Touching Tension 5

Chapter Five: Between Us

The next morning, Evette parked in the far corner of the WellSouth lot--away from the regular shuffle of staff, away from curious eyes. She sat in the driver's seat for a long moment, watching the building she'd grown too familiar with.

She couldn't explain the pull in her gut, the way Brittany's voice had shifted yesterday--like there was something under the words. It wasn't even what she'd said. It was how she said it.

Evette had learned to listen for that kind of thing back on the ortho floor. Between night shifts and death tolls, between whispered secrets in linen closets, she'd learned when someone was not saying what they meant.

Today, she was going to stop pretending.

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Nurse's Station -- Late Morning

Brittany walked in with her usual grace--heels clicking, phone in one hand, clipboard in the other. But her eyes lifted, and the moment she spotted Evette by the station alone, something flickered across her face. She almost turned.

Evette stepped forward. "Hey. Got a minute?"

Brittany glanced at the nearest tech, then back at Evette. "My office?"

Evette nodded once.

They walked the length of the hallway in silence.

________________________________________

Brittany's Office

Evette didn't sit.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, back straight.

Brittany set her clipboard down, slower than usual. "Something on your mind?"

Evette turned to face her. "Did something happen with Eddie?"

Brittany blinked, too fast.

"Something like what?"

"Don't play me," Evette said, voice quiet but razor-sharp. "You know exactly what I'm asking."

Brittany's lips pressed together. "You think I'd cross that line with you?"

Evette let the silence answer for her.

Brittany leaned back in her chair, gaze leveling. "Evette... you and I have been through too much for you to think I'd go behind your back."

Evette stepped closer. "I don't think it. I feel it. You've been weird since he started. And yesterday--you practically glowed when you talked about the massage."

A long pause.

Then Brittany said, "He touched me, sure. He's a physical therapist. That's what he does."

Evette laughed once, humorless. "Don't do that. Don't hide behind job titles."

Brittany stood now too, slow and deliberate. "You remember ten years ago?"

Evette's mouth went dry. "Of course I do."

"I wasn't the only one who leaned in."

"That was different."

"How?" Brittany stepped closer. "Because it was after a shift? Because it was you and not your husband?"

Evette flinched.

"You think I'd be so reckless, so stupid, to screw over the only person who ever really had my back on that floor?" Brittany's voice was soft but shaking now.

Evette's eyes narrowed. "You're not answering me."

Brittany exhaled, turning to the door. Then: "Fine. You want truth? Here it is. He came over. I asked for a massage. My back and stomach were killing me."

She paused.

"And yes, I remembered what you said about his hands. Yes, I was curious. But I swear to God, Evette--I didn't plan for anything to happen."

Evette's heart thudded hard in her chest.

"So something did happen."

Brittany turned, pain flickering in her expression. "He didn't stop me."

Evette's world tilted, just a degree. But enough.

There it was.

The line wasn't just bent now--it was broken.

________________________________________

Outside Brittany's Office -- Moments Later

Evette walked out fast, jaw clenched, eyes locked on the hallway ahead. She didn't cry. Not yet.

Nurses passed her. A tech tried to say something about a vitals check. She didn't hear it.

She just kept walking.

She needed to find somewhere private. Somewhere to scream. Or break something.

Or maybe--

Maybe she needed to find Eddie first.

Because he didn't stop her.

And that made all the difference.