Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
ELENA
The lab was cold and sterile today. That was the normal state of a laboratory, but it felt especially so today.
Elena hadn’t interacted with Finn all day, except for the brief morning greetings that were exchanged.
She got barely any sleep last night. The gala was exhausting, but Elena had been to enough of them to understand her role.
Smile, listen, and make the people with the power feel smart.
It was an unfortunate part of the job, but thankfully it only occurred once a year.
David Turner was another unfortunate turn in the evening.
She should have recognized him when Laura shoved his picture in her face.
But she had never worked with David before and didn’t make the connection.
And now she was supposed to go on a date with him.
The man at the top of the board that controlled the funding for her research.
The very same board that was responsible for the drastic reduction in their timeline.
He was charming, of course. Handsome and confident too.
He seemed to show a genuine interest in her and her research.
She thought of the dance they had shared.
Two adults who knew the steps moving together in the expected way.
It couldn’t have been more different than the dance she shared with Finn.
With Finn, it had been...something else.
Something that made her heart race even now, remembering the intensity in his eyes, the warmth of his hand at her waist.
It was clear to her that Finn did not enjoy the night either.
He was already in a bad mood when they arrived, but by the end of the night, he was just…
withdrawn. All night she had been recounting the events of the evening, trying to pinpoint what had caused the shift.
She hadn’t really spent much time with Finn at the gala.
He seemed to always be in the distance. Except for when they had the conversation with David.
Even then, he was in the background of that scene too.
"Dr. Herrera?" Finn's voice cut through her thoughts, startling her back to the present. "Did you see the new batch of results from Eric’s treatment?"
She looked at Finn, trying to study his face for clues to what would be the new dynamic in their relationship. His face was as neutral as it had been on his first day. She couldn’t glean any information. Or maybe it told her everything.
“I didn’t, anything notable?” She replied, still lost in her thoughts.
“I just sent it over to you. Take a look.”
Eric was the first patient that they implemented the new protocol.
His results with the study would tell them if they had been wasting their time with all the patients that joined in after.
How long ago did they start Eric’s treatment?
She tried to count the days, but her life had been so chaotic lately and the days were hard to distinguish.
She pulled up the email from Finn with a file titled ‘Patient 87 Results - Week 5’.
Elena felt the adrenaline course through her body.
Their theory was that the patients should see improvements around this time. Eric’s results here meant everything.
The file opened, and she pored over the data that Finn had summarized in an easy-to-digest graphic. 18% improvement in insomnia from baseline. 30% reduction in migraine frequency. 20% improvement in memory recall. Across the board, everything was improving for Eric.
She looked up at Finn. For a moment, the tension between them dissolved, replaced with the connection that had been building between them for weeks.
Finn's expression softened, and Elena saw a glimpse of the easy rapport that had been building between them.
Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the moment passed.
Finn straightened, professional mask sliding back into place.
“It’s still early, but this is what we were looking for,” Elena whispered.
Finn nodded, “The next few weeks are crucial. If this isn’t just a one-time spike…”
They both considered the possibilities in silence. Was it possible that Eric would return to normal health? The kind most people took for granted? “Keep me posted on this. I want to see the results from the other patients as soon as they come in.”
“Of course,” Finn replied, already heading back to his desk.
Elena settled back at her desk. The work absorbed her for another hour until her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She glanced at the screen, then muttered, "Shit," loud enough that Finn turned in her direction.
Finn stepped into her office. “Everything okay?”
Elena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "My babysitter just cancelled for tomorrow night. Something about a family emergency." She scrolled through her contacts, mentally calculating who might be available on such short notice. "Just what I needed right now."
She wasn’t planning to speak about her dinner plans with David at all. Finn's expression didn't change, but something in his posture tightened.
"I could watch Miguel," he said, the offer so unexpected that Elena wasn't sure she'd heard correctly.
"What?"
Finn shrugged. "I could watch Miguel Friday night. If that would help."
Elena stared at him, trying to reconcile this offer with his distant behavior all day. "Finn, that's... very kind, but it's not your responsibility. I can find someone else."
"On a Friday night? With such short notice?" He shook his head. "Unlikely. Plus, I doubt you’ll find anyone who gets along with Miguel as well as I do,” Finn said with a hint of sarcasm.
Finn had made a great point. Conflict seemed to pop up between him and Miguel whenever they were in the same room. And instead of shying away from another one of those encounters, here he was. Offering to watch him for the evening. "Are you sure? Miguel can be... challenging."
The corner of Finn's mouth twitched in what might have been a smile. "I've noticed. But I can handle it. What time do you need me there?"
Elena nodded, still bewildered by the offer. "Around seven? The reservation is at eight."
"Seven works." Finn turned back to his computer, the matter apparently settled.
Elena watched him for a moment longer, trying to understand what was happening beneath the surface of this exchange. It made no sense. Unless...
Unless he truly saw her only as his supervisor, his colleague, someone whose career he respected enough to support in practical ways. Perhaps she'd been reading too much into their moments of connection, finding meaning where there was only professional camaraderie.
Or perhaps this was Finn's way of establishing boundaries. Showing her and himself that he could separate his personal feelings from their professional relationship. Whatever those feelings might be.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of data analysis and team meetings.
By six, the lab had emptied except for Elena and Finn, each still at their respective stations, working in a silence that felt both familiar and strange.
As she gathered her things to leave, Elena paused by Finn's desk.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For tomorrow. It means a lot."
Finn looked up at her, and for a moment, his carefully maintained composure slipped. Something flashed in his eyes. Before she could decipher it, the moment passed, and his expression returned to neutral. "It's no problem. Happy to help."