Chapter 2
"So, I think we've been watching each other for long enough to have a little bit of information about each other. I have a few questions though. Can you actually read books that fast?" Cat sat down in the chair and took a bite of her muffin.
"Yes, I can read about twenty thousand word a minute. I also have an IQ of 187 and an eidetic memory," Spencer mustered a small smile as he pulled another piece off of the muffin in front of him. "This is really good."
"I like to come here for breakfast whenever I get the chance. It has my two favorite things: books and chocolate chip muffins." She stared at Spencer's eyes, they were brown but there was something about them she found captivating. "So with all of that brain power I guess you're basically a genius, huh?"
"You could put it that way. I've been curious about your attendance here. You're here almost as much as I am. What do you do?" He met her gaze with a kind smile. It was tentative, as if he was unsure of how she would react.
"I, um, I work at Bethesda General Hospital. I started there a year ago as one of their new attending neurosurgeons."
"Really? You don't seem like the brain surgery type."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat gave a small laugh but knew her face was defensive. She had gotten this sort of question a lot over the years and were used to people thinking she wasn't meant for a job like that.
"I just mean that you look more like a cardio surgeon or maybe even trauma." He picked at the chocolate chips in the muffin and looked up at her expectantly.
"Oh. Why?" She stopped taking bites of the muffin, suddenly even more curious about this man than before. That answer was the last one she ever expected to hear.
"Well, you are very observant. I've seen you watch people very intently, probably picking up on things most people would miss. You seem very intelligent and focused, reading books that most people would find old or boring but you find fascinating, despite watching every single person who gets near you. You are clearly defensive yet still caring and open. You took a very long time to come up to me after noticing long ago that I had taken interest in who you are, and despite a defensive nature still wanted to come introduce yourself. All these are characteristics those specialties require. Also you have very nimble hands which a cardio surgeon needs to handle an organ as delicate as a heart, though I can imagine a brain would need the same care and agility," Spencer never broke eye contact while he analyzed every single movement he had witnessed over the course of the past few months. Cat stared at him dumbfounded. He had said he was a genius but this was something else.
"After that statement I'm wondering what exactly your job is."
"I thought it would have been obvious now. I am a criminal profiler for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit."
"I should've guessed that, clearly I am not a genius."
"Well, with your area of medicine I assume it would require a high level of intelligence to navigate the body's most complicated organ. And medical school is a long course of study yet you seem to be very young. That is one question I want to ask, how old are you?" Spencer continued to amaze her with his keen observation skills.
"I am 25, youngest neurosurgeon at Mass Gen and Bethesda General."
"Interesting. A child prodigy I assume?"
"Is there anything I'm going to say that you don't already sort of know?"
"It's hard to get anything past a profiler, and I was also a child prodigy. Graduated high school at twelve years old," Spencer's smile was warm, but there was a tinge of sadness in his eyes. It was the same look Cat had when she looked at herself in pictures. She and Spencer had more in common than just their high intelligence. But before she could say anything more her pager went off.
"Well Spence, it's been fun but I need to go save a life. Same time tomorrow?" She looked at her page while grabbing her bag.
"I hope so," Spencer held out his hand and she took it. She met his eyes and smiled, hoping she made the right decision talking to the boy genius. Before she could let herself get too carried away, she let go and headed out of the bookstore.
Cat rushed to the ER after changing into her scrubs. Following her pager's directions she made her way over to the trauma room where a group of doctors and nurses were crowded over a man in his mid to late thirties. He had cuts along his arms a huge bruise on his chest. From the injuries it appeared he was in a car crash but she knew conclusions wouldn't help this man.
"What've we got?" Cat said loudly as she rushed up to the patient's head.
"Male, mid-thirties, car accident. He was on the passenger side when a car slammed into the driver's side. His head hit the passenger side window pretty hard." The nurse who was checking his pulse called back to you.
"Alright, we need to get a head CT stat, his pupils are enlarged, I need to see how badly he's bleeding before I get in there," she checked his eyes while calling for what she needed. "Let's get up there now, from the looks of his right eye it's bleeding fast."
The other doctors helped move his gurney out of the trauma room with Catby his head. As soon as they left the room Cat heard a female voice calling her name. She let go while she turned to see who it was. Running up to her was her good friend, Savannah Hayes.
"Dr. Grant, was that the passenger from the car accident?" Savannah looked nervous, her eyes starting to water.
"Yes, we're taking him up to CT. It looks like he has pretty bad head trauma. Are you okay?" Cat put a hand on her arm.
"Please, you need to save him. His wife is a good friend of my boyfriend's, they're good people," she squeezed Cat's hand in a desperate plea.
"I, I will do my best. But you should call your boyfriend, it doesn't look good," Cat replied. She gave her friend a quick hug before rushing over to the elevator with her patient. She looked back at Savannah before the doors closed. It was going to be a long day.
