“But doesn’t your paperwork back you up?”
“The copies I have back me up but Teschlow conveniently lost some of the paperwork.”
“Someone tampered with it?”
“No doubt about it. General’s using their attorneys to represent me, but Teschlow still works there, so they also represent him. I’m afraid there’s a conflict of interest. That means I need an attorney of my own. I’ll probably have to foot the bill for this, guilty or not.”
“Why should you have to?”
“When I spoke with the hospital attorneys last spring, I was told at the time that there would probably be a summary judgment and my name would be dropped from the suit.”
“And it wasn’t.”
He shook his head. “Dr. Teschlow is now the ER director there.”
“And since you’re not on staff any longer, that makes you the scapegoat.”
“Unless I protect myself with my own personal attorney. The hospital provided professional liability coverage for me but they also provided it for Teschlow.”
“So who called you today?”
“The hospital attorney I spoke with last spring. The depositions begin next week and the defense attorneys suddenly want more information from me.”
“They’re springing this on you so quickly? Sounds intentional.”
“Exactly.”
“What will you do?”
He propped his elbow on the arm of his chair and rested his chin on his hand. “I have to go to St. Louis on Monday. I don’t have a choice. I’ve called a friend of mine who’s a professional liability defense attorney in the city. We’ve got an emergency appointment for Monday evening. I’ve already called Dr. Caine and he’s taking my shift.”
Lauren suppressed a groan.
“Sorry,” Grant said. “He’s the only one I could get at such short notice.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I’m not sure but I need some help. I can’t take the kids out of school for this trip because I don’t know how long it’ll take.”
She felt a trickle of discomfort and was instantly ashamed of it.
“I thought of Norville and Evan,” he said, obviously noting the hesitation she was trying to hide. “Norville’s been working a lot of overtime lately. Archer and Jessica are overwhelmed with wedding plans and Archer’s also helping Sergeant Dalton set up a more comprehensive drug awareness training program.” He was talking faster now. “I thought about that teacher at school they like so much, Miss Bolton, but there’s only one person with whom they will be comfortable.”
“The kids are always welcome at my house, Grant, you know that.” She couldn’t let him down. He needed help. “Just keep in mind that I’ve never had children of my own so I’m not a great authority figure.”
“They are at their best with you.”
“They’re sixteen and Beau’s a responsible—”
“Thank you, Lauren.” He took her hands. “I know this is asking a lot and I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t a problem. Really.” Could he hear the doubt in her voice?
“You’re a dear friend, Lauren.” He gazed into her eyes with such a surge of gratitude that it took her breath for a moment.
She couldn’t look away and she felt a misstep in her heart rhythm.
What was happening here? All her senses were on high alert, as if danger peered around the corner in an effort to seek out their weaknesses. But except for the added responsibility of the twins for a few days, what kind of danger could there be?
Silence ticked past them until the sounds from the corridor intruded—voices and monitors and the telephone buzz. She listened to the soft murmur of Beau’s voice out at the central desk and realized with a jolt how much she was coming to care for this family. And then she realized why she was suddenly reluctant for the kids to stay with her. Her connection to this family was growing stronger every day, intertwining with a cord of empathy ... of friendship ... maybe more if she allowed it.
Grant looked down at her hands and his grasp tightened on them with gentle warmth.
Her breath caught. She pushed her chair back and stood. “I should get busy. Discharges to do. You know, now that I think about it, why don’t I just pack a suitcase and spend a few nights at your house? That would be better than trying to fit Brooke and Beau into my house on such short notice. Brooke would probably have to pack a steamer trunk and Beau would miss his desktop computer. They would both be more comfortable at home, I’m—”
“That isn’t necessary.”
“Sure it is. It’ll ease the stress if they have familiar things around them.”
He stood with her. “I’m sorry. I know this is an inconvenience.”
Inconvenience? Was that what she should call the feelings she was experiencing? “It’s okay. Really. What are you going to do about Will? He’s expecting you to fill in for him.”
“I hope I’ll only be gone a few days. It’s a five-hour drive from here. I can come back between meetings. How much damage can be done in such a short amount of time?”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
He grinned and she took sudden delight in that grin, as if she’d never noticed the degree of mischief his gray eyes could hold. As she’d observed before, that was where Brooke got the playful quirk of her personality.
“Really, Lauren, thanks.”
She returned the grin. “By the time you return home, you may wish you hadn’t rescued me from the perils of the wilderness. Your kids may never be the same.”
The triage bell chimed out in the ER proper. “There’s my cue to get to work.” She stepped to the door.
“Lauren.”
“Yes?” This time she didn’t meet his gaze. She wanted her heart rate to stabilize before she had to face a patient.
“I’ll miss you,” he said softly.
“Of course you will.”
He chuckled. “And you’ll be glad for a few shifts away from me, right?”
She met his gaze then. “Do you realize who will probably take most of your shifts?”
“I’ve called Dr. Jonas to cover for me and he’s down for the rest of my shifts next week.”
“He isn’t the one nagging you for more hours.”
Grant shrugged. “Too bad, the schedule’s set. I may get back for some of them myself.”
“Let’s just pray that the judicial process goes smoothly for once for both our sakes.”
Chapter 10
At eight-thirty Monday morning, Lauren settled sixteen-year-old Jamey Younts into exam room eight and took her vitals.
“Is the doctor going to be long?” Jamey asked through a raspy throat. “I want to get to school today if I can.”
“I’ll let the doctor know you’re here as soon as I finish with you.” Not that he was likely to come running for this one.
Jamey was a pregnant emancipated minor. Enough, most likely, to keep Dr. Caine away for as long as he could stall.
Lauren took Jamey’s vitals.
“You think it’s strep throat?” Jamey asked.
“I hope not. If it is, you’ll have to stay quarantined for forty-eight hours.”
“Quarantined?”
Some of the other staff members occasionally joked that Jamey was not the brightest candle on the stand. Lauren knew better. “That means you wouldn’t be able to go to school for a couple of days, honey. You won’t want anybody else to catch what you have.”
“Oh.” The unhealthy flush of the teenager’s face deepened a shade. “No, I guess not.”
“Have you been eating right?” Lauren asked. “Swallowing all those vitamins I gave you?”
“I try. I can’t always keep them down.”
Lauren had taken it upon herself to keep in contact with this needy child for the past three months and at her request the kids at church had raised money for any emergencies Jamey might have.
“Have you considered the possibility of moving back in with your family?” Lauren
asked.
“Mama’s too mad. She got pregnant with me when she was sixteen but does she think about that? No.”
“Are you still renting a room at the motel downtown?”
“Yeah.” Jamey touched Lauren’s arm and blinked up at her with big brown eyes. Lauren had trouble believing she would give birth to a baby in three months. She looked like a child herself. “Thanks for the groceries last week.”
“You’re welcome. We need to keep you and the baby healthy.” Lauren patted Jamey on the shoulder. “I’ll tell Dr. Caine you’re here.”
Jamey’s expression froze. “I didn’t see his car in the parking lot.”
“That’s because there are no longer any reserved spots for the doctors.”
“But why? That’s how I can tell when Dr. Sheldon’s on duty. He’s the one I like.”
Lauren shook her head and smiled. Jamey wasn’t the only one who did that. Many people in Dogwood Springs used the ER instead of going to the family practice doctors in town if they were covered by some kind of insurance. Especially if the government was picking up the tab. Until William Butler removed the reserved parking signs a few months ago, Grant and two of the other more popular ER docs had been overwhelmed by patients who’d learned to recognize their cars. That made it difficult to triage in order to treat the genuine emergencies.
“We’ll get your throat checked out.” She suppressed a sigh as she left the exam room. Kids like Jamey so often fell through the cracks.
The secretary sat at the central work island on the computer. “Vivian, did Dr. Caine go to breakfast?”
The plump blond-haired older woman shook her head without looking up from her work. “On the telephone. Probably talking to his financial advisor. Here, you might as well put this with Jamey’s chart.” She handed Lauren a sheet with a copy of the patient’s mother’s Medicaid card. “You know they probably won’t pay on this since Jamey’s living on her own. What’s the kid got this time, the sniffles?”
“I think it’s a little more serious than that.”
Vivian clucked her tongue and shook her head. “She’s in here every other week but I don’t know where else she’s going to go. If you find Dr. Caine, tell him I need to talk to him, would you? He still fills these reports out wrong half the time.”
When Lauren stepped into Grant’s office, Dr. Caine was sitting at the desk talking on the phone.
“Yes, I’m aware of the tax benefits, Phil, but I have no intention of adding her name to these funds. She has her own money to play with.” He glanced up sharply when he caught sight of Lauren. “Just a moment.” He covered the receiver with his hand. “What?” The prick of his gaze was a little too sharp, the arch of his eyebrows a little too pronounced.
“I have a patient for you in eight,” Lauren said.
He nodded then uncovered the receiver to resume his conversation.
Lauren laid the chart on the desk and cleared her throat, prepared to wait. She would never have been this assertive with the other doctors. Dr. Caine, however, had been known to leave a patient sitting in an exam room for up to an hour with no other patients in the department if he wasn’t in the mood to see them.
Dr. Caine, with prematurely silver-kissed hair and steel blue eyes, held a strange appeal for some female hospital employees. Lauren had never seen the attraction despite his striking looks.
After another moment of conversation, he looked up at Lauren and his frown deepened. “Phil, one more moment.” He put his hand over the receiver. “Why are you still here?”
Lauren tapped her finger on the chart. “She’s hoping to make it to school if she isn’t too sick.”
He glanced at the chart then shook his head. “Did you explain to her that this is an emergency department? If she’s well enough to want to go to school—”
“It looks as if she might have strep. I’ll get a culture if you wish.”
“I give the orders around here. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He resumed his conversation with his advisor. With a sigh, Lauren left the office.
A familiar feminine giggle heralded the presence of Fiona Perkins, lab tech and resident gossip. She leaned against the central counter with her tray of supplies beside her as she talked to Vivian.
Fiona looked up when Lauren approached. “Hey Lauren, wasn’t that Jamey Younts in exam room eight? Know what I heard? I heard that drug guy was the one who got her pregnant. You know who I’m talking about? The loser that calls himself a hawk?” Her chubby cheeks pudged out in a frown. “No, wait... Eagle? Hmm, anyway, some kind of—”
“Are you trying to say Peregrine?” Vivian spoke the word as if spitting out something rotten.
Fiona lightly smacked her temple with her right hand and pointed at the secretary. “You get the gold star, Viv.”
“Hold it right there.” Vivian raised her hand. “Don’t go spreading stuff like that around the hospital. It could hurt the girl worse than she’s already—”
Fiona’s chin dimpled in distress. “But I heard her say it. You know? Back when she first got tested.”
At that moment Dr. Caine stepped from Grant’s office with the chart in his hand. Fiona straightened from the counter and started toward him.
“Dr. Caine, you should know. Didn’t Jamey Younts get pregnant by Peregrine?”
Vivian caught her breath audibly. “Fiona!”
Dr. Caine stiffened. His icy gaze narrowed on Fiona’s face. “Why would you expect me to know something like that?”
“Well, because I thought—”
“What are you doing in this department? I don’t recall requesting your services.”
“I just stopped by to—”
“To gossip? Your department is already having trouble getting reports out on time and now I think I can see why. If I don’t see an improvement in your department’s performance by next week I will write you up, along with your supervisor, who can’t seem to keep his employees on the job where they belong.”
Fiona’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry Dr. Caine, I—”
“And if I see you standing around gossiping anywhere in this hospital about any of our patients I will write you up again for a HIPAA violation. That could cost you your job.”
A flush flooded Fiona’s skin as she grabbed her tray of lab supplies and rushed from the room. Lauren reluctantly approved of Dr. Caine’s words but she hoped he’d worked his mood out of his system or his next patient might fare just as poorly.
Lauren found herself wishing she’d received enough forewarning to change shifts with another nurse. She would gladly work every single day this week to avoid this situation. Unfortunately, Eugene was on vacation. She was on schedule for tomorrow night. So was Dr. Caine.
How she missed Grant.
***
Beau looked at his watch, checked it against the clock hanging in the hallway at school, and paced toward the double doors of the library. Again.
It was almost nine o’clock. Where were Brooke and Evan? How could they do this to him? They were the ones who had insisted on coming to school thirty minutes early this morning, ostensibly to work on an article in Publications. But had they stayed in the department? Of course not. Less than ten minutes after their arrival, while Beau was deeply involved in an edit, Evan had orchestrated some trumped-up reason to take Brooke and disappear for an on-site interview at the elementary school.
First hour would be over soon and they hadn’t returned yet. This whole thing stunk of mystery and intrigue, something Brooke and Evan seemed to pursue with relentless devotion.
Beau turned and paced back toward the sunny end of the hallway. What if something went wrong on one of their escapades? Of course they hadn’t bothered to let Beau in on their little secrets. Oh no. Chicken Beau would spoil all their fun. Beau was boring. Beau was too cautious. Beau was—
A door opened and closed somewhere behind him and he swung around to find a girl walking down the hall from the school office. She was in current events and geometry wit
h him.
Everyone called her Dru. She had a friendly smile. She blushed easily. He thought she was gorgeous and he’d caught her looking at him a few times in class.
Beau glanced at the badge clipped to the neckline of her sweater and he realized she must work in the admin office during her free hour. The badge said her name was Deseret.
She aimed a bashful smile at him as she walked past. “Hi, Beau.”
“Hello.” He braced himself and waited for her to voice the question that was obvious in her eyes—What are you doing out here in the hallway? She walked past without comment.
He sighed with relief and pivoted to pace again. What was he going to do about Brooke and Evan?
Don’t get nervous yet. Brooke was sharp enough to avoid getting into too much trouble. Dad always used to say Brooke lived a charmed life. He was right. She took chances nobody else would take and got away with it. She drove like a maniac and didn’t get caught or hurt.
Of course, there was the fender bender she had with Dad’s car in the hospital parking lot last summer but that was mild compared to the wreck last week—
“Beau?”
He looked up to see the principal stepping out of the library entrance as the doors swung shut behind him.
Beau had just been caught skipping class.
***
Lauren hovered protectively—while attempting to appear as if she wasn’t hovering—while Dr. Caine examined Jamey.
He aimed the beam of his penlight into her mouth, checked her nose and ears, listened to her breathing and heart. “Young lady, it’s obviously a little late for this talk but has anyone ever told you the facts of life?”
Jamey didn’t react to the censure in his voice. “Yeah. My mother told me not to get pregnant because it would ruin my life just like hers was ruined when I was born.”
Dr. Caine’s expression did not change except for a tightening of his jawline. “I take it you’re not married.” This question was not gentle but neither was it harsh.
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