concordia

twenty three

word count: 947

date written: 3.8.19

verse: medical secrets au

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claire sat back on her heels, still clutching her blue crayon as she watched connie cross the room and collect her bag from where it was hanging by the door. "lunch now?" she asked, abandoning her unfinished drawing as she awkwardly pulled herself to her feet.

"that's right, darling," connie said, freeing her hair from under the strap of her bag as claire wandered over with her hand outstretched. "it's lunchtime." connie happily took her hand the moment she was within reach, guiding her out of the office. 

"mummy coming?" claire asked instead, looking up at connie as she gently closed the door behind them. the few times she'd had lunch at the hospital, elle had always joined them, and she was expecting her to be there this time as well. 

"yes, mummy will be there," connie confirmed gently, steering them down the corridor in the direction of the cafeteria. usually she just brought her own lunch to work, but claire had developed an almost odd taste for hospital food and clamored for it every time she was in the building. 

"i have banana?" claire questioned further as they turned the corner, skipping slightly to match connie's longer strides. connie nodded somewhat absently, sparing a polite smile for another doctor as they passed by. 

"yes, you can have a banana," she said. the cafeteria always had baskets of fruit available as a healthy alternative to dessert, and claire never failed to take a banana. she was so set on having one each time that connie even had a backup hidden in her bag to avoid a repeat of the last time the cafeteria hadn't had any available. claire smiled brightly at her answer, dancing slightly as they continued to walk, but her delight was shortlived.

"there you are." 

connie froze halfway down the corridor, gripping claire's hand tighter as she turned around and forced her to come to an abrupt stop. she looked over in confusion and immediately shrank back slightly when she discovered a familiar man approaching them. she still didn't know his name yet but what she did know was that he wasn't a very nice person. 

greg came to a stop in front of them, cocky as always, and if he could sense connie's warranted hostility, he blatantly ignored it. instead, he smiled when he spotted claire and crouched down to match her level. "and if it isn't darwin's little rising star," he said, reaching out to ruffle her curls. connie snapped into action before he could manage to, pulling claire back. 

"don't touch her," she hissed, tightening her hold of claire's hand and stepping in front of her, putting herself between them. greg smiled wryly before slowly rising to his feet again and returned his hands to his pockets as he looked her up and down. 

"you're making this harder than it needs to be, connie," he told her blankly. claire peered around connie's leg, blinking up at him with wide eyes. she'd been in the car the last time he'd appeared, barely able to see him through the window, and had missed most of the conversation. she wished she was in the car now too. 

"i think you'll find you're doing that on your own," connie retorted, glaring back at him. she knew what he was after but she had no intention of bending to his will. while he might have been able to convince her to cover his ass once upon a time, it wouldn't work anymore. not when she had so much more of value to lose if things went horribly wrong. "it's not my fault that you're incapable of taking 'no' for an answer." 

greg shook his head in amusement. "i never lose, connie," he reminded her firmly, "and i don't plan to start now so either you help me like a good little girl or regret refusing to." 

"how dare you threaten me," connie growled. she stepped towards him but immediately faltered when claire clung onto her hand. greg smirked. 

"i wouldn't call it a threat," he said innocently even though they both knew he was anything but. "more like a warning. you're not the only one with connections, connie." his gaze flickered down to where claire was still watching him from behind her mother's leg. "but you are the only one with weaknesses."

connie's jaw tightened, and she curled her free hand into a fist. "my answer is still no," she told him through gritted teeth, stubbornly holding his gaze with dark eyes. "and no amount of pathetic intimidation attempts or empty threats is going to change that." 

greg grinned, showing his teeth, and claire gasped quietly, reminded of a shark as she hid behind connie. "is that so," he said balefully, and although connie tensed slightly, she otherwise hid her unease. 

"my wife's waiting for us," she revealed tightly, ignoring his response. someone was expecting them. she knew he wouldn't risk holding them up for much longer in that knowledge. 

after a moment, greg reluctantly turned away. "clock's ticking, connie," he warned as he walked off, back the way he'd come. connie's eyes fluttered shut in relief when he eventually disappeared from view. no matter how hard she tried to avoid him, he always seemed to find her. something had to be done -- she had to strike before he could. she opened her eyes again when claire tugged firmly on her hand, bringing her back to reality.

"hungry," she said, pointing in the direction they'd been heading before greg's arrival. "go see mummy." connie sighed, forcing herself to smile, and she gave claire's hand a reassuring squeeze as they finally resumed their walk to the cafeteria. 

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continues in: 25

previously in: 22