“Jarvis? What’s—”
“Let me remind you, Dr.…Richmond, that I am the director of Knolls’s emergency room, not you. I will do what I…as I see fit to ensure…to see to the safety of the patients in this community, and if that means pulling a surprise drill to test the skills of a particular health care employee, I will do so with no lip from you, young woman.”
“What?” Mercy snapped. “Jarvis, have you been drinking?”
There was a swift intake of breath at the other end. “What are you talking about?”
A long, indignant pause radiated tension so taut Mercy felt her own hand tighten on her cell.
“Aren’t you confusing me with your father?” he snapped. “Why don’t you take care of your own job and let me see to mine?”
Mercy’s mouth fell open.
Behind her she heard the door swish open. She turned around, saw Dr. Bower standing there, and she waved a dismissing hand at him.
“This is part of my job, Dr. George,” she said coldly. “You don’t have the authority to call a drill just because you’ve been on staff since the Boston Tea Party. Dorothy should have known better than to make the arrangements on your word alone. I don’t care if she does worship you. I’m ashamed of the way our new recruit is being treated by—”
There was a click. Jarvis had hung up.
In spite of his mood, Lukas walked out of the call room with a bemused smile on his face. He shouldn’t be smiling. Dr. George had apparently pulled this on him out of spite and had also probably told every other physician in the area, including the physician backup, not to respond to the drill. But he certainly hadn’t told Dr. Richmond about it, and she wasn’t afraid to complain. That was especially comforting after seeing Jarvis sitting with Mercy’s family at the funeral a little over two weeks ago. Maybe Jarvis wouldn’t get his way about everything.
Mercy came out of the call room a moment later, and Lukas watched her march toward the exit. She had taken her long, dark hair out of its customary knot, and it hung loose around her shoulders. She didn’t look his way, but stalked out of the E.R. with long strides, pulling off her lab coat as she went.
“Dr. Bower.” A frowning Dorothy Wild stepped in front of him, one arm around a clipboard, the other reaching up as if she wanted to point a finger in his face. “Can we please get on with the drill now? Do you realize these people are getting paid for this? It’s costing the—”
Still thinking about Mercy’s actions, Lukas made an about-face and walked back into the call room to get what he’d gone after the first time. He hadn’t eaten anything since his late breakfast, and it would be a while before he could get away for dinner. He needed a Snickers.
Mercy parked at the side of her mother’s house and spied her through the kitchen window, bent over her work at the sink, her hair falling out of its ponytail. Mom never closed her curtains at night, never locked her doors and always left her keys in the car.
Sure enough, not only was the front door unlocked, it was ajar. Mom always did that when she expected company, just so they’d know to come on in. Mercy pushed the door open and walked in.
“Mom?” She glanced at the clock on the living-room wall. It was eight already.
Ivy stepped into the threshold from the kitchen and for a moment stood looking at Mercy. Robert was right. Mom was in great shape for sixty-six, and she looked ten years younger. People were always remarking on how much Mercy looked like Ivy. She didn’t mind. Mom was beautiful, except when she had that challenging glare in her eyes. Like now.
“No trip,” Mercy said.
Ivy nodded. “So he told you. I figured he would. In fact, I thought you’d be calling a lot sooner than this. I can’t believe the lack of patient confidentiality in this town. I’ve never had any privacy, being married to one doctor and being the mom of another.”
“Dr. Simeon didn’t call until tonight when I was making rounds at the hospital. You could’ve contacted me at work. I can’t believe you’re still planning that trip. There’s no way—”
“I’m going.”
“Don’t be stupid. It’s dangerous.”
“Don’t call be stupid. I’m your mother.”
Mercy pulled off her fake leather jacket and threw it on the sofa. Without looking again at her mother, she went into the kitchen. “What’re you cooking? I’m starved. We got hammered all day. I barely had time for breakfast. I had to fly a patient out on the chopper today, and then dear ol’ Jarvis up and decides to pull a disaster drill on Dr. Bower. No warning, no time to prepare. I was so mad. Guess who tried to assist and got turned down?”
“You?”
“You betcha. Jarvis has it in for Lukas.”
“Jarvis has his reasons.”
Mercy glanced at the stir-fry on the stove, picked out a piece of water chestnut, and opened the fridge. “The way I see it, Jarvis has some problems of his own he’d better get worked out before he starts criticizing others. He’s had a brain glitch the past few days. Got any milk?”
Ivy sighed heavily, her impatience giving way to sarcasm. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, dear. Joints were a little stiff when I got up this morning, but I felt great by the time I hit the treadmill. Speaking of which, didn’t Dr. Simeon tell you he got an appointment for me with a big-shot cardiologist in Springfield? I’m going to see him tomorrow. Why don’t we let him decide about the trip.”
Mercy put down the milk jug and turned to her mother. “I can’t believe you agreed to an appointment for tomorrow. You should have known I’d want to go with you for this.”
“Why? So the doctor can talk to you instead of me? I hate that, and I sure hope you don’t do it to your own patients. I don’t have Alzheimer’s, I’m not that forgetful yet, and I’ve got my own life to live, just as you have yours.”
“But this is important. I want to hear—”
“I’ll take notes and let your secretary transcribe them for—”
“Cut the sarcasm, Mom. Is there something wrong with caring about your own—”
“Caring? A little kindness, a little concern for how I’m feeling about all this, would—”
“Maybe I can get Jarvis to cover for—”
“Don’t even think about it!” Ivy’s voice hit a few more decibels than necessary.
“No, you’re right. The way Jarvis has been acting, he may feed my patients to the wolves.”
“Would you at least listen to me a minute?”
Mercy closed her mouth and watched her mother in silence for a full five seconds. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this. I wanted to be strong and supportive for you, I really did, and here I am jumping down your throat. Sorry, Mom. But really, the trip to Colorado…”
“I need the break. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten out like this. I need—”
“It’s only been two and a half weeks since Grandma died. You want Tedi and me to lose you, too?”
“Mercy, stop it! Hiking in Colorado can’t be as stressful as this.”
“There’s no oxygen out there on those mountains at fourteen thousand feet.”
“Oh, sure, like our group is going mountain climbing. Get real. I’m the youngest one going, and as I’ve already told your Dr. Simeon, Doc Heagerty will be going, too.”
“First of all, the whole state of Colorado is higher in elevation by far than the highest peak in Missouri. Second, Dr. Simeon is not mine and third, Doc Heagerty has earned his rest. The last thing he’ll want is a needy patient following him into the wilderness.”
“He’ll want this patient.”
“And how’s he going to do you any good if you have a heart attack, or…” Mercy stopped and stared at Ivy. “What?”
Ivy held her gaze calmly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Uh, problem?”
Ivy nodded, as if satisfied she’d managed to cut off Mercy’s word flow, if even for a few seconds. She sauntered across the kitchen and opened the cupboard for plates. “Close your mouth, or you’ll catc
h a bee. There’s plenty of stir-fry for both of us. I have some fat-free garlic bread ready to put in the oven. It’ll only take a minute. You could use some healthy food for a change instead of that greasy hospital stuff.” She held her daughter’s glazed stare for a moment, then continued with her preparations.
“How long has this been going on with Hugh?” Mercy asked.
“This ‘thing’ is called friendship, simple as that. Hugh and I have been friends for years.”
“Yes, but when did you cross the threshold from doctor-patient friends to…you know…friends?”
“Since Elizabeth Heagerty died with a heart attack three years ago.” Ivy placed the food on the bar and took a stool beside Mercy. She bowed her head in silent grace as she always did.
“I didn’t know,” Mercy said when Ivy raised her head.
Ivy picked up her fork. “There’s nothing more to know. We’re friends. Your father has been gone for five years, and some of the nightmare has faded.”
“Which nightmare?” Mercy asked bitterly. “The marriage or the death?”
Ivy poured habanero sauce on her food. “A combination, I suppose.”
Mercy remained silent for a few moments as she ate.
“Life goes on,” Ivy said at last. “I was hoping you’d be happy that I could build new relationships after…bad experiences with a previous marriage.”
“I am happy for you, really, Mom. I admire your ability to recover. I can’t imagine ever even considering remarriage after the first disaster…and after Dad.” Mercy had experienced a triple whammy five years ago, and she didn’t know if she would ever recover. Not only had her father died from alcoholic cirrhosis, but she had gone through a nasty divorce and had lost her daughter to Theo Zimmerman in a vengeful double cross.
Ivy placed a hand over Mercy’s and squeezed. “I haven’t said I’m getting married.”
“That’s a relief.”
“As for the future…” Ivy shrugged. “So what’s the difference between my friendship with Hugh and yours with Robert Simeon? You two spend some time together outside office hours. If you’re so set against relationships—”
“We spend very little time together outside office hours, and we always talk shop.”
“I think he would like more.”
“I don’t give—” She hesitated. “Mom, there’s no relationship there. It would be a waste of my time and his. The only relationships I want are those with my daughter and my mother. Thanks to that maggot of an ex-husband, Tedi is more confused at ten than most sixteen-year-olds. She’s certainty more worldly-wise.”
“Get her back.”
Mercy rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Fat chance. You know what happened the last time Theodore dragged me through the court system. It hurt Tedi too much. How do you think she felt about seeing her mother being involuntarily committed to a psych ward?” Mercy had been suffering from a great deal of depression during the divorce and her father’s death, so much that she’d taken a couple of extra Valium one night just to blunt the pain. It hadn’t helped, so she’d tried to check herself into the mental heath center voluntarily. A friend of Theo’s, who just happened to be on duty that night, had called the police and forced a ninety-six-hour stay. Theo used it to his advantage in divorce court and won custody of Tedi.
“I can’t put Tedi through another court battle,” Mercy said quietly. She looked up and held Ivy’s gaze. Tedi was five at the time, and when allowed in the courtroom, she’d listened solemnly to every word. Ivy had paid for the child’s counseling for three years while Mercy struggled to build up a ruined practice and pay Theo’s bills.
“She’s not happy living with her father,” Ivy said.
“Who would be? There’s nothing I can do. It would just dredge up old pain for all of us, and I would lose the case again. I can’t risk it, not with Tedi.”
“Don’t let Theo pull another bluff on you, honey. You know how good he is at that.”
Mercy held her mom’s silent gaze for a moment. What would it be like to have Tedi back with her all the time, after five years? Dare she hope?
“The man is an abuser, Mercy. How do you know he’s not playing the same mind games on Tedi he played on you?”
“He loves his daughter.”
“He doesn’t know how to love.”
“Loving a daughter is different from loving a wife. Who wouldn’t love Tedi?”
“Your father loved you.” Ivy’s voice held the pain of too many memories. “I know you haven’t forgotten. Theo drinks, too.”
“You’re saying that Theo might be treating Tedi the way Dad—”
“I don’t know what Theo might be doing,” Ivy said.
“But remember that you had some protection because I was home with you most of the time.”
“And I’m not home with Tedi.” Mercy’s jaw jutted out. “That’s not my fault, Mom.”
“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Try to get Tedi back.”
“We could lose a lot, Tedi and I.”
“You won’t lose Tedi’s love. She needs you.”
Mercy swallowed the rest of her milk and wiped her lips with a napkin. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
“Wouldn’t hurt to pray about it.”
Mercy shot her mother a scowl. “Wouldn’t help, either. How about a deal? I won’t hassle you about your friendship with Doc Heagerty if you’ll lay off the Jesus stuff. And I’ll even shut up about Colorado if you’ll listen to the cardiologist. But if he tells you not to go to Colorado, forget the trip, okay?”
“Never hurts to listen.”
“And do what he says.”
“You act as if I have a death wish. I’m not what you docs call a ‘noncompliant’ patient, but I’m not going to panic and curtail all my activities. You’re being overprotective.”
Mercy grinned and picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. “Now, where did I learn that?”
“Speaking of docs, how has the new one been working out lately?” Ivy didn’t quite keep the thread of antagonism from her voice.
Mercy shot her a suspicious glance as she chewed her apple. “He’s good, even if he is an uncertified osteopath. He’s had some experience, obviously. And he’s smart, a really good diagnostician. He’s called me on a couple of my patients, and I’ve been impressed. So have his patients and the E.R. staff. Hate to disappoint you.”
“So you get along well with him?”
“I’m not sure ‘get along’ is a fitting term, and I’m still not convinced we need him. His presence has cut my moonlighting hours and rearranged my schedule to the point that I have to choose between working two extra shifts a month and keeping Tedi for my regular visitation, so my income is down. But you can’t fight administration.”
“You can if you are administration.”
“No, Mom. Don’t use your contributions as a source of blackmail just because you’re mad at someone. I thought Christians were supposed to be above that stuff.”
“I’m not using blackmail when it’s my money in the first place, and I control the distribution. I can just as easily donate to Cox South in Springfield.”
“Okay, then, call it bribery. Same thing.”
“Not when I feel I’m following my conscience. Jarvis is still trying to find out why Dr. Bower was kicked out of his residency program in KC.” Ivy bent to peer through the oven door.
“I doubt it had anything to do with clinical skills. He’s going to be popular with the patients. He takes too much time with each one, but in their opinion, that’s good.”
Ivy glanced up at Mercy from her bent-over position. “So you like him?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Ivy sighed and straightened. “If this were a female doc, would it make a difference?”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair to judge someone by gender.”
“Why should you care? You want to get rid of him because you think he killed Grandma.”
“No, I don’t!” Ivy’s words came with extra velocity.
Mercy heard the force of continued grief. Maybe Mom did need to get away. But to Colorado?
Mercy chewed and swallowed a third bite. “Yes, I would like him if he weren’t a man. He’s not as obnoxious as some. If Jarvis George has his way, though, Dr. Bower will be out by the time the next schedule goes up. And speaking of Jarvis, have you ever known him to drink?”
“Drink? You mean, alcohol?”
“No, Mom, I’m talking cream soda.” Mercy made a face. “Of course, alcohol. He sounded drunk to me when I called him tonight. I’ve never heard him talk like that. He was insulting and rude, to boot. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
Ivy shook her head. “I haven’t spoken with him for a few days, but I’ve never known him to drink. Remember how he used to disapprove of your father’s drinking? Did you wake him?”
“If that’s all it was, he’d better not take night call anymore. He acted really weird. He even hung up on me.” Mercy took another bite of apple, got up and hugged Ivy, and went into the living room for her coat. “Thanks for dinner. It’s the best I’ve had in a while, but now it’s past my bedtime and I’m tired. See you later.”
“What? No dessert? I’ve baked some apples with honey and oats. They’re delicious.”
“Thanks, but I had a stale doughnut tonight while I was doing dictation. I’m stuf—” She gasped, glanced at her watch, and groaned. “Oh, no.”
“What? Did you forget a chart?”
Mercy jerked on her jacket with sudden irritability. “Of course not. Just a man. See ya!”
She almost didn’t stop at Robert Simeon’s on the way home, but at the last moment she felt guilty. The guilt fostered a growing irritation. Robert had been trying to convince her to go out on a real date with him for the past several weeks, and she’d turned him down. Tonight had not been her idea. She’d only agreed to dinner to get him off the phone. She should probably be just as irritated with herself for allowing him to talk her into it.
This friendship had become a little too confining.
She knocked on the door hard enough to hurt her knuckles, then spied a lighted button to the right of the door. She rang it. She’d only been here once before, and that was to bring Robert home when his car had broken down three months ago. His new Porsche Carrera would prevent future episodes. Robert enjoyed many of the finer things money could buy. He enjoyed them a little too much for Mercy’s taste, and lately when she was with him, she had become aware of the basic differences in their thought processes. He was a little too involved in himself. But then, maybe she was, too.
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