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“You didn’t bother to message me.” Victoria Neumann said, sitting on the couch with one arm stretched out over the back and her legs crossed. She swirled the paper cup of water, flicking her eyes from the cup to the back of Baran’s head.
Baran was busy in the motion of making coffee at the sink, her back still turned to Victoria. “I was busy with cases.” Was all she could managed, waiting for the coffee to brew.
Victoria raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Barans back. “Too busy to tell me you’ve had a seizure?”
Baran hunched her shoulders and momentarily paused what she was doing. She had been hoping that they’d be able to dance around the subject but Victoria, like she always did, dove headfirst into the point. Baran poured the coffee into two hurriedly rinsed mugs, thinking of a way to work her way out of trouble this time.
Victoria chuckled at the her silence. “Are you giving me the silent treatment, Bar-Bar?”
Baran didn’t look at her as she stiffly handed the mug over. “It wasn’t a big deal,” she said briskly. “Just a brief episode. I recovered quickly.”
Victoria stared at her thoughtfully before speaking. “And you can guarantee it won’t happen again?”
“It won’t happen again.” Baran snapped. “I was on top of it the instant it happened. I’ve been cleared by my doctor to continue working so I don’t know why we need to talk about this.”
Victoria didn’t flinch at this harsh tone instead she leaned back and took a sip from the mug, staring at Baran over the rim. “And you still didn’t tell me. Baran, we are supposed to work together.”
Baran abandoned her cup on the bench, crossing her arms over her chest, she strode to stare out the glass door of the staff room door.
There were several seconds of silence that passed like minutes before Victoria spoke up again. “We’re not colleagues, Baran. There are things you have to tell me so we can work together to raise our son.”
Baran continued to stare out into the hallway beyond the room, chewing on her own lip. She almost jumped when she felt Victoria’s presence behind her and the warmth of her arms snaking around her waist.
"He's learning about honesty in school this week." Victoria murmured, pressing her cheek into her wife’s shoulder. “You think I should tell him his mother keeps secrets from me?"
Baran exhaled sharply through her nose, the tension in her shoulders tightening like coiled wire. Victoria’s arms felt too warm and too safe around her and that only made guilt twist deeper. Finally, with some effort she managed to open her mouth. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this."
There was a tense pause. “Like what? Concerned?” Victoria muttered, tightening her hold on Baran’s waist. “Worried for your safety?”
Baran shifted and shook her head. “I— I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then how did you mean it?” Victoria murmured, staring into the side of Baran’s head.
Baran swallowed hard as the weight of Victoria’s question pressed down on her. The truth was messy. She hadn’t told her because she knew this exact reaction would come: concern, pressure, maybe even a fight.
She finally turned in Victoria’s arms to face her properly. “I meant I didn’t want you to overreact,” she admitted quietly, eyes flickering between Victoria's.
There was a pause where Victoria cupped each side of Baran’s head, stroking her cheeks.
“Overreact,” Victoria repeated quietly, testing the word. Then she sighed and pressed a slow kiss to Baran’s forehead. “I don't want to overreact," she murmured. "But you hiding something this big? That's not nothing."