The ward noticed before she told it.
This was not surprising. The ward was Bettany's domain and Bettany's domain noticed everything. But it was the specific way it noticed — not intrusively, not with commentary, but with the small accommodations that institutions made when something significant was happening to one of their own.
Pelton reorganised the pharmaceutical station at a slightly different angle. She didn't ask why. The angle was more ergonomic for someone who was spending more time at it than usual, for reasons that had to do with the specific geometry of twenty weeks.
The third-floor vending machine was restocked with things she hadn't specifically requested but had been reaching for more often. She noticed this on a Tuesday and stood in front of the machine for a moment befor
