Chapter Text
Unknown Location
Saturday, Late Afternoon
The sight of the gas station felt like seeing a waterfall in the Crimson Waste. At first, she wasn’t sure if it was even real. It was the first place she’d seen since hauling herself out of the dense forest, but it looked real. The sidewalk she was forcing herself to move down was real. The empty street to her right was definitely real. This place had to have the help she was desperately searching for. It just had to. Her ankle was killing her. She was drenched in sweat, half from the hike, the other half from her raging fever that was well into the hundreds at this point.
Catra winced as she all but dragged herself into the convenience store attached to the small set of gas stations filling the small parking lot. She tightened her hold on the branch-turned-walking stick. Her sweating, trembling hands were barely hanging on at this point. She was still surprised the thing had held her weight this long. How long had she been going? Two hours? Three? She had no way to tell, because she hadn’t known what time it was when she’d made her initial escape. She took a deep breath as she leaned against the door to nudge it open, her body drinking in the fresh, cool air circulating through the small building.
As soon as she got inside, she glanced around, not surprised that the cashier was staring at her with wide eyes, his brows raised with concern. She didn’t bother to offer a greeting. She needed help- now. She had gotten herself this far, she wouldn’t get much farther in her condition. Not on her own, at least. “Can… can you please… I…” She had to take another deep breath as she took a few shaky steps towards the counter, her eyes searching for a clock to try and figure out how long she’d been out there. How long had it taken her to get here? How far away from that house was she at this point?
“Uhm… miss? Are you alright? I mean I see you…” The cashier -Kyle- if she was reading the little name tag right, did not seem to know what to do or how to handle this situation. She couldn’t blame him. She doubted he’d ever been put in this sort of position before.
“Just… call for an ambulance? Or… phone? So I can… so I can call my…” She couldn’t get more words to come out. She was exhausted, dehydrated, and it had been too long since she had her medication. She tried to fight the inevitable, just a little longer, but everything she’d been through the last- week? Month? She dreaded to think it had been longer. It couldn’t have been more than two weeks, realistically. She doubted she’d be alive if it had. Regardless of the timeframe though, It was all catching up to her, all at once. The fever, the pain in her joints, muscles, and ankle, and the stress and fear that had been straining her body since she’d been taken from that parking lot. She groans, her knees and injured ankle finally giving out as she collapsed in the middle of the store, the branch landing next to her. She faintly heard the sounds of the panicked cashier and a couple other bystanders around her. The employee briefly came back into her fading vision. The last thing she saw was his gaze trailing to the silver bracelet wrapped around her wrist as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. She thought she saw Cade come into her vision as she closed her eyes, but she could always be hallucinating. She probably was, her brother had no way to know where she was.
She could only hope the next time she opened her eyes, she would be someplace safe, someplace that could provide the medical care her body desperately needed. Someplace safe with her family. With Adora.
Someplace away from Him.
⚔
Two Months Ago
Brightmoon University Campus
The BMU Apartment Complex
Thursday, Morning
Catra was panting by the time she and Adora finally turned back into the parking lot of their apartment complex. Like every other day, the two spent their mornings exercising. They would walk around their block once or twice, then jog a lap. They’d always been able to keep up with each other for the most part, but by the end of their run, Catra was usually the more exhausted one of the two, though she tried not to let it show. It was never much use though, Adora always saw right through her.
“Are you okay?” Adora asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We could have slowed down if you needed to.”
Shaking her head, Catra took a deep breath, managing to hold back from coughing, for once, as they made their way through the parking lot. “I’m fine.” Catra assured, though she leaned slightly into Adora’s hold anyway.
Adora frowned, guiding Catra forward as they approached the entrance to their apartment building. She moved slowly, letting Catra catch her breath while she scanned her keycard at the door after fishing it out of her belt bag. Once the light on the scanner turned green, she opened the door, slid her card back into her bag, then started walking through the lobby with Catra towards the elevators. It was currently empty, and probably would be for a few more hours. “You know, we can always take things a little easier if you need to. We can just walk an extra lap if you don’t feel up to jogging. The last thing I want is for you to push yourself too far.” Adora couldn’t help but comment as they made their way into the elevator.
Catra glanced up at the blonde with a tired grin. “I’m fine, Adora. I promise. If I weren’t, you would be the first to know. Besides, after my Flareup a few weeks ago, it feels good to finally get our routine back in order.”
“Yeah well, your dads and your brother would kill me if I let you push yourself too hard too quickly.” The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, letting them step out into their hallway and start down towards their apartment. Compared to most kids that stayed in on-campus dorms, Catra considered her and Adora to be pretty lucky. They had an entire apartment together. They shared the two-bedroom place with Catra’s big brother, Cade, and Adora’s brother and sister-in-law lived on the floor above them. Catra’s family had been too nervous to let her stay in the regular dorms. Initially, her parents had wanted her to continue living with them while she was in college, but she’d shut that idea down faster than they could manifest a transportation plan. She made it abundantly clear that she wanted some sort of place of her own within walking distance of the campus, so her parents had to compromise. Her papa had said more than once that he’d rather her stay somewhere they can keep clean, and give them privacy during at-home treatments. It made everyone feel better when they finally got permission to let Cade move in with them too. She had no complaints. Cade and Adora were the two people in the world Catra was closest to aside from her parents.
Still, Catra rolled her eyes as they walked down the hallway. “Yeah? Well I’m going to kill them if they keep trying to do everything for me. I know the flareups can get bad, but it’s over now, and I’m back to normal.” Her normal at least. She appreciated it when her family assisted her in a crisis or flareup when she genuinely needed it (not that she would tell them that to their faces), but she also wanted to be as independent as possible.
“I know you are. You know I just worry, I can’t help it.” Adora gave Catra’s hand a gentle squeeze as they approached their apartment door. Cade and Adora both understand her wishes well enough at least. It was why they wanted to share an apartment together, to give Catra the independence she wanted while also having the safety net of her partner and brother who knew how to help her in an emergency. Her dads, however, were far more overbearing and over protective. Catra had found herself snapping at them one more than one occasion for doing too much. Finding herself in the hospital every other month was frustrating enough, and sometimes her parent’s doting and constant meddling was too much. She knew they meant well, and they’d talked about it several times as she got older. She understood why they were the way they were, but her emotions didn’t always care.
Catra took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. It was still early enough most people were still asleep or were just waking up, leaving the hallway in a rare state of serenity. Adora pulled her keycard back out of her belt bag once they approached their door, scanning it and pushing the door open. Once inside, Catra was quick to slip out of her running shoes and flop down on the couch with a sigh. She really needed to invest in walking shoes that had a wider fit. She smiled when Adora made her way over, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. “Oatmeal okay? I figured we could eat something light now and go out for lunch with the others later.”
Catra nodded. “Sounds good.” She had to be careful with her diet anyway. With how nauseated foods decided to make her sometimes, it was better to eat something she knew she wouldn’t give her any problems. She felt fine right now, but that could easily change on the fly. It was the reason her family made her wear the medical ID bracelet everywhere she went. Sometimes she was a little more adventurous from her ‘safe’ diet, but after the latest medical episode, she was not looking to give everyone another reason to play caretaker. She glanced down at the silver chain once Adora stood up and made her way into their kitchen to start breakfast. She fidgeted with the bracelet for a moment until she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She slid it out and turned the screen on with a couple taps. There were only a few notifications. One was an email from one of her professors about an art project due next week, another from the pharmacy reminding her to pick up her latest prescription later that day, and the newest one was from her papa, wishing her a good morning and reminding her about her IV treatment the following day. She softly exhaled through her nose. The IV was yet another reminder of how sick she really was, that there was a world of experiences she would probably never to get to have. It hadn’t been so bad growing up; she’d had her family and friends always working to make sure she was included, even if it was… a lot, sometimes. Now though? Now she was in college, and things were different. She understood, it was a lot easier to do those sorts of things for her when she was confined to a hospital room or her bedroom, but now that they all lived in apartments or dorms and had responsibilities of their own? She felt more distanced, probably more than a ‘normal’ college kid would. Which, she supposed, was technically what she’d asked for: more independence.
The sound of the microwave beeping pulled Catra out of her thoughts. She glanced back as Adora made her way over, two bowls of oatmeal and two spoons in hand. She took a seat, setting both bowls in front of them on the coffee table before taking a seat next to her. “…Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Adora.”
“Okay, okay.” Adora briefly held her hands up defensively before grabbing her spoon. She stirred the utensil in her bowl idly for a moment, watching as Catra took a few experimental bites. “…you only have one lecture between now and lunch right?”
Catra nodded, setting her spoon back in her bowl. “Yeah. I have my anatomy class. We have a test in a couple weeks so I really need to make it to class this time.” Her tail thumped against the front of the sofa once. She never liked missing classes if she could help it. She missed enough because of her appointments and sick days as it was. “I should be out before noon. We can meet at the bistro for lunch?” She paused to eat a little more before continuing. “I mean, I’ll probably bump into Cade on the way depending on the class he’s in right now.”
Adora smiled. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll let Adam and Tee know we’ll be there roughly around twelve thirty then if they have time to drop by.” It was always hit or miss with those two. It wasn’t often the two managed to line up their schedules for quick meetups. One was always either in class, working, or practicing with their respective sports team. It was likely that at least one of them would show up at Sweet Bee’s though. “Are you gonna use your employee discount today?”
Catra scoffed. “Obviously. I get them for a reason.” She grinned, standing with her empty bowl and heading into the kitchen. “If you’re nice today I might give you a little discount too.”
“If I’m ‘nice’, huh?” Adora smirked, following after Catra with her own empty bowl. She placed it in the dishwasher after rinsing both the bowl and spoon before turning to Catra. She wrapped her arms around the brunette, gently nudging a stray curl out of her face. “…You don’t actually get in trouble for doing that right?”
“Nah. Perfuma doesn’t care.” Catra laughed. “She knows I do it, but she also knows we don’t abuse it either.”
“Okay, good.” Adora pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, we should actually get ready for class now.”
Catra glanced at the clock on the wall and her ears perked up. “Yeah, let’s get on that before we’re both late… again.”
⚔
Halfmoon Heart Research Hospital
Brightmoon
Friday, Afternoon
Arriving at her father’s hospital always left Catra with mixed feelings. It was a special place, and very important for the future of medical research. Her fathers had literally built the place because of her, wanting to do everything in their power to make sure she got the very best care possible. There was literally a plaque in the front lobby explaining that the place was in honor of her and ensuring her health as well as that of other chronic and rare condition patients. It even mentioned terminal patients, and how they’d receive the best care possible as long as they could provide it. Every week she passed it was a reminder that despite all she’d been through, at least she’d indirectly helped people, human and hybrids alike, from all over Etheria get medical care they might’ve otherwise not had access to.
Taking a deep breath, Catra slowly stepped out of the taxi she’d called after paying, then made her way through the front doors as they slid open automatically. It was busy, as always. The main waiting room was never fully empty, not that she’d ever seen at least. She offered a wave to the receptionist as she passed the front desk and headed down a side hallway to the elevators. It was muscle memory at this point: get in the elevator, go to the second floor, take a right at the end of the hall. Her frequent visits to the hospital had her knowing almost every member of staff by name at this point. She could never pass a nurse or doctor without them waving or briefly greeting her.
Once she got out of the elevator and made her way down the hallway, she took a right and approached a set of sliding glass doors, the words ‘IV Treatment Center’ placed across both doors in bold, black lettering. Once she was close enough, the doors automatically slid open, letting her pass through into the waiting room.
“There she is.” A familiar voice called from behind the desk, smiling as Catra approached.
“Hey Jenn.” Catra greeted, leaning against the counter, waiting while the receptionist checked her in on the computer.
“How are you feeling? Any symptoms this week or side effects from your medications?” Jenn looked up at at her expectantly, like she already knew the answer, but had to ask her anyway.
“No, I think my body’s finally gotten itself regulated again after the last flareup.” She started fidgeting with her ID bracelet while waiting. “Is.. Cade in here today…?”
The receptionist grinned as she finished typing and looked back at the brunette. “Yes, of course he is. He always finds a way to weasel his way in here whenever you have an appointment.” That got a laugh out of Catra. It was true, and it was very rare for Cade not to be at one of her appointments if one of their parents weren’t. He always wanted to ensure that she handled the treatment well and was often the one who took her home afterwards to rest. That was something she genuinely appreciated, even if she’d never admit it to her brother.
“I figured he would be if Dad or Papa didn’t have him busy in the general clinic downstairs.”
“I believe both of your parents are quite busy today themselves. I think that in-turn gave Cade an easier day for his Residency.” Jenn grinned, clicking her mouse a couple times. “Alrighty dear, you are checked in. Nurse Lyra will come get you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” Catra smiled and stepped away from the counter, making her way over to a chair in the corner. There were a few other patients in the waiting area, either on their phones or watching the medical information playing on the TV mounted on the far wall. She recognized a couple of them by face, but she didn’t know any of their names.
While she waited, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and started scrolling her Phases timeline. She didn’t go online often, mostly due to the daily DM request spams and the amount of activity anything she posted got. She wasn’t famous or an influencer by any means, but her parents were rich, very rich, and very influential and well-known in the world of medical care and research. Being the center and foundation of everything they built just pushed her name out and around further. She wasn’t the biggest fan of online attention, she preferred a more private life, but she used her platform to document her journey with Fever Coat. She didn’t post everything, but sometimes she sat down and recorded a video to talk about it, or would post some pictures of the hospital or about her treatment. Thankfully, she had never been recognized outside of the hospital. She wasn’t sure she wanted someone coming up to her on the street or in a store. She spent enough time thinking about her health to also have to deal with strangers randomly asking her about it while she was going about a normal day.
Her feed was mostly photos from her friends and family, but she had a few accounts surrounding Fever Coat or Fever Coat patients that she followed, as well as a handful of music and art accounts. She liked a few art posts as she scrolled, as well as a recent gym photo Adora had made and a group photo Adam and Teela had posted the night before from their lunch date at the bistro. “C’yra Dr’iluth?”
Catra glanced up, seeing Nurse Lyra standing in the doorway that led back into the treatment area, smiling warmly at her. She hit the power button on her phone and slid it back into her pocket as she stood and made her way over to the nurse. “How are you feeling today?” Lyra asked as she closed the door behind them, leading them down a hallway and into one of the exam rooms.
“Fine, no new flareup symptoms or anything.” She replied simply as she sat down in the exam chair. She didn’t lean back in it yet, she never did until they were actually ready to put the IV in her arm. “I haven’t had any major side effects either.”
Lyra nodded, momentarily sitting down on a stool to mark some notes on her laptop for Catra’s chart. “You said no major side effects? What have you experienced?”
“Just the normal ones, fatigue and the occasional headache.” Those were normal at this point. They didn’t both happen every time, but it was normal enough that while it was standard procedure to be asked those questions, it was sometimes exasperating to repeat the same answers over and over again to doctors she’d had for years.
Lyra nodded, typing it into her chart before turning to face her patient. “Alright. Do you have any questions beforehand?”
Catra shook her head, sliding back into her chair and laying her head on the headrest. It had a little pillow built in for comfort that she always appreciated. “Nope, I’m good. I know the drill by now.”
The nurse chuckled, nodding. “I know you do.” She pulled the vital cart over and quickly checked Catra over. They were all normal, at least Catra’s normal, but the important thing was she had no fever. “How long has it been since your last fever?”
“Uhm… I guess about two weeks. I had one for a few days during the last flareup, but that should all be in my record from the hospital stay.” She’d been in the hospital for four days during her last episode running a high fever. It had been agonizing, one of her worse episodes in the last couple years.
“Alright, well I’m glad you’ve gotten back to pretty much normal.” After pushing the vitals cart back to the corner, Lyra made her way to the door. “Doctor Althea and Cade will be in here shortly.”
Catra nodded, watching the door close as Lyra took her leave. At least once the treatment actually started, she would get to drift off into a half-nap for the next hour. However she felt afterwards would determine how the rest of her day would go.
She heard a knock a moment later, and the door opened, Cade and Doctor Althea stepping into the room. “Hey Sis.” Cade grinned, taking a seat on the stool Lyra had used a moment ago.
“Hey.” Catra returned the smile, then turned to Althea as she hung the IV bag with her medication on the hook attached to the exam chair. “I’ve heard you had an easy day.” She returned the grin, watching her brother as his smile turned sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “You know I’d be here for your appointments regardless though.”
That, Catra did know. She was convinced he knew her appointment schedule more than she did. Her thoughts shifted when Althea gently placed her arm on the armrest, tying a tourniquet around her upper arm to find a vein while she gently ran an alcohol swab over the crook of her elbow. It always took a moment to find a vein through the fur, but once she did, it was simple inserting the needle and setting the catheter. Catra made sure to hold still as the needle was replaced with the cannula tubing and carefully secured with medical tape. She relaxed a little more once the tourniquet was finally removed. “There you go, honey.” Althea smiles, discarding the needle and tourniquet into the biohazard waste bin. “You know the deal by now, it’ll take around an hour for the bag to empty. Then we’ll keep you for fifteen minutes or so to make sure there’s no side effects.” She finished up by putting a pulse oximeter on her finger.
Catra nodded in understanding, despite having heard the instructions hundreds of times before. "Sounds good.”
“I’ll leave you here with Cade, call if you need anything.” The doctor offered a kind smile before stepping out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her with a quiet click.
Catra glanced back towards her brother. “Dad and Papa had a lot of meetings today huh..?”
“Yeah, they got an offer from another company that wants to work with us. I don’t have any details yet, but I’m sure I’ll know more soon if they decide to work with them. Or even if they don’t. They might wanna go out to dinner tonight, honestly.” He rolled his stool closer to the side of the exam chair, watching the monitor on her finger, just reminding himself that she was steady. “We can pick up Adora and go too if you’re feeling up to it after this.”
“Might be nice…” The medicine was clearly already working through her system. She was more relaxed now, blinking a little more than normal. She was always sluggish and sleepy during her treatment, the most common side effect it caused. It was something Catra appreciated, in all honesty. This treatment gave her an hour to relax and doze without feeling the most of, if not all of the pains she otherwise dealt with on a daily basis.
Cade’s smile softened at the sight of his little sister relaxing, clearly already fighting to hold her eyes open. “Doze off if you want, Catra. I’ll be here to watch your vitals.”
“‘Kay…” She murmured, letting her eyes drift closed. She never fully fell asleep. She was always at least slightly aware of what was going on around her, and who was in the room with her. Ninety percent of the time, it was just Cade, with Althea occasionally poking her head in to make sure everything was okay. She finally let her eyes drift closed.
When she opened her eyes again, it was to Doctor Althea removing the pulse oximeter from her finger. The IV was already out, a bandage wrapped around her arm like always. “There she is.” Althea smiled, handing the oximeter to Cade to return to the drawer in the counter. “How are you feeling, hun?”
Catra yawned, blinking a few times as she slowly sat up a little more against the chair. “Fine… jus’ tired…”
“Normal then.” Cade chuckled, gently brushing a stray curl out of Catra’s face.
Althea smiled. “Seems so. Just take your time waking up. You have to stay for at least fifteen minutes anyway.” She gently reminded. She finished disposing of the IV bag and catheter before looking back to Cade. “Once she’s awake and ready after the mandatory stay, feel free to take her to check out whenever.” She made her way to the door after removing and disposing of her gloves. “Have a good weekend Catra, I’ll see you next week alright?”
Catra offered a thumbs up, watching her doctor take her leave before yawning again. She blinked a few times, flexing her fingers and toes to work the circulation a little. “Just tired huh? Sounds like the medication did well this time. No weird or lingering pain right?” She shook her head at her brother’s question, rubbing at her wrist where a white patch of fur sat. That had always been one of the more glaringly obvious signs of her Fever Coat. She essentially had the Magicat version of Vitiligo. She had white patches of white fur in random places standing out against the brown: one on her cheek, a few on her arms and legs, varying in sizes. She rarely thought much about it though unless someone asked, or when Adora brushed her finger across the patch on her cheek. Admittedly, that habit of the blonde was kind of cute. She’d never said that out loud, but the purring it often elicited was probably a dead giveaway.
“Nope, all good.” Catra smiles, sitting up fully after another minute or so. “Did either of our parents say anything about dinner…?”
Cade laughed. “Yeah, actually. Papa texted me like half an hour ago asking if we wanted to go to the Shining City to eat tonight. If you’re up for it, of course.”
She thought about it for a moment, before nodding once. “Yeah, I’d like that. I feel fine, and that’ll be a lot better than whatever we could manage to cook for dinner at home.” She paused. “Sorry, that I could manage to cook.”
“Hey, Adora isn’t that bad of a chef.”
Catra slowly looked at her brother, raising an eyebrow, a move that immediately made him break into laughter. “Cade, the fire department got dispatched to our apartment when she tried to make Ramen. I don’t trust her with anything but the airfryer and the microwave.”
“I know, I know. I can’t say I’m that much better. I’m trying to learn in my spare time though. I don’t like relying on you to make dinner all the time, especially when you have bad days.” His tone had turned more concerned, that familiar worry for her that never seemed to fade made Catra’s heart ache a little. She rolled her eyes anyway, a small smile on her face.
“I have to be really down and out of it for that. Besides, I like cooking.” Cooking was a relaxing activity for her. Even on days when she had more pain or fatigue than normal, she would pull up a stool in the kitchen to sit down and cook from before she would turn to ordering takeout or letting the other two into her kitchen. Still, a chance to go out to a really nice restaurant and spend the evening with her family was an opportunity she wouldn’t pass up. “Anyway… just make sure to tell them we have to go pick up Adora before we meet them.”
“Already on it.” Cade replied, already typing away on his phone, which he tucked back into his coat pocket after sending his response. “Five more minutes and we’ll be able to check you out of here.”
“Good, I’m getting hungry.” Catra laughed, tugging her own phone out of her pocket to let Adora know to get ready.
The Shining City
Brightmoon
Friday, Evening
The Shining City was a fairly upscale family restaurant. It didn’t require reservations or anything, but the food quality was always fantastic, and while more expensive than a lot of places in the area, it wasn’t egregiously charged by any means. Catra strolled into the establishment hand-in-hand with Adora, Cade on her other side. Her brother let the hostess know who the rest of their party was, and she was quick to point them to where Cyrus and Ezekiel were already sitting.
“There you all are.” Cyrus smiled, the first to see them approach. He stood, gently wrapping his arms around Catra, who gently returned the embrace. “Seems like treatment went well today?”
Catra nodded, hugging Ezekiel next before taking a seat across from Cyrus. “Yeah, it went fine. I feel pretty good right now, honestly.” She smiled when Adora sat to her left, taking her hand, while Cade sat on her right.
“That’s great to hear, sweetheart.” Ezekiel smiled, pausing to let everyone order their drinks when the waitress passed before continuing. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well. Much better than a few weeks back, for sure.”
“Definitely. Getting back to my normal routine has been relieving.”
Cade waited for the conversation to fade, tearing his straw out of the paper packaging and dropping the straw into his drink before turning to Cyrus. “So, how did the meeting go?” He fidgeted with the paper covering he’d balled up as he spoke.
That made Cyrus’ demeanor soften, gripping his coffee mug a little tighter. He took a sip before setting it down and adjusting his glasses. “It was… something.” He tapped his finger on the table a couple times. “We went into the meeting with low expectations of actually working with the company, but we tried to be open-minded about it.”
“Who was it with?” Adora couldn’t help but ask. She didn’t know nearly as much about the medical research world as Cade and Catra’s parents did, but she always tried to stay somewhat in the loop.
“Prime Industries. Specifically the Velvet Glove branch that creates medical technology like prosthetics, accessibility tools like walkers and wheelchairs, and are currently looking into developments for biotech.” Ezekiel explained it as objectively as possible, though the hints of distain for the company still poked through a little.
“Well… that sounds like a good thing. What’s…” Adora glanced at Cade, who was shaking his head.
“The CEO and founder of the company isn’t the best of people.” Cyrus started, though had to pause when the waitress returned to take everyone’s order. After she stepped away, he recentered his thoughts before continuing. “The company is money first, aid second. All of the patients ‘assisted’ by them are either extremely wealthy, or extremely in debt.”
Adora furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh. Yeah, understood.”
“So, what did they want with you two?” Catra couldn’t help but ask. She’d heard of Prime Industries a few times online, but she’d never really given it much attention. “We don’t deal with prosthetics or anything…”
Ezekiel sighed, his ears twitching as he ran his fingers through his hair. “His pitch danced around the idea of working alongside us, ‘helping’ to provide our patients equipment in exchange for profits from our research and such.”
Catra blinked, an amused smile forming. “So. They wanted profits… from a nonprofit hospital…?”
“Evidently. We turned him down. Several times, actually. It took us more time trying to get the man to leave than it did to listen to his pitch.” Cyrus sighed, stirring another spoonful of sugar into his coffee.
“It’s okay, Papa. At least it’s done now.” Catra assured, her ID bracelet clinking against her glass as she took a drink. “Hopefully he got the hint and will take his shady business elsewhere.”
“One can only hope, mija.” Cyrus chuckled, though it lacked any real humor.
The conversation shifted to lighter topics once everyone’s meals were delivered, the family were quickly lost in their own little bubble in the restaurant.
Meanwhile, sitting alone at the bar, Catra had caught some unknown attention.
“Well well, who are you…?” He didn’t approach, didn’t interrupt anything, just took another drink of his cider, lying in wait for the moment. He had to make sure he chose the perfect moment to introduce himself. A woman as beautiful as she was would get his very best.
He just had to be patient.