“On Monday, she got the call that they were being shut down.”

The morning felt brisk and cold for late summer. The wind bounced off the water and flew by in a hurry, in a rush, as one does when they are late for work. The morning felt busy for a lazy summer. The water rippled from the force of the breeze, rocking back and forth. The bugs struggled against its pull, buzzing and humming with all their might. The birds cried out for each other, to call their family home. The peaceful, quiet one would expect from a morning on a lake was not present, and the first inklings of a storm echoed in the distance. Two men sat together on a shabby deck overlooking the water. Brothers, though not by blood; they are bonded in their love for another. One loves her with eros, the other with storge. The younger, usually more spirited one turned to the other and waited for his response with an unreadable look on his face.

His companion stared. “What? Millions of dollars have been invested in her project.”

“I know.”

A pause. Both men took a breath.

“So, what is she going to do now?” The brother asked.

“She said she’s going to continue working in spite of that.”

The wind pushed by, knocking the loose curls of the older into his face. “Is she crazy?”

“She says that it doesn’t matter that they cut her funding. She has enough resources left to finish.”

“But she does realize they cut her off for a reason, right?”

“No reason would ever be good enough for her.” The troubled man sighed. “I hate to say it, but they’re probably right. We couldn’t even muster up enough evidence to prove that her idea will even work.”

“So what are you going to do Pryce? It doesn’t sound like you agree with her on this.”

Pryce’s dark eyes met the dusty wood his seat rested on. His foot tapped slightly. “I just don’t know. I love her, Ian, what can I do?” He leaned back against his chair, his hands covering his face. “She’s buried in her work. I can see she’s under so much pressure. Her smile is so weak nowadays, Ian. It hurts to see her eat away at herself like this. She won’t listen to me. What can I do?”

There was only one response Ian could think of. “Hold her close.”