My pulse thumps, while I force down the fact that my charts showed zero of that.
Then my thoughts stop spiraling, only because Stan throws a grin at me, his gray eyes taking me in.
God, I could melt. Idris is right. Stan would win the crown for Prince Charming. He’s so damn handsome.
“Anyway…” Stan’s eyes trace down my face. “You good with Idris watching your six while I go work my magic on Big Brother Adel? Don’t want you faceplanting if this whole revived miracle body of yours does a surprise shutdown after taking Em’s remixed Kys.”
My mouth feels wrong when I mutter, “All good. Have fun.”
Stan’s grin tugs at an edge. “Always will, Ocean Eyes. Don’t miss me too much.”
With that, he heads down the hall, and my eyes follow. Idris shootsme a curious look. “Everything alright?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say.
He nods and opens the MedBay door for me. “Em’s ready to run the scan again. We’ll take it slow.”
We step inside together.
Em stands by that sensor helmet, tablet in hand. She acknowledges me with a single stare. It’s the same flat look as always, but with the way her eyes search mine, it feels like she’s comparing this version of me to the one who bolted.
“Welcome back, Nil,” she says. “We’ll resume where we left off. I’ve recalibrated the system.”
Her tone gives nothing away. But she must know. My readings spiked when Stan saidthose words.
Idris stands at my side. “If anything feels off,” he says, “please tell us, okay?”
“I will,” I say, taking the same seat.
Em begins checking the sensors, her attention moving in smooth motions. Idris watches the whole thing. I watch neither of them, because I’m too busy pretending that Stan didn’t just walk away with half my sanity.
Idris’ phone buzzes. He murmurs something about needing to take a call and peels away toward the door, leaving Em in front of me.
Em lifts the first sensor toward my temple. I can feel how closely she’s tracking my breathing. My skin prickles. I catch myself tracking her hands and force my eyes back to the wall.
“Hold still, Nil,” she says.
My chest grips. If this thing spikes wrong a second time, she’ll know something’s off. Stan’s not here to run interference with a stupid joke. It’s just me and my stupid nervous system.
“Nil,” she says, “your file lists Otis Dela Cruz as your stepfather.”She doesn’t look away from what she’s doing. “If you recall how he described his original formula, it would be invaluable to the trial.”
My throat goes dry. Hearing his name out loud feels strange. I haven’t thought about my family name in years. It never felt like it belonged to me, just something stamped on the damage.
“I remember a bit,” I whisper back. “Just the parts no one wants.”
“All parts are relevant,” Em says. “When you’re ready.”
The scanner thrums to life. My heartbeat climbs, loud in my ears. I breathe in. I breathe out. I try to think of anything calming, so I don’t screw up this scan again. I stare at white walls, the pattern of tiles on the MedBay floor…
My brain ignores all of it and hands me Stan instead.
His grin. His deep voice. His ridiculous jokes. And how he says the nickname he gave me, like the trail of blood behind me’s been washed out with a wave.
Ocean Eyes.
7
Nil
