Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
ELENA
Elena stood in the doorway of the lab, watching Finn hunched over his workstation.
She took a deep breath, mentally rehearsing her approach.
The team meeting was in an hour, and she needed Finn there.
A week had passed since Finn had convinced her to try the treatment with the abysmal dropout rate.
She went back and forth in her head about it every day.
But something about Finn's certainty had been contagious.
Now, she just needed that same conviction to face the senior staff.
She stepped into the lab, letting the door shut behind her.
Finn didn't look up, his attention fixed on the screen in front of him.
Elena cleared her throat. "I need you to come to the team meeting today," she said, trying to keep her tone casual.
"You helped develop this new protocol. You should be there to present it with me. "
Finn frowned and looked up. "I’m not sure that’s appropriate. It’s your project—"
"That you have been working above and beyond on," Elena interrupted, moving closer to his desk. "You know it as well as I do, and you deserve to be there."
“I’d rather keep working.”
Elena paused, then played her ace. "I'm your supervisor, and I'm asking you to be there."
The silence between them felt charged. Finn held her gaze for a long moment. "Fine.”
Elena exhaled, relief washing through her.
The reasons she gave him were true, but only part of the truth.
The real reason was that she needed backup.
Paul Thompson would have legitimate concerns about their new approach.
A protocol with a 95% dropout rate? She'd face tough questions, and rightfully so. But Finn’s conviction on this new approach helped sway her.
Maybe that confidence would help today. "Thank you," she said, meaning it.
“You’re welcome.”
"Just a heads up..." she added, feeling she owed him some warning. "Certain members of these meetings can be a little... rigorous in their questioning."
Finn simply nodded and looked back at his computer. She thought the statement would raise questions. Instead, she just ended up with more questions about her research assistant.
Elena and Finn arrived early at the team meeting. Other staff members filtered in, and then Paul. He looked at Elena, then shifted his gaze to Finn with interest. “Is this your new assistant? He must be catching on quickly.”
The meeting started like any other. Paul provided departmental updates, and then each staff member provided their own personal updates. Elena waited in painful anticipation as everybody else paid their dues. Of course she was the last to speak today.
"Dr. Herrera," Paul began, looking between them. "I don't usually see research assistants at senior staff meetings. Should I take this as a sign that Mr. Cochrane has made significant contributions to the project?"
"He's been instrumental in identifying our new approach. I thought he should be here to help present it." Elena replied.
Paul nodded, satisfied with that answer. “We need all the sharp minds we can get on this with the new timeline. Go ahead with your updates.”
Elena drew a breath. "We've recruited twelve new patients for the next trial phase," she began, steering toward safe territory.
"The new analysis software is fully integrated, which should give us more accurate data during treatment sessions.
We've also optimized our data collection protocols to improve efficiency. "
The room felt less tense as she moved through these updates.
Paul nodded along, making occasional notes.
Elena's confidence grew with each item. She took a deep breath before the final and most important update. “We’re also implementing a new treatment protocol. It shows promise despite initial challenges.”
Paul’s pen paused over his notepad. “A new protocol? Can you elaborate on that?”
Elena took a deep breath. "We'll be implementing a neurofeedback treatment with a higher intensity."
It was dead quiet as Paul absorbed this information. Elena knew it was only a matter of time. Finally, Paul’s brow furrowed as he made the connection. “Didn’t that method have an overwhelming failure rate in a previous study?”
Elena hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how to respond to Paul’s simple question.
Finn's deep voice cut through the silence. "No. It had a 95% dropout rate."
Not exactly helping, Elena thought, catching Rachel's sympathetic look across the table. Paul's eyes shifted to Finn, narrowing at being contradicted. Paul leaned forward. "I'm not following your distinction, Mr. Cochrane. How exactly does a 95% dropout rate not equate to failure?"
Elena felt her stomach tighten. This was the moment when their gamble would either intrigue Paul or alarm him. Probably both.
Somehow, Finn didn't seem affected by Paul's questions.
He sat confidently, his expression unchanged.
"They dropped out because their symptoms initially worsened with this protocol," he said calmly.
"All the patients who stuck with it started to improve.
So actually, this protocol had an overwhelming success rate. "
Paul sat back in his chair, processing this. "So you're telling me that everyone who could tolerate the initial discomfort showed improvement?" He looked between Finn and Elena. "And how many patients was that exactly?"
"Two.”
The silence in the room was deafening. Paul’s eyebrows shot up. Underneath the table, Elena instinctively reached out and placed her hand on Finn’s arm.
"Two," Paul repeated, turning to Elena. "You're restructuring your entire protocol based on two patients?
" His voice carried genuine worry now. "Dr. Herrera, I understand the appeal of a breakthrough, but this is.
.. incredibly thin evidence. Especially with someone this junior—" he gestured toward Finn "—pushing for such a radical change. "
Elena straightened. “This is my decision, Paul. Not Finn’s. He may have pushed for this approach, but I am the one choosing to pursue it. If it fails, that’s on me.”
Paul leaned back in his chair. “You understand what you’re risking? Not just the project, but your position at the Institute?”
“I understand completely.” Elena said with as much confidence as she could muster. She could feel Finn staring at her from the side.
The meeting wrapped up shortly after, with other agenda items passing in a blur. Elena realized her hand was still clutching Finn’s arm. She awkwardly removed it, her fingers still warm from his heat. Other staff members shuffled out of the room, leaving Elena and Finn alone with Paul.
As Paul was putting away his meeting materials, he provided a warning. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Elena. For all our sakes. The board won’t be forgiving if this goes south.”
He began walking towards the exit and stopped at the door. “Mr. Cochrane, a word of advice? In research, sometimes the most exciting possibilities are also the most dangerous. Be careful what mountains you convince people to climb.”
Elena watched Finn. His usual calm demeanor appeared to falter, but he managed a nod.
The coffee shop was three blocks from the Institute, far enough to feel like an escape.
The combination of quiet and warm lighting was exactly what they needed.
Elena had suggested coffee after the meeting.
A moment to decompress after what had just become very real.
In the lab, it had been theoretical. Now, with Paul's warning still echoing, the weight of their gamble settled on her shoulders.
They slid into a corner booth, cups warming their hands.
The silence between them stretched for several seconds. It was uncomfortable, but less uncomfortable than the team meeting they had just survived. Elena traced the rim of her cup with her finger, searching for the right words.
"So... that was rough," she finally said, looking up at him.
"Yeah."
Elena sighed, taking a sip of her latte. "I've been working under his guidance since I started working here. Paul Thompson is..." She struggled for the right words, something professional but honest.
"Aggravatingly always right?" Finn finished for her.
Elena's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn’t help but laugh. The release felt wonderful after the tension of the meeting. “Was that a joke, Finn Cochrane?” Elena playfully inquired.
A smile tugged at Finn’s mouth, but he quickly straightened back to his usual rigid state. “Maybe.”
Elena smiled, savoring the fact that she had made Finn lose his composure. If even for just a second. “You’re right, though. It’s like trying to argue with the ancient god of research accuracy.”
That made Finn laugh, and Elena realized she'd never heard him laugh before.
His face transformed when he laughed, the serious lines softening.
This was a new side of Finn she had never seen before.
She decided she liked it. For a moment, they sat in silence.
The silence felt more comfortable now, though.
“Elena,” Finn said, waiting to continue until she looked at him. When she did, she could see genuine concern on his face. “When I brought this idea to you the other day, I wasn’t fully considering everything you are putting on the line here. If you want to reconsider…”
“No. If I didn’t believe this was our best chance, I wouldn’t have pursued it. We’re doing this.”
Finn’s eyes flicked back and forth between Elena’s as he considered this. “Okay. But I need you to know that I’m with you on this. If you decide that an essential oil ritual treatment is our best bet, I will support you. Though Paul might actually combust.”
“Well, that was absolutely a joke. Completely unacceptable and unprofessional, Mr. Cochrane.”
Finn smiled at that. Twice in one day? She felt oddly special.
“We’re going to make this work, Elena. The data’s there. We just need to prove it.”
Without thinking, she reached across the table, her hand closing around his forearm. "Thank you, Finn," she said softly. "Sometimes it's nice to have someone in your corner."
He looked at her, something shifting in his expression as he searched her eyes. The reserved quality that usually characterized his face seemed to recede slightly, revealing a glimpse of something warmer, more vulnerable.
"You're welcome," he said, his voice equally soft.
Only then did she notice how close they were.
How the small table brought them into each other's space, how large his arm felt beneath her fingers, how intently he was looking at her.
Elena realized her hand was still on his arm.
If this arm-grabbing trend continued, it would become problematic.
She pulled back and awkwardly checked her watch.
It had gotten late, and the crowd had thinned out significantly.
This coffee date needed to end as soon as possible.
And she told herself that ‘date’ was the wrong word.
"We should probably get going," she said, suddenly self-conscious. "We need to make up for all the precious time you spent joking around."
"Let's go then, Dr. Herrera."