“If I remove the ‘suppose’ it’s almost an apology.” Cora said.

Frazer winked. “Almost.”

Frazer was being almost…playful. Definitely verging on nice. She was never rude to Cora, but was never overly friendly either. What was this?

Whatever it was, Cora didn’t feel like playing games. The fact that she had to go and refer several more patients in Mrs Stein’s position sat heavily on her shoulders. With a tight nod, she started to take a step around Frazer. “Okay. So. I’ll just be going.”

“Do you ever smile?”

Cora whipped her head around, eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Do you smile?” Frazer did so just then, easily. “You know, it’s associated with happiness, though humans do it pretty automatically for a lot of other things.”

“I have to go, Frazer.”

And with those words, Cora’s pager beeped, thankfully pulling her to the other end of the hospital.

“Yeah, okay.” Frazer gave a wave. “I’ll see you around.”

Seriously, what had that been about? Again, Frazer had barely ever said more than three sentences in a row to her. Cora wasn’t so sure she wanted her to again, even if it sounded genuine; or maybe because it did. Where would she see Frazer? Next Monday at the meeting?

That was far too bizarre.

* * *

“You know, bumping in to her isn’t the same as asking for her help.”

Frazer jumped, turning around. Why was Tia everywhere? Thankfully Cora was already turning the corner to go solve some social problem. “To be fair, she did most of the bumping. I even took some of the blame.”

Tia narrowed her eyes, something like the fifth time that day and it was barely three o’clock. “You’re terrible at socialising.”

Mouth open to object, Frazer snapped it shut. “Just at work.”

The nod Tia gave her was compassionate, but the glint in her eye did not match. “Still burnt from that surgeon that broke up with you?” she asked.

“Oh my God, even you know about that?”

“Honey, I’m pretty sure the morgue attendants know about that.”

Frazer turned to walk away. She made sure that Tia heard her groan. “And now I’m going to go eat a kilo of chocolate and pretend you didn’t say any of that.”

Tia called after her, completely unrepentant. “If you want that project to work, you have to do more than that.”

Frazer stopped. She closed her eyes. Drew in a breath. In the end, she turned back around. “I can’t just ask her for her help the first time I see her. That would prove that—”

“That you need help?” Tia asked, eyebrows raised.

“No.” Well, yes. “It would show I was just talking to her for a favour.”

“You are.”

The fact that she had two teenage sons she interrogated regularly at home, in addition to another two grown daughters, was incredibly obvious at that moment.

“Yes, but—”

“Look, don’t beat around the bush with this thing. She’s in Social Work. She has Alec’s ear—if he listens to anyone, that is.” They shared a look. “She’s someone who can help.”