The Bleeding Crowd by Jessica Dall

you
didn’t have anything to give me except that blood thinner
stuff.”
    “Willow bark,” she said. “I don’t have
anything strong, but there are some over-the-counter pain killers I
have around. One of them should help if nothing else.”
    “Fine.” He sighed.
    She moved to her dresser in silence.
    “Thank you,” he said.
    “For what?”
    “For the obvious,” he said. “You could have
let me bleed to death.”
    “I’m a doctor.” She shrugged. “I took an oath
saying I would heal those who came to me for help.”
    “You could have turned me in.” He watched for
her reaction.
    “Believe me, I’m still considering it.” She
handed him two red pills and a glass of water. “Truthfully, I
should.”
    “Should you?”
    “Having a man able to hack into our system?
Having anyone able to hack into our system for that matter. That’s
pretty much the definition of a security risk.”
    Ben held her gaze. “We have nothing else,
Dahlia, let us have something.”
    “Let you have a way to throw our entire
communication systems off?”
    “Not like we can do anything. We can hack in
and do a few things, we can’t overthrow the government or
anything.”
    “The little things add up,” Dahlia said.
    “You turn me in, and I’ll never see daylight
again.”
    “More likely your friend’s the one who would
get the brunt of it.”
    “I’d rather be thrown in myself than pushing
it off on my friend.”
    Dahlia sighed, rubbing her temples with her
fingers. “Do you understand what sort of position you’re putting me
in, Ben? If someone else finds out about your friend’s little
talent and finds out that I knew about it, but didn’t say
anything... I’d be just as culpable as either of you.”
    “I just said I wouldn’t sell out my friends.
That includes you.”
    She sighed. “We aren’t friends, Ben.”
    He frowned. “We aren’t?”
    “We can’t be friends. There’s no possible
scenario where being friends would be possible.”
    “I’m sure there is. Obviously I don’t know
what you’re thinking, but I consider you someone I care about
enough to at least protect you from someone if I could.”
    She scoffed, placing a hand on her hips.
“What have I done to deserve your ‘protection’?”
    He nodded at his arm. “If nothing else, I owe
you. I’m not selfish enough to ask for someone’s help, and then
refuse to give them any when they need it.”
    She didn’t respond.
    “I know you don’t have a reason to help me
anymore than you already have,” he said. “I mean, I’m just a man,
right? A mutation? I’m asking, if not out of friendship, out of
compassion. Pity, even, if you can’t offer anything else. Help me
just a little more.”
    She paused another beat. “I don’t pity
you.”
    He laughed with derision. “You’re lying,
ignorant about my situation, or heartless. From what I know about
you, I don’t think it’s the last two.”
    “You’re in a bad situation.” She crossed her
arms. “I don’t think there’s anyone here that’s ignorant enough to
think you aren’t. It isn’t that I don’t have the sympathy to
appreciate that situation, because I do. But pity... no. You have
someone you care enough about to want to protect them, enough to
sacrifice yourself to protect them. If nothing else, that makes you
human. You might deserve sympathy, but no human deserves something
as condescending as pity.”
    He stood, relying on his good arm to push him
up, and moved towards her. “I consider you a friend, Dahlia, even
if you don’t think I am. I wouldn’t sell you out. I do care about
you.”
    “Don’t you dare.” Dahlia frowned.
    His eyebrows furrowed. “Dare what?”
    “Caring is what gets people in trouble in
situations like this.” She jabbed a finger at him. “I won’t turn
you in, which, yes, is stupid on my part, but I won’t if only for
some misguided compassion for all of humankind. It is in no way a
personal favor for you.”
    He smiled knowingly.