“Your mom?” he asked. “Was she a doctor too?”
Bell nodded.
“She must be proud of you, taking after her.” Galen smiled warmly.
Bell looked away.
“She was the first doctor I trained under,” she smiled. “From the time I was ten, I started going to the clinic with her and training every day. I was performing basic procedures on my own by thirteen.”
“That’s impressive.” Galen grinned slightly as he tried to imagine her at that age.
“It was necessary,” Bell replied quietly.
Galen looked at her carefully, there was something strange in the way she answered.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
Their eyes locked, he saw sadness, pain, and a longing. She saw empathy, protection, and care. Bell turned away from him, standing up.
“I’m fine,” she sighed, “my mom died. Both of my parents, actually, when I was fifteen.”
Bell moved over to the shelf, adjusting the books, fiddling with their order. Keeping herself distracted as she waited for the pity that Galen would no doubt pour on her.
