Curious Jealousy- a F!Shenko Fic

Chapter Four: Undercover

Adria looked different outside of work than she did in the hospital. For starters, she wasn't wearing the standard white doctor coat and her brown hair was down and falling just past her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of black pants and a simple white baby doll tee. She was practically the opposite of Shepard. Shepard was wearing her standard Alliance BDUs (comfortable, hassle free), her normal combat boots, and her hair was short and stuffed under a hat- so need to worry about that.

"Lia!" Adria greeted happily, sitting down fluidly.

It took a minute for Shepard to unclench her jaw from irritation. Of course, she wasn't quite sure what she was irritated with (and, of course, she was finding that she wasn't too fond of jealousy). "Adria, how was the rest of your shift?"

At least she had enough courtesy to look uneasy. "There was a small problem right after you left, but everything's taken care of."

Shepard felt as though her heart stopped, but she looked at Adria with an evenness that startled the other woman. "What happened?" her voice was both commanding and...gentle- as though she was doing nothing more than convincing a child that, as long as the child told the truth, she wouldn't get too angry about the child getting a cookie before dinner.

"It was nothing too bad," she said, picking up her glass and taking a sip- a sip!- before setting it down. "His heart rate has been sporadic since he was brought in, but it seemed to settle down for a little while, but it suddenly spiked right after you left."

A strange smell filled Shepard's nose. It wasn't offensive- just not something she smelled every day. "But you're a neurologist, not a cardiologist," Shepard pointed out, raising an eyebrow and her glass- pleased to find she had a slight buzz going on (she would have had a much better one if that Asari had let her have the three other shots of Ryncol).

Adria, again, looked surprised. "I am, but Kaidan's my only patient at the current time, so I helped out." A slight pause. "How did you know that?"

Biting back a smirk, Shepard shrugged. "I'm Alliance and I have connections- most of which are classified. But, also, I have a friend in the information business." No need to let her know that her friend was the leader of the information business.

"You really care for him, don't you?"

There was a question that Shepard had always hoped to never be asked from anyone not in her close circle. Picking her words carefully, she said, "I respect him. We were very close once and I just want to look out for him."

They both sat in silence, drinking their mead, as they thought about it.

"You wanted to make sure that I'm the best- that was the main reason you wanted to have drinks." It wasn't a question. "I'm sure that you know all my credentials."

Lavender. That strange smell had been lavender. Kaidan had dated a woman who smelled like a feminine, little purple flower. Something about that fact irritated Shepard even further. "I do, but credentials only tell me so much about a person. I need to figure out how invested you're in him as a person."

Adria looked down at the table, her glass still three quarters full. "We went out on a few dates a year ago, but we've stayed friends." It was getting steadily harder to ignore the desire to do something rash and unlike herself.

Shepard pursed her lips and struggled not to ask a damning question. "You do understand that that'll make treating him harder," she said instead.

"No, actually, I think it'll make it easier. It means that I have a greater appreciation for his life. He's a good man and deserves to live." The small little smile that teased on Adria's face had Shepard questioning her higher ground morality. She contemplated the consequences of punching Kaidan's pretty ex-girlfriend doctor in the mouth and walking away. It was a tantalizing thought.

Working her jaw a few times, Shepard refused to look at Adria as she silently cursed her parents for the morality they had instilled in her since birth. "He deserves to live and be happy." She looked back up. "Is there anything he might need?"

Adria looked confused. "No, his medical expenses are covered by the Alliance."

Standing, Shepard looked down at the pretty brunette and nodded somberly. "I have a meeting that I need to get to. If you figure out anything- anything- that he needs, send me a message and I'll see to it that it's provided."

"Lia-"

"You're nice- obviously a good person. Take care of him," she demanded, hating the closed feeling in her throat.

Shepard turned on her heel and left the bar after waving a hand to the waitress. They had her information on file, anyway. She had a meeting with the Council.

Oh, joy.