Collateral The morning came too fast, dragging light across sterile tile like a blade. Nora had barely closed her eyes, but she didn't need rest. She needed control. Control over her mind, her face, her pulse. Especially today. Especially now that she knew he was here walking these same halls, touching lives with the same hands that once signed Lily's death.
She walked into the staff breakroom with her usual silence, blending in with the hum of coffee machines and chatter about rounds and rotations. No one suspected her. That was the point. To them, she was still the ambitious new intern, quiet but competent, always early, never messy. But under the surface, something sharp waited. Just out of reach. Just beneath skin.
"Morning, Keane."
The voice belonged to Dr. Rowan Hayes trauma resident, observant, a little too friendly for someone Nora hadn't decided if she could trust. He handed her a coffee without asking how she took it. She accepted it with a nod, eyes already scanning the board behind him. Assignments. Notes. A scribbled name in red marker: Brenner.
"He's got the Cardio observation today," Rowan said, following her gaze. "Some patient came in last night with post-op complications. You'd think a guy like him wouldn't bother with the grunt work."
Nora sipped slowly, forcing her expression to remain blank. "Maybe he's trying to be useful."
Rowan tilted his head, narrowing his eyes just slightly. "You really don't like him, do you?"
She didn't blink. "I don't know him."
He studied her for a second too long. Then he smiled easy, warm. "Fair enough."
But Nora caught it. The flicker. The curiosity behind his eyes. People who noticed too much were dangerous. She'd have to manage him. Not silence him yet. But steer him away, softly, the way a surgeon moves around a nerve.
Later, on the cardio floor, Nora passed Brenner in the hallway. He didn't look at her. She didn't expect him to. His ego moved faster than his memory. But when he stopped to flirt with a nurse light touch, empty praise Nora felt her teeth clench behind her mask. Not yet. She reminded herself with every step.
Not yet.
In the chart room, she found Lily's old file again. Not the original, of course. That had vanished years ago, shredded or buried under legal silence. But fragments remained. Notes. Comments. References to "case B-17." She ran her fingers along the paper, searching for holes. For ghosts. For patterns.
She found one.
An unexplained delay in ordering labs.
Another in administering meds.
A different attending listed on the final note but the handwriting matched Brenner's.
Her grip tightened on the page.
She needed more. A copy. A link. Something that could live outside this room in case someone tried to erase her all over again.
Just then, a voice broke the silence.
"Looking for something?"
She turned. Elias stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a look on his face that wasn't exactly suspicion but it wasn't casual either.
Nora straightened. "Reviewing archival inconsistencies. I like to understand the system's weak points."
Elias stepped in, glanced at the file. Too fast to read. But enough to feel something. "That case is from almost ten years ago."
"I know."
He held her gaze for a second. "You dig deep, Keane."
"Better than digging wrong."
A silence stretched. Not hostile. Not warm.
Then he gave a faint nod and stepped back. "Be careful. The system doesn't like being questioned."
She smiled, just barely. "Neither do I."
Teaser Chapter 5 – "Echoes in White"
She wanted control, not connection.
But some allies don't ask permission.
And some enemies?
They leave paper trails.