Chapter 4
Chapter 3: A Gesture of Support
A couple of days after the medical emergency, Anya arrived at the lab early, noticing that Ellen looked particularly tired. She had worked through the night to go over the patient's records and ensure the AI system wouldn't malfunction again. Her face showed exhaustion, but she didn't let it show.
Anya watched silently, and without saying a word, she moved to Ellen's work desk and started organizing the messy papers. She knew Ellen preferred to do everything herself, but sometimes the small gestures were what really mattered.
"What are you doing?" Ellen asked, glancing at Anya with a bit of surprise.
"I'm helping," Anya replied with a calm smile. "You need to rest."
Ellen hesitated for a moment, but finally let her shoulders drop, defeated by the fatigue. She knew she had to keep going, but sometimes words weren’t necessary. Instead of fighting the need to control everything, she allowed Anya to support her.
"Thank you," Ellen said, her voice soft. It wasn’t something she said often, but the words came more easily now.
Without saying more, Anya placed a cup of tea next to Ellen. It was a small gesture, but enough to remind them both that, while each of them had faced struggles on their own, they were in this together now.