Foundation for Three

by Vella Day

  When she arrived, Thad’s door was open and the television on. That seemed like a good sign. She popped her head in and knocked. “Hello?” Her palms were a bit moist, but she chalked it up to holding the hot coffee, and not because she might be nervous. She feared the sight of her might remind him of what happened. When he looked up and smiled, the tension in her shoulders faded.

  He turned off the television. “Hey. How are you doing?” he asked, looking better than she expected.

  She chuckled, allowing relief to wash over her. “Good, thank you.” She placed the coffee on the side table. From her purse, she retrieved the sugar packets. “I didn’t know how you took it.” She was glad to see the IV stand had disappeared.

  “Black, but you didn’t have to go to all the trouble.” He cocked a brow and his lips curled up at the ends. “I’m a cop. What? No donuts?”

  She shook her head and grinned. His humor surprised her, but she liked it. She pulled over the chair. “You’re too fit to eat donuts. You told me you ran.” It was something they both liked to do—only she wasn’t as consistent as he was. Also, she was more of a two miler. He did five.

  “I’m surprised you remembered.”

  She tapped her skull. “Just call me elephant brain.”

  “I like it.” They talked a bit more about his rigorous nutrition plan. Not wanting to wear him out, Zoey started to excuse herself, but Thad stopped her. “Can you stay a minute? I’d love the company.”

  “Sure. I don’t have another appointment for a while.” If she had to skip lunch, she would. “I met your roommate.” She was intrigued by Pete. College educated, owner of his own company, family rebel, and yet he listened and seemed to be a caring person. It was an uncommon combination of traits.

  “I heard. Pete stopped by a while ago. I want to apologize for him.”

  Now Thad had her attention. “For what? Pete did an amazing job renovating the house.” While his workers might have done a lot of the actual work, the attention to detail was exceptional. Plus, he held my hand and took care of me when I needed someone the most.

  “His comment about sharing.” Thad’s face colored.

  Oh, that. “It was nothing.” Pete never hinted he was interested in her anyway, so how he conducted his life was his own business. She nodded to Thad’s arm. “How’s it doing? Are you able to go home soon?” If he did, would she ever see him again?

  He lifted his arm that was held in a sling. “Feeling good. Doc says if the wound looks okay tomorrow, I can leave.”

  “Fantastic. How long before they let you go back to work full time?”

  His jaw tightened. “Desk work for at least a week. It sucks. Plus, I gotta get a psych eval for discharging my gun.”

  “That should be easy. You handled all of my questions well.”

  “Yes, but that was fake.”

  Not completely. The cops had given him a background, complete with a pregnant wife and late stage pancreatic cancer. Sure, he was acting, but she could tell he longed for a family of his own. They’d discussed what was important in the ill Thad’s life and how much he’d miss seeing his unborn child when he passed away. Zoey had the sense Thad’s answers, while made up, contained a lot of truth.

  “One of the nurses told me that man you shot is married to your ex-wife.”

  Thad nodded. “Garrett McDonald. He married Peggy a month after we divorced.” His lips thinned as if the topic was still painful.

  Way to go, Zoey. His ex-wife remarrying so soon after a divorce had a lot of implications. None of which were good. “How is our nemesis?”

  “Recovering.”

  She couldn’t tell if Thad was relieved or upset. So much for her ability to read people today. “How about I buy you dinner Saturday night?” Normally, Zoey didn’t ask men out, but she owed Thad her life.

  He grinned and his face lit up. “It’s a date.”

  She pulled out her cell. “What’s your number? I’ll call you and then you’ll have mine in your contacts.”

  He told her the information then took a drink of coffee. “Ah. That hits the spot. I can’t tell you how much the hospital’s version of coffee and food sucks. I feel better already.” He was exaggerating, but that was probably his way of saying thanks.

  Even though Thad looked better than yesterday and his attitude was more upbeat, she sensed he was torn up about having to shoot her captor. “Are you mentally doing okay?”

  “You mean with shooting someone I knew?”

  There she went again. Trying to get into a person’s head. “Yes.”

  His lips hardened as if he was debating what and how much to reveal. “Let’s just say shooting a stranger would have been easier.”

  She was afraid of that. “He shot you first. Still, it must have been hard.” Stop it. Why was she trying to pick at his wound?

  Zoey was a therapist through and through. She couldn’t help it.

  “It was.”

  His short response was his way of asking her to mind her own business and she took his cue. Zoey slapped her thighs and stood. “I need to get back, but I do owe you.” She didn’t want to overstay her visit, though she wouldn’t have minded getting to know him better.

  “Don’t forget our date,” he said.

  The butterflies in her stomach flew away, and she smiled. “I won’t.” She was halfway to the door when she turned around. How thoughtless of her. “Do you need a ride home tomorrow or anything?” She didn’t know if Pete would be at work.

  “I could use one. I’m kind of out of commission for a while. Can’t drive until the doc clears me.”

  That might be the toughest part of the ordeal—having to depend on someone. “Call me when you’re ready to leave. I’m only a few floors away.”

  “You bet.”

  His enthusiastic response pleased her. Happy that Thad was in better spirits, she took the elevator to the second floor. Food was calling her name. It was past the lunch rush, so she made it through the line quickly. Finding a seat near the back, she readied for some peace and quiet. She’d eaten only a few bites of her salad when loud chatter caught her attention. She turned back toward the entrance. Oh, shit. Dr. Avery Carson had come in with plastic surgeon Dr. Raymond Thompson. While she’d never been introduced to either man, everyone knew those two. Being in the same room with Carson curbed her appetite.

  Don’t judge.

  Returning to her meal, she delved in, mentally reliving her visit with Thad instead of thinking about what Kara had told her about her boss. Chairs scraped right behind her, and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. What the heck? The cafeteria was half empty, and yet Carson and Thompson had to sit right behind her? Really? She leaned over to pick up her purse when Thompson spoke up.

  “Tell me what happened, Avery. I’ve never seen you so upset.”

  She sat up again. Was he about to say something about Kara? If so, perhaps Zoey should leave. She would have done so right away, except that it might look a bit obvious if she moved to the other side of the cafeteria with her full tray.

  Liar. Her curiosity was piqued.

  Chapter Seven

  Zoey had recently checked out Dr. Carson because Kara Molloy had alleged the man had not only sexually harassed her, he’d also made fun of the anesthetized patients and broken numerous operating room rules. It sucked Zoey couldn’t hear his side of the story. However, all was not lost. She had observed him when he wasn’t looking and had very subtly asked around about the man. Everyone said he had an aura about him that exuded confidence and sexuality.

  From his good posture, and with the way he was manscaped from head to nails, she bet he believed he could charm any woman he wanted. From what she’d heard in the break room, most women had already fallen under his spell.

  Zoey wasn’t into egocentric men. The images of Pete bending over the tub as he finished the bathroom remodel and Thad, as he held Garrett McDonald at gunpoint, flashed across her mind’s eye.

  “I lost a child yesterday,” Carson
replied. “I’m still reeling.”

  He’d lost a child? Oh, no. That wasn’t what she thought he’d be speaking about. It was rude to eavesdrop, but there wasn’t enough noise in the room to block out Carson’s booming voice. His words finally registered, and a wave of depression filled her. A young death would break anyone’s heart.

  “Avery, man, I’m sorry, but stuff like that happens to the best. What happened exactly?” Dr. Thompson sounded sincere.

  “That’s the thing, I’m not even sure. It should have been a relatively routine operation. It was one I’d done many times. One minute everything’s going well, and the next the kid coded.”

  “Shit. How old was he?”

  “Three and change. Had a congenital heart defect. I tried my best, but in the end I was unable to save him.”

  Her heart went out to the child and his family. Years ago, she’d counseled a teenager who was suicidal. Nothing Zoey said seemed to have an effect on the girl. The teen’s classmates had bullied her until she couldn’t take it anymore, and despite Zoey’s efforts, Janet had taken her life. For weeks afterward, Zoey had grieved. She’d read and reread her notes to see what she could have done better. Her guilt was so strong that she’d consulted with another therapist. Dr. Claire Daniels told her that Zoey couldn’t expect to reach everyone, especially those who refused to listen. Though what Claire said made sense, a bit of the pain never quite went away.

  “That’s got to be tough.” Thompson’s voice interrupted Zoey’s thoughts.

  “You ever lose anyone, Ray?” Carson acted like Thompson didn’t understand.

  “No, I’ve been lucky. Cardiac arrest after a procedure is always a risk, though.” Neither said anything for a moment. “You’ve lost patients before. Why is this one so bad?”

  “He was a child.” Carson’s voice cracked. “The young boy’s parents were devastated. I’ve never seen such grief. I spent a long time with them, but nothing I said seemed to help.”

  Zoey’s eyes watered a bit. Janet’s parents had been inconsolable, too.

  “That’s horrible,” Thompson replied. “What was the cause of his death?”

  “Stroke.”

  Zoey couldn’t imagine a three-year old having a stroke. She associated that with the elderly.

  “How the hell did that happened?”

  Carson blew out an exaggerated breath. “I was repairing the hole. It was a bad one. This issue should have been taken care of soon after birth, but the parents waited. Too long in my opinion. I took so much time trying to make sure the sutures would hold together that I didn’t notice a blood clot had broken off.”

  “It’s not your fault, man.”

  “I keep telling myself that, but it’s not working. I swear we tried everything to revive him, but couldn’t.” What sounded like a fist hit the table. “I was in charge of that little boy. I might have been able to save him if I’d been more careful.”

  Wow. Maybe Zoey had let Kara’s comments color her opinion of the man. He seemed truly distraught.

  “How did the team react? You had a ton of people assisting you. Didn’t any of them claim responsibility?”

  Carson huffed out a laugh. “You would ask. Kara actually went ballistic on me. Said I wasn’t focused. Shit, man. She’s my fucking assistant. She was supposed to pay attention, too.” He drew in a deep breath that sounded closer to a sob. “The bitch of it all is that I couldn’t even get mad at her. She was right. I fucked up.”

  Silverware scraped across plates and cups clanked on the table. “Other than her outburst, is she still calling you night and day?”

  There was a pause, almost as if Carson wanted to think about his response. “Yeah. It’s fucking pissing me off. I told Kara to stop contacting me, but she refuses. If I thought it would do any good, I’d go to HR myself and tell them she came on to me and that she won’t leave me alone.”

  Zoey was stunned. None of his sentiments matched what Kara had said. It was almost as if he was speaking about another assistant named Kara.

  “Harassment doesn’t seem to work in the opposite direction, but it will get better,” Thompson said. “You remember Belinda, from two years ago?”

  “That the nurse in your office?”

  “Yes. She tried to ruin me because I didn’t want a monogamous relationship. Fuck that. I’m glad she couldn’t make anything stick. Women think because I’m a surgeon that I’m fair game.”

  “She’s gone, right?” Carson asked.

  “Hell, yeah. That took work. Trust me.”

  The conversation turned to football and Zoey suddenly needed to leave. Heavy pressure sat on her chest, and confusion swamped her. Dr. Carson truly appeared to be upset over the loss of the boy. Had Kara been harassing her boss instead of the other way around? Did Carson’s attempts to turn her down gently make Kara believe he loved her? It wouldn’t be the first time one of Zoey’s patients had been delusional.

  Only one way to find out. Investigate within the confines of her oath.

  * * *

  Zoey had told Thad she’d drive him home tomorrow, but she wasn’t sure when that would be, so she asked Rachel to reschedule all of her next day’s appointments, except for her eight o’clock. She doubted Thad would be released before nine.

  After she finished with her last patient, Zoey headed home. All she wanted to do was kick back with a nice glass of white wine, watch some television, and forget all about Dr. Avery Carson and the continuing drama with Kara Molloy. But damn it. Zoey couldn’t figure out why he and Dr. Thompson had to sit right behind her and speak so loudly. She’d heard every word they’d said. All she could think of was that Kara must have let it slip that she was seeing Zoey. Even if Kara had told Avery about the sessions, she’d never have mentioned they were about him.

  God. Zoey’s head pounded. She had no proof that either party was being completely honest, but with everything that had happened in the last two days, her mind couldn’t stop spinning. She needed a break.

  As soon as her house came into view, she let out a breath. Home sweet home. Once she was inside, she poured a glass of white wine then plopped on the sofa and leaned back her head. Within seconds her pulse slowed, and the tightness around her temples began to ease.

  She closed her eyes, picturing the kind of meal she wanted to prepare this Friday. Cooking had always acted as her stress reliever. If she had the energy, she might even invite a few friends over. Then on Saturday, she’d go out with Thad. When she thought about what was coming up, she was really excited.

  Just as Zoey stretched out on the sofa and picked up the television remote, her cell rang. Her pulse raced. Was it Pete? Or Thad? She set down her wine and checked her phone. It was Courtney. When her younger sister called, it was usually because something bad had happened to her love life. They only lived five hours away, but there never seemed to be enough time in Courtney’s day for a visit.

  “Courtney? You okay?”

  “Zoey?” The worry in her sister’s voice tore at her.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  “I left Robbie.” The desperation and sadness in her sister’s tone broke Zoey’s heart.

  “Tell me what happened. I want to hear everything.” Zoey picked up her glass and sipped her drink while she listened to the series of events that led to the breakup.

  For over half an hour, she and Courtney discussed Robbie’s inappropriate behavior. Zoey agreed with her sister. No man should ever hit a woman.

  “I know it’s for the best,” Courtney said, “but it’s hard.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, but things will look better tomorrow.”

  Courtney sniffled. “Maybe. Why do I keep attracting the same type of man—one who’s emotionally unavailable? I can’t seem to break the pattern.”

  Zoey was impressed that Courtney seemed to understand the complicated topic of unavailability. “We’ve talked about these types of toxic men before. Changing one’s mindset is never easy.”

  “Do you think you c
ould give me some ways to tell if he’s the violent type from the get go?”

  Being needed helped revive Zoey. “I’d be happy to, sweetie.”

  She and Courtney discussed what things the next man might say, do, or demand from her that would be a red flag.

  “You rock, sis. I’ll certainly give those a try. But enough about me. What’s going on with you? You’ll never find happiness if you don’t give men a chance.”

  Zoey smiled. “I think that was some of the advice I gave you.” Courtney’s chuckle bolstered Zoey’s spirits.

  “You’re lucky.”

  “How so?” Zoey asked.

  “At least you’ll be able to spot the bad ones.”

  That lightened the mood. “Like I did with Rich and Dave?” Zoey had been so sure they were the two perfect men. Boy, had she been wrong.

  “We all need practice.”

  Zoey loved talking with her sister. The pounding in her head had disappeared. “I think you’ve been listening to me too much.” Zoey often preached that Courtney just had to keep looking, and she’d find Mr. Right.

  “So, what about you?” Courtney asked.

  Clearly, her sister wasn’t going to let up. “I met someone.”

  As was her intention, Courtney squealed. “You went out on a date?”

  “Not exactly a date.” She explained that Pete was the owner of the construction company she’d hired to do some renovations. “He’d been finishing up on the remodel when I came home early one day.” Given Courtney’s state of mind, Zoey wouldn’t mention the shooting, which was why she didn’t tell Courtney about the upcoming date with Thad. “Pete was cleaning the bathtub when I walked in.”

  “Ooh. He sounds yummy. But he does the labor himself?” Zoey inwardly chuckled at the snobbish tone. It wasn’t Courtney’s fault. It was how they’d been raised.

  “Only when he’s needed to fill in. That’s what good managers or owners do. He went to college, so back off, sister.” Zoey laughed.

  “Okay. Tell me more.”

  She mentioned Pete was from Rock Hard and had a business partner who’d left for a few years but had returned. “We just talked about, I don’t know, stuff. I like him. He’s nice.”