"Whatever twisted game you're playing with my daughter, leave my granddaughter out of it. She's innocent in all of this," The older woman said, her voice tight with anger.

"Your daughter has made this necessary," Mrs. Jenkins said, her voice cold and hard. "If she simply complies with my wishes, this... unpleasantness can be avoided. Everyone benefits."

"If you so much as touch a hair on her head," the other woman said, her voice trembling with barely suppressed rage, "Or else, I swear to you..."

"Or else what, Mrs. Lin?" Mrs. Jenkins interrupted, her voice laced with a dangerous calm. "What exactly can you do?"

A sudden clatter from the hallway made Ren freeze. He peeked through the gap in the double doors, his heart pounding in his small chest. He saw his mother standing face to face with a woman he didn't recognize, their voices loud and tense.

"Please see Mrs. Shizumi out," Mrs. Jenkins said to the air, not even bothering to look at Mrs. Lin.

"Don't bother," The older woman put up a hand of dismissal, voice dripping with disdain. "I know my way out."

She turned sharply on her heel and strode towards the hallway, her back ramrod straight.

After the front door slammed shut, echoing through the large house, a voice echoed, "Ren, come here"

Ren hesitantly stepped into the living room. "Mummy," he asked, his voice small and uncertain, "who was that lady?"

Mrs. Jenkins turned to face him, her expression hardening. "Ren, what have I said about entering my office? Shouldn't you be practicing your spellings?" she said, her voice sharp and dismissive.

"I... I..." Ren stammered, his eyes widened with fear.

"Someone," Mrs. Jenkins called out, her voice rising slightly. "Take Ren to his study. Now."

A short, imposing figure appeared from the shadows of the hallway, their face obscured by the dim light. Ren felt a chill run down his spine as the maid silently led him away. The last thing he saw was the image of his mother placing a black file on the wooden table.

*************************************************

Hana waved as she watched the rear end of the black car as it drove further from the hospital. A glance at her watch confirmed her fears: just a few minutes past eleven. She should have accepted her grandmother's offer to drive her home.

Well, it was too late for regrets now. Take the bus? Too late for that and she was too overwhelmed to deal with Mira's ranting about safety. Her conversation with her grandmother had left her emotionally drained.

All she wanted was to be home, to curl up in her bed and process everything that had happened. How plausible was that going to be?

She pulled out her phone and quickly checked for any available rides in the area. None. What did she expect, working in a hospital situated in a hot spot for bars and nightlife? On a Friday night, no less.

Might as well just stay the night in the nurses' restroom. The thought of waiting for the elevator, of potentially running into someone and having to explain why she was still at the hospital so late, filled her with a sense of dread. Not tonight.

She turned towards the stairwell, pushing the heavy door open with her body.

The murmur of voices from below grew louder as she climbed, followed by occasional bursts of hushed laughter.

"Aren't we too old to be doing this?" a woman's voice giggled.

A deeper voice responded, laced with playful affection,

"Baby, don't you know spontaneity is the spice of life? Especially in our... love life."

Hana realized that she was about to stumble into a secret rendezvous. She covered her mouth, stifling a gasp. She turned around and started quietly walking down the stairs when she heard the door above open.

A sudden understanding dawned on Hana. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a gasp. This was not something she planned to witness.

She turned quickly and began to descend as quietly as possible. Just as she thought she might escape unnoticed, she heard the distinct click of a door handle. Hana froze, her heart pounding in her ears.

Who was it? And had they seen her?

Someone had interrupted the two lovebirds.

"Oh, for the love of God. We are in the hospital for goodness sake. Aren't you two getting too old for this?" a third voice said, a mixture of expectance and exhaustion in their tone.

"Hey! I said the same thing!" a woman's voice protested playfully. "Did you just call me old, Jenkins?"

Jenkins? Dr. Jenkins. Hana knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping but she couldn't stop herself. She strained her ears to hear more.

"Oh, come on, Renny boy," a deeper voice chuckled. "You'll understand when you're married and squeezing in stolen moments like these. Every second counts." There was a distinct sound of a kiss.

Renny boy? Dr. Rowan. That must mean the female voice was Dr. Lia!

"Ugh, can you guys not? I'm right here," Dr. Jenkins groaned.

"Oh, please," the woman retorted. "like you haven't seen it many times"

"Doesn't mean I want to keep seeing it! Aren't you even worried about getting caught?"

"Well..." the deeper voice started, then trailed off with a nervous chuckle. "Okay, okay, maybe Lia didn't think this through entirely."

"See? I told you!" the third voice exclaimed. "And why are you blaming me, Rowan? You're the one who pulled me into the stairwell!"

Not wanting to hear anymore, Hana turned and crept silently down the remaining steps, hiding at the bottom of the stairway. She held her breath, listening intently for any sound that would indicate they were leaving.

A wave of confusion washed over her.

Many thoughts were running through her head at the same time.

Dr. Jenkins was dating Dr. Lia, wasn't he? Or... wasn't he? Dr. Lia and Dr. Rowan are married to each other. Married?

Dr. Jenkins isn't with Dr. Lia...

Why was she feeling relieved?

That was why he said... " You don't have to worry about any secret lover on my end."

He hadn't been lying. He hadn't been misleading her. He had been telling the truth.

She didn't need to feel guilty anymore.

But...

Her eyes traveled to her hands and the smile on her face dropped.

"Who am I kidding? That doesn't change anything"

*****************************

"Audra, can I ask you something?" Hana asked, her hands hovering over the keyboard.

Audra's pen stopped mid-stroke, her head snapping up, "Sure, what's up?"

"So, I have a friend..." Her ears perked up at how Hana began, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Ooh, a friend?" she repeated. "Sorry. Go on, I'm listening."

"Yes," Hana said, trying to suppress a smile. "So, um... this friend of mine... she has a... family member who's, like, really sick. And she wants to, you know, find out how they're doing, health-wise..."

"She could just ask the doctors in charge of the case," Audra said, tilting her head slightly. "I mean, she is family, right?"

"Yeah. But the thing is... she doesn't even know where they are. Like, which hospital? They're not... exactly on speaking terms."

"Hmmm..." Audra's playful expression faded, replaced by a serious look. "So you want to know if it would be a good idea to, you know, check up on them on the patient record server, right?"

"Yeah... kinda," Hana admitted, avoiding Audra's gaze. "I mean, my friend would like to know."

"Hana," Audra said firmly, "you know the answer to this."

Hana sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. As much as she wanted to act nonchalant about the whole cancer situation, she couldn't bring herself to.

"You're right," she admitted a new resolve hardening her expression. "I'll have to find another way." Her thoughts immediately turned to her grandmother. As much as it pains her, she had no other choice.

"Guyssssss," Julie practically vibrated with excitement, "we have to celebrate our last day of rotations!" She bounced over to the schedule posted on the wall.

Her finger traced down the columns, her eyes scanning the names and dates.

"Okay, so Tuesday it is! No excuses, people, you're all free that night. We are meeting at Gracie's" Julie said with excited eyes.

"And I'm thinking of inviting some of my friends from County and St. Joe's too. You know... spread the love," She continued, ending with a wink.

She paused, turning to Hana and Audra. "You guys are both single, right?" Hana and Audra exchanged a weary look. They both nodded slowly, still trying to absorb the fact that they had been inverted to an impromptu gathering that they were unable to escape from.

Hana winced inwardly, still not used to the whole concept of socialization.

"Great! I'll text you guys all the details, okay?" Julie said, beaming. "This is going to be so much fun!" She skipped away, humming to herself.

Audra watched her go, shaking her head with a weary smile. "I think we need to hide the coffee machine," she muttered to Hana, who gave a weak smile in return.

She had two days to brace herself for the inevitable. Maybe she could bring Mira and just blend into the background. A slow smile spread across her face. Perfect.

Her hands reach into her pocket to send a text over to her best friend who should be arriving from her work trip today.

Her hands reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone to text her best friend, who should be arriving from her work trip today.

"Landed yet?" A few seconds later, a reply popped up.

"Yep! Just hicked a ride."

"Jiro couldn't pick you up?" Hana texted back.

"He is the car" Hana's eyes doubled.

"I mean he is in the car"

"Are you free on Tuesday night?" she texted.

"Currently, yes. Why?" Mira responded.

"I have this workgroup bar thingy," Hana typed, wincing at the description. "And I was wondering if you wanted to come along." Hana watched the three little dots dance across the screen, an unusual amount of time passing between each pulse. What was Mira typing?

"Okay."

She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The thought of Tuesday suddenly didn't seem as bad as before.

Out of nowhere, her mind wondered, "Would Dr. Jenkins also be there?"

What was she thinking? She gave her head a small, sharp shake.