“But—” Julian tries to challenge.
“The meeting is closed. We’re leaving,” Antonia says, rising from her chair.
And just like that, I know whose side I’m on. No one has defended me like that in years. I won’t let her walk out there alone.
We all shrug into our coats, the rest of us rising one by one. The air is tense. No one speaks as we make our way out.
The front door looms, security flanking the glass. Clara leads the way, the board in the middle, Antonia and me following behind. We are released outside as our cars pull up. The hatred from the crowd is undeniable.
Each man scurries away, not looking at the people who throw insults, until it’s only Antonia and me left inside.
“Give me a moment,” I tell the guard. He looks to Antonia for instruction, and she nods.
I step outside on my own, walking toward Lesley, the woman I saw earlier. She meets me at the barrier.
“Lesley,” I say, voice as low as I can to be heard over the jeers.
“Dr. Jones. Why are you on her side?” she half-cries, eyes fixed behind me.
I glance over my shoulder to see Antonia moving to my side. Shoulders back, but body tense. Lips sealed closed. Here, but somewhere else in her head.
“There are no sides in medicine. Opengate provides access to thousands who can’t fight for themselves.”
“But not my Stan…” she wails, reaching forward. I take her hands, and her forehead drops to my knuckles.
“The only person to blame for that is the disease.”
Something flies past my ear. There’s a sharp crack. When I turn, egg drips down Antonia’s coat. She takes two steps back as mud hits her cheek.
My hand is on her back before I even think. My body moves in front of hers. “Inside. Now.”
Something slams into the back of my head, then an ooze down my shirt collar. I don’t look back, focused on getting her inside. Red nails dig into my jacket. Not in panic, but anchor. Security hurries us through the doors.
Back in reception, Antonia releases her hold on me, and all I smell is raw egg. I pull a clean handkerchief from my pocket, then dab at the mud over her eye.
“I’m fine,” she whispers.
But I felt her flinch beneath my hand, and something in my chest tightens with the lie. She’s not fine. But I can handle this, and whatever comes next. For us both.