by Susan Stoker
“Are you kidding? S-She practically begged m-me to let her s-son in.”
The women all chuckled.
“Soph, I don’t know how you do it. You always manage to find the most vulnerable people for our studies.”
“It’s a gift,” Sophie responded, the pride easy to hear in her voice. “S-Sometimes disadvantaged people are the easiest to convince. Honestly, s-sometimes I feel bad about pressuring patient’s families, but then I think about how it affects m-me and the institute, and the m-money it will ultimately bring in, and I’m perfectly okay with m-my actions.”
Chief chugged the rest of his beer, stood, and informed his friends, “I’ll be right back.”
He swallowed down the bile that had crept up his throat. He didn’t know his neighbor, but he was disappointed nevertheless. Growing up on the reservation in New Mexico, he’d experienced “do-gooders” first hand who’d tried to take advantage of his people.
They’d come in pretending to have their best interests at heart, when in reality all they’d wanted was a Native American body for whatever experiments they wanted to do. Drug trials, mental health counseling, magic pills to “cure” alcoholism…the list was never ending.
The fact that his pretty neighbor might be like the leeches he remembered from his childhood sat like a thick black ball in his gut.
Chief used the restroom and looked in the mirror as he washed his hands. The face looking back at him had been called handsome by more than one woman. He kept his hair long, but pulled back into a ponytail that hung down his back to honor his heritage. Being part Native American was as much a part of who he was as being a firefighter. It was literally in his blood.
Gritting his teeth as he dried his hands, Chief knew what he had to do. He’d promised himself when he’d moved to Texas and off the reservation that he wouldn’t stand by and let anyone take advantage of those weaker, poorer, or not as fortunate as him. Even knowing it would cause problems, since he lived next door to the woman, he couldn’t leave without confronting her and making her agree to lay off the poor teenager she had in her sights.
He left the restroom and saw his lovely neighbor standing at the bar talking to Erin, one of the bartenders. Realizing it was the perfect chance to talk to her away from her friends, and his, Chief went right up to her.
“Sophie, right?”
She turned in surprise and looked at him with wide eyes. To give her credit, she didn’t gape at him as she had in her driveway. “Yeah, that’s m-me. Hi.”
She held out her hand in greeting and Chief ignored it. He knew he was being rude, but he didn’t want to pretend he liked her when he was so pissed.
“It’s not cool to prey on the poor.”
“Pardon?” Sophie asked, dropping her hand and shifting uneasily.
“I heard what you told your friends. That the poor teenage boy with the single mother can’t afford treatment so you just happened to be there to jump in and offer to pay for it…as long as they entered your program. That’s not cool. Not at all.”
He ignored the cute little furrow in her brow as she looked at him in confusion. “I’m s-sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about you offering to help the ‘poor black boy’ who doesn’t have any money. I’ve seen it time and time again when I was growing up on the reservation. You know they can’t afford to pay for the treatment they need so you play savior and offer to pay for everything…as long as they take the drugs you want them to and allow you to take his blood and do who knows what else in return. You make him a pin cushion and a human scientific experiment. It’s disgusting and vile. I know I can’t stop you from doing it, but I’m hoping I can make you at least think twice about it.”
“I think there’s been a m-misunderstanding,” Sophie insisted. “That’s not what I’m doing. I m-mean, I do look for patients who can’t afford treatment, but—”
“There are no buts about it,” Chief interrupted, thoroughly disgusted. “I’ve seen what burns do to people firsthand. They hurt, and when people hurt, they aren’t thinking right. They’ll sign whatever bullshit agreement you put in front of them if you say there’s a chance it’ll reduce that pain.” His lip curled in derision and he didn’t care that the woman in front of him saw it. “I think I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow and have a talk with that poor kid’s mom. Tell her what she’s really getting into.”
Instead of looking scared by his threat, Sophie put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You do that. Ask for Traynesha Washington and her s-son, Diontray. And m-make s-sure you ask her exactly what S-Sophie promised her, too, while you’re at it.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
They glared each other for a heartbeat before Sophie shook her head and turned to Erin who had been standing on the other side of the bar shamelessly eavesdropping. “I just wanted you to know we’re gonna call it a night. We’ve called cabs and will be out of here in a bit. Thanks for the drinks tonight.”
“You all right?” Erin asked.
Sophie sighed. “I’m good.”
“Okay. And you’re welcome. You guys are easy compared to some people who come in here. We didn’t get to talk much tonight…next time?”
“Definitely,” Sophie told her. Then waved and turned back to head to the booth her friends were sitting in, ignoring Chief as if he didn’t exist.
“That was a dumbass move,” Erin told Chief as he glared at Sophie’s retreating back.
He turned to her. “You think it’s okay to prey on people who are down on their luck?”
“Of course not,” she shot back immediately. “But you have no idea what Sophie and her friends do. You accused her of something she’s not guilty of.”
Chief shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t,” Erin insisted. “I get it. You’ve been discriminated against. Sucks. But so have lots of other people, including myself.” At his look of disbelief, she nodded. “Chief, just because you’ve been mistreated, it doesn’t give you the right to do the same thing to others.”
Chief looked at the pretty bartender for a long moment. She had on her usual tight, long-sleeve T-shirt, which hugged her body as if painted on. She had to be exaggerating about being discriminated against. She was skinny, cute, and there was no way she knew how it felt to be in his shoes. “She flat-out admitted to preying on poor people to get them to join her medical trials,” Chief told her between clenched teeth.
Erin shook her head in disgust. “You’re hot, Chief, but so stuck in your own head and beliefs about what happened to you and your people that you wouldn’t be able to see the truth if it smacked you upside the head.”
Chief looked over to Sophie and her friends, who were gathering up their things, then turned back to the bartender. “What do you mean?”
“Do it. Go to her hospital tomorrow. Track down that mother and ask her about her visit with Sophie. Ask to see the papers Soph was sure to have given her to sign. Read them. See for yourself what that family is getting and what they’re giving in order to have that boy’s treatment taken care of.”
Chief felt uneasy for the first time. Was he wrong? No, he couldn’t be. “I will,” he told Erin.
“Good. Then come back here and let me tell you ‘I told you so.’ It’ll be the highlight of my night.”
He stared at her for a beat before asking belatedly, “You’ve been discriminated against?”
She didn’t say anything, simply glared at him with a hostile look on her face. Finally, when he didn’t think she was going to answer, she said quietly, “Just because I’m white and skinny, doesn’t mean my life has been sunshine and roses. What you see isn’t always what you get. People change, Chief. Outward appearances can too. For someone who has probably spent most of his life fighting against discrimination, you can be awfully blind sometimes.”
Chief opened his mouth to respond, but she gestured toward the door with her head. He turned in time to see
“That man’s wife died three months ago,” Erin said softly. “She was in a car crash. Her vehicle caught fire and she had third-degree burns over seventy percent of her body. Sophie sat with him for a week straight while his wife fought for her life. But ultimately the burns were too bad and she passed away. He’s been coming here every night since then because he can’t bear to be at his house when his wife isn’t there.” Erin shrugged. “He doesn’t drink a lot, a few beers, but Sophie pays for them every time she’s here.”
Chief stared at the slumped shoulders of the older man as he stared down into his beer. The bill Sophie put on his table sitting where she’d placed it. An uneasy feeling crept over him like a wave. Had he misjudged Sophie? No, he couldn’t have.
“Later, Chief,” Erin said, then turned away from him and grabbed a wet rag and began to wipe off the wooden surface on the other end of the bar.
Chief wandered back over to his friends and sat heavily on his side of the booth.
“You and Erin were talking for a while,” Conor stated. He tried to be nonchalant, but failed miserably. “What about?”
“Nothing interesting,” Chief told him. “Just shooting the shit.”
It was obvious Conor liked the bartender, but he hadn’t acted on it. The man had better get on that before someone else moved in. Erin was cute. Outspoken, fearless, and pretty. Just the kind of woman any man would want by his side…except Chief.
He hadn’t ever been attracted to blondes, preferring women who looked more like he did…dark hair, dark skin. But even though he was upset at Sophie and her lack of remorse about taking advantage of people, he still felt a pull to her, and it pissed him off.
Chief tried to get back into the conversation with Crash and Conor, but knew he failed miserably. His friends were used to him not saying much, so he wasn’t sure they even noticed his unusual reticence. Thoughts of his neighbor, with her angelic blonde, almost white hair, wouldn’t leave his brain. His threat of going to the hospital to speak to the mother of the burned boy had been mostly talk, but with Erin’s words spinning through his head, he knew he’d be there for certain bright and early in the morning.
He’d had to move once because of discrimination in the neighborhood he’d lived in; he didn’t want to have to move again because he and his neighbor couldn’t get along.
Later that night, lying in bed, Chief reluctantly admitted to himself that he admired the way Sophie had stood up to him. She hadn’t cowered, had put her hands on her hips and gone toe to toe with him, daring him to show up at the hospital as he’d threatened.
But it was the sorrow in her eyes that got to him. He hated that his actions had put that look on her face…even if he thought he was in the right. Her mowing his grass had been nice. A kind gesture, just like her paying for the grieving old man’s drinks. Just like letting Erin know they’d called cabs. He couldn’t reconcile the woman who was as considerate as his neighbor seemed to be with the kind of person who could take advantage of others, as she apparently was.
Sophie’s house had been dark when Chief had gotten home and it bothered him that he’d wanted to go over and knock on her door to make sure she’d made it home all right.
He was a mess. Pissed one second and concerned about her the next.
Shaking his head and turning on his side, Chief closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It was a long time in coming, and when he did finally nod off, it was to dream of one of the elders he knew growing up, shaking his finger at him, as if reprimanding a small child, then an angel with blonde hair, who floated around him saying “told you s-so, told you s-so” over and over.
Chapter 2
Sophie glanced at her watch. Ten after eight. She hadn’t slept well the night before and had woken up at five. Since she was up, she’d decided to head to the hospital to check on Diontray and his mom. She knew Traynesha would be in her son’s room watching over him. Even though it meant she would lose money at her job, she refused to leave his side.
As expected, when Sophie peeked into Diontray’s room, Traynesha was sitting by his bed. She looked rough, bags under her eyes, her hair frizzy, and still wearing the same clothes she’d had on the day before.
“M-Morning, Traynesha. Any new information?” Sophie asked quietly as she entered the room.
The other woman turned and attempted a smile. “Hey, Sophie. Nothing new. He was groaning a lot last night so the nurse upped his pain meds but other than that, he’s the same. The doctor is supposed to be in this morning.”
Sophie nodded, not surprised by the information. “Doctor Adams knows what he’s doing,” she reassured Traynesha. “Did you have time to look over the papers I gave you?”
“A little. But I gotta admit…I don’t really understand a lot of it.”
Sophie sat on a chair next to the young mother. They were around the same age—Traynesha had given birth to Diontray when she was only sixteen—but the similarities in their ages was about all they had in common. While Sophie had grown up upper-middle class and had gotten a college degree, Traynesha had quit school to have her son and hadn’t gone back to complete even her GED.
She put her hand on Traynesha’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I don’t understand legal s-speak either. But I s-swear, I wouldn’t have approached you if I didn’t think this was a good thing for Diontray…okay?”
Traynesha nodded.
“Right, s-so with that being s-said, you s-still s-shouldn’t s-sign anything you don’t fully understand. I’m friends with a woman who works in the legal department here in the hospital. I’ll tell her you want to talk to her to go over the contract. S-She’s well aware of what we do over in the research department and that the treatment Diontray is getting will be free of charge.”
Sophie turned her attention to Diontray so as not to embarrass the proud woman next to her. “Don’t be afraid to ask whatever you need to. There are no dumb questions, not when it comes to your boy’s health and well-being. M-Make her explain it as m-many times as it takes for you to understand it.” She looked back at Traynesha. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
Sophie shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me. Believe m-me, we’re getting just as m-much out of this as you are. New ways to treat burn victims. Better ways. We’re learning about how the s-skin regenerates and how to s-speed the process along. There’s been lots of research on Anglos, but not as m-much on African Americans. You’re not only helping Diontray, but hopefully what we learn from him will help thousands of others down the line.”
“I like that,” Traynesha said with a smile, but then she sobered. “But I hate that he has to go through this in order to even be in the position to help.”
“I know. M-Me too.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching Diontray breathe as he lay in a drug-induced coma. Finally, Sophie stood and said, “I need to get going. Let a nurse know if you have any questions for m-me. S-she can get a hold of m-me.”
“I will.”
“And, Traynesha…” Sophie said, waiting until the woman looked up at her before continuing. “I know you’re worried about Diontray, but don’t forget to take care of yourself too. If you get s-sick, you won’t be allowed to s-see him. Infection and all that.”
The haggard-looking woman didn’t verbally answer, but she did nod.
Sophie thought about warning her that Chief might be coming to the hospital to interrogate her about the experimental program she hopefully would be signing up for, but decided against it. Her neighbor might’ve been talking out his ass, and she didn’t want to worry Traynesha any more than she had to. “I’ll come back this afternoon and check on you guys,” Sophie said before slipping out of the room.
She turned and almost collided with a doctor who was walking down the hall.
“Oh! Excuse m-me,” Sophie said as she steadied herself with her hands on the man’s chest.
“Bothering the p-p-patients again?”
She looked up and saw it was Shane Kingsley. Dropping her hands as if he’d burned her, Sophie shook her head. Figured it was this particular doctor she’d run headlong into. Shane thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, and didn’t mind letting everyone know it. His making fun of her stutter was juvenile and annoying, but not unexpected.
“Doctor Kingsley,” she said as politely as she could while taking a step back.
“Visiting hours aren’t until ten,” he sneered.
Sophie barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. As an employee, she wasn’t restricted to the regular visiting hours for the patients, just as he wasn’t. “Thank you for the daily s-schedule,” she told him. “If you’ll excuse m-me, I have places I need to be.” She strode away from the obnoxious doctor as fast as she could.
Their relationship had been cordial until the first time Sophie had worked with a patient of his. He’d resisted her suggestions and attempts to discuss with him new treatments based on the research being done across the street at the Burn Center Annex lab. He’d insisted that he was the doctor and knew what was best for his patient. He wouldn’t listen to her at all, and Sophie had no choice but to go over his head to the chief of staff and insist the treatments she was suggesting were in the patient’s best interest and in accordance with the contract the victim’s loved one had signed.
It wasn’t as if she’d been trying to get the doctor to do anything crazy or dangerous either. Simply changing the way the burnt skin was scraped off and how the burns were wrapped. But Shane had acted as if she had told him he was an embarrassment to the medical profession. He’d never forgiven her for going over his head, and had made it his goal in life to make her life miserable.
Sophie refused to be cowed by the man. He put his pants on the same way she did every morning, fancy degree or not. They were supposed to be on the same side, that of the patient, but instead he acted like a third grader and tried to bully her whenever he saw her.
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