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“Don’t worry. It’s like riding a bicycle—only you are panty-less and there’s no seat…or actual pedals.” He pats the shocked guy’s shoulder before resuming his steps.

I bite my lower lip, and with my eyes focused on the floor, I reach the others—I don’t dare look at the other two customers.

“Finally out of that lab!” Rami exclaims, standing up.

“We missed you.” Ollie pushes his chair back and tries to give me a quick hug, which turns into a bear one when Rami wraps his beefy body around both of us. I don’t mind it. I actually likethis new side of him—compared to his untouchable former self. His boyfriend Hunter literally saved him from a disconnected existence.

Michael waves at me; I see him plenty lately. He’s been coming to the labs to work with me since he’s a hematologist—and to be with Raph, his husband and my brother who is the president of Bear-Stone Labs, our research company. He used to be a medical examiner and now is a professor of forensic pathology, anatomy, toxicology, forensic science, and more at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

“What am I, chopped liver?” Lori sniffs haughtily, dropping down on one of the chairs as they let me go.

I feel my cheeks tighten with a smile. I’ve missed this…lightness. Since Meg, my foster mother, fell into a coma, everything has seemed to be falling apart. I’ve been trying to find a way to get her back. She was poisoned with cyanide, which is often fatal. The fact that she’s still alive is a miracle. The doctors administered intravenously sodium thiosulfate in combination with sodium nitrite to get rid of the poison—the exact doses I instructed since I was the one who discovered what happened to her. But was I too late? Those agents seem to have worked, but since Meg also has lupus, her body was weak to begin with. She won’t wake up. After all the endless hours and effort Michael and I put in, her body is still unmoved at the hospital. And I don’t know the reason. I can only make suppositions, and none of them have a concrete solution.

My world is science. The systematic approach, the logical reasoning, the empirical evidence, and the testable hypothesis. The lab is my home, with its immaculate surfaces, specialized equipment, and methodical order. Until recently, I always found answers within my reign. Because I solely focused on my work,everything came as a distant second. I couldn’t be bothered with mundane things. I’ve been working my ass off since…always, studying disease, chasing cures, doing my part just like my brothers do, only in my own way.

People call me a genius, the Good Will Hunting of research. But what’s the point of being so smart if I can’t help the one person I owe my life to?

I’m nervously biting my inner cheek, tasting blood when the waitress approaches our table.

“Doc! Long time no see,” she addresses Michael. He used to come here with Meg, that’s how we found out about his existence—long story.

“Bringing all this hot testosterone here… Want me to swoon like a blushing virgin?” The waitress dramatically fans her face with the notepad.

“Berta my dear, you are such a flatterer.” Michael smiles at her.

“And please keep going,” Lori adds, winking at her.

She replies with a flying kiss. “What can I get you all?”

“I think it’s mimosa o-clock.” Everybody nods at Rami’s statement, so I do too, even though I’m not sure what a mimosa is. Judging by the context, it must be a drink or a dish.

“And pie. So many choices,” Ollie states, looking down at the menu.

“Take your time. I’ll get your mimosas first.” She leaves.

“Meg loves this place.”

“Yeah,” Ollie agrees with Michael. A few seconds of silence pass. “I need to go visit her again.”

“Linda doesn’t leave her side much,” Lori states. If my romantic partner was unresponsive in a hospital bed, I’d be by their side too, no matter what. If I had one, that is.

“She…hopes,” Michael whispers.

“We all do,” Rami adds.

I ball up my hands under the table. I feel like I’m letting everybody down. How can I not see what’s wrong?

“How’s your Magnum PI boo?” Lori suddenly asks Rami. He’s trying to lighten the mood, but I can see his eyes are glassy.

“Gorgeous. Sexy. Mine.” Rami has a dreamy expression on his face now. He’s utterly smitten with his boyfriend. I envy him.

“Tell me is it true that ‘when you go black, you neverwalkstraightback’?” Lori smirks at him.

“You are in a relationship with a droidand hissickoalter ego, you should be the one questioned.” He’s talking about Lori’s fiancé Gabe, who has multiplicity.

“Don’t you wish to know, wank face.”

I stare at the fruit pie menu, suddenly remembering how dissatisfying my last date was. I can’t stifle my sigh.