted," Maya said, with the tone of a mother who'd learned to pick her battles.
"Someone has to ask the important questions," Zoe said.
We took the stairs to the fifth floor, one below Shane and Maya's place. The apartment was at the end of the hall, and afternoon light spilling through the windows when Zoe unlocked the door with a flourish.
"Two bedrooms, one bathroom, updated kitchen, and—" she gestured dramatically at the windows— "lots of natural lighting."
