From his office, Ravi could hear Liv humming as she scrubbed down the slabs. She was at that sweet spot, just coasting at tail end of a brain, past the visions and sharp personality changes and enjoying being herself before the next cravings began. The last brain had been a muso, and she'd had headphones in all week, taking advantage of her higher appreciation of music. Ravi couldn't bear to go out there.
It's not often that you worry about putting a downer on the atmosphere in a morgue, but today was a good day, and right now he couldn't think of anything to talk about that wouldn't make his throat go tight and his eyes itch. Liv's footsteps approached his office door, and Ravi quickly swiped at his eyes and jumped to his feet, blocking her view of the glass tank in the corner of the room.
"Hey Ravi, I'm all done here, and there's this really cool concert I want to hit. Are you free? I think you'd really love it, it's this sort of electro country indie rock kind of feel."
Ravi turned away, fiddling with something on his desk beside him as he sniffed. "Sorry Liv, I have a huge pile of paperwork to catch up on and there's always something to do and-"
"Screw paperwork!" Said Liv, taking a step closer, "Since when have you bailed on something fun to do paperwork? It's can't be that urgent."
"This is important. Just go, Liv. Have fun." He forced out a weak chuckle. "I'm sure whatever ridiculous hipster crap you listen to will be fantastic."
Liv's bright smile faltered, and she stepped around to face him. "That was weak, even for you. Is everything ok?"
Ravi couldn't meet her eyes, but the selfless concern in her voice forced a tear down his cheek against his will. How could she ask him if he was ok? All he'd ever done was fail her, and yet she still worried about him. A gruff whisper slipped from his throat. "I'm sorry."
She grabbed his arm, pulled him around to sit on couch and gently sat down next to him, her body angled towards him. "Ravi, what's the matter?"
He looked down at his knees, focusing all his attention on forcing down the lump in his throat, and gestured weakly towards the tank that had once housed their longest-lived cured zombie rat. Liv stood and walked over to it, peering through the glass at the sad little pale corpse of the rodent.
"Oh." She said.
Ravi stood, reached out a tentative hand, then dropped it and began to pace in stuttering half steps. "I'm so sorry Liv, I was sure I had it right this time. It had been so long, he was doing so well, and with all the new information we had I was sure it was the cure, the real one. So much testing, so many failures, and this isn't just an experiment, it's your lives!" Tears poured down his face unheeded now, and his hands gesticulated wildly. "Major could die at any moment, and he trusts me so much, and you! This thing has destroyed your life, has taken it away, and with all the data you've brought me I can't even do the thing I was trained for, come up with a cure that doesn't kill the people who take it! I'm trying, Liv, I swear, but this virus doesn't make sense, it doesn't follow the normal rules, and I just keep failing! What if I can't do it? What if I can't save you?"
His voice was cut off abruptly as a sob hijacked his throat, and he looked down, blurry eyed and ashamed. Familiar battered converse stepped into his line of sight, and a calm voice said, "Ravi, look at me."
Slowly he raised his head, still unable to meet her eyes. When he finally does, they are steady, a solid point of colour in her pale face. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Ravi couldn't look away now, but he reached up to wipe at his eyes with the sleeve of his lab coat. "I didn't want to ruin your day."
She smiled at him, a slow, soft smile. "I appreciate that. But Ravi, we're in this together. You don't have to save me. I'm a doctor too; I can help you with these things. The cure shouldn't be your burden to bear alone."
His face now more under control, Ravi frowned at her words. "And being a zombie shouldn't be yours."
"It's not." Liv reached down and picked up his two hands, holding them in both of hers. "Have I told you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me? You didn't have to help me at all, and yet you put everything you have into this. I wouldn't still be here if it weren't for you."
"Oh, believe me, I've argued with you enough to know that there is nothing that can stop you." A genuine fond chuckle escaped his lips, as he looked down at the woman in front of him, so steady and calm.
He was struck for a moment by the incredible strength of character and purpose that must drive Liv Moore. Surrounded by chaos and huge life changes, her mind constantly jostled by visions and hijacked by foreign personalities, she still managed to maintain at her heart a core that was unmistakably Liv, and a determined presence that called to order all those around her.
He was startled back to reality when Liv dropped his hands and sat back on the sofa. He sat down next to her, a foot or so of space between them. He twisted his hands together, the sensation of Liv's cold fingers still on his skin. They tingled, pleasantly cool.
Liv's voice broke his revelry. "So I assume since your plans for this evening were crying alone in your office, you're probably free for that concert."
"Englishmen don't cry," he said, clearing his throat roughly, "commonly known fact. I was having a moment of introspection, was all."
"Yes, well, now that the moment is hopefully over, come and watch the concert with me. Your hidden hipster heart will love it, I promise."
As he looked into her hopeful face, Ravi realized that somewhere along the line, he'd become unable to refuse this girl anything. He smiled at the thought and nodded, then stood up to get his coat.
Liv waited for him by the door, practically hopping on the spot with impatience, and Ravi was delighted to recognize that this was all Liv Moore enthusiasm, free of any outside influence.
Ravi flipped the lights off and together they walked out. "So, I didn't completely ruin your evening?"
"Any evening is salvageable. Wait and see."
As they climbed the stairs side by side, Ravi felt Liv's hand brush his, and smiled.