January 10 2021
Simone caught AJ just outside the conference room after morning rounds. AJ was tucking a file under her arm, already half-focused on the next consult, when Simone blocked her path with a look that screamed we need to talk.
AJ arched a brow.
AJ - Something wrong with the case?
Simone- Not the case. Gabriel.
AJ's expression barely shifted, but Simone didn't miss the subtle tightening around her eyes.
AJ - What about him?
Simone crossed her arms.
Simone - He overheard you and Camilla the other day. Only thing he caught was 'don't pity him.' Now he thinks you see him as pathetic.
AJ blinked, thrown for half a beat, then exhaled slowly.
AJ - Of course he did.
Simone - Yeah, and he's been sulking around like a storm cloud ever since. I don't usually play messenger, but if I have to sit through one more rant about how you 'disrespect' him, I'm going to lob a scalpel at his head. So maybe clear it up before he combusts?
AJ rubbed her temple, muttering something in Spanish under her breath. She didn't like being forced into emotional cleanup, especially with an intern. But this wasn't the kind of misunderstanding she could let fester.
Later that afternoon, she found Gabriel in the charting room, hunched over a monitor, typing like the keys had offended him.
AJ - Luiz
she said evenly.He stiffened but didn't turn.
Gabriel - Dr. Brewster.
AJ - Look at me.
Reluctantly, he swiveled in his chair, his eyes guarded, his jaw set tight.
AJ folded her arms, her gaze steady.
AJ-You overheard something the other day. Camilla and me.
His throat worked.
Gabriel - Doesn't matter.
AJ - It does
she countered, her tone sharp enough to make him flinch.
AJ - Because you misunderstood. The words you heard weren't about me thinking you're pathetic. They were about me not letting myself pity you. There's a difference.
Gabriel frowned, confusion flickering with the anger in his eyes.
Gabriel - ...Not pitying me still sounds like pity.
AJ's lips curved in the faintest, sharpest smile.
AJ - No. It means I know exactly how smart you are, and how much potential you have, and I refuse to cheapen it by treating you like some lovesick child who needs rescuing. I expect you to be better than that. And you *can* be better than that.
The words landed heavy. Gabriel swallowed hard, his anger cracking at the edges.
Gabriel - So you've... known?
Her eyes didn't waver.
AJ - For a while.
Silence stretched. His chest was pounding, a mess of humiliation, relief, and something far more dangerous.
AJ leaned closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear.
AJ - Don't twist my words into something they're not, Luiz. I don't pity you. I see you. That's harder. So act like the man you want me to see.
Then she straightened, cool as ever, and walked out, leaving him stunned in her wake.
