"Too?"
Lorne keenly picked up on that word. He mulled it over as he studied the dispirited doctor before him.
"Have you started having bad luck too?"
"Yes!" Doctor Aaron seemed to have found an outlet for his frustrations. He grew agitated, his voice rising.
"Things have been absolutely awful lately!"
"I've been so unlucky! I've made inexplicable mistakes in several surgeries in a row! Luckily, they were only minor issues, and none of them had any serious consequences-"
"Ahem." Lorne cleared his throat twice and gave him a meaningful look, reminding him that they were still in a busy corridor.
"Ah, sorry." Doctor Aaron also realized he had lost his composure. Pointing to a door nearby, he said, "My office is over there. Let's talk there."
"All right." Lorne nodded.
The two entered Doctor Aaron's office, where Aaron poured Lorne a cup of hot tea.
Over the ensuing conversation, Lorne learned that Doctor Aaron's recent experiences were startlingly similar to his own. Although he hadn't encountered any life-threatening disasters, minor troubles had come one after another: mistakes during surgery, a burglary at home, and a steam train accident while traveling. Even walking down the street, he would inexplicably get splashed with muddy water by a passing carriage...
"Has anyone else around you experienced the same thing?" Lorne asked curiously.
"No." Doctor Aaron shook his head. "You're the first person to come to me about this."
"Do you think... we might have been cursed?" Doctor Aaron lowered his voice.
"Cursed?" Lorne rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. "I'm not dismissive of mysticism, but why would you think that? Do you believe that little boy named Will cursed you?"
"I didn't suspect him at first, either, but..." Aaron took a sip of hot tea, a complicated look in