by Rose Marini
“Okay, well then you just need to show them that they’re wrong. Why don’t you call Emma and tell her? I’m sure she’ll back you up—she loved you, after all.”
“Not enough to let me be part of her life,” Allison snapped bitterly. “Besides, that was months ago, before I broke up with her. If she wasn’t willing to make sacrifices for me then, I’m sure she wouldn’t now.”
The anger in her tone told Devon not to push the issue further, though he doubted Allison’s assumption that Emma wouldn’t do anything to help. Changing tactics, he asked, “Emma’s roommate is a law student, right? Maybe she can give you some advice.”
“No,” Allison retorted fiercely. “I won’t do anything that relates to her. I’ll just have to figure out another option.”
Devon shook his head but was silent. Ben, perched on his favorite spot on the countertop, silently watched Allison pace with his dark brow furrowed. Eventually, he spoke up, commenting, “My uncle is a lawyer. He’s in environmental law, but I bet he’ll have a suggestion for someone who might be able to help. I’ll call him in the morning.”
Allison turned to him, desperation and fear in her eyes. “Thank you, thank you. I’m… scared.”
She collapsed into a chair, clenching her jaw to fight back the tears threatening her eyes. She leaned her forehead against the cool wood of the table. It felt as if her life, the future she had so carefully constructed, was spiraling away and she was powerless to stop it. Maybe this is the punishment for how I treated Emma, she thought sardonically. There’s a sort of poetic justice in that, I suppose.
One thing she knew for sure: She would never go begging to Emma for help. That woman would never again be welcome in her life, regardless of the circumstances. She would figure this out on her own. The utter panic at her current situation overwhelmed the tiny, reasonable voice in the back of her head questioning, never let her back in, really?
“Have you talked to your parents about it? Maybe they could give you some advice. They’ve been in the medical field for a long time, I’m sure they know how these things work.” Devon inquired.
Allison shot him a look. “Are you kidding? Can you imagine what they would say? They’d call me irresponsible for becoming romantically involved with someone when I should’ve been focusing on my career, they’d tell me it’s entirely my fault, that they’re disappointed in me… That I’ve ruined my life forever. That’s not exactly a conversation I want to have right now.”
* * *
Allison left for home a short time later, dreading the inevitable sleepless night. Meanwhile, Devon threw himself into bed beside Ben to discuss her predicament. “I just don’t understand why she’s so unwilling to ask Emma for help,” he said, exasperated.
“She’s proud,” Ben replied. “And Emma hurt her deeply.”
Devon raked his hands through his hair, leaving golden tufts pointed every direction. “But Allison broke up with her! If anything, Emma was the heartbroken one.”
Ben smoothed his fingers over Devon’s hair, his hands calming the messy waves just as his words quieted Devon’s frustration. “You know she only left Emma because she felt like Emma wasn’t ready or willing to truly commit and make her part of her life. That’s just as devastating,” Ben reminded him gently.
Devon sighed. “I know. I’m just worried for her.”
Ben wrapped his arm around Devon’s chest, planting a kiss on his cheek. “She’ll be okay. We’ll find her a good lawyer. I’m sure there’s a way to show that she didn’t do this without involving Emma.”
Unfortunately, the two lawyers Allison consulted the next day did not share Ben’s optimism. After explaining her situation, the first responded brusquely, “Look, in general, I would advise you to gather and present as much information as possible, assuming that information indicates your innocence. I’m not interested in taking a client who is unwilling to follow my advice, so unless you’re willing to reconsider your position and seek the assistance of your—” here he paused delicately, clearly conveying his opinion on homosexuality. “Of your friend, I can’t help you.”
Allison barely had time to spit out her thanks before he hung up on her.
Though the second lawyer was less rude, she recommended essentially the same course of action. “Unfortunately, the fact that your ID number and password were used to steal the medication is pretty strong evidence, and you’ll need equally convincing evidence to counter it. The testimony of your ex-girlfriend, for starters, but even that probably won’t be enough. Do you have any documentation of your trip?”
Allison sighed. “I have a printed photo of the mountains, but there isn’t a date on it. Em—” she steeled herself against the pain that scoured her chest every time she said Emma’s name. “Emma had it framed for me. And I found a receipt from a gas station in Tennessee, it’s a little damaged but I think you can still read it. That’s about it. She planned everything—it was a surprise for me—so she has all the records of where we stayed and things like that.”
“Did you buy anything that weekend? Meals, drinks, souvenirs? Check your credit card statements—sometimes there’s a location noted in the transaction description. If you have any accounts or apps that track your location, review those too. Some web browsers track your location and save the data for a certain amount of time.
“Depending on what you find when you check all those things, it may or may not be enough for the hospital committee. The legal system is another matter. Give me a call when the hospital hands the case off to the police and I’ll help you navigate it. But, Allison, it would really strengthen your case if Emma would testify on your behalf, or at least provide more evidence that you were away that weekend. Please consider it. You’re not just looking at losing your career; this could result in you being charged with a felony.”
Allison thanked her profusely. When she inquired how much she owed for the consultation, the woman responded kindly, “Don’t worry about it. Ben’s uncle has been a close friend of mine for years, and you’re in a tough position. I feel for you. Good luck, and don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else.”
Allison spent the rest of the weekend on Devon’s living room floor, surrounded by papers, laptops, and empty take-out containers. She wasn’t able to recover any of her location-tracking information from so long ago, but their efforts weren’t entirely in vain. Her bank had been surprisingly helpful; with the assistance of several intrigued bankers, she was able to procure documentation that she had made two purchases in Pigeon Forge on that weekend. She hoped that the documents, in addition to the photo and receipt she’d found, would be enough to convince the committee to at least consider that someone else had used her login information.
Devon sprawled across the couch, absentmindedly stroking Princess as she licked his cheek. “Wait!” he shot up, struck by a thought. “Didn’t you have some issues with your email and account access earlier this year?”
Allison wracked her exhausted brain. Her thoughts oozed together like mud at the edge of a river. “Umm…”
Devon paced the room. “You did! Remember, at one point you spent half the day on the phone with IT.”
“You’re right,” startled out of her fatigue, Allison stood to pace the now-familiar route around the room. “They never figured out what the issue was and eventually just had to reset all my info. It was a pain. It happened a few times after that too, every time I changed my password I would get locked out. The IT woman I always talked to was completely baffled.”
Devon swung around to face her as she continued her circuit behind the couch. “This might sound paranoid but… Do you think someone hacked into your email? They could’ve accessed your security codes, including the ones for the medication dispensers, from there, right?”
Allison frowned, thinking. “I don’t know… It seems like something out of a movie, but you’re right that they could’ve gotten my codes from there if they tried hard enough.”
“I think you need to tell the
committee about it,” Devon said firmly. “Maybe it’s nothing, but maybe it could prompt them to at least look into other people who could’ve done this.”
Nodding, Allison agreed. “I’ll see if I can get any records from IT tomorrow, they probably keep track of bug reports and such. You’re brilliant, Dev.”
Devon shot her a worried smile as he slid the last document into a manila envelope and handed it over. “Here. What time is the meeting on Wednesday?”
“They said they’ll relay their final decision at 11am,” Allison responded bleakly. Devon gripped her shoulder; as if sensing her emotion, Sammy leaned against her leg. Bolstered, Allison found the strength to gather the rest of her things.
“Devon, I can’t begin to thank you for all your help.” She waved her arm to indicate the piles of paperwork around them as her voice trailed off. “I am so grateful for your friendship.”
Devon blushed and shook his head, “Oh stop, Allison. Don’t worry about it.”
Allison knew better than to press the issue, but she resolved to buy him a very nice present to express her gratitude.
10
That weekend, Emma visited her parents for dinner as she did every Sunday. Her mother, Sue, hugged her quickly and turned back to the stove, saying, “Sorry, dear, the gravy will burn if I even so much as take my eyes off it for a second. How was your week?”
“It was fine, nothing too eventful,” Emma responded, automatically pulling the necessary dishes from the cupboard. Her mom’s concerned gaze prickled the back of her neck as she placed some bowls on the counter.
“Emma, you’ve been saying you’re ‘fine’ for a while now, but my motherly instinct tells me otherwise. Is everything okay? You seem… down. Maybe a little lost.”
Emma forced herself to ignore the emptiness in her stomach, born of missing Allison. “I’m fine, Mom! Better than fine—things have been going great at the hospital, actually. We’ve had pretty straightforward patients recently, so nothing too complicated or emotionally difficult. I’m just tired from all these night shifts lately.”
It was mostly the truth, she told herself to assuage the guilt she always felt when lying to her mom. She had had a lot of night shifts in the past few weeks, even though that wasn’t the reason she seemed unsettled.
Her mother’s sharp look suggested that Emma had been unsuccessful in convincing her that there was nothing to worry about, so she quickly distracted her by asking about the latest church news. She busied herself ferrying plates, utensils, and heaping bowls of food to the dining room as her mom relayed the developing plans for the church garden.
“Anyways, it will be such an endeavor to get the vegetables planted by next week without your father’s help, but I suppose I’ll have to make do. He’s been so busy dealing with this scandal at the hospital.” Here Emma spun around, confused. She hadn’t heard any news through the inexhaustible, though not always accurate, hospital gossip grapevine.
Correctly reading Emma’s questioning expression, Sue responded, “You’ll have to ask him, dear. It’s very serious so I don’t think I should share. Anyways, he thinks that it’ll take up most of the week, poor thing. He’s been working ten hours a day just to manage everything!”
Some of Emma’s sadness was pushed aside by intrigue, at least for a time. She did love knowing secrets and having a parent in hospital leadership certainly had its perks. As if summoned, her father appeared in the doorway with a phone glued to his ear. His face was somber as he waved to Emma and mouthed to Sue, “Five minutes.”
“See? They even have him working on a Sunday!” Sue complained.
The two women were already seated at the dining room table when Robert entered and slid into his chair with a sigh. After he said a quick grace for the meal, Emma looked up from her plate to inquire, “What was that about?”
“Well, you’ll hear about it soon enough, I suppose. Better that you hear the real version than whatever garbled story gets repeated.” As one of the hospital’s ‘fixers’, Robert was quite familiar with the gossip channel as well. His dark eyes were shadowed as he continued, “I can’t say too much, though. All I can tell you that someone has been stealing pain medication from the emergency room, and one of the residents has been implicated.”
Emma’s eyes widened; the platter of roasted chicken that she had been handing to her mother hovered in midair. Robert looked at her, his voice sharp. “Do you know anything about this?”
“Of course not, Dad!” Emma retorted, offended by this suggestion. “You know I’d report something like that.”
Sue interjected, her voice chiding gently. “You know Emma has a good head on her shoulders, Robert. She wouldn’t hide anything so serious.”
Robert looked down. “I’m sorry, I know you wouldn’t. It’s been a stressful week, and the top dogs are up my ass to figure out who did it.”
Emma raised an eyebrow. The fact that her straight-laced, proper father swore was a testament to his tense emotional state. Dismissing this, her mind scanned through a list of her fellow residents, looking for any warning sign or irregularity that she hadn’t noticed before. Shaking her head, she remarked, “I just can’t imagine any of the residents doing that. Sure, residency is stressful, but that’s so out of character for everyone I know…”
Her voice trailed off; she drew a pattern on her plate with her fork as she considered her friends and classmates. These people had become her family over the past few years, their bonds forged over the emotional highs and lows of the emergency room. Her heart sank as she imagined the pending destruction of one of their hard-won careers on top of what was likely a serious addiction.
Sue’s worried eyes darted between Emma and her father.
“Surely it could’ve been someone else besides a resident, right? Another employee, or even a patient or visitor.”
“You know how secure those pharmacy machines are,” her father reminded her. “You need two separate codes to get anything out of them. No, it has to be someone within the hospital—most likely the person whose codes were used. And you know that only Emergency Department staff are issued those codes, in order to prevent this very problem.”
Emma nodded; he was right, it would be hard for anyone else to access the codes required to use the machines. She ate automatically, not registering the taste of the food, her mind turning over the different aspects of this news.
Robert swallowed his mouthful and stated in a businesslike tone, “Well, keep an ear out for any information, will you? It’s a very bad look for the hospital and we want to wrap it up as soon as we can, ideally before it hits the local news because that would be a nightmare.”
Emma nodded.
Robert’s guess was correct; the news that an employee was accused of stealing medication swept through the hospital the next day, though no one knew that it was an ED resident. Emma scanned the week’s schedule, not noticing that some of the shifts had been changed since last week. She walked out of the resident’s break room with a vague worry niggling at the back of her mind. Passing Devon in the hall, she gave him a small smile and wave. Something in his troubled look stopped her in her tracks. Refusing to acknowledge the horrifying thought that roared through her brain, she spun and headed straight back to the break room. She scanned the rotation schedule pinned to the wall for a second time. No Allison. Her heart pounded in her ears. Holding her breath, she forced herself to check each name. Allison wasn’t on the schedule for this week or next. Though she hated herself for it, Emma always kept track of when Allison was scheduled to work, telling herself that it was because she didn’t want to be caught off guard when they ran into each other. She had just checked the schedule on Friday, and Allison was supposed to be on the day shift all week. Someone—or something—had changed the schedule.
She hurtled back into the hall and caught up with Devon. He took one look at her face and pulled her into an empty exam room nearby.
“Devon—”
“Wait, just listen to me. Remember
the weekend you surprised Allison with a trip to celebrate your anniversary?” He spoke slowly and deliberately. “And you were with her, out of town, the entire weekend?”
Emma flinched. Of course she remembered. The sunrise from the top of the mountain, their triumph at conquering the steep hike, their sweet kiss at the summit. An afternoon spent gorging on pizza and befriending the local brewery’s resident cat. Nights filled with giggles and gentle caresses. It had been one of the best weekends of her life, once Allison had forgiven her for her refusal to invite her to her family Christmas celebration. Regret clouded her thoughts. How could she have been so selfish?
Devon eyed her but continued, his words hard. “Well, someone committed a crime that weekend. But no one believes that Allison wasn’t here, so she’s being blamed for it. And she refuses to throw anyone under the bus in order to prove that she wasn’t involved.”
He clenched his jaw and paused for a moment. “You aren’t hearing this from me. But I know you loved her and she needs your help, although God knows she’ll never admit it. The final hearing is on Wednesday morning.”
He left her alone as the truth crashed through her brain. Her own father thought that Allison had stolen drugs, when in fact they had been hundreds of miles away, tangled up in blankets and basking in the glory of each other’s presence. And even though they had broken up months ago, she was still defending Emma’s secret by not telling the truth about their relationship. She was risking her entire career to protect Emma. Head spinning, she collapsed into a chair.
11
Two days later, Allison sat at the ornate conference table anxiously waiting for a reaction from the hospital administrators. Doing her best to keep her voice from shaking, she had disseminated and explained all the documents she and Devon had compiled regarding her trip and the technical issues with her hospital email account. A tense silence followed her presentation.