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Mind Games
by Lianne Burwell
May 2004
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"I'm heading out," Nigel said heading out the door at the 
end of his shift. Usually his shift was planned to match up 
with Nigel's but with Macy taking a little longer to 
recover from the e-coli infection that had nearly killed 
him, that was a luxury they couldn't afford for the moment.

"Later," he said, still peering into his microscope.

"Goodnight, Peter," the man added, as he passed Dr. Winslow 
on his way out the door.

Bug didn't usually mind the graveyard shift. Usually it was 
quiet; but short-handed as they were, there far too much 
work and not enough hands. He was currently hunched over 
his microscope following up on a d.b. from earlier in the 
evening, and hoping not to be disturbed.

"Hey, uh... Bug?"

Bug rolled his eyes then, looked up. Dr. Winslow, the only 
other person in the office with him, since Jordan was out 
on a case, was hovering in the doorway. Winslow had also 
been struck by the e-coli strain that had killed Elaine and 
a security guard, and nearly killed Macy, but being a young 
man, he had recovered faster, and was now officially on the 
job.

"Yes, Peter?" he said as patiently as he could. He still 
wasn't sure how he felt about the man, but right at that 
moment, he found him intensely annoying.

"Is he... Nigel... I mean..." Winslow stuttered to a stop.

"Is he what?" he  said, hoping that the man would go away 
and let him get back to work. He had a feeling he knew what 
the question was; it was one asked by outsiders on a 
regular basis.

"You know, um..." Winslow made some vague gestures with his 
hands that Bug found both amusing and irritating.

He raised an eyebrow. "Gay?" he suggested, deadpan. "You 
could just ask him."

"No! I mean, that's okay, it doesn't really matter. It's 
just... I just wanted to make sure that I didn't say 
something... you know... Never mind."

Bug turned back to his microscope to cover up his smile. 
The young man was practically stuttering with 
embarrassment. Strangely, it was the most endearing he'd 
ever seen the man.

"Um.. I guess... I'll leave you alone, now,"

"Peter?" Bug called out as Winslow turned to leave.

"Yeah."

"I'll let him know you're interested."

Winslow gaped like a fish out of water, and turned bright 
red.

"Hello?"

Bug looked up at the new voice. Nigel was standing behind 
Winslow, a puzzled expression on his face. "I thought you 
left."

"I forgot something."

Winslow squeaked, and fled down the hallway to the lab 
where his own desk was set up. Nigel watched him go. "Why 
do I get the feeling I missed something?" Bug shrugged. 
"Are you playing mind games with the new boy?" Nigel said 
with a smirk.

"Now, would I do that?"

Nigel shook his head. "What did you do to the poor boy?" he 
asked, heading over to his desk. He opened the top drawer 
and pulled out a paperback. He slipped it into his pocket 
and turned back to the door.

Bug grinned. "I'll tell you when I get home."

THE END