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Sophie's Path

Page 16

by Catherine Lanigan


  Many of those employees—doctors like Nate Barzonni, nurses, janitors and techs—were his clients now. They were people with mouths to feed. Mortgages to pay. Their families would suffer.

  And if he lost Emory’s business, his own company would suffer, too.

  Jack wasn’t thrilled about this diplomatic nightmare, but it was a game he had to initiate if he had any hope of staying afloat. And if he was ever going to sell a corporate plan to Benedictine, he needed Emory’s recommendation and support to solidify the deal if and when Benedictine acquired Indian Lake Hospital.

  Jack took the lid off the latte Katia had brought him. Maddie had made a little animal face out of a half-melted marshmallow for him. It made him smile. It was his first smile of the day.

  He picked up his files and went back to work.

  * * *

  JACK HAD WRITTEN a lengthy email to Tom Hardy, the CEO of Benedictine Hospital Network in Indianapolis, outlining the benefits of his insurance packages and requesting an interview. He reached for his latte and realized it was stone cold. He hit Send and decided to warm the coffee in the break room microwave.

  As he stepped into the reception area, he realized with a start that Melanie and Owen’s desks were vacant, their computers shut down.

  “Hey! Where is everybody?”

  He glanced at the clock above Melanie’s desk.

  How could it be six already?

  “Hi, Jack.”

  Jack froze. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. The angel’s voice. Or so he’d thought when he believed he was dying.

  He spun around. “Sophie.”

  She was wearing a silky yellow skirt with tiny polka dots and a short-sleeved cotton sweater the color of goldenrods. Her dark, thick hair tumbled onto her shoulders and glistened in the light of the setting sun coming through the French windows. She stood slowly and he noticed that her espadrilles were tied with yellow ribbons. No stockings, just smooth olive skin. She looked like one of those Italian beauties he’d seen in travel brochures walking along a Sicilian beach.

  She took his breath away.

  “Melanie said it was okay if I waited for Katia out here. She’s in her office with a client and asked not to be disturbed.”

  “Her office?” Jack couldn’t tear his eyes from Sophie’s. He was mesmerized. “Oh, right. Her office. We just got it finished last week. Luke Bosworth did the work. He’s very good.”

  “He is.” She smiled.

  The light in her face was more brilliant than the sun’s amber rays.

  “You know Luke?”

  “Not well. Just that he’s Sarah’s husband. He did the build-out of the apartment in Mrs. Beabots’s house. My apartment, that is.”

  He kept staring. Filling his eyes. He barely heard her.

  “My apartment? You know? Where Katia lived before she and Austin... Jack, are you okay?”

  “Huh? Oh. Fine. Fine. Hey, would you like some iced tea? Coffee? Lemonade? It’s just that powder stuff. It’s not really my thing—I make my own from fresh lemons.”

  “So do I.” She smiled again.

  His heart did some radical gymnastics that he’d never be able to describe to a doctor.

  Sophie was still talking. “I make mine with filtered water and it’s so much better. Mrs. Beabots puts mint in hers. Actually, she puts her homegrown mint in just about anything. I should bring you some.”

  What was she talking about? He saw her lips moving, but this vision couldn’t be Sophie. He was angry with Sophie. He and Sophie were on opposite sides of a blistering disagreement about how Aleah had died. Who was responsible. He wouldn’t give in. Ever. He owed that to Aleah.

  Didn’t he?

  “Iced tea would be great,” she said. “It’s been a long day. We had three difficult ablations back-to-back.”

  “Is that unusual?” he managed to say.

  “Pretty much. These were all over three hours each. I wasn’t sure I’d get here in time for Katia. But we started earlier than we’d planned. Thank goodness,” she rambled.

  He pointed to the break room. “I’ll get some tea for you. Katia shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Jack. No sugar.”

  He smiled. “Somehow, I knew that.”

  “Really? I’ve never liked sugar in my tea, even though I like—”

  “Ice cream,” he finished for her.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “How’s Frenchie?”

  “Er. Fine. She’s asleep in her bed. In my office.” He really had to concentrate. He was getting tea. No sugar. “You wanna see her?”

  “Yeah. I’d love to.”

  “Feel free,” he said, waving toward his office.

  Sophie followed him. Light footsteps. Barely hitting the floor. Didn’t angels do that? Float? Not walk.

  Jack turned and went to the break room. He filled a glass with ice cubes then poured the tea from an antique pitcher Katia had brought from home. Katia was relentless with making the office feel homey. Cozy. Inviting.

  Fleetingly, he wondered if Sophie liked antiques. Or was she the modern type—all hard surfaces and antibacterial sprays?

  He put his latte in the microwave before finding a napkin and straw for Sophie.

  He heard her cooing as she talked to Frenchie. Then he heard her return to the reception area. Funny, it warmed him in some odd way to know that she and his dog were so...loving.

  When he stepped out of the break room she was sitting. Gazing out the window.

  The light on her face made her look like a Renaissance master’s painting. He tripped on the carpet.

  “Oops!” He spilled the top fourth of tea on the floor.

  Jack handed her the glass and then bent down and used the napkin to sop up the tea.

  “Here, let me help, Jack,” Sophie said, touching his shoulder.

  He could feel her warm hand through his shirt. He remembered that hand as she’d cleaned his wounds. Wiped his brow. Held his hand in the ER. He hadn’t known who she was. He was nothing to her then. A number. A victim. A patient.

  But she’d treated him as if he were the only human in the world worthy of her time and care. It had been her voice he’d clung to when trying to find consciousness in the sea of pain.

  He should thank her. Deep down, he was grateful. He owed her. She’d been patient with him since the accident, even if they disagreed. But his guilt would always keep them apart.

  Still, she had been good to him. Great, even.

  He put his hand on her knee. “Sophie—”

  “Hey, Sophie! You’re here!” Katia exclaimed. She turned to say her goodbyes to a man and woman who disappeared down the stairs, then headed toward the waiting area. “Jack? What are you doing?”

  “Tea. I spilled the tea,” he muttered getting to his feet.

  Katia’s smile was suffused with curiosity. “Okay. Need any more help?”

  “No.” He gave the carpet one more dab. “I think I got it.”

  Katia clasped her hands together. “I just need to get my purse and we can go, Sophie.”

  “That’s great,” she said as Katia went back to her office.

  Sophie looked at Jack. “Do you have a paper cup I could put the tea in to take with me? I don’t want to waste it, though I wouldn’t mind stealing this pretty glass.”

  “Uh, sure. I’ll get it for you.”

  She stood. They were very close.

  She smelled like roses and freesia and vanilla. Orchids. Rare, precious flowers. His blood pounded in his ears.

  “I don’t mind doing the pouring, Jack. And I saw where the break room was. I know you have work to do.”

  “Yes. Work.”

  He watched her walk to the back of the office, her skirt swinging e
ver-so-slightly, the muscles in her calves moving rhythmically. He liked her walk even more than he liked the sight of her running. Her hair swayed in a curtain and he marveled at how natural she looked. She was all woman.

  He continued to watch, turning to the window, after Katia and Sophie said goodbye to him and left. They got into Austin’s 1958 Mercedes convertible, white with a dark-brown leather interior. Jack remembered signing the insurance policy on it. It was one of the few Austin paid for road usage. He’d wanted Katia to have a “fun” car.

  As they drove north, Katia’s auburn hair blowing in the wind and Sophie’s thick, dark brown waves lifting off her shoulders, Jack felt weak in the knees. Katia was bonding with Sophie. They were becoming friends.

  Jack wanted to become Sophie’s friend, as well.

  With the recent disclosures Jack had heard about Benedictine and the Indian Lake Hospital, he now understood why Emory was making such a fuss about his rules and policies. He was seeking every loophole and excuse to fire employees. And he was doing it to save his own butt.

  Jack wondered if Sophie knew how thin the ice was under her feet.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  SOPHIE SAT IN Dr. Caldwell’s office, looking out at the church spires of Indian Lake. He was talking to one of his surgeons on the phone, though she wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. She’d been summoned to his office and all she could think about was why.

  Sophie was well aware that her performance had been slipping over the past weeks, and before news of it could get to the top echelons of the hospital, Doctor Caldwell had stepped in.

  She hadn’t felt this remorseful since third grade, when she’d been caught stealing Andrea Wilson’s mittens. Sophie had hated the cheap, plain black mittens her mother had bought her at a discount store. Andrea was an only child of wealthy-enough parents that she had a different pair of mittens for each of her four winter coats: a pink parka, a purple wool coat, a long red coat with a black velvet collar and cuffs and a white rabbit fur jacket with a hood.

  When Sister Mary Rose asked Sophie why she’d taken the mittens, Sophie hadn’t understood the nun’s reasoning. To her mind, Andrea had plenty. Why shouldn’t she share her things for a while? Sophie didn’t want the mittens forever. Just through the rest of the winter.

  When Sophie’s mother found out about the incident, she forbade her from eating any sweets for two months. Sophie often wondered if that long-ago punishment was the reason she craved sugar when she was depressed or feeling angry, sad or guilty.

  “Sophie, you know that Doctor Barzonni and I value you very much. That’s why it distresses me that we have to have this conversation.”

  Sophie put up her hand and shook her head. “You don’t have to say any more. I know exactly what’s wrong. And I will correct it.”

  “Really?” He raised his eyebrows and sat back. “Then enlighten me because I haven’t the foggiest.”

  “I’ve been working too many volunteer hours. Believe me, Doctor Caldwell, it’s not my job here. I’m not stressed in the least.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear. I was afraid we were too much and that we would lose you.”

  “On the contrary, I intend to stay on staff with you and Doctor Barzonni until I retire—if you’re both here that long.”

  He swiped his face and chuckled. “Let’s hope so!” Then he looked at her with probing eyes. “So it’s the ER?”

  She nodded. “I do need to cut back. I don’t want to cut it out, but just dial it back a bit. I, er, have a few other things I’ve been volunteering to do and I realize now that it’s too much.”

  He sighed heavily. “That’s a relief, Sophie. Quite frankly, Dr. Barzonni and I were afraid that your father’s cancer was back.”

  “Oh, no. It’s nothing personal. My family is fine. There are no other, um, significant situations taking my mind off work. I’m well aware that I need to refocus.”

  “Good.”

  “I’ve already said this to Dr. Barzonni, but would you reassure him for me that there won’t be any more slipups? In or out of the ablation unit.”

  Dr. Caldwell smiled and extended his hand. “Consider it done. I’m glad we had this discussion, Sophie. I hope I wasn’t prying about your father...”

  “No, no. He’s doing just fine. Great, actually. He’s hired more harvest help than ever before and we’re expecting a great year. He’s quite happy. So is my mother.”

  “That’s all good news,” Dr. Caldwell replied. “Give them my regards.”

  “I will.” Sophie hoped her relief wasn’t too obvious as she took her leave.

  Sophie went to the elevator bank and pressed the button with shaking fingers. She’d been tenser than she realized. Understandable. Acceptable. If she’d lost her job, she would have flushed away all her years of education, study and hard work to get to the position she now cherished. Sure she could get work at another hospital in another county. A nearby state. But she didn’t want to. Not for a minute. Even when she was in Grand Rapids, she missed her family too much. Sophie liked Indian Lake. Parts of it she loved. Despite her reputation and the way too many women still looked at her with skepticism, even disdain, she’d made a good name for herself in the ablation unit. She was part of a real team. Dr. Caldwell was actually protecting her. Warning her. Obviously, he and Nate respected her.

  And that meant the world to Sophie.

  Her work with Dr. Caldwell, Nate and her co-workers was the gold in her life. This meeting had opened her eyes and helped her chart her course of action.

  Bullet One, dodged.

  Now for Bullet Two. She had to find a way to help Jeremy be less dependent on her. She needed to find him a job.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  COILS OF FOG drifted off the placid lake and floated across the running trail where Jack pounded the asphalt, pleased that his ankle had healed quickly and well. It couldn’t be that he’d had top-notch nursing care. It couldn’t be that before the ER doctor had had a chance to examine him, Sophie had realized his ankle was badly sprained and had splinted it, elevated it and wrapped it in ice.

  No, Jack knew that his fast-healing body was due to his morning concoctions of fruits, vegetables, aloe vera juice, whey powder and almond milk. That had to be it. He was responsible for curing himself and he was proud of it.

  Because of the fog, Jack didn’t push himself. It would be just his luck that when he’d finally gotten to the point where he could take the stairs two at a time again, he’d trip over some stupid tree branch he couldn’t see.

  “Which should be going away by now,” he groaned. He looked to the east, expecting to see the sunrise, but all he saw was a milky glow in the distance. What the heck? It was summer; it was supposed to be hot. Instead, the last few days had dropped into the upper sixties and it felt more like September than July. At this rate, he was going to have to start wearing a headlamp each time he came out. Maybe one of those light bars like Barry had had on his Jeep back in high school. Jack, Ava and Barry had all had a lot of fun in that Jeep back then. Blasting Foreigner tunes and Bon Jovi. Driving up and down Lakeshore Drive up to Oak Street Beach. Cubs baseball games. Soldier Stadium in the fall. Eating too much pizza at Gino’s, with the graffiti-covered black walls and concrete floors.

  Jack felt his insides turn sour. He used to do a lot of fun things. But they’d been kids. Kids did idiotic, crazy stuff. Adults were responsible.

  He was being very adult. And not having any fun in the process. Was that the cause of his dour moods lately? Or was it that his life just...wasn’t a life?

  Man. Lately, he couldn’t seem to shake that thought.

  It wasn’t just fun, either. There was no love in his life. Except Frenchie, he supposed, but when it came to people, he was alone. Sure, he’d thought about finding the right somebody, but he’d never falle
n when he should have. Never zinged. Never been entranced.

  Shaking off his moodiness, Jack rounded the north side of the lake, careful of his footing as he passed the Lodges. No tourists out and about this early, which was surprising for summer. He’d figured the kids would have been aching for the first dive off the floating raft. Maybe the gloomy morning kept everyone inside. It was probably more appealing to moms, dads and kids to pull those covers over their heads and sleep in till nine.

  Yeah. Only running fanatics came out at five in the morning.

  Like me.

  Or Sophie.

  He nearly stumbled thinking about her. The angel. The Good Samaritan. The talented nurse. The pretty farmer’s daughter. The one woman who made him clench his jaw and see red.

  Why would he be so fascinated, so drawn to the one woman he could never forgive?

  What kind of self-sabotaging behavior was that?

  He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Whether she was dressed up—like she was last night at his office—or wearing no makeup, scrubs and sneakers, she was beautiful. Inside and out.

  But she had screwed up—big time. Her decision not to stay with Aleah was unforgiveable.

  Jack couldn’t forgive himself for being the driver. For taking Aleah to Chicago in the first place. But there was a deeper guilt he’d been reluctant to face.

  Jack had been falling for Sophie ever since her angel voice brought him back to reality in the hospital. While he’d been basking in her tender care, she’d been wasting precious minutes that should have been spent saving Aleah. He’d needed Sophie, but had he kept her at his side too long? Jack had been pointing the finger at Sophie, but how culpable was he? He tried to see the situation from her point of view. Sophie wanted to save all her patients that night. Jack still believed Greg Fulton was in the wrong. Getting behind the wheel when he was high was unconscionable. But it was Sophie’s duty to help everyone who came through the ER doors.

  Jack was well aware of the increasing drug problems all over the country. Clearly, Indian Lake was not immune. He’d heard the reports from the City Council, the concern about the situation at the Rotary Meetings and especially in the hospital halls. No one knew what to do.

 

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