Sin & Bone: A Medical Thriller (The Gina Mazzio Series Book 2)

by Bette Golden Lamb

  “For example,” Alexandros said, “several departments have nurses who aren’t showing as scheduled. No call-in. No nothing. What kind of professionalism is that?”

  Gina said nothing. She had no intention of sharing her thoughts about missing nurses with the manager again. Last time Lexie had made her feel like a nut case with half a brain. And she still didn’t believe Gina about the caller.

  “You know the Oncology manager, Leona?” Alexandros said, slipping back into her chair.

  “Of course,” Gina said. It was her old department and she kept close track on what happened there, who came and went.

  “Today, she’s down three people. You tell me how we’re supposed to run a unit that way?”

  “Why do you think there are so many nurses out?”

  Lexie stared at Gina. “Don’t tell me you still think someone is ‘stealing’ our nurses.”

  “I only ask the question.”

  “At the moment, I don’t have an answer, but I’m looking into it.” She paused, took a deep breath. “Anyway, let’s get back to your time-off request.”

  “Good idea,” Gina said.

  Alexandros started twirling that stray lock of hair she always messed with. Gina couldn’t help wondering why that particular strand of hair didn’t just give up and fall out, considering all the abuse it took.

  “Why do you need the time off?”

  “I told you, it’s personal.”

  “No family emergency, no illness. Just personal.”

  “That’s right,” Gina said.

  Alexandros stood, making it plain their time together was over.

  Gina also stood.

  “I can’t give you personal leave at this time. Not without more of a compelling reason than you given me thus far.” She gave a hint of a humorless laugh. “Or rather, the reasons you haven’t given me.”

  When Gina left, the door was slammed shut behind her.

  She spent the rest of the morning paying minimum attention to the calls that came in, one after another like a fusillade of bullets. Mostly she was on autopilot; answering questions she’d fielded a million times. But when she broke for lunch, she regretted not being more diligent, and hoped she hadn’t caused any complications for the patient callers.

  * * *

  Gina spotted Helen from Oncology as she moved through the cafeteria line. She’d half-filled her tray before realizing she wasn’t hungry. She’d put most of the food back before sliding into an empty seat next to the Oncology nurse.

  “Hey, buddy,” Helen said. “If I didn’t love you, I could have sold that seat for a hefty profit.” When Gina didn’t respond, Helen added, “You still ticked off at me? “

  “Not really.”

  “That’s great because I’m too freaking tired for a bloody fight.”

  Without another word, Helen dug into her salad, then took a huge bite out of a sour dough roll, if one could call consuming half the roll a bite.

  While Gina watched her friend chew, she took a tiny bite of her macaroni and cheese, then used her plastic fork to move the food from one spot to another on the plate.

  “Harry and I are still on the outs, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  Helen’s fork stopped half way to her mouth; it took a moment before she filled her mouth with salad. She spoke as she chewed. “You sure know how to let the good ones get away.”

  “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

  Helen shook her head. “Harry Lucke is a good nurse and a good man. And they’re both damn hard to find.”

  “Maybe.”

  “And what did that great guy do to keep your spirits down for more than a week now?”

  “Good man or not, he doesn’t believe in me.”

  Helen set her fork down on her plate. “You’re not talking about that same screwball who called on the advice line, are you? Or those nurses you keep asking about, making it sound like something may have happened to them?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Excuse me, but between those two issues, I’d take ole Harry anytime. Girl, you are crazy!”

  “Maybe I am.”

  Gina chewed slowly on a morsel of her cheese-slathered macaroni, decided talking about Harry wasn’t going to make her feel any better. Besides, she was tired of fighting with everyone.

  “So I hear you were down three nurses today,” Gina said.

  “Yeah. What a morning. Ran my ass off. We had four bone marrow infusions and three codes. Two made it.”

  “That’s rough.”

  “But how’d you know about the shortfall?” Helen took another forkful of salad that made her cheeks look like a munching rabbit.

  “Alexandros told me, while turning me down for a little time off. Seems I’m the biggest reason there’s a nursing shortage, people like me taking time off.”

  Helen laughed. “Well, aren’t you the problem?” She held up a hand. “Only messin’ with you. You’re not like that damn Megan Ann!”

  “Megan Ann? What about her?”

  “She’s one of the three that not only didn’t show, but didn’t even call in. Not all that unusual for her, but still…”

  ₪ CHAPTER 31

  Her naked body was squeezed against the length of him; her soft skin made his chest ache. Air whistled through his mouth – in and out, in and out. Each exhale made wisps of Megan Ann’s tousled red hair float away from her face, then fall back on her temple like spreading feathers. She was sound asleep, barely moved as he slipped a hand around her full breast, gently caressed the nipple with his thumb. She stirred, ground her hip against the swelling between his legs.

  Eddie forced himself to turn away, slid out from under the covers; what he really wanted to do was bury himself in her. He circled the bed, reached into the side table where he’d hidden the kitchen knife.

  His heart raced, skipped a beat. He studied her face: mouth open, a tiny stream of drool seeped onto the pillow and was crushed under her head.

  The knife felt heavy.

  He reached out and touched her nail-bitten little finger.

  So tiny.

  A rush of warmth swept in before fear could follow. Could he trust her? He’d believed in Mother … and she’d left him.

  Would he lose Megan Ann, too?

  He carried the large chef’s knife out of the bedroom, tip toed into the living room and stopped. He balanced the blade on his palm; he’d had it since he was fifteen, just after he’d tried to run away – a gift, or threat, from Father. He was never sure which.

  Eddie stared at the sharp edge, the long point.

  He had never killed anything, animal or human.

  Holding the knife like a weapon made him feel stronger. He lunged forward into a threatening stance. Father’s face floated in his mind.

  The target.

  Jab. Jab.

  Eddie then stared at his naked body in the mirror. He looked strong; bunches of muscles hugged his skeleton. But inside, he knew there was a soft, pliable nothingness. Fear snaked through his gut, settled in his belly.

  After he returned the knife to the kitchen, he stepped back into the living room, stood naked in front of the picture window. He used thumb and forefinger to burnish an angel medallion that hung from a chain around his neck. Mother had given it to him the day she left. It was supposed to protect him, to keep him safe.

  Safe from what? From Father? Why did I ever believe a silly piece of metal could do that?

  He hadn’t known Mother was going to leave that day. After she’d given him the medallion and told him what it was for, she stood for a long time just holding him by the shoulders. She’d looked at him with large solemn eyes, the same eyes he saw every time he looked at his reflection in a mirror. She’d opened her mouth once, twice as if to say something … something important. Then she’d turned and gone out the door, didn’t even say goodbye,

  What was it she’d wanted to say? That she loved him?

  No, he was almost certain that wasn’t it.

&nb
sp; His mind’s eye slid over the memory, picked at it, slowly uncovered the minute details. Each time something would be different, revealing a new swatch of detail: the clothes she wore – green blouse; jeans that were baggy and hung away from her hips; body movements – stiff and tight like she hurt all over; eyes that were sad, sadder than usual.

  She’d looked both at him, and at something behind him, over his shoulder.

  What?

  Eddie remembered turning, trying to see what she saw. But he’d seen nothing, nothing but the door that led down to the butcher shop, with its ever-present smell of animal flesh.

  He heard his cell phone start its distinctive version of Take Five, and he snatched it up from the counter so it wouldn’t awaken Megan Ann.

  “Bring her back!”

  “No!”

  “Wrong answer, Eddie. Do you think because you drive that fancy car you can turn your back on me? Think you can get out of it? Think you can run away like her, your mother?”

  “No, Father.”

  “That conniving woman is in your face every time I look at you. The same mealy mouth, droopy eyes. And that hair? I want to tear it out of your head!”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “I paid you unearned wages while you got all that fancy schooling. Don’t forget that. Four long years.”

  “I thanked you for that, Father.”

  “Who cares? I’m talking about now, today. I need to deliver the packages. We’ve got to deliver them!”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “I’m sick. Dying.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “Maybe I can’t beat this goddam brain cancer, but I’m still strong enough to take you on. Take you out! You know that, don’t you?”

  “I know, Father.”

  “If you know so much, why aren’t you here? You have to bring her back. I need that one.”

  “I can take care of you, Father. I’ll pay for everything. I will.”

  “When did you get to be so stupid? … I NEED TO DELIVER THE FUCKING PACKAGES.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “Milty Hiller doesn’t take no for an answer. You know that, right?”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “Remember, it’s your ass, too.”

  Eddie said nothing.

  “I can’t hear you, little boy.”

  “Yes, Father. I know.”

  “Still can’t hear you.”

  “I said, I know!”

  “KNOW WHAT?”

  “That I have to do it.”

  “That’s better.”

  “But it’s the last time, Father.”

  “WHAT?”

  “No more. You haven’t kept your promise.”

  “What promise?”

  “For ten years you’ve been promising to tell me where Mother is. I want to know now.

  “Now? Hah! Now little Eddie decides to grow a pair. Sorry, a little late for that. Should have tried that a long time ago. Now, just bring back the redhead. We’ll talk about that two-faced mother of yours later.”

  “But ...”

  The line went dead.

  * * *

  The sting of hot water sprayed against Eddie’s chest until his skin was a bright red. He ran the bar of soap across his body, took in the soothing steam.

  From behind, Megan Ann clutched him, encircled his waist with her arms. She lifted the soap from his hands and slid around to nestle into his chest. He laughed at her. “Aren’t you going to let me wash up?”

  Somehow her presence gave him substance, like he was real, not somebody’s nightmare. And she made him feel light and happy.

  “I had a wonderful time last night, Eddie, even if I did get too smashed.”

  “I’ll take you home after we clean up.”

  “No! Let me stay here, Eddie. Stay with you.”

  The large shower stall, with its half-dozen spray heads, was dense with steam, but it felt like the sun was shining on him for the first time. She jumped up, clamped her arms and legs around him, pressed her vagina against his erection.

  “Do it to me, Eddie. Do it here. Now!”

  She slid her breasts back and forth across his chest. His heart pounded in his ears.

  “Do it, Eddie! Please!”

  She moved her pelvis back and forth, up and down until he was inside her. He braced his back against the tiles as she rode the length of him.

  “Eddie!” she screamed, her movements frantic, engulfing him in an undulating silken flow.

  “Eddie!” she screamed again. He clutched her to him and laughed. Joy filled his entire being.

  He was never, ever going to give Megan Ann back to Father.

  ₪ CHAPTER 32

  The fourth floor nurses station was strangely empty, then Gina saw Helen headed her way from one of the patient rooms. Helen gave a quick wave, scooped up the telephone, and punched in four digits. Gina edged silently around the desk, slid into a chair next to her friend … and waited.

  Gina often wondered how Helen managed to do all the physical labor required of a floor nurse. She was barely five feet tall, yet the petite brunette had the strength of an ox. Gina once watched her hold up a fainting six-foot bruiser for several minutes until help arrived. Without her, the guy would have been flat on his face.

  The silence was making her restless. Usually there was a hum of activity throughout the Oncology unit, doctors and nurses hurrying about, visitors coming and going. At this particular moment, though, there wasn’t even the familiar sight of a patient pushing an IV pole up and down the hallway.

  Helen was so absorbed in her conversation with the pharmacy that she didn’t look up until she was finished with a string of med orders. Then, with a deep sigh, she turned to the computer keyboard, made a few entries, and hit save.

  “I suppose someday I’ll be more secure with computerized patient charts,” Helen said. “But I’m still worried that everything I enter is going to disappear out into the ether someplace, never to be seen or heard from again.”

  “Know the feeling,” Gina said.

  “Okay, so what are you doing here, my friend? Didn’t I just see you at lunch? Or have they finally thrown you out of Advice?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it. I decided to take a real break from handing calls this afternoon instead of working straight through like I usually do. Besides, if I didn’t get away from Tina, I swear I’d pull all my short, little curls out by their roots.”

  “I was lucky to even get away for lunch,” Helen said. “Must be nice working in the clinic.” She grinned at Gina. “Sounds like a good job to me.”

  Gina used a hand to sweep across the entire area around them. “Where is everyone? This is kind of creepy.”

  “Just the lull before the storm,” Helen said. “The docs are in a budget meeting, which really means they’re trying to find another way to toss my ass out of here, along with as many other RNs as possible. They seem to think they can get along without us. But I think they’re going to have a big problem sliding it past the accreditation committee.”

  Helen put the computer to sleep and gave Gina a questioning look. “Okay. Now, what are you really doing here? You’d never waste time visiting me unless there’s something specific going on in your devious mind. Spit it out.”

  “Does it even pay to have you as a friend?” Gina said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Okay, okay. I need to know why Megan Ann didn’t show up for work. Is she sick, gone AWOL, or what?”

  “Pray tell, what does that trippy redhead have to do with you?”

  Gina grimaced. “Busted.”

  “Hell, I know you like the back of my hand.” Helen grinned from ear to ear. “I even remember the days when you sounded like a Bronx hooligan. Now, at least, you just sound like the displaced person you are. Most times I can even understand what you’re actually saying.”

  “Yeah, yeah! Very funny.”

  “I am cute, aren’t I?” Helen clicked her ballpoint shut and hooked it into
her pocket. She pulled Gina out of the nurses station into the drug storage alcove. “Come on, spill it.”

  “Tell me the truth,” Gina said. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  “Oooh, that’s a tough one,” Helen said. “It all depends on what we’re talking about, and what phase of the moon we’re in.”

  “Right now, that doesn’t even begin to tickle my funny bone,” Gina said.

  They stopped and waited while a couple of MDs wandered into the nurses station to enter patient orders in the computer.

  “Fair enough,” Helen said when they were alone again. “I don’t really think you’re crazy, but you are weirder than those ER chicks on TV.”

  “Thanks a bunch.”

  “Any word from Shelly?” Helen said.

  Gina winced at hearing Shelley’s name. “The problem is, it’s not only Shelly. Arina Diaz is also missing. I spoke to her mother; the poor woman is frantic.”

  “That’s pretty creepy,” Helen said.

  “Yeah, like they’ve fallen off the planet.”

  “There still could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe just a coincidence,” Helen said.

  “Maybe, but I don’t think so.” She debated whether to continue, then blurted out, “Is this the first day Megan Ann’s been out?”

  Helen was toying with her pen again. She clicked it in and out, in and out. The noise jarred Gina; she placed a hand over the offending pen.

  Helen gave her an annoyed look: “Well, yes. I mean I was off yesterday … don’t really know what was what yesterday, but today, she didn’t show up, didn’t call in.”

  “She told me she was going out with Eddie St. George, that detail man from CHEMwest,” Gina said.

  “Why do you even care about her after the way she came after you in the cafeteria?”

  “Just a silly misunderstanding,” Gina said.

  “If you say so. But it’s really hard to like her. She never interacts with any of us, yet that wiggling ass of hers sure catches the docs’ eyes.” Helen turned her nose up. “When we’re in the same space, I might as well not exist.”

  “You just don’t notice the ones who have eyes for you.” Gina gave her a big smile.