Page 41 of Love in the Lab
I redouble my smile and focus my attention on Dr. Perron. I smoothly talk through the steps as I prepare the samples. The entire testing process can take anywhere from three to six hours total, so I walk him through what comes next, too. Dr. Perron has some questions, which I answer, and he’s on his way thirty minutes later, smiling. As he leaves, he shakes my hand heartily and slaps me on the back. In Boomer language, I understand this to mean he’s pleased with his visit.
Dr. Gantt … not so much. She keeps a thin smile on her face throughout the demonstration and cranks it up as she’s bidding Dr. Perron goodbye, but she isnothappy. She escorts Dr. Perron back downstairs, and I return to the lab area to finish the QuEChERS.
As soon as the elevator doors close behind Dr. Gantt and our guest, Molly’s at my side.
“How’d it go?” she asks in a hushed tone.
I shrug. “Dr. Perron didn’t know any better, but I’m pretty sure Dr. Gantt is ticked. She looked in the refrigerator.”
Molly lays a hand on my forearm. “I’msosorry. What can I do?”
I wave a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Dr. Gantt will give me a talking-to, I’m sure. No big deal.” I wink. “I’ll survive.”
As long as Molly doesn’t get in trouble, I’ll be fine. She doesn’t need any more reasons to play it safe in life. She’s been so much more relaxed since we started this back-and-forth prank war. More fun. More … herself. I’m not sure why I have that thought because the Molly I’ve always known is intense and serious. Still, throughout the years I’ve caught fleeting glances of softer moments, vulnerabilities that have helped me to know that Molly wears a mask and holds onto it tightly.
“But it’s all my fault. I knew I shouldn’t have done these stupid pranks…” Her face twists into a grimace, her hand still on my arm.
“There’s no reason to regret the last few weeks, Carrots.” I catch and hold her gaze. “I don’t.”
Dr. Gantt clears her throat, and Molly drops her hand like my arm’s a tiger shark. As she steps back from me, I silently will her to play it cool, but guilt radiates from her face, turning her cheeks red.
Dr. Gantt studies Molly before shifting her eyes back to me. Instead of the frustration I expect to see there, our boss looks more … amused. Thoughtful, even. Intrigued.
“Finish testing on the samples—the real samples—and then come talk to me in my office,” she instructs me before turning her attention back on Molly. “Dr. Delaney, don’t you have reports to write?”
Molly nods and scurries off toward her desk. In my down time between active tasks in the testing, I empty the now only semi-frozen beakers into the sink, wash them, and put them away. I also finish moving samples from the storage room fridge, and, when it’s empty, unplug it.
I don’t finish testing the samples until late in the workday. Many colleagues have already started trickling out to go home, especially with the eventful start this morning. I peek across the room to see Molly still at her desk when I knock on Dr. Gantt’s open office door.
She waves me inside, and I close the door before taking a seat in the chair across from her.
I start with an apology. “I’m sorry, Dr. Gantt. I know I put you and the lab in a precarious position. If Dr. Perron had seen the frozen beakers—”
Dr. Gantt puts her hand up to silence me. “I appreciate the apology and you’re right; things could have gone much differently this morning.”
I stare at the floor. What I told Molly earlier is true: I don’t regret nudging her into a prank war or letting things get this far. The pranks, in addition to our time together during fieldwork, have allowed me to see new sides of her. She’sfunand having fun too, I think.
I do regret getting caught. That’s … not ideal.
“But,” Dr. Gantt continues, “I think I know what’s going on here.” I lift my head in surprise. She’s smiling at me.
“What’s going on where?” I ask, my chest tightening.
She chuckles. “I’ve noticed a difference over the last few weeks in how Dr. Delaney has been showing up to work. She’s been more relaxed. Does that have anything to do with you?”
I shrug. I’d like to think so, of course, though I’m not the one who played the first prank, so maybe it mostly has to do withher.
“Well, whatever the impetus, it’s exactly what I hoped would happen.”
I frown. I’m really not following. ShewantedMolly and I to prank each other? Am I in trouble or not?
Dr. Gantt must notice my confusion because she explains, “I wanted to get Molly out of her comfort zone. I thought that changing her routine, having her go out in the field, would help. I didn’t realize working with you would also put her more at ease. Am I right that what happened today with the frozen samples has something to do with the way you and Molly work together?”
“Umm…” I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to implicate Molly.
She holds up a hand. “I don’t need details. I want to be clear, Dr. Stanch. Something like this cannot happen again. But, as it appears to be a byproduct of something I think will be valuable to our research, you are free to go.”
I rub my chin. “I’m free to … Are we … AmInot in trouble?”
