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She woke from a hand tapping her cheek gently, and opened her eyes to see her grandmother looming over her, her work phone in her hand.
“Es deine Arbeit, Sterchens.”
“Why are they—‘tschuldigung, Oma.”
“It didn’t wake me up.” Lyarra handed her the phone as she sat up in bed. One missed call from Beth. Shit.
Her friend picked up on the first ring. “Arya, thank God.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s…a student’s been arrested.”
“Uh…can’t BPD…”
“Boston Police. Sh…he beat someone bloody on the T downtown, and then had a giant seizure.”
Arya frowned. “What the fuck?”
“His roommates aren’t here, one of them tried calling me, and…something’s really wrong here, Arry.”
“Okay. Fuck. Okay. Where?”
“Sorry?”
“Where is he?”
She heard a shuffling of papers on the other end. “Uh…let’s see…MGH.”
“Great. I’ll head over. Name?”
“Sa..Alleras Martell.”
She froze. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, why?”
“He…he attacked someone?
“That’s what I said.”
“I…fuck. Great. Got it. Thanks.” Arya groaned as she hung up.
“What’s wrong?” Lyarra poked her head back into the room.
“A student had a psychotic episode. I think.” She was awake enough to switch back into German now. “I have to go over to the medical centre.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Oma…”
“It’s pretty rough down there, isn’t it?”
“Um..”
“That means yes. I’ll get my coat.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Lyarra was in her seventies at this point, although her arms and chest were still broad and muscular from a lifetime of forestry. “Aren’t you going over to see Dr. Whatshisface tomorrow?”
“Today. And I was already awake.”
She decided, as she dressed, to leave that one be. Her grandmother hadn’t slept well since losing Grandpa two years ago.
They were in the car before Lyarra spoke again. “You know the student.”
“Alleras is…I don’t get it. He would never….”
“But he did.”
“I think someone isn’t telling the truth.” They accelerated down the street, the frost on the trees glinting from the yellow lamps. “Alleras’s a brown guy in his twenties, and who’s saying he did this? The police.”
Lyarra nodded quietly, and said nothing.
+++
MGH was chaotic as ever. Arya was more than capable of defending herself—years of kickboxing and fencing had paid off—but she was still a little grateful to be walking through the crowd outside alongside her grandmother, whose eyes had faded to a cold, frightening Stark grey.
The receptionist directed them towards the emergency room, and Arya felt herself tensing up a little as they entered. It had clearly died down—she could see shell shock on the faces of the nurses and orderlies who passed them—which made it easier to see the small knot of police officers outside one of the private rooms, facing one of the nurses, who had her arms crossed.
“Relax your face. You look hostile.”
“That’s my default setting.Can you get your phone out, please?”
Lyarra sighed as they approached. “Don’t do anything reckless, Sterchens. Ned will kill me.”
She laughed softly as they stopped in front of the group. “Pardon me.”
“Move along, please.” The officer who appeared to be in charge was…she supposed—objectively attractive, but his face had a veil of contempt that distorted his features.
The nurse ignored him. “Yes?”
“I’m looking for Alleras Martell.”
“So are we, actually. I’m afraid Ms. Martell’s in a bit of legal trouble.”
“Mr.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m from Alleras’ college, and he’s listed as male on our records, sir.”
“That’s not a dude,” one of the younger officers muttered.
Arya ignored him, turning to the nurse. “Might I speak to him, please?”
“Mr. Martell hasn’t woken up yet,” the nurse said quietly.
“Which is why I think it’s best if we do this now,” the officer interjected smoothly.
“You’re not handcuffing one of my patients.”
“I’m out of patience with this. Ma’am, if you don’t step aside, you aren’t going to like what happens next.”
“Hey!” That came from one of the younger officers, who turned towards Lyarra. Her grandmother had her phone up.
“Yes?”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m a little concerned by your commanding officer threatening a nurse, sir.”
“You—“ The man took a step towards Lyarra, only for one of his companions, a towering man with short-cut black hair and shockingly blue eyes, to grab his arm.
“Hold on a minute.” Arya raised her hands. “Ms….”
“Norland.” The nurse’s eyes were wide with fear.
“Ms. Norland, how about my grandmother and I go in, with one of these fine gentlemen here? Just so there are no unfortunate incidents.”
“I don’t think Alleras will hurt anyone, Ms…?”
“Stark. And I didn’t mean that he would be hurting anyone.”
The senior officer’s jaw hardened. “I don’t like what you’re—“
“I didn’t like your friend threatening my grandmother.”
The towering man stepped forward, whispering into the senior officer’s ear.
“I…fine. Gendry, go in with them.”
At a tiny nod from Arya, Norland opened the door, letting the three of them in. Arya exhaled as the door closed.
“Sorry about that.”
“You people are always sorry, never change,” Arya spat.
“Sterchens.” Her grandmother’s voice was firm.
“I…sorry. You were just trying to help.”
“It’s all right. I’ve heard worse.” Gendry removed his cap, running his hand through his hair.
They turned to the bed, where Alleras was breathing in and out, steadily. There was a bruise blossoming over his eye.
“We didn’t do that.” It was if Gendry had read her mind. “And…yeah. It was bad, seriously.”
“He wasn’t resisting arrest?” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her voice.
“No. They said the other guy started it, the witnesses, but…he looked like a piece of hamburger meat. The other guy.”
“Huh.” Arya approached the bed, taking Alleras’ hand in hers. “I just don’t…I know him. He’s not like this.”
“They haven’t done a drug test, but probably…yeah, don’t know. They sedated the poor kid, he was gonna hurt someone.”
Her face must have shown her surprise, because he looked at her quizzically. “What?”
“You didn’t say she.”
“One of my cousins…well, anyway. The, uh, the driver’s licence in the wallet is for Sarella Martell, the college ID is for Alleras. Janos got a bit suspicious. The sergeant.”
“So now what?” Looking up, Arya saw that the knot of police officers had left, as had Ms. Norland.
“Now we wait, I guess.” Gendry took a seat, scrubbing his face with his left hand.
Arya nodded, letting Lyarra sit between them. “Are you sure you want to stick around?”
“I’m not leaving you here alone. Do you want a coffee?”
She nodded, and he got up, wincing a little as something cracked.
Gendry waited until Lyarra has left the room before turning to her. “What language—“
“German. Dad’s family’s from the Black Forest. Oma’s visiting a friend here.”
“Look, I’m sorry Rast threatened—“
“How can you work with someone like that?”
“If I don’t, there’s no one to hold any of them back.”
Arya hummed a little, biting off the argument she could feel boiling up. “So. Your cousin transitioned.”
“No, Shireen was and remains a girl. She just…uh, she has some patients who have. Doctor. I guess it can be pretty…rough…” His voice trailed off.
“Uh…”
“Holy shit,” he whispered as Lyarra returned, holding two black coffees.
“Is everything all right?”
“Ja, mein Frau.” The two Starks turned to look at Gendry incredulously. He reddened a little. “I…uh, watched Inglorious Basterds?”
“That was a good one. We watched it when Rick was on chemo, I think. He loved scary movies.” Lyarra fell silent for a moment, then shook herself briskly. “What were you talking about?”
“I don’t know, what were we talking about?”
“You said Alleras was transitioning from female to male? Wouldn’t that be with testosterone?”
“You do have a lot more of it than we do, yes,” Arya answered drily.
“Thus the shoulder hair,” Lyarra muttered.
“The shoulders aren’t nearly as bad as down…sorry. Anyway.” Gendry pulled out his smartphone, giving Arya a chance to try and not think about where Gendry might be especially hairy.
And what was under all that hair.
“Thought so. Testosterone can lead to…rage.”
“You think it’s…because he’s trans?” She shook her head. “I have friends who transitioned, they didn’t turn into the Hulk.”
“I don’t know.” Gendry paused for a moment, then punched in a number and held the phone up to his ear. “You know who will? Shireen.”
“Uh…isn’t it the dead of night?”
“She gets up early, it’s almost five—hey, Shir. Yeah, I know…look it’s this guy we arrested—“
Arya let her attention drift a little, turning to her grandmother, who passed her a mug.
“If you’re going to look at those nice apple cheeks of his, be a bit subtler.”
“Excuse me?” She could feel heat rushing into her face.
Lyarra just winked at her and took a long sip of her coffee.
“…yeah…okay. Good. See you soon.” Gendry hung up. “She wants to come have a look.”
+++
There was a hint of light creeping in through the window, and Alleras’ breathing had become more regular and sleep-like, when Shireen arrived, a white cardboard box in her hands. If thinner, she had all of Gendry’s height, and an authority that Arya recognised from, oddly enough, the dean of students.
“Hi, Gen! And you must be Arya?”
“Yes.” Arya shook the older woman’s hand. “I’m a res life counsellor, at BU.”
“Oh, my deskmate went there.” Shireen removed a pair of gloves from the box on the table, glancing at the clipboard hanging beside the door as she did. “Gen, you said no one had come in to see him yet?”
“A nurse did, no doctor.”
“Are you allowed to be here?” Lyarra asked bluntly.
“I’ve treated patients here before, so yes, Ms.—-?”.
“Dr. Lyarra Stark.”
“Oh, are you here for the—“
“No, I’m Arya’s grandmother. Technically, I’m a tree doctor. PhD, forestry.”
“I see. Well, yes, I’m usually over at Fenway Health, but sometimes a patient of mine ends up here. Now, then.” She removed a syringe from the box, and Arya saw Gendry flinch.
“What are you—“
“No bloodwork done yet, I’m afraid. You might want to look the other way, Gen.”
Neither of the Starks did, and Arya saw one of Shireen’s eyebrows raise. “You two are bold.”
“I spent most of 2019 in a cancer ward,” Lyarra said softly, “and this one’s never been very afraid of needles.”
“Right…got it.” She removed the green-capped vial from the end of the syringe. “I’ll be back shortly, please keep an eye on—“
They heard a stirring from the bed as the door closed.
“What…”
Arya knelt down beside Alleras, whose eyes were blinking very, very slowly.
“Al?” She kept her voice low.
“What…where am…I?”
“You’re in the ER, Al, there was…”
“..the guy. In the T.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh no.” Alleras’ voice was low with exhaustion, but even so, this was a whisper. “I knew…I…”
“You knew what?”
“The…I…he was catcalling…shit, where’s…where’s Sylvia?”
“Your friends came here with you, but she was in shock.” Gendry’s tone was careful, watchful.
“What did you know, Al?”
“I…I flipped out, didn’t I? I knew…ever since…”
“Has this been happening a lot?”
“I’d just feel…like I…wanted to throw something, or…I was just…angry. I…missed class sometimes, little…things would set me…off…and I…I did things I didn’t want to.”
“What do you mean, didn’t want to?”
“I was just…so…I was horny all…the time. All the…time.”
Arya glanced at Gendry, who showed no sign of reaching for his pen or paper. Alleras’ eyes closed over again as the door opened.
Shireen was going over a printout, muttering under her breath.
“So…oh, he woke up?”
“He’s really exhausted.”
“Well, that makes sense. His adrenaline levels are really high, so….what the fuck?”
Arya’s head whipped up. Shireen’s hands were shaking so badly that she thought the other woman was going to drop the piece of paper.
“What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t…this testosterone level is ten times what it should be.” The young doctor looked up, horror in her eyes. “No wonder he attacked someone, Gen, one of the symptoms is uncontrollable rage!”
“He…kept telling me….it was just normal…”
All eyes turned to Alleras.
“Who?”
“Dr…Qyburn, at…student health. He was…giving me the treatment…”
“You told him this happened, and he didn’t change his approach?”
“…no…”
“Okay.” Gendry took a deep breath. “BU student health?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok.” He sighed. “Shireen, Ms. Stark, I think it’s time we took a little trip.”
+++
Commonwealth Avenue was dead at that hour of the morning.
They were in Shireen’s car, Lyarra having taken Arya’s back to the apartment. Arya clutched her staff ID in her hand. Gendry was silent, his eyes darting back and forth as they crossed Kenmore Square.
She didn’t know what would happen to Alleras, and Gendry had refused to say earlier. Technically, if she was remembering her prelaw classes correctly, he wouldn’t be able to plead complete insanity.
Fuck, he’s kinda cute, but…The thought of Patrick Rose crossed her mind, and she shook her head a bit.
“I grew up out around here.”
They had come to a stop at the Silber Way light, and she turned to look at Gendry. “Really?”
“Lower Allston, then Brookline. Mom didn’t want me going to Boston schools.”
“Mine wouldn’t have either.”
“Did your grandmother…have cancer?”
“No, Grandpa did.” Her tone made it clear there was little more to discuss.
Student Health Services was in one of the ugliest buildings on campus, and she could see Shireen’s shoulders slump a little as they got out of the car. They got a few looks from the few people out on the sidewalk—mostly, she thought, because of Gendry’s uniform.
“So what’s the plan?”
“I want to talk to him about what Alleras said to us. Any questions you or Shireen have as well, I guess.”
Arya unlocked the front door with her ID, feeling uncertain about how long she was going to have a job, and they entered.
“Excuse me.” A woman stood up behind the reception desk. “We’re not open until—“
“This won’t take long.” Gendry unhooked his badge from over his heart. “Officer Gendry Waters, Boston Police. I’m looking for a Dr. Qyburn?”
“Er, I don’t know if—“
“Is he in?” Arya interjected.
“I…I’ll call.” The woman picked up the desk phone. “Dr. Qyburn? Yes…yes, there’s an Officer Waters here to…no, Boston Police…um, I’ll ask…”
“Tell him it’s about Alleras Martell.” Shireen’s voice had nearly as much force in it as her cousin’s.
“Sure…oh, you heard—huh.” The woman pulled the receiver away from her head. “He hung up.”
“Did he now.” Gendry turned and headed back out the door.
“Uh, what’s going—“
“HEY!”
Arya and Shireen turned to see Gendry take off in a sprint through the sliding doors.
“What the—“
Exiting the building, they were just in time to see him catch up to a short, grey-haired man by the College of General Studies door a block away, pinning him against the wall.
Shireen jogged after him, suddenly stopping to pick up what looked like a black notebook on the pavement.
“Is that…”
“Fuck.” The young woman leafed through the pages rapidly. “I can’t believe…fuck.”
“That’s confidential!” The man shouted.
“This aren’t your notes, you sick fuck!” Shireen shouted back. Arya realised that there were tears gathering at the corner of the other woman’s eyes.
“What—“
“He was experimenting on them.” Her voice was tight. “His patients.”
“The testosterone.”
“Exactly.” Shireen closed the book with a sharp snap.
Arya had to fight the urge to beat Dr. Qyburn’s face in as they approached him. The man had gone very, very pale, and deathly silent.
“How’d you know?”
“There’s a fire escape on the outside of the building.” Gendry removed his cell phone. “Excuse me…yeah…yeah…yeah, can someone please come over to Comm Ave? Arrested a guy fleeing the police, and I think there’s going to be a poisoning case. It's the...yeah it was the Martell...yeah, I know, but it definitely wasn't the guy's fault, sarge.”
It was then that she made her decision.
+++
“That was disgusting.”
Lyarra looked up as Arya closed the door behind her.
“So it was the doctor?”
“He was…there were a bunch of patients, Grandma. Shireen thinks he was sleeping with most of them. If you just keep giving people testosterone…”
“That is disgusting.”
“It was…I don’t know all of what was in that book, but she was really, really disturbed.”
“And her cousin?”
“He’ll try to talk them out of charging Alleras.”
“I was thinking more, will I be seeing him again?”
Arya removed a piece of paper from her pocket, and turned it so that Lyarra could see the number written on it.
Her grandmother grinned a little. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to."
She winked. "Well, he can always change his job, but I don't think that bum's going anywhere."
Lyarra's laughter filled up the room.