"Time?" - Dr. Nelson

"In an hour?" - Dr. Oshana

She somehow knew that he would cancel all his appointments and would make sure that he reached there in time. She had found out his weakness and wanted to exploit it now in her favor.

She didn't know how to, but she had to work out on something. Now that her brain was able to think all loud and clear, she needed some leverage. She needed some way to get out of this mess. She had gotten into the swamp, but now she wanted to pull someone else along with her so that she could climb over their shoulders.

She lingered around in her clinic unable to think of anything, getting irritated as time passed by, as she had to rush to meet him at the destined spot. She suddenly picked up a pair of latex gloves and slid a scalpel into the pocket of her coat.

She then checked her watch and then rushed towards the exit.

As she reached the alley, she saw Dr. Nelson's Rover already parked in front of the church. She took a deep breath with her hands still at the ten o'clock position on the steering wheel, trying to contemplate how disarray things might become after this, but then considering the entire career of hers that was on the line, she switched the engine off.

Getting out of the car, she reached for the gloves in her pocket and wore them before entering the church.

The church was in a dilapidated condition. The pews were all worn out and had no strength for supporting anyone to come and sit. But she saw him sitting just in front of the pulpit, looking at the altar.

He was indeed a religious good man. A fine man, for whom she had a soft corner in her heart. A corner that he used to capture that video.

For a moment her heart had become soft to see him sitting that way, but then it again crystallized thinking about the travesty of her feelings that he had made in just one day, reducing her feelings to nothing but a joke.

She started walking towards him and hearing the footsteps he got up and turned back.

As she reached close to him, she could see that his eyes were all red. He wasn't crying but he sure looked like he wasn't ok.

"Are you ok?"

"That's none of your business right now."

He replied all curtly and looked towards his side, averting her gaze and asked,

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about. How is Akira's life in danger?"

She was genuinely concerned to see him in this condition and yet here he was, asking her nothing except for the matter concerning Akira.

A mocking smile spread on her face and she asked,

"So have you fallen for that little birdie? Is that why even though the matter didn't concern you, you tried to put your foot inside it? You know that there are powerful people behind all this, like really powerful people, yet you have decided to fight, standing next to her?"

There was a sarcastic smile on her face, seeing which the insides of Dr. Nelson curled.

He turned towards her and said,

"And just when I thought that you have developed some sense of humanity and goodwill inside of you."

Saying that he started to walk away when she said,

"So you really don't want to know. You are ready to put the life of this new found love of yours in danger."

His footsteps halted the moment he heard her words.

He turned back all frustrated and walked back,

"You better be telling the truth here."

"And I hoped the same from you too. Why are you scared of accepting that you have feelings for her?"

"That's all that your tiny brain can think about Dr. Oshana? Is that how shallow your thinking is about anyone?"

With loath filled in his voice, he pinched the space between his eyebrows and then said,

"A moment before you asked why was I upset. Didn't you? That was your true self. Not this. Don't become this person that you are becoming slowly. I was kneeling in front of the altar because that's what I do every time I go to any church."

"To pray for my sins. To pray for forgiveness that I couldn't save my wife. I didn't kiss her Dr. Oshana, but I was incapable of saving her. And that guilt is something that will stay with my for my entire life. She was the love of my life and she always will be. And if you seriously think that I would trade her place for a new face, then I am really sorry to disappoint you Dr. Oshana, because that is so not the case."