The car was silent.
It was strange how the absence of something so simple as sound or conversation could drive a person mad.
At first, Charlie tried to cut the silence by skimming local radio stations, but somehow, the overexcitement of the DJs just made the pair seem even more uncomfortable. Then, Charlie briefly tried to set up the aux cable and queue up a playlist, but that was even worse because it reminded Charlie of the "Road Trip JAMZ" playlist she'd made with her roommates for their weekend trips.
So, it was silence.
It's not like Charlie wanted to talk to Landry Olsen.
In fact, there was nothing she wanted to do less.
So, she just thought. She pondered the precarious diagnosis still forming in her brain, planning potential treatment and accounting for errors she may have made in her rush to an answer in the library. She considered calling Ethan, but she talked herself out of it. It would be cruel to give him hope and then take it back when she realized she hadn't actually solved a medical mystery. It was better to wait... even if she had to wait with Landry.
Charlie peered at him with unease before finally blurting out, "Thank you. For getting the equipment, I mean."
Averting her eyes back to the road, she didn't have to meet his returning stare. It felt wrong to be nice to him, but how could she be a bitch when he was helping her save a man's life?
Landry awkwardly cleared his throat, "No problem."
"Any trouble stealing it?" Charlie didn't know why she asked the question. Truthfully, she didn't care if he had to dodge explosions and choreographed action sequences to get the equipment. She might have even been happier to hear that he'd faced trouble.
"Not at all," Landry admitted, "Apparently, I have an honest face."
Landry realized his mistake immediately, and Charlie awkwardly looked back at him as she murmured, "Yeah..."
The honest face of a rat.
Somehow, the silence that followed felt even more awkward, but at least it wasn't deafening this time. Landry's uncomfortable faux pas made it easy for Charlie to focus her attention on the road. Going off the directions she'd unnecessarily dictated to Ethan on her last drive into the river, Charlie had no difficultly finding the remote cabin, but with each unfamiliar turn, Landry grew uneasy.
"Where are we?"
"We're near the river," Charlie murmured, eyes peeled for the next turn, "Naveen's house should be close."
"He lives here?" Landry surveyed the lush tranquility around him, noting that it was a far cry from Edenbrook's city hustle, "He drove this far daily?"
Charlie shook her head, remembering the man she'd spent yesterday with as he tried to live out decades worth of hobbies and dreams, "He bought his dream home, but he was so busy with Edenbrook that he forgot to live there... I guess this is him trying to make up for lost time."
Landry nodded, silently squirming as he considered the life lesson Dr. Banerji had learned in his old age. Perhaps, in his old age, he too would see beyond his career ambitions, but he secretly hoped he didn't. If he ever experienced the epiphany of Dr. Banerji, Charlie would be the first ghost to haunt him.
"How do you know where it is?" Landry inquired, suddenly struck with how intimate Charlie seemed to be with Dr. Banerji's inner workings.
Charlie hesitated, suddenly aware of a responsibility to remain delicate and a strange urge to hide and protect the precious beginning she had with Dr. Ramsey. Unlike her closest friends, Landry was not worthy of her trust. Like a young boy stargazing, Landry would have done anything for his heroes, and he idolized Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Banerji as mythical heroes. He would have done anything to punish Charlie for the simple crime of living out his fantasy.
But something else held her tongue. The connection she shared with Ethan was delicate, prone to shattering at the mere idea of impropriety. Ethan was free to leave as he pleased, and in the name of her protection, he often did. If the rest of the world knew, Charlie would lose Ethan.
The idea of losing him struck her with unexpected intensity. She felt guilty for being so easily distracted from Naveen's condition, but the thought persisted.
Until she decided she couldn't think about it anymore.
"Personnel files," Charlie murmured, searching the passing trees for the hidden drive.
Landry watched her with uncertainty but didn't press. Even with his wild, cruel imagination, he never considered the truth.
Before another round of awkward small talk could ensue, Naveen's river cabin came into view. Outside, the river babbled a content tune, carried by a gentle wind that waved the nearby flowers and rustled the trees.
To Charlie's horror, the dock was empty. A half-finished painting lingered on an easel overlooking the water, but it was clear that it hadn't been touched in some time.
"I'll get the equipment," Landry's voice was calm, free from the panic that quickly consumed Charlie.
Guilt and concern drowned out the sound of his voice, replacing it with the sound of her own heartbeat. Carelessly leaving the car running, Charlie climbed out of the driver's seat and began searching the property for her dear grandmentor.
Every time he evaded her glance, she heard a whisper in the back of her mind, "You're too late..."
Despite insistently knocking on the windows of his cabin, she received no response by the time she reached the front door. After only a moment of hesitation, Charlie tried the lock and felt the door give way. Tiptoeing into the living room, she noted signs of life. The scent of chai lingered in the cottage, and almost all of the windows had been opened since she left the night before, allowing the breeze entry. Even more books had been disturbed, each marked nonchalantly with varying bookmarks. But no Naveen.
Deeply concerned, Charlie continued to look through the home, praying she'd find the smile she'd left the night before.
"Dear Charlotte?"
The voice was small and clearly labored, but it was Naveen.
Charlie spun around to see him gently rocking on a nearby chair in the corner, weaker than she had left him but still alive. Charlie choked back the oncoming sob that had been building since she'd stepped foot on his property, and she rushed towards him for a hug.
"What's this about?" Naveen chuckled, weakly patting her back as she hugged him dearly, "Where's Ethan?"
Wiping at her eyes, Charlie kneeled in front of her former boss, patting his hand as she admitted, "Ethan's not with me."
"Oh?" Naveen's lips quirked into a smile, "Last night, you looked like you two were about to have a fight for the ages or stay in bed all day. The lack of his presence implies the former."
"Both actually," Charlie admitted, "Though with the ethics hearing, Ethan wouldn't let me stay in bed all day."
Naveen squeezed the young girl's hand, overwhelmed with hope for his mentee. If Ethan could accept Charlie's love, there was still hope for him.
"So, what brings you to a dying man's side? Tomorrow, you have a very important hearing you should be preparing for."
"I think..." Charlie paused, trying to find perfect words that didn't exist, "I think I know what's wrong with you, and with your permission, I want to try to save you."
"Charlotte," Naveen smiled sadly, "I'm not going back to the hospital. Ethan is correct when he says you have potential, but this is one mystery that will remain unsolved."
Knock. Knock.
Charlie jumped, having already forgotten that Landry had accompanied her. After she ran off, he waited for her return and eventually followed an unsure path around the house, searching for signs of his partner before ultimately knocking on the front door.
"Listen, I just need a few minutes. There's another resident on the other side of your front door, and if you let us, we'll explain our theory. We brought all of the equipment we would need to test you, and if we're right, there's a treatment that could save you," Charlie stumbled through her speech, hope echoing with every word as she wiped at her eyes to prevent tears escaping, "I just need your permission. But if this is too much – if you've been through too much – I'll understand. I'll leave and never bring this up to another soul, not even Ethan."
As Naveen considered Charlie's proposal, it was almost as if the world stopped moving. The breeze came to a lull, ending the gentle melody of the windchimes outside. He may have reflected for seconds or years. Charlie's heart beat to a fast rhythm, fueled by fear and hope.
And then, Naveen conceded, "Deal."
Bursting with newfound energy and purpose, Charlie wasted no time in explaining her theory. She had almost finished her pitch by the time she opened the door for Landry, and as Naveen motioned for the young boy to set up the equipment in his living room, he chuckled at Charlie's anxious enthusiasm.
"That's quite clever," Naveen admitted, arm hooked on Charlie's as she led him to the sofa, "I never considered it... What inspired your epiphany?"
Charlie had an opportunity to claim the brilliant victory and exclude Landry, a devastating blow to her former friend. Such a move had the potential to match the cruelty Landry inflicted on her, but given the opportunity, Charlie faltered. So, she proved something the rankings had always implied but never fully determined – Charlie Greene is better than Landry Olsen.
"Dr. Olsen and I formed the idea together," Charlie watched as Landry's startled expression turned to guilt.
"I don't believe we've met, Dr. Olsen, but it's a pleasure to meet now," Naveen smiled up at Landry, leaving the young doctor flabbergasted.
"T-Thank you, Dr. Banerji. The pleasure's all mine."
With Landry starstruck, Charlie collected a sample and fed it into the molecular analysis system, anxiously waiting for the results. Landry filled the time by quizzing Dr. Banerji about his career, and he nearly seemed to forget the life-altering test being performed in the corner.
Beep. Beep. Beeeep.
The machine's alert gave everyone pause, and Charlie hurried to interpret the results.
"We got a hit! We were right!" Charlie covered her mouth in surprise, swallowing her excitement and happiness to read the rest of the results, "There's both a bacteria and a phage in your system. The phage is c2 and the bacteria is... Acinetobacter baumannii."
Naveen chuckled, "How fitting."
"What do you mean?" Landry prompted, surprised by the diagnostician's odd response.
"A. baumannii is a superbug only found in hospitals, resistant to any antibiotic. I have, quite literally, worked myself to death," Naveen explained, laughing harder now, and he began to cry as he tried to contain his laughter, "I always feared I missed out on life by spending all my time at the hospital. It appears I have in ways I never foresaw."
He turned to Charlie, patting her hand with disappointed yet dignified acceptance of his death sentence, "Charlie, you've done something remarkable. I'm thankful that you solved the final mystery of my life, but alas, there is no treatment. Nonetheless, be proud of yourself, just as I am."
The disappointment was crushing, and Charlie sank deeper into the sofa, fighting the urge to cry. How could they come so far and still lose him? How could she solve a mystery but not save the patient? Could she even look at Ethan now, knowing she almost saved Naveen but failed?
Charlie looked up, a sudden last attempt forming in her brain, "What if we tipped the scales?"
"What do you mean?" Naveen questioned.
"As in... in favor of the phage?" Landry asked incredulously.
"So far, their war has been an even fight, neither side able to wipe the other out. But if we inject you with a massive dose of the phage..." Charlie defended her idea.
"Theoretically, the phage would wipe out the bacteria," Naveen thoughtfully affirmed.
Landry looked between Charlie and Naveen incredulously, "You're talking about pumping him full of a potentially lethal virus! The one causing the encephalitis! His brain will swell. By the time the phage kills the bacteria, it'll have killed him, too."
"At this point, Dr. Olsen, I'm going to die of something. And very soon," Naveen sighed.
"If we get the dosage wrong, it's lethal. but if we get it right, then we should have just enough time to cure the phage before it kills him," Charlie argued, slowly becoming more confident in her idea.
"Phage therapy is extremely risky! Getting the dosage right would be a pure gamble," Landry shook his head, amazed that both of the doctors in front of him were willing to take such a risk, "I'm no expert, and I'm sorry, Dr. Banerji, but neither are you."
"No," Naveen smiled softly, turning to Charlie knowingly, "but I know someone who is."
Ethan.
"Oh..." Charlie paused with the weight of Naveen's words. They needed to call Ethan... which meant she had to tell him the truth of what she'd done today, "S-Should you call him?"
Landry, once again, felt out of the loop and asked, "Dr. Ramsey? Are we talking about Dr. Ramsey?"
Both doctors ignored him.
"You're more familiar with the diagnosis," Naveen pushed Charlie, casting his eyes to her discarded smartphone on the sofa beside him.
Chewing on her lower lip, Charlie nodded resolutely, forcing herself to retrieve the phone and open his contact, "I'll just... call him," Charlie sounded the words out carefully, ignoring the growing anxiety in her stomach. Calling her lover and admitting that she'd mislead him was uncomfortable but doable. Calling him and giving him hope that he could finally save his mentor, even with slim odds? She would expose Ethan to the hope he'd carefully avoided for his own protection, and vulnerability was practically a death sentence for Ethan.
But she couldn't waste time, and she had to do it.
"I'll be right back," Charlie pressed the call button and stepped out of the living room, ignoring Landry's questions about who they were even talking about. As the phone rang, she kept walking until she reached the edge of the dock.
Outside, the desperate scene within the cabin felt distant. The river was still calm, gently rippling beneath the dock, and the birds innocently chirped.
"Charlie?" Ethan's confusion was evident. He hadn't expected to hear from her until later tonight, and even then, he anticipated a short text indicating whether or not she intended to come to his apartment. A call was suspicious.
"Hey," Charlie considered wasting time with pleasantries and even small talk, but she blurted out, "I need you to come to Naveen's cabin as soon as possible."
"What?" Ethan asked incredulously, "Naveen's cabin? Charlie, what are you doing there? You should be studying! Tomorrow is important-"
"I solved it."
There was a pause.
"What?"
Charlie explained her diagnosis and how she'd driven up to Naveen's cabin with Landry to test him, only for the theory to be confirmed. She didn't give Ethan time to be shocked before she explained her dangerous suggested treatment. When she was done, she waited for his response, unsure how he would react.
"My God..." Ethan breathed.
"You're the only one who can do the phage therapy," Charlie eyed the cabin carefully, looking through the expansive glass to the diagnostician inside. Lowering her voice, she admitted, "I don't think he has long left. It needs to be today."
Charlie imagined Ethan on the other line. She could see his pensive stare, his lips forming a tight line as he weighed his options. She wondered what emotions lurked beneath his careful words – fear, anxiety, maybe even anger.
"I'll be there in an hour."
Ethan drove up the familiar drive with a lump in his throat.
Denial hadn't gotten him anywhere. He was still staring down the barrel, but now, the finger was closer to the trigger. Naveen had given him a perfect farewell, a day by the river with dinner and laughter. They'd painted mediocre paintings, played silly games, and shared delicious wine. He'd given his approval of Charlie, which was hardly a surprise but still comforted Ethan.
When Ethan drove away last night, part of him expected it to be the last time he saw his dear friend, and as far as last memories go, it was a good one.
But now, there were new possibilities.
Perhaps Charlie performed a miracle, and they would save Naveen's life. Maybe they would carry on as they did before.
Or perhaps they would fail. Despite Charlie's diagnosis, the risky treatment would not save Dr. Banerji. Instead, Ethan would be faced with his friend's death and could find culpability in his own failure.
Either way, Ethan was struck with a feeling that his world had changed. His story was being rewritten, and he no longer knew the ending.
When Ethan exited his car, he saw an unfamiliar one waiting in the driveway – likely that of the doctor who drove Charlie to the suburbs.
There were two familiar figures sharing the nearby tree swing, gently rocking with the wind and whispering to one another. Ethan absently wondered what those two had to talk about but accepted that neither of them would ever tell. Even if it was innocuous, they would like to make Ethan curious.
Charlie caught sight of Ethan and turned to face him, offering a surprisingly bright smile when she realized it was him. Naveen, though declining, noted that it was her first true smile since arriving to his cabin.
Rousing Naveen from his seat, she held out a hand to begin walking back to the house. They'd left the house only a half hour before, when Landry's questions grew tiresome for the physician. She'd offered to take him to the dock, but he only made it as far as the swing. There, she'd tried to keep him awake by talking. They'd shared some gossip – mostly salacious hospital gossip – before discussing Charlie herself. Naveen had lots of advice for his young protégé, most of it about how to take care of Ethan should he not survive, but the rest varied from how to win her hearing to how to make the dishwater coffee at Edenbrook drinkable.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Charlie offered as Naveen hooked his arm through hers, "We'll still love you."
"I want to, dear girl," Naveen nodded his approval, "One last push, am I right?"
Charlie nodded in agreement, helping him to the cabin. When they got close enough, Naveen nodded to Ethan.
"Hello, Ethan."
"Naveen, you look..." Ethan trailed off, overcome with how frail his strong mentor had become.
"Almost as bad as you do," Naveen quipped.
Ethan laughed softly, averting his eyes to the medical bag he'd prepared.
"Well, considering everything, I look fine," Charlie interjected, trying to lessen the obvious tension. She nodded towards the house, "Let's do this."
After a moment's hesitation, the three stepped into the cabin and accepted what they were all about to do. Charlie led Naveen to the couch, making sure he was comfortable before she moved to assist Ethan with whatever he needed.
Ethan stopped at the threshold, staring at Landry Olsen in confusion.
In Charlie's brief synopsis of the day, she'd neglected to mention Landry's role, but Ethan sure as hell knew who he was. When Ethan picked drunk Charlie up only a few nights before, he'd heard all about Landry Olsen, the rat. He'd betrayed Charlie and endangered patients, and Ethan hated him.
Landry, who had been nervously twiddling his thumbs while Charlie and Naveen spoke outside, was awestruck with Ethan. Working with him on a case was his dream, even if it was an unfortunate event like this one. But something about Dr. Ramsey's gaze made Landry squirm...
Ethan looked pointedly at Landry and then back at Charlie in a silent question. Charlie shook her head, giving out an exasperated sigh as she murmured, "He's helping."
"He's helping?" Ethan whispered back, "You've got to be kidding."
"He helped me form the diagnosis," Charlie admitted as she helped Ethan unpack his bag, "Without him, I couldn't have gotten the equipment I needed to test Naveen."
"You could have called me, not him," Ethan motioned towards Landry in disgust.
"You quit, remember?"
"I can still get in the hospital, Charlie."
"I..." Charlie paused, hands empty now that she'd run out of things to help him with, "I couldn't call you yet. Not until I knew. I couldn't... I couldn't get your hopes up until I knew."
"Oh."
Ethan was looking at her strangely now. Charlie didn't know this stare. She wasn't even sure if she'd seen it before.
He was overcome with something that felt foreign. She cared for him. She sacrificed ease and comfort to protect him, and it made him...
There was a four-letter word running through his mind, and he struggled to ignore it.
Trying to shake himself out of it, Ethan returned to the task at hand. Unzipping the cooler, he carefully extracted the pre-prepared serum. Now facing Naveen, he explained, "This should be the exact amount of c2 bacteriophage to overwhelm the A. baumannii while still giving us time to eradicate the phage before it kills you... if my calculations are correct."
Naveen smiled reassuringly, "They are."
As Ethan stepped forward with the syringe, Charlie wanted to follow. She wanted to comfort Ethan and stay by his side through the difficult act, but she knew she couldn't. So, she stayed behind as Ethan joined him on the couch.
Ethan prepared Naveen's arm, trying to convince himself that this was any other patient.
"I'm sorry, old friend," Naveen murmured to his protégé.
"You? What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one who failed," Ethan's words were uncommonly raw, and for the two residents in the room, they felt as if it was something they were never meant to hear.
"No. I failed you," Naveen explained, "When I thought I was incurable, I pulled away from you. I thought I was doing both of us a favor."
"How?"
"I wanted you to stop seeing me as a mentor. I didn't want you to repeat my mistakes," Naveen admitted.
"What mistakes? Being great at what you do?" Ethan asked skeptically.
"Obsessing over being great. Neglected friendships. Missed chances," Naveen chuckled, "I was so singularly focused that I never even stopped to have a family... or a life."
"Naveen –"
"But maybe I was wrong after all. Maybe I didn't miss out on life," Naveen mused, "When you're slowly dying, you have so much time to think. But I haven't been thinking about anything I thought I'd missed. I've been remembering all the joy I've experienced. All the brilliant young doctors I've had the privilege of watching grow. The bravery of my patients. The love and loss of their families... I've experienced more of life than anyone could hope to in a hundred years."
Naveen rested his other hand atop Ethan's.
"And I realized... I did have a family after all."
Overwhelmed with the sentiment, Ethan's eyes filled with tears, and he coughed awkwardly to avoid a display of emotion.
"I'm going to inject the phage now. And I need you to fight it. I need you to live. Got it?" Ethan's eyes held meaning that Naveen understood clearly, and he nodded his agreement.
Holding Naveen's hand, Ethan injected the virus. As Naveen leaned back and accepted the treatment, the young doctors surrounding him waited in silence.
For hours, they monitored him. Occasionally, one would disappear to go to the bathroom or retrieve a glass of water, but they remained dedicated to the patient before them. Landry didn't dare fill the time with questioning Dr. Ramsey, even though he desperately wanted to.
Sometimes, he just watched Dr. Ramsey and Charlie. They sat beside each other on the couch, not touching or even speaking, but there was an undeniable attachment. Landry's blood ran cold when he realized that it was an attachment he could never mirror. Jealousy hadn't gotten him very far... It wouldn't create his dream relationship with the prestigious doctor. It wouldn't determine a fabulous career. It just destroyed his relationships... And when Ethan occasionally glanced at Landry, he knew that he wasn't going to win his favor any time soon.
Finally, Landry excused himself, leaving just Charlie and Ethan alone.
Instinctively, Charlie's hand found Ethan's, and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"You shouldn't be here..."
Charlie's eyes darted to him, "What?"
"Naveen's state implies that your plan is working, and if it is, he'll require overnight attention. You can't do that, Charlie."
"I'm not about to give up, Ethan. I'm seeing this through."
"You have," Ethan's voice was stern, "If he survives tonight, he survives because of you. But if you stay here, he may be the last patient you ever save. Go home. Prepare for your hearing."
Charlie shook her head and paced the living room, trying to exercise her annoyance and tension, "I can't just leave you here."
"You can, and you will," Ethan was frustrated to see her stubborn response, but he wasn't surprised. If it wasn't for her stubborn nature, they wouldn't be here at all.
"You're not my boss anymore. You can't make me go," Charlie crossed her arms defiantly.
"You're right, Rookie," Ethan nodded thoughtfully, "But I wouldn't ask you to go if I didn't believe it was the best decision."
Charlie averted her gaze, growing angry as she realized he was right. It was the logical decision, but damn it, she didn't want to be logical.
"Let me stay with you, please," Charlie found herself begging, "Don't send me away."
Ethan stood, eyeing the doctor in front of him. It was still strange for him to see all of Charlie – the doctor, the woman, the smile. In a moment that may define her career, she was more than a doctor. She was someone who cared for him, begging to stay, and he couldn't let her. Part of him wanted her to stay, of course, but it was almost as if that voice got no say. The idea was illogical and so removed that it never occurred to him to listen.
"I'm not sending you away," Ethan crossed the distance between them, hand on either of her cheeks. He leaned his forehead to hers, gently kissing her nose, "This is the right decision."
Charlie remained silent, nodding as she slowly accepted the decision, "Okay."
"Thank you," Ethan whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"I would have liked to come over tonight," Charlie murmured, startled by the memory of this morning. Last night felt so far away... and the plans they'd made were now just ideas.
"Another time?" Ethan suggested, kissing her again. This time, it felt different. The kiss was the same, but the sentiment felt dangerous. Everything had changed, and now, Charlie wasn't as convinced she would get a next time. He smiled at her one more time before moving away. Charlie's fingers ghosted her cheeks where his hands had just been, missing their warmth. She watched as he crossed the room to check on Naveen.
Before she could say anything else, Landry returned.
"He's unresponsive," Ethan announced, "I'll need to run further tests, but this is the encephalitis getting worse."
"That means the phage is winning! Our plan is working!" Landry's excitement was a stark contrast to Charlie's conflicted nod. She wondered how much of his excitement came from the thrill of saving Dr. Banerji and how much could be attributed to his selfish desire to prove himself to Dr. Ramsey.
"Now, things get dangerous," Ethan willfully ignored Landry, "I'm going to have to carefully monitor him overnight. You two should head home."
"Are you sure?" Landry clarified, "I'll stay if you need any help."
"I'm sure," Ethan affirmed, "Can you take Charlie home?"
"Of course," Landry swallowed his disappointment that he didn't receive a personalized compliment, and Charlie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
She began collecting the equipment that Landry had stolen, carefully packing it so that there would be no sign that it had been stolen in the first place. Landry assisted, and unfortunately, with his help, it didn't take long at all. As the two doctors began to leave, Charlie stopped, and looking over her shoulder, she said, "Good night, Dr. Ramsey."
He smiled softly, nodding his goodbye, "Good night, Dr. Greene. Thank you for your work today."
Though he hesitated, Ethan forced himself to compliment Dr. Olsen as well. Even if he was a rat, he worked hard, and Charlie couldn't have saved Naveen without him. "Good work, Dr. Olsen."
Dr. Olsen's happiness was evident, but it was tainted with regret and shame.
"T-Thank you, Dr. Ramsey."
And with that, Charlie and Landry left the cabin.
Maybe Charlie would have walked slower if she'd known all that had changed. Her diagnosis sent all of Edenbrook in a new direction, and it would be days before she would understand. But one day, she would. And she wished she'd stayed just a bit longer and held on just a bit tighter...
But they found a cure, and Naveen was saved. And she had to hold on to that.