Chapter 4

Looking at her daughter, Vien let out a heavy sigh as she sat on the swing beside Blair. She chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief. Blair had asked her to stop by the playground to play, but now, the request her daughter had made was completely off-topic.

"Why do you want me to call your friend Gabi?" Vien asked, glancing at Blair.

Blair pouted. "Because I want to see her," she said, smiling sweetly. "Please, Mommy, call her!" She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

Vien gulped, glancing at the calling card her daughter had handed her the day Gabriela had given it to Blair. She bit her lower lip and, with a resigned sigh, gave in to Blair's request. "Fine, I'll call your friend, but if she doesn't answer, we're not calling again, okay?" she said.

Blair nodded enthusiastically. "Aye aye!" she said, giving her mother a playful salute.

Vien scoffed, shaking her head in confusion. She couldn't understand why her daughter wanted to see that forensic investigator. With a deep breath, she dialed the number on the card. Her heart raced for reasons she couldn't quite place. She shut her eyes as the phone rang, trying to calm herself. After what felt like an eternity, just as she was about to hang up, the call was answered by a voice.

"Yes, hello? Inspector Vaega speaking," a groggy voice greeted.

Vien cleared her throat. "Hi, uh, this is Vien Briar," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" Gabriela asked from the other end.

Vien chuckled nervously. "I said, this is Vien Briar," she repeated, trying to steady her nerves. She glanced at Blair, who was grinning from ear to ear. Gosh, this kid, she thought to herself.

"Oh," Gabriela said. "How may I help the university owner and the surgeon?" she asked, her tone warm but still laced with a hint of grogginess.

"I... uh..." Vien hesitated, looking at Blair. "Blair, your friend Gabi's on the line," she called to Blair as she switched the phone to speaker.

Blair jumped excitedly. "Hi, Gabi!" she greeted.

Vien heard Gabriela laugh softly. "Oh, hi, Blair," she said, her voice brighter now. "How may I help the little lady?"

"Gabi, can you come here? We're at the playground," Blair said eagerly.

"And where's that exactly?" Gabriela asked.

"Mommy, where's this?" Blair asked, turning to Vien for clarification.

Vien cleared her throat. "We're at Parc La Grange, at Place de jeux du Parc La Grange," she said.

"I see," Gabriela replied. "Wait up," she said, as if rummaging through something.

"Uh, if you're busy, you don't have to—"

Gabriela cut her off with a soft laugh. "I'm coming. I'm actually nearby, just at Eaux-Vives."

"Wait, where?" Vien asked, confused. "You mean at the Eaux-Vives? The one near the park?"

"Uh, yes," Gabriela said.

Vien's eyes widened. "What?" she murmured. "Which avenue? Please don't tell me you're on Avenue de Champel?" she asked, her voice rising in disbelief.

"I am, actually," Gabriela replied. "Why?" she asked, sounding slightly amused.

Vien hissed under her breath. "Nothing, just... come here already. Blair's waiting. And, sorry for the disturbance," she said, cutting the call off abruptly.

She sat there for a moment, staring at the screen of her phone, still in shock. "What the hell?" Vien muttered to herself. "We're living on the same avenue?!"

"Mommy," Blair called out, interrupting her thoughts. "Is Gabi coming?"

Vien glanced over at her daughter and smiled softly. "Yeah, sweetie," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "She'll be here soon."

Blair beamed, her excitement palpable. "Yay! I can't wait to see Gabi!" she said, bouncing up and down on the swing.

As the minutes ticked by, Vien's nerves didn't settle. She fiddled with the strap of her purse, glancing around the park in an attempt to distract herself. The park was peaceful, and all she wanted was to enjoy a quiet moment with Blair.

But now, she was waiting for someone she barely knew to show up—someone who, for reasons Vien still didn't fully understand, had a way of making her feel both incredibly nervous and strangely intrigued.

Gabriela walked toward the park, chuckling softly when she saw Vien and Blair on the swings. She clicked her tongue, a smile forming on her lips. She blinked, cupping her cheeks. Why are you smiling like crazy? It's Blair you're meeting, not her mother, she reminded herself.

She took a deep breath and stepped closer to them. "Blair!" she called out, waving. Both Blair and Vien looked at her, and Blair immediately jumped off the swing, running toward her.

"Gabi!" Blair exclaimed, giggling as she rushed over and hugged Gabriela abruptly.

Taken aback, Gabriela blinked, her gaze shifting to Vien, who had stood up to watch them. Gabriela gulped and looked down. "Hey," she said, ruffling Blair's hair.

"It's nice to see you again, Gabi!" Blair beamed, smiling up at her.

"Likewise, Blair," Gabriela replied warmly.

Blair took Gabriela's hand and tugged her playfully. "Come on! Mommy and I have been waiting," she said, giggling.

Gabriela allowed Blair to pull her toward Vien, who nodded politely as they approached. Vien sighed, glancing between Gabriela and Blair. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this," she said, giving Gabriela an apologetic look. "My daughter's been asking me to call you," she explained, her voice softer.

Gabriela glanced at Vien, taking in her casual yet elegant appearance—her jacket and shorts, paired with a pair of Chuck Taylors. Gabriela cleared her throat, and their eyes met. "It's not a problem at all, it's my free time," she responded with a smile. "Thanks for having me," she added, glancing at Blair with a warm grin.

Vien gulped. "Well, you should thank that little kid there," shrugging as she returned to the swing.

"What are we playing, Blair?" Gabriela looks at Blair, smiling at the kid.

"Can we go on the slide?" Blair's face lit up with excitement.

Gabriela chuckled. "Go ask your mom," she said, her gaze turning to Vien.

Vien stood up, frowning slightly. "Did you just ask your friend here to go on the slide?" she asked, surprised by Blair's request.

Blair giggled. "No, Mommy!" she said. "I invited her so you could have someone to talk to while I play," she added, holding both her mother's hand and Gabriela's.

"What?" Vien blinked in confusion. "Blair, did you just drag someone into—"

"Mommy, Gabi told you she's not busy," Blair pouted, pulling both of them toward the slide.

Vien took a deep breath, looking at Blair's smiling face. Why does she look so happy doing this? she thought to herself. Blair let go of their hands and jogged over to the slide, leaving Vien and Gabriela standing together in front of it.

Clearing her throat, Vien glanced at Gabriela before looking back at the slide. "How are you? I mean... I know you were feeling a bit dizzy earlier," she said, shrugging awkwardly.

Gabriela glanced at Vien, then chuckled. "I'm fine, that's just the aftereffects of my therapy," she said, watching Blair slide down with a laugh.

Vien nodded. "Good to hear," she said, offering a small smile.

Gabriela tilted her head, studying Vien. "Do you want to ask me something?" she asked, her voice curious.

"Huh?" Vien looked at Gabriela, slightly puzzled.

Gabriela clicked her tongue, laughing softly. "I mean, you look like you want to ask me something, so..." She shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

Vien chuckled nervously. "It's not my place to pry into your personal business," she said with a lighthearted smile. "But I am curious about what you mentioned back at the hospital." She crossed her arms, her tone a little more serious.

Gabriela grinned. "So, what's your question?" she asked, turning her attention to Blair, who was now giggling and climbing back up the slide.

"You mentioned you're having atypical testosterone, and that you're intersex... does that mean—"

"I have male genitalia, if that's the answer to your question," Gabriela cut in, her voice matter-of-fact. She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I look female, but I have male genitalia—though I don't have any testes or anything like that," she shrugged casually.

Vien nodded, glancing sideways at Gabriela. "Being intersex means you need those therapy sessions, right? For hormonal balance and all?" she asked, a concerned tone in her voice.

Gabriela clicked her tongue and smirked. "Wow, as expected from a doctor," she teased.

Vien rolled her eyes. "That's not my major. I'm a heart surgeon—reproductive stuff isn't really in my wheelhouse," she chuckled.

"I'm just surprised you know about all this," Gabriela said, her smile warm. "Most people don't," she added, giving Blair a high-five as she walked toward them.

"Must be hard for you?" Vien asked, tilting her head as she looked at Gabriela, her voice softer.

Gabriela shook her head. "Not at all. I'm just tired of the lifetime medication," she said, brushing it off. "If I don't keep up with my therapy, I risk messing up my cardiovascular system and whatever else. But it's manageable," she added with a light laugh, as though it were no big deal.

Vien's breath hitched as a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. She clutched at it instinctively, bending slightly.

"Are you alright?" Gabriela asked quickly, placing a hand on Vien's shoulder.

Another wave of pain hit, and Vien inhaled sharply, dropping into a crouch. "Hey, Vien," Gabriela called softly, crouching down in front of her.

Vien reached out, grabbing Gabriela's wrist tightly. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she frowned and winced in pain. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" Gabriela asked urgently, her concern growing.

Vien shook her head, her voice strained. "No, I... I'm fine," she mumbled, struggling to catch her breath. "It's just a cramp," she said, blinking as she realized she was still clutching Gabriela's wrist, her nails leaving faint marks on her skin. "Oh gosh, I'm so—"

"It's alright," Gabriela cut her off gently. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked, her voice soft and concerned.

Vien gulped, avoiding Gabriela's gaze. "Don't look at me like you're pitying me," she said firmly, pushing herself up to stand.

"What?" Gabriela asked, confused. She rose to her feet, following Vien's movement.