by Tara Rose
Jackie nodded several times. “You don’t need to tell me, Vivian. I know what you mean.” She addressed Bob and Joe. “Kay-Jean Harrell has made a career out of finding offense in everything and everyone.”
This time, Joe nodded. “Don’t I know it. She’s in my office twice a month, at the very least. She once told me that you were out to make her look bad because her family is descended from the Cherokee tribe.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know. I couldn’t even follow that one or where she got it from.” He tapped the form that Vivian had given him. “But this is serious and we have to follow through on it.” He addressed Vivian. “How well do you know him? Is there any chance this really happened?”
Vivian took a deep breath. She really didn’t want to divulge this, but if she didn’t, and it came out, it would only give Kay-Jean more ammunition. “I know him very well. We’re dating.”
Jackie raised her brows. “And how does Luke Henderson feel about that?”
Vivian wished the earth would open up and swallow her. “He knows. We’re dating, too.”
“You go, girl.”
Vivian would have laughed if this entire thing didn’t mean the end of Preston’s career here at Sin Hospital.
“Vivian,” said Joe, “I hate to be the one to bring this up…”
“I know. It’s really not possible for me to be objective here. But for the record, no I do not believe this happened. Preston was very up front with me not only during his interview, but since then. The nurse in Chicago had been trying to get him to go out with her a second time for years. She flirted with others, and she was generally known as someone to avoid. She was thought of as unstable.”
“Did she drop the suit voluntarily, or did he threaten her?”
She knew Joe had to ask, but it broke her heart to hear someone suggest it out loud. “He told me she dropped it voluntarily.”
“This is a complicated situation because of your involvement with him.”
“I know. That’s why I came to you all first.” She wanted to scream in frustration. Why had this happened to him?
“Why wasn’t the sheriff called?” asked Bob.
“I asked her if she wanted him called, and I asked her if she wanted your office notified. She declined both.”
Jackie scanned the printed report again. “Y’all know this didn’t happen. For one thing, Dr. Benson was already seeing patients when my night shift nursing staff finished report. If Kay-Jean was walking past the locker rooms when she said she was, Preston couldn’t have been in either one of them. He was in Mrs. Gregory’s room, fussin’ with her Swan-Ganz. Shirley had trouble with it all night, and the doc on call was hung up in the ER and couldn’t get to the unit to take a look at it.”
Joe leaned forward. “Is that documented? The trouble she had with the catheter, and the fact that Preston was in that patient’s room at the time Kay-Jean said she was lured into the men’s locker room by him?”
“Sure it is,” said Jackie. “I’ll print out the chart from last night and this morning for you all.”
“That will clear him, then,” said Vivian.
“Or, Kay-Jean will simply amend her report and say she was mixed up about the time,” said Joe.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Jackie. “I can print all the patient charts to show when he was in each room today. And IT should be able to check if he logged into any of the system computers, and when he was on them.” Jackie narrowed her eyes slightly at Vivian. “I’m assuming you’ve spoken to him about this?”
“Yes. I called his cell but it went to voice mail, so I texted him to tell him about the e-mail I sent with Kay-Jean’s report attached.”
“That will be documented by time stamp, too,” said Joe. “Can we see your text message?”
She showed them the text, which she had sent Preston separately, and which she had kept strictly professional. She knew it might become evidence. Vivian knew how to do her job.
But would it be enough? Would the documentation from the ICU prove he couldn’t have been where Kay-Jean said he was? Surely there was a record of when he’d left the building, but she might have to tell them about the phone call he made to her. Her cell phone records wouldn’t be examined unless this became a crime that the police investigated, or unless Kay-Jean filed a lawsuit. Then her attorney would surely try to subpoena Vivian’s phone records.
“What should I do now?” she asked, addressing Joe.
“Do what you always do. Have a meeting with him, me, and Jackie. We have to document that much, at least, but then you should assign this to one of your staff to follow through on, and Vivian…” He leaned forward again. “I don’t have to tell you how important it is that you do not try to intercede for him.”
“I know that. But thank you for reminding me.”
“I should have fired Kay-Jean three years ago,” said Jackie.
Joe frowned. “What happened three years ago?”
“Oh? You didn’t hear about that? I thought the whole hospital knew that story by now.” Jackie leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with the chance to gossip about her least favorite nurse. “Kay-Jean used to work night shift, and she would routinely go to one of the employee lounges in the medical offices, where she knew no one would be on that shift, and sleep for hours on end.”
“Why wasn’t she fired for that?” asked Joe.
“Hold on. Let me tell the whole story. I have nurses who are single mothers, and they barely get to sleep at night let alone during the daytime. It’s not unusual for them to sleep in our lounge on the unit, but they only do so on their break, and everyone else knows where they are. I look the other way as long as their patients are being looked after by another nurse, and someone knows how to find them and fast if they need to. But Kay-Jean didn’t have that excuse, and no one knew where she was when she’d disappear like that.”
“Not until my sister, Beth, outed her,” said Vivian. “Beth went looking for Kay-Jean one night and finally found her. When she confronted Kay-Jean, Kay-Jean told Beth she needed more sleep than she could get all day. Beth came to me and asked what she should do. I told her that since it compromised patient care to have Kay-Jean disappear for hours, where no one could find her, she needed to tell Jackie what was going on.”
“And the only reason I didn’t fire Kay-Jean,” said Jackie, “is because she told me a big sob story about her father getting treatment for cancer at Vanderbilt, and she was spending her days there instead of sleeping.”
“Was that true?” asked Joe.
“We never checked it out,” said Vivian. “Jackie came to me to ask what to do, and we put Kay-Jean on probation for six months. We outlined what would happen if she was off the unit longer than a normal break time, including termination. She signed the agreement. Then when she transferred to day shift, we figured the problem would take care of itself.”
“Do you think this is payback?” asked Joe. “Does Kay-Jean know you’re dating Dr. Benson?”
“I have no idea whether she knows that,” said Vivian.
“Does Kay-Jean know it was your sister who told Jackie about her sleeping during her shift?”
“Oh, she knows it all right,” said Jackie. “Those two have a history. Beth thinks Kay-Jean is a screwup and isn’t afraid to tell her so to her face. Apparently she told Kay-Jean she was coming to me before she did, but Kay-Jean blew her off.”
Joe nodded several times. “Okay. Let’s explore that incident a bit more.”
“I’ll pull all of Kay-Jean’s complaints and e-mail them to you,” said Vivian.
“She’s made complaints to my office, too,” said Bob. “I’ll get them over to you.”
“And I’ll keep my eyes glued to that girl from now on,” said Jackie.
By the time Vivian was finally on her way home, her head ached. How had this happened? And more importantly, why had it happened? Why had Kay-Jean done this? Because Beth had turned her in? Did she know that Vivian was seeing Preston, and
this was some weird kind of payback? Was there another reason that she, Jackie, or Joe weren’t seeing?
All Vivian wanted to do by the time she pulled into her driveway was sit in a hot bath and then curl up in bed. Her entire body ached, and she was sick at heart. This would ruin Preston, and she would lose him over it. And the worst part was that she couldn’t do one damn thing to stop it from happening.
Chapter Fifteen
Luke stood behind Vivian, who was seated on her sofa facing Preston, and massaged her shoulders. She was so stressed and tight, and his heart went out to both of them right now. He couldn’t imagine what either of them was feeling. Preston looked utterly defeated, and Vivian was beside herself with worry.
“Show them your gut where she said she jabbed you,” said Luke. “Not a mark on you.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Vivian. “Take a picture with your cell phone and e-mail it to me at work. It’ll have a date and time stamp on it. That will prove she couldn’t have jabbed you like she said she did. The report says you doubled over in pain. If she’d jabbed you that hard, you’d have a bruise there.”
“Sure,” said Preston. “And then she’ll simply say she was mistaken about that.”
“What can we do?” asked Luke. It was the tenth time he’d asked, and every time Preston gave him the same answer.
“Nothing. You two have done all you can. Back away from this now before you end up in trouble over it.”
Luke let go of Vivian’s shoulders for a moment. He curled his hands into fists to fight the urge to punch another hole in Vivian’s wall. “Damn it, Preston. Listen to yourself. You sound like a man who’s already been tried and convicted. She’s lying. We all know that. And with everything Vivian told us, plus a photo proving you weren’t jabbed with an elbow hard enough to make you fall out, everyone else will see that she’s lying, too.”
Preston stood. “You say that like you know what I’ve been through. Don’t you get it? I’ve already been down this path. She looked up the lawsuit. She had to have done that. Why else would she pull a stunt like this? This is payback to Vivian because Beth ratted her out for sleeping on the job.”
“But that means she knows I’m seeing you.”
They both stared at Vivian. Luke knew she was right. Kay-Jean must have spotted them out together, or someone she knew had. It could have been anyone in town. Kay-Jean might have even spotted Preston’s car parked in Vivian’s driveway all night, and formed her own conclusions. It’s not like everyone didn’t know now that he drove that Jaguar. It was too conspicuous to confuse with another person’s vehicle.
“Whether she knows or not isn’t the point,” said Luke. “We might never know why she did this. The important thing is that we stick together on it.”
“No,” said Vivian. “No way. I’m not letting you two take any flak for this.”
“And I’m not letting you two lose your friends, your family, or your standing in this community because of me,” said Preston. “This is my fight, not yours.”
He started to walk toward the front door but Luke caught his arm. “What are you doing? Don’t walk out on her. Are you crazy?”
“I’m not walking out on her. I…”
Luke watched Preston’s face carefully, and it struck him. Just like that, he understood. “You love her.”
Vivian drew in her breath softly, and Preston averted his gaze. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does. It matters a whole lot more than this pack of lies Kay-Jean told.”
Preston gave him a gaze filled with so much pain that Luke nearly recoiled. “That is precisely why it does not matter. Do you think I’m going to put either of you through this? Do you really understand what the past year has been like for me? For ten years all I’ve done is work toward my goals. I rose to the top of a department in a major hospital before the age of forty. No one does that. No one. And because I made the mistake of going out on one date…one fucking date with a batshit crazy nurse, it’s gone. All of it is gone.”
Luke sat next to Vivian and held her as tears fell down her cheeks.
“All my friends, my dream job, my home, and my reputation. Gone. No one would hire me. I had five interviews in a year. Five. That’s it. It didn’t matter that Renee told a pack of lies and dropped the suit. No one cared. All they saw were the accusations, and I was already tried and convicted in their minds. Don’t you get it? Sin Hospital is the only place that would hire me. And now, they’re going to can my ass as sure as shit, and it won’t matter that Kay-Jean is fucking crazy, or an even worse liar than Renee was.”
He paced the room, running his hands through his hair. “I wasn’t anywhere near her. Renee ambushed me, but Kay-Jean simply lied her fucking head off. And in the end, this town will believe her. You know why? She’s one of you. And I’m merely a damn Yankee doctor who drives a Jag and thinks he’s better than everyone else.”
“That’s not fair,” whispered Vivian. “No one says that about you. No one.”
“Not to your face they don’t.”
Luke didn’t say anything. Everything Preston said was true. That was exactly what most people thought of him. But until now, Luke didn’t realize that Preston knew that.
“Well I don’t care what they say,” said Vivian. “I don’t think that of you. Luke doesn’t think that.”
“She’s right,” said Luke, pulling her closer. She was crying hard now, and he didn’t know what to do other than hold her. “We don’t think of you that way. You know that much is true, Preston.”
“You’re the only two, then. But don’t you get it? This is your home. You were raised here. And long after I’m gone, you two will have to go on living and working here. Do you honestly think I’d jeopardize that for either of you?”
Luke shivered. He was going to leave. It was suddenly as clear as a cloudless summer day. He wasn’t only walking out that door to go home for the night. He was going to pack up that big house and leave town. “So that’s it. You’re bailing. Just like that. Even though you’re in love with her.”
Preston ran his hands through his hair. “You don’t understand.”
Luke took his arms from around Vivian and stood. “I don’t understand? Are you so sure about that? Did your wife and infant son die because someone was driving drunk? What do think that’s like to live through?”
“I don’t know what’s that like, Luke. I’m so sorry for your loss. I really am.”
“What do you think it’s been like all these years, watching Vivian wait for her con ex-husband to get out of jail, and then to watch her go through the pain of finding out he was banging his attorney for ten years?”
“I can’t imagine what that was like for either of you, but you two have each other now.”
“Sure we do. But she doesn’t only love me. Can’t you see that? She loves you, too. Or have you missed that tiny detail?”
Vivian stood and faced them. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag. I do love you, Preston. And I love, Luke, too. I love you both.”
Luke’s heart soared, and he wanted to jump and shout, but he kept it in check for now. He pulled her close and held her for a second, and then he whispered, “I’ve always loved you.”
“I know you have. And I’ve always loved you, too.” Vivian turned her gaze on Preston, and Luke swore he could hear her heart pounding. “Tell me you don’t love me, too. I want to hear you say it.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then you do love me. It’s true.”
Preston and Vivian locked gazes for so long that Luke finally understood what people meant when they said time stood still. Nothing moved. Not even the air. After what seemed a long time, Preston nodded slowly.
“Yes, I love you. How could I not? But it’s immaterial now. I won’t put you through this. You could lose your job, Vivian. You might still anyway when it gets out that we’re seeing each other.”
“I’m not going to lose my job. I’m giving this case over to a staff member.
That’s all they can expect me to do.”
“And what if that’s not enough? What if they ask for your resignation?”
“They won’t. I haven’t done anything wrong. And the hell with them if they do. Preston, I’ve worked for this hospital for ten years. I’ve had this position for eight. My work record is spotless. I can find another job.”
“But you can’t find another home.”
“I won’t have to. Kay-Jean is lying. Everyone will see that in time. You just have to get through this and then it will be all right.”
He shook his head. “If you really believe that, you don’t even understand the people you grew up with. Either that or you’re telling me what you think I need to hear.”
“Don’t go,” she whispered. “Please just stay. We’ll figure this out. All of us. Together.”
Preston stared at her, and then he crossed the room and reached for her. He kissed her deeply, and then he cupped her face. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“And that’s why I have to get away for now. I need time and space to think.”
“For now? What does that mean? For how long? Where are you going?”
He started to walk away again and she curled her hands into fists. Luke had never seen her look so angry, and it almost scared him half to death. “People who say they love you aren’t supposed to turn around then and leave! That’s not the way it works. You don’t get to drop that in my lap and then walk out the damn door.”
Preston turned around, and the pain on his face was horrible to see. “Vivian,” he said quietly. “I’m not Cletus. This isn’t the same thing.”
“Well it feels that way to me.”
“If I stay, you become way too involved in this, even if you want to pretend you’re not. Can’t you see that?”
She didn’t answer, but Luke could see her mind working.
“This is your one and only chance to preserve what you have here in this town. And I will not ruin that for you. I love you too much to do that.”
“Preston, we made a commitment to this,” said Luke. “To both be with her. That includes good and bad times.”