Lana was sitting on the receiving side of Dr. Hayes' desk again. It was quitting time, but he'd called her into his office and was now lecturing her on the dangers of roaming the nearby streets unaccompanied.

He'd followed her after Sarah had rushed to tell him that she'd left by herself, something none of the staff had ever done in this area. He'd even witnessed her confrontation in the alley with Steven.

Although she'd initially felt a rush of adrenaline when the Rock had called her in, she was now listening with only half an ear; she was too happy about Steven coming in and attending to every word she'd had to say. The young man had even asked pertinent questions regarding the treatments, and had made another appointment for next week. He'd been polite and exceptionally intelligent. It had been a momentous success in Lana's opinion, and she twisted her stethoscope in her lap as her thoughts drifted.

"Are you listening to me, Lana?" the doctor loudly inquired.

She looked up at his exasperated tone, completely unperturbed. "Yes, Dr. Hayes." She smiled at him.

"I don't think you've heard a word I've said! A smile is not an appropriate response to what I've been trying to tell you!"

"Yes, sir," her smile faltered at his warning glare, and she quickly pressed her lips together. He really looked more perplexed than angry, she mused, but all she really saw was Steven's beguiling smile and the look of hope in his eyes. "Don't you think it was wonderful the way Steven responded so well to his first consult with us?" asked Lana, looking thoughtfully out the window.

"That's completely irrelevant! Pay attention to these words: You left the clinic, during working hours, without permission, alone and unsafe! Perhaps a suspension is in order here?"

Jerked back to reality, Lana gave him her best wide-eyed innocent look. "But, Dr. Hayes, I was only basing my actions on the patient's needs. He wasn't going to come in without some persuasion."

"Chasing him down an alley is persuasion?"

She slowly nodded but could think of nothing else to reply to that, and she remained silent as he glowered at her from his side of the desk. No longer daydreaming, her pulse sped up as she watched his fingers lightly tapping the arm of his chair. Maybe he really was angry with her this time. The tapping sounded loud in the still quiet of the room. Would he really suspend her? Without pay? Had she gone too far? His watch alarm began to beep, signaling five o'clock, loud staccato beeps. They both stared at it. "Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

"You're not going to explode, are you?" Lana deadpanned.