My Dinner with Andrew 1
Dr. Kate Calder mumbled quietly to herself as she watched her computer run its complicated analysis on her lab sample.
"Come on, come on. Run faster you worthless machine."
Dr. Beth Hoppit smiled knowingly over her shoulder. "A watched pot never boils," the woman murmured.
Kate rolled her eyes. She had turned the lab upside down the day after her date with Andrew, insisting on working with her most reviled competition after the doctor's health recovered. The lab assistants thought she must have had a lobotomy done with her complete change in attitude. Not only had she unlocked her safe containing her precious research, she had willingly given it to her biggest rival.
Lab partners for most of their academic life, Beth and Kate never really got to know each other until that fateful night. Dr. Calder never knew by saving her academic rival's life, not only would she be finding a capable research partner but a friend in the mix.
The two women had many things in common. Both graduated top of their class forsaking social activities and romance in order to better their schooling. Both fought tooth and nail in a man's world to score a coveted research position despite their gender. Both sacrificed marriage and children for their work in gene sequencing.
If only they had worked together earlier!
In truth, Kate's stubbornness in wanting credit all to herself set her back years rather than benefiting her. The issues that she encountered were either worked through already by the dark blonde doctor, or, as the old adage said, two heads were better than one, and the pair dissected the enigma, together, in order to find the best solution.
It was all heaven-sent.
Beth Hoppit had taken the research with an awed expression. She thought that Kate would have changed her mind by now. Her gesture of goodwill had been merely empty talk at an ill woman's bedside. The other woman perused the slim file with anxious fingers. She had been eager to get back to work. Death was life's great motivator.
The gene sequence was perfect, except-
"What's this here, Kate?"
The brunette glanced over Beth's shoulder where her finger pointed out an error in the calculations. She let out a curse. One of the capillary sequencers must have been contaminated! If she would have published her research now, it would have been proven false with a few short questions.
Her rival-turned-friend had saved her research. God did work in mysterious ways.
The newest article in Science Weekly now had both of the women's names in the byline credits.
And Kate couldn't have been more proud as she opened a bottle of champagne to share with her co-researcher and friend.