Harvey felt the presence of another from behind him, and though he had his suspicions about who would be trailing after him, the familiar perfume that overwhelmed his senses confirmed it.

Pointedly, he replied, "not your place, Davis. You're my employee, not my friend, and certainly not my counselor. What I do on my time is my business, and I'm on my time for another twenty minutes."

He paused for just a second, continued walking, then broke into an uneven run that would surely not last. He waited until he was clear of Davis before walking breathlessly, then stopping, trying to catch his breath. She was right, but he couldn't admit that. If he wasn't right, what was he?

Sighing with defeat, he hung his head and started the walk back to the building he was staying in to shower and change since he was obviously not in any condition to spend the coming hours studying with Davis, then attending dinner, then socializing. In fact, he was so royally annoyed by Kate's antics he was hellbent on looking his absolute best with no regard for the effect that may have on Davis or anyone else at this convention that was enticed by his good looks.

His thoughts remained on Davis as he stood in the shower, the water messing up his hair and reminding him of her gentle touch from hours earlier. It was barely anything, yet he couldn't keep his mind off it. Even Kate hadn't had him wrapped around her the way Davis did, and it only annoyed him further. She was infuriating and yet addictive in the most peculiar way, and he couldn't help but trace the path her fingers had taken down his face.

It didn't take long for him to dress his best, his hair wet but combed, darker than normal and somehow more attractive. He glanced at himself in the mirror once more before exiting, months of their research stored in a folder in his hand. After much deliberation, he found his way to Emilia's hotel room door, knocking quietly should anyone else on his team be around. As soon as she opened, he cleared his throat, holding her curious gaze.

"I have a theory about what's wrong with Tyson."

Emilia couldn’t exactly help but snicker a bit at his words. “Well, I tried.” She mumbled, turning back towards the crowd to go and mingle. She went and grabbed her drink from the table and downed it in about one swig, and then finally gave a very pointed look to Ethan. “Sometimes, I truly don’t know how you handle him.” She said, setting the glass back down on the table with a sigh. She stuck around at lunch for a bit longer, mingling with the other doctors and having decent conversations with them too. Thankfully, it was enough to take her mind off other things.

When she had enough, she headed back to her room, to relax as well as think more on her brothers case. She had changed into a white t-shirt and loose black pajama bottoms, and was on her bed, surrounded by textbooks, her laptop and all of her notebooks with scribbles of some legible and some illegible notes. She was scrutinizing everything, her brain going a million miles a minute to find more to do for Tyson when they all get home. More than anything, it was killing her to not be with him, to be spending time with him, and figuring out what was wrong with him as well.

She finally decided it would be a good idea to look decent for the fancy dinner-thing they had to attend tonight. Thankfully, she had brought one more fancy dress to wear as well. She had done her makeup so that her eyes stood out more than anything, but that tended to be easy with them being so blue. She had put on a long silver dress, covered with beading from the hips up, a plunging neckline and a slit that, this time, came up higher, to about the mid-thigh. She would put it all together with a decently high pair of heels, and lightly curled hair that perfectly framed her face.

As it wasn’t nearly time to head down yet, she continued looking into the textbooks sprawled all over her bed, when there was a soft knock at the door. Without looking through the peephole, she answered it, curious who it might be of course, but never expecting it to be Harvey of all people.

He seemed to be holding something in his hands, and spoke words of which she had been waiting to hear for about 2 and a half months, of which her brother seemed to be rotting in a hospital bed. Of course, her reaction was not that of happiness really, more of surprise. Surprise that he was at her door, and frankly, at how he looked. She hadn’t ever seen him this way, in such a nice tux, with styled hair, and a fairly expensive cologne wafting off of him.

Without saying anything, she merely opened the door a bit more for him and turned into her room, sitting back onto her bed with the masses of papers and notebooks and textbooks, to finish writing whatever thought she needed to before he had shown up. She stayed there, and crossed her legs, not purposefully trying to show herself off in any way, and leaned back onto her arms. “Alright, let me hear it.”

Harvey's breath hitched in his throat as she answered the door looking like that. Sure, he'd accused her of being the female him, but had never assumed that ran as deep as both of them deciding to get dressed up early--and to this extent.

Where was his stress ball when he needed it? It took all of the self control he had to keep his focus on her eyes, which were bluer than he'd ever seen them. Every now and again he faltered, his gaze absorbing every inch of that dress for as long as it could until his mind returned to the matter at hand, and the matter of professionalism. But at this point, was what he was maintaining worth more than what he was losing?

It only got worse from there. The entire room smelled of her perfume, a constant reminder of what it felt like to be close to her. One second he would be fine, the next he would crave her touch. It couldn't go on like this for long, and they both knew it. The question was, what would come of all of it?

She sat back on her bed and a mischievous smirk crept onto his lips. He crossed his arms and watched her with an undetectable expression on his face--even now he was a mystery, an anomaly. But he knew exactly what she was doing, and so painfully well at that.

He couldn't stoop to her level, but he could certainly take it in. He was less avoidant today than the day prior, but still polite, professional, businesslike in the way he conducted himself. He tried to clear the perfume-induced haze from his brain as he spoke.

"We ruled out cardiomyopathy months ago, but I had one of the doctors who specializes in genetics run some tests while we we've been gone. They indicate a...unique...strand of protein that could point to a rare form of the disease, so I've given the go ahead for the cardio unit to run additional tests to see if that's what we're working with. There is some bad news, however--you could be genetically predisposed to it too."

Emilia’s mind was elsewhere, she barely noticed that Harvey’s gaze slipped from her face every so often to absorb the rest of her appearance. She knew how she looked, but she didn’t know that Harvey would be dressing up to nearly the same extent. She was biting the inside of her lip, it took a lot of self-control to not say something about his own appearance.

She took a deep breath, nearly craving Harvey for to be closer to her. Finally, after what seemed like eons, he spoke. Explaining the answer that they had been looking for, for months. As soon as he said that they had indicated a unique strand of protein that points to what’s wrong with him, a sort of half smile came to her face, even though he was telling her that she could have the same exact disease that was tearing her brother’s body apart.

“You know what’s funny, is I was just reading some information on gene-mutated Cardiomyopathy.” She said, reaching for an article that was nearby, in the mess of articles and notebooks and textbooks and everything else on her bed. “There’s just so little information on it. Kinda sucks.” She said, looking back up to Harvey. She knew that was not professional to say, not medical in any way, and Harvey was probably looking for some sort of better answer from her, but really that was all that she had to say about it.

“At least he has a diagnosis right?” She said, putting on a cheerful face. Harvey looked good. It was odd to say that about him- he had looked good before sure, but this was different. Whether he was trying to get back at someone, or merely trying to look good for the crowd, she didn’t really care, she just took in his appearance. His cologne, and everything else about him in these moments.

“I assume then the only way to know if I have it is to gene test me too right?” She asked. It was probably a dumb question, but this sort of news wasn’t particularly some that she was expecting to get right in this moment.

(Sorry this is uber short, I got stuck on what to say >.<)

Emilia’s thoughts were clouded by the premise that she very could and probably did have the very same disease her brother did. She would have to be ever more vigilant in noticing any symptoms about herself, and have to let someone know. But really, as well as she knew herself, would she ever admit that she was exhibiting symptoms to someone that she actually cared about?

When she came back from her clouded thoughts, Harvey looked more than exhausted. Like he hadn’t gotten a decent nights sleep in months, or more. She kept her eyes on him and listened, as his words basically slurred as he grew more and more tired, ready to fall asleep. “Not like I could get tested anywhere around here anyways, and I’d want to get tested at the best hospital anyways.” She said, with a light smile, admiring the innocence and softness in his face and voice as he slumped into the chair.

He had tried to speak more, though was not coherent. She chuckled a bit, letting him sleep for a few moments as she put the books and things on her bed aside, moving it all so that there would be a spot for someone to sleep.

Once there was, she quietly and easily slipped his suit jacket off, folding it so that it wouldn’t get a wrinkle. He seemed so deep into his sleep that he wouldn’t wake up even if there were a hurricane outside, and she slipped his arm around her shoulders and helped him slump into her bed, letting him sleep as long as he pleased as she moseyed around her room quietly, until it was time to head downstairs for the evening.

--

The evening had arrived, and Emilia headed downstairs alone, leaving Harvey still sleeping in her bed, though she closed the door with some noise, hoping that it might wake him. She had grabbed a cocktail and had already made herself busy socializing with others, including those on Harvey’s team. She put a smile on her face like nothing was bothering her and made perfect conversation, pretty much glad to have a distraction all around her.

She just hoped that Harvey actually would wake up on his own, otherwise she would have to go back up in about an hour to do so herself.

When he awoke, Harvey could not have had more varying reaction. On one hand, he was extremely confused and disoriented as usual. The room smelled familiar and comforting, so he knew he was safe. Part of him wondered if it was his room, and if his brain was that bad. But he was too machinelike in his movements, unable to think or feel or talk unless he really forced himself.

He was also concerned about where he currently was if it wasn't his room. He glanced around and there was no defining feature, no item that instantly gave it away. Just that lingering smell that was so pleasant. It reminded him that he wasn't in his own room, that he was somewhere not where he was supposed to be. As the minutes passed, he felt less absolutely awful, and more panicked: this was Davis' room.

He swore under his breath as he got up and ran out of the room as if he'd seen a ghost. He remembered now that the disorientation was wearing off. They'd been talking and he'd been resting too long--if he wasn't constantly doing these days, sleepiness overcame him. Most of his work was a feeble attempt at running away from the constant feeling of sleep deprivation. And since he hadn't been doing work, or anything else for that matter, it had simply consumed him. How he had gotten to her bed, however, was beyond him.

It was terrifying how easily Harvey could see and feel himself slipping into a domestic lifestyle with Emilia. She elicited this soft side of him that he couldn't control, and it made it so unbelievably easy to let himself become dependent on her, to trust her, to let her in. He didn't understand why it was happening now--it was almost like some sick joke, reminding him that he wouldn't live long enough to see happiness. If he let her in, it would be at her expense, and if he didn't, it was at his.

It was only after he had left the room in such a panic that he realized he'd left his suit jacket there, or so he hoped. He knew there was no going back now, so as uncomfortable as he felt about every piece of this ordeal, he put one foot in front of the other until he found himself surrounded by people.

After refusing a drink in hopes that this night would be nothing like the last, Harvey began to search for his own group. When he was unsuccessful with this, he texted Ethan.

[Harvey]: Where are you? Where's the team?

[Ramsey]: Look behind you silly.

Turning around, he saw from across the room where Ethan was waving at him, which only added to the embarrassment. He was embarrassed about his dependency on Davis when he had fallen asleep in her room, embarrassed about being asleep so long he'd missed dinner, and now embarrassed that he hadn't been able to subtly join in as if nothing had happened. His golden skin was a more flushed tone from all of the internal turmoil Harvey was facing, and one small tress of hair--the one Emilia had brushed out of his face earlier--hung softly on his forehead once more. It seemed everything here reminded him of her, and he hoped it was just all the time they were spending together. He hoped that they would go home, and it would all be back to the way it was. Something deep down told him it would never be the same.

His gaze had become remarkably less intense since they had arrived in Florida, and it hung softly, regretfully, on Davis. Her blue eyes sparkled in the lights as she talked to Chad about something, drawing attention to them. They were so much bluer than he had ever seen them, perhaps because he had never noticed, never cared. Then he found himself noticing the eye color of his other doctors, just to 'be fair.' Or that's how he reasoned it, at least.

He pulled his gaze away, feeling self-conscious, and spoke coldly to Jennifer about something trivial, feeling as if it was unreasonable to confront her about Kate. He didn't know what they were scheming, but he felt more defensive, more guarded than ever--he knew it would be largely crippling to him and his program, whatever it was. Kate had never gotten over him, and made him pay for her own unresolved feelings. It would only be all-out war if another person hung in the balance, and he was quite certain it wouldn't be long before he would have to take it there, if it was the last thing he did.

(This sucks and I'm sorry)

Emilia was seemingly having great conversation with the group, a bright smile on her face as she talked to Chad about one case or another. Though, she was constantly checking her watch, seeing what time it was if she needed to go and wake up Harvey, so that nobody would question if he was too late. Chad did most of the talking, as usual, but truly she was thankful for it.

Finally, Harvey had shown up, with no suit jacket, which was kind of strange, really. For such a put together man, him forgetting his suit jacket was very odd. He must have left in a panic or something, otherwise he never would have forgotten such a thing. With a bit of a sly smile on her face, she spoke to Harvey when he joined them, perhaps purposefully choosing some risky words, or maybe it was due to the fairly strong alcohol being served tonight. “Ahh, he finally decided to join us did he?” She said, looking to Harvey and taking a sip of one of her several Cranberry Vodkas.

She shortly resumed her conversation with Chad, it was a meaningless conversation, truly, but something to keep her mind off of multiple other things. Harvey being one of them. The scent of his cologne wafted over to her again and she glanced over to him, taking in his looks once again.

A lock of hair had fallen in front of his face, his features looked soft, but his emotions looked clouded, and she wondered what was going on inside his mind right now. Harvey was so silent, it seemed odd, like he was planning something.

Emilia broke from her conversation with Chad finally, and went back over to the bar, ordering something else from the minimal amount of drinks they were serving on the menu. The one thing that she did hope for was for Harvey to come and speak to her, at some point or another.

Her eyes fell on him, watching him for awhile while she was separate from the rest of the group, seeing what exactly he was up to tonight.

Harvey's clouded gaze focused when he was addressed, but the same inscrutable expression remained. No smile, no loosening of his stiff, defensive figure. No more games, just work. That was how it had to be, and he'd done a fantastic job of convincing himself of that on his walk down here. Regardless of circumstances or chemistry or how nice she looked with the lights twinkling in her eyes, it was business as usual.

"Yes, I apologize for my tardiness." He glanced briefly over to Ethan, who also appeared to be loosened up after a few drinks. He wasn't sure how long they had been down here without him, and he didn't really want to know.

On one hand, he was grateful for the kindness shown by Davis, for the empathy and softness she extended him regularly. On the other hand, he was forcing himself to see it as a weakness from a professional standpoint. Either she was treating him like a patient which felt like a painful betrayal of his own emotions, she was treating him like a boss and using unconventional means to get a leg-up on her competition, or she was treating him like a human, which was largely terrifying to him on many levels, and not just from the perspective of his own anxiety, guilt, and closed-mindedness. He didn't know what to think, for they were all the wrong answer in his mind, each one ruining some wall he had built up and some misconception he had crafted to protect himself from, well, his own self.

Briefly present for a conversation between Jennifer and Ethan, Harvey soon excused himself into a sea of people who desired to make the most awful kind of small talk with him. He obliged on the basis of need, but it didn't go unnoticed that Davis' soft stare had fallen on him from across the crowded room. He just had to do his best to ignore it and to let any emotions fizzle out before they caused unneccessary pain, heartache, or drama. For the first time in his life, Mason Harvey felt a limiting factor burdening his existence, and that factor was imminent death.

(This is so short. I'm sorry.)

She had scoffed just slightly at his comment, “Talk about needing a drink.” She mumbled, just before returning to her conversation with Chad, and then heading off to the outside of the crowd.

Emilia stayed outside of the group of people, merely observing everyone that were all around her. They all seemed so happy, enjoying themselves, completely unobservant of any issues that didn’t concern anyone but themselves. Typical doctors. Emilia always looked out for everyone else except for herself. Her own person always seemed to have come last. Anything that was wrong with her she always pushed off until it became an actual serious issue. She had been staring for too long probably, still staring right at Harvey, hoping that it didn’t attract any prying eyes.

She did wonder what the point of having such a fancy dinner was, other than to get the Doctors to mingle. Emilia would rather be reading, researching, or frankly, just sleeping. The one thing she really did want to do, was help Harvey. She wanted to figure something out for him to help him, to keep him from dying. Right now she wasn’t sure if it was for her own selfish reasons, or to keep medical innovation alive.

The one thing she did know is that she couldn’t watch one of the brightest minds in the world fizzle away and die right in front of her eyes without doing a thing for him.