"Soon."
Gabriel shook his head and looked at the com-unit. "Izzy, make an appointment for Sam with Doctor O'Hearn at the Collins Street clinic."
"Sorry, sweetie, but you're not the boss in this shoebox."
Surprise and annoyance flitted across Gabriel's features. She smothered her laugh and would have hugged the cyber character, if she could have. "Who's Doctor O'Hearn? SIU employed?" If he was, she was staying well away. A SIU doctor meant Gabriel could access her records. He knew more than enough about her already.
He shook his head. "No. Federation. She specializes in nonhuman medicine."
She snorted softly. "Federation. So you could get access to my medical files, anyway."
"Not with Doctor O'Hearn, I can't. The old girl's a stickler when it comes to patient confidentiality."
"Then why are you sending me to her?"
"Because she's not only the best, she's also the only one who might truly be able to help you."
Because they didn't know what was she was, other than the fact she was not entirely human. She glanced at the boa twirling fuzz ball. "Do it, Izzy."
"Right away, darlin'."
"Tell Dr. O'Hearn I recommended you. She'll forward the bill to Federation."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a part of Federation."
He crossed his arms. "You could be, if you wanted to."
"What's this, a recruitment attempt?" And why now, a good month after she'd found out about Federation?
He shrugged. "No. Just something for you to think about."
"Why? I don't know a thing about Federation, apart from what you've told me."
"I've already told you the important stuff."
"You gave me a brief background. That's hardly the same as knowing the current goals."
He shrugged. "If you're interested, let me know."
She considered him for a moment. His face, as ever, was neutral. It was hard to judge whether he was actually serious or not. "I thought you were trying to get me out of your life?"
His smile seemed almost bitter. "I don't want you out of my life. I just don't want you as a partner. It's nothing personal."
Yes it was — at least to her. And if he did want her in his life, then if not as a partner, what? A friend? It certainly couldn't be as a lover — not if his determined lack of reaction to physical touch was anything to go by. Or was he merely reacting that way because she was his partner? Did he perhaps believe in the adage of not combining work and play?
Izzy twirled onto the com-screen. "There's a call from a General Frank Lloyd on vidscreen. You want to take it?"
She glanced at Gabriel. He slid off the desk and stood near her chair — close enough to see the screen but out of direct line of sight.
"Patch it through, Izzy."
General Frank Lloyd came on screen. "Agent Ryan, I presume?" His voice, like his appearance, was powerful.
She nodded. "What can I do for you, General?"
"I need to know why you have requested information on these thirteen people before we can go any further."
"We have a number of murder victims that may be linked with Hopeworth. They're certainly linked with an Emma Pierce, who worked at Hopeworth for a number of years, and was supposedly the mother of at least two of them."