Page 141 of The Ampersand Effect

But to deliberately sabotage an entire department out of spite?

That was a level of pathetic she couldn’t comprehend.

She was rooting for Grier, and hoped that her allies within the hospital were cautious supporters, if not full collaborators in her response.

Grier sighed, bloated with frustration. Tobin noticed her teeth clench, a muscle in her jaw twitch with the strain.

She pulled back—just a little—muting the comfortable ease that had been present between them just moments before.

Tobin hated it. Even though she knew, intrinsically, that Grier’s reaction wasn’t directed at her.

“Numbers picked up a bit this week,” Grier said, her voice tight—measured in a that way Tobin knew meant she was deliberately controlling her emotions. “Thanks in part to Haleigh’s referrals, and a few other providers at the hospital I’ve been able to chat with throughout the week.”

“We’ve had to be careful about approaching many of the surgeons, though—both because we don’t know where loyaltieslie and because we can’t risk anything too obvious drifting back to Vanders.”

“Have you decided if you’re going to confront Vanders directly?” Tobin asked, her tone deliberately light, hoping to convey a sense of ease that might help Grier subconsciously relax.

Grier chewed a bite of sandwich, and Tobin watched the movement, envisioning the cogwheels of her thoughts turning dependably behind her eyes.

When Grier swallowed, Tobin watched her posture shift— something subtle but unmistakable. A new energy giving her confidence, almost resolute with whatever conviction she’d settled inside her mind.

“I’m going to bring it up at grand rounds next week,” Grier said. “But I’m not going to name him directly. I’ll leave it up to everyone to make their own inferences. I don’t want to create a situation where he feels cornered—but Ineedhim to know that I know. And that there are other accountable providers now—people who can circumvent his nefarious antics.”

She finished with an abrupt nod of her head, a silent manifestation of her own confidence, and one Tobin recognized as Grier reassuring herself that she’d made the right call.

Tobin smiled around a bite of her sandwich. She loved listening to Grier’s plans—loved hearing her find her pace, loved recognizing that confidence when she’d made a decision she was going to see play out.

Mostly she loved seeing this version of Grier—the raw, intimate one she kept tucked away from the rest of the world.

It wasn’t a façade that Grier wore in front of others—no, Grier was genuine in everything she did.

It was the careful way in which Grier tamed her reactions and responses to everyone around her, but let those same things become spontaneous when it was just the two of them.

Tobin loved Grier’s unrestrained, uncoached, wild self the most.

Because it was just for her.

And she loved being the reason Grier felt safe enough to unwind. “You’re such a subtle badass,” Tobin said, grinning. “I want to be you when I grow up.”

Grier’s light, confident laughter resonated warmly through Tobin’s body, settling softly beneath her sternum.Lub dub.

After they ate, Grier settled perpendicular to Tobin, resting her head in Tobin’s lap. Tobin combed her fingers through Grier’s loose hair, the scent of her shampoo and the familiar musk of her perfume wafting over Tobin in periodic waves with the gentle breeze.

It was peaceful. Dusk had settled over the meadow, and the stillness of the clearing was shifting as the darkness crept in. Tobin could hear the hum of cicadas in the tree, the distant call of an owl echoing through the woods.

“Oh gosh! That reminds me!” Grier exclaimed. “I didn’t even tell you—Owlivia is ready to be released! Grant and I broke the news to Delta last night.”

She looked up at Tobin, who could barely make out more than the outline of her face in the growing darkness. But she could see the light of her eyes shining through the shadows, like a beacon of promise.

Tobin would fall into those eyes over and over.

Lub dub, lub dub.

Tobin sucked air through her teeth, grimacing. “How did that go over?”

She brushed a loose strand of hair behind Grier’s ear, casually grazing her pulse point in the process, relieved to find a steady rhythm.

“Actually, better than you’d expect,” Grier said with a soft chuckle. “She seemed kind of relieved.”