"You're aware that fraternizing outside the office with patients on a personal level is against his contract of Ethics?"
"Firstly, there was no fraternization. Carl was getting dinner to-go where his patient just so happened to be having a severe asthma attack. He sat with her, yes, until their food arrived, and then they parted ways." Shooting back smoothly, Laurie crossed her knees and held her head high. "Are you insinuating he should've called 9-1-1 and waited for them to get there while she was having a life-threatening attack?"
"Of course not, no. I just want to know what they talked about, if anything inappropriate was said, and to try to determine without a doubt whether or not anything unethical occurred." That seemed to be exactly what my sister wanted to hear, and she reached into her briefcase with a small CD and a stapled few sheets of paper. "What is this?"
"Security footage from The Golden Pearl showing that nothing unethical was done while inside the restaurant, as well as the outside camera showing them getting into different cars and her driving away. I also added the time of the call my brother had with our mother while sitting in the parking lot. These are statements from the waitress and bartender at the restaurant attesting that this woman, Melissa, actually had an asthma attack."
Eric looked surprised as he took the paper and CD in its generic, red case, and appreciation flickered in his eyes. He set them aside, the cogs working between his ears as he turned his gaze to me. I sat up a little straighter, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end under his weighty stare.
"So, would you mind explaining what happened at The Golden Pearl, Carl? In your own words."
Nodding even as a cold sweat broke out under my jacket, I cleared my throat roughly. Eric appeared to be an open-minded guy, and I was hoping he wouldn't just brush me off.
"Yes. I had an altercation with Eva at my car in the parking lot. She was waiting for me when I exited the building and proceeded to scream at me and threatened to ruin my life because I refused to have sex with her."
Eric's eyebrows almost flew off his face in surprise, and I grimaced ugly at the memory of that day.
"I decided that I didn't want to cook, so I ordered to-go from The Golden Pearl and headed over rather than risk her coming back to my car to yell at me again. When I entered the restaurant to wait for my food, Melissa was being escorted back in from the patio and was obviously on the tail end of a severe asthma attack. I approached her, asked if she was okay and if it was alright if I sat with her. It's in her file that her allergies impact her asthma, and that day had particularly bad air quality. I observed her while we waited for our food, as she decided to get her order to-go also, and we parted ways in the parking lot once I determined she was okay to drive. Melissa has an emergency inhaler, so hospitalization wasn't necessary. I also added it to my notes in her chart."
"What did you talk about?"
For a moment, I hesitated, not wanting to breach Melissa's privacy about her turbulent home life. Taking another deep breath, I ground my teeth before opening my mouth, and sourness coated my tongue.
"Melissa complained a bit that her father had ignored the seriousness of her condition and gotten patio seats in spite of the bad air. She explained that she didn't take any medication for her allergies prior to leaving for the Pearl. I advised Melissa to basically stick to her guns about her health, but that was really all. I knew from our appointment that her allergies and asthma were affecting her sleeping. She requested a CPAP machine for it, and I did take that episode into account when prescribing it after she completed her sleep study."
Eric nodded, jotting down notes about what I'd revealed, and I exhaled a slow, much more steady breath.
"After she left, I sat in my car and ate. My mom called me briefly. Then, I went back to the office to add to her chart before going home."
"Alright. I'll need to check the video you've provided me to confirm, but really... I'm much more interested in the altercation with Eva Mendez at your car. Would you mind telling me about that? You know she's the one who filed against you, you mentioned. Why do you think she would make false allegations?"
I cast a questioning glance at Laurie, and she nodded firmly and grabbed my hand to squeeze hard. Gulping down the dense lump in my throat, I licked my lips heavily. Shame tightened my chest, and my heart rate jacked up before I even spoke up.
Chapter 11
Melissa
Jogging down the path after Kimi, I wheezed painfully, and she just got farther and farther away.
"Stop that cat!" I winced as my rasp burned my throat. Kimi's shimmering, grey fur stood out in this wooded area, at least, and I paused my chasing to struggle to breathe. "Nothing is going my way today."
Aside from sleeping for over twenty-four hours straight, of course. I woke up to Kimi scratching me because her food bowl was empty. I almost broke my machine because I didn't realize it was still attached to me. I knocked my leg in the shower, and I got shampoo in my eyes. And now, my cat was running away.
My legs couldn't hold me, and I shuffled to the side of the path to sit on my butt and huff hoarsely. If I just sit here, Kimi will come back. Or someone will catch her, hopefully, and walk back down.
"Jeeze..." I picked myself back up as worry threaded my veins and gave me a boost of adrenaline. Kimi was an expensive, beautiful cat, and my best friend. I had gotten her as a kitten when I first moved here. I couldn't just trust someone to bring her back! "God— okay."
This time, I walked instead of jogged, and I rounded the bend to crane my neck for any flash of light grey. Relief eased the pressure on my heart when I saw Kimi up a tree, her leash stuck between a branch's fork. She meowed like crazy when she saw me, and I frowned up at her as I paused under the tree.
"You dumb cat! You ran away and now you need help getting down!" I wagged my finger at her, propping my fists on my hips as I debated how to get Kimi down. She kept yowling at me, balancing on the tree branch with her claws out and panic on her kitty face. "You better not jump off or you'll ring your own neck. You're lucky I love you, or you'd be stuck there forever!"
"You're in a good mood, aren't you, Mel?"
Jumping with a squeak of surprise, I whirled around to find Carl smiling happily at me. Pointing up at my cat, his smile grew as I struggled to get my heart back down from my throat.
"Want some help?"
"Can you reach?" Rather than answer me, Carl strode up to the tree to reach up, and my eyes widened when I realized he was shirtless again. The thick muscles of his back played tantalizingly, and flames licked up my neck. He couldn't quite reach, and I bit my bottom lip absently as he grabbed the branch. Hoisting himself up with a grunt, he carefully unhooked the leash, and Kimi instantly sailed over him to land on the concrete walkway.
"Dumb cat." Kneeling down to pet her and grab the leash, I smiled as she weaved between my legs, and I straightened as Carl dropped down. "Thank you. Again."
"You're welcome. Again. You look good, Mel." His eyes trailed down to scan my athletic wear, and my nipples tightened at the intense appreciation in his gaze. "Really."
"You're just saying that because of my cat." Blurting out the first thing that popped into my head.
My face flamed when Carl's eyebrows twitched suggestively. Swiping back his hair, he stepped a little closer and crouched to pet Kimi. His eyes scanned my front, and I crossed my arms under my breasts. Lightly, he licked his lips, almost unnoticeably when he quickly stood up.
"I— you know, I never properly thanked you for the last three times... you know— you helped me out. I think after the third time, I owe you... some tacos?"
"... I would like to, sure."
I smiled brightly, but Carl held up a hand quickly with a stern look.
"Only because you want to repay me for helping your cat, Mel. I'm your doctor. When you're having an asthmatic crisis, it's my duty to help you."
"Oh— yes. Obviously. Um, so, what's been going on with you? How'd your sister's visit go?"
I'
m your doctor. Carl's gentle reminder that this was bordering on inappropriate zinged through my head, and I bit my lip in uncertainty. I knew that, but... I couldn't stop coincidentally bumping into him everywhere, dang it! How was I supposed to know which park he was running in?
"It went great. Actually, I have to disclose something to you, and I'm not sure how okay you'll be with it."
My brows knit together as discomfort roughened Carl's tone, and I tightened my grip on Kimi's leash. He met my gaze, his brown eyes intense as expectation tingled my inner cheeks.
"I had to disclose some of your personal information— specifically, what happened at The Golden Pearl with your father— because Eva queried me for sleeping with a patient to HR. I want to apologize for breaking your confidence."
Blinking hard, it took my brain an extra few seconds to really process what Carl was apologizing for. He was so sincere, like he felt genuinely bad about it, but that wasn't what heated my face and burned between my eyes.
"She what!" The image of that woman that I'd only ever seen that one time blossomed in my mind's eye, and I bristled. Carl's eyes widened in surprise at my high-pitched bark, and my nails dug into my palms as I fumed. "We haven't even slept together yet! Why would she do that! If she's mad I'm better looking than her, she should invest in some plastic surgery or— or— or go to a college bar, not report you for something that hasn't even happened yet!"
My furious, low tone cut through the air, and Carl's brows rose high as I spewed out whatever words my mind came up with. Running my free hand through my hair roughly, I chuffed a scoff and shook my head hard.
"What happened? Did you lose your job? Did she lose her job? Wait— why aren't you working right now, anyway? It's, like, 2:30 in the afternoon. A—"
Once again, Carl held up a hand to stop me, and I exhaled a hot breath through my nose. My mouth dried when he smiled small, relief glimmering in his eyes, and rocked back on the heels of his expensive running shoes.
"I'm temporarily suspended with pay until Monday. It's protocol with things like this. They act first, ask questions second. It's actually a bit of a story. She practically stalked me and accused me of going on a date with my own sister assuming it was you, and you'd dyed your hair to be less recognizable."
A shocked gasp escaped me, and my hand flew to my hair protectively. "I would never dye my hair! Do you know how much money I pay to make it look like this?" I could only focus on one aspect of his declaration at a time, and my brows rose high belatedly. "She accused you of going out with your sister? Seriously?"
"Yes. When Laurie and I went to my HR office, I wondered why Eva suddenly looked so panicked. The fact that she'd overanalyzed, and my sister is one heck of a lawyer in training, made Eva's complaint less credible right off the bat. The meeting went really well for me, to be honest. During it, I had to disclose your strained relationship with your father as part of what triggered your asthma attack at The Golden Pearl, though. There's something special about children suffering for their parents, otherwise there's no explanation for why you'd knowingly put yourself in harm's way. I also... I was able to explain what happened at my car that put me at the Pearl."
Faintly, I remembered him saying he'd had some sort of experience. Just feet from me, he shuffled uncomfortably, and his chest muscles flexed when he craned his neck.
"I'd rather not get into that. The point is that Eva is also under investigation, suspended without pay, because I had much more substantial proof than just 'I saw it, so you gotta believe me'."
"What do you think is gonna happen to her? Is she going to get fired for harassing you?" Eva's only words to me zapped behind my eyes, and I scoffed lightly when Carl shrugged a little disheartening. "I wish I could give her a piece of my mind."
"They'll probably transfer her, but their sister hospital in Boston will make her way more miserable than if they fired her. Technically, Eva didn't break any rules regarding conduct. We don't work directly in the same office, and although she was far too aggressive for my comfort... it'll get swept under the rug. At most, she'll have a blemish for misconduct on her record, but only for filing a false HR report."
Grinding my teeth, knowing Carl was right, I was beyond infuriated. I trembled from the heat that boiled my blood, but Carl was quick to cool the flow when he reached a sweat-slickened palm to touch my arm. Goosebumps rose on my skin, and I sniffed a little as his appreciation morphed into something deeper.
Chapter 12
Melissa
"Earlier..."
Glancing up over my taco, mouth open, my eyes widened at the intense, laser focused gaze on me across the picnic table. We'd gone to a beach truck rather than a brick and mortar place, just because it was close. The salty sea breeze sucked the moisture from my mouth, and Carl frowned slightly under tightly knit brows.
"You said we hadn't slept together yet."
My chin almost hit the tabletop as flames engulfed my face, and I tensed at the slow, cautious emphasis. Carl held my eyes and refused to back down, and I set down my taco in its boat before I dropped it.
"Um— ah— yeah— I... I mean... I just... I was really mad, and— you're very— um... attractive..." Stuttering wildly, I covered my cheeks with my hands to keep them sliding off their bones.
Carl didn't look at all convinced by my sputtering, and a dense lump formed in my throat, growing the longer he stared at me. Cautious uncertainty swirled in his eyes, and I managed a shallow inhale when I managed to tear mine away.
Oh, my God, I really did say that. I was mortified— Carl would never sleep with me as long as he was my doctor, and maybe not even after that! What's wrong with me that I said something like that?
"I know this is something we've tried to avoid every single time, Melissa." His voice dipped, as if even talking about it was taboo and he could be punished— and he could be! My eyes found his again unwittingly, and I clenched my teeth together as my gut started to rot with dread. "I think it would be best if I referred you to another pulmonologist."
"W— wait— what?" Alarm colored my tone, and I leaned back as weak, initial panic slammed into me. "Why? Will I have to be re-prescribed my CPAP? I finally got to sleep all night. The closest pulmonologist is in Providence— that's an hour drive from here. What if I die of an asthma attack?"
"No, you won't have to give back your machine, and it may be an hour away, but in a medical emergency, I'd be the one on call."
My brows rose higher even as relief slumped my shoulders, and Carl smiled softly. Propping his elbows on the table to fist his hands together, he held his chin on laced fingers.
"To be honest, this whole thing with HR and Eva that happened this week scared the absolute shit out of me, Mel. I realized at some point that if there really wasn't anything going on between you and I, there'd be no reason to be that worried. I want to refer you out because I'd like to take you out on a date."
"O— oh... but... is that allowed? Isn't that unethical or something?"
His expression grew troubled from my probing, and I gnawed on my inner cheek diligently. My heart did a little flip as excitement trilled in my ears faintly, but knowing Carl was essentially jeopardizing his job to date me... well, it put a damper on things.
"We haven't done anything wrong..."
"I want to."
My lips parted in an 'o' when Carl spoke up immediately, biting the affirmation through his teeth. His bare chest rippled powerfully when he inhaled deeply, and my eyes slid down before I caught myself. The ropes of muscles in his arms strained slightly under his skin, his arm hairs bristling, and I gulped down the lump in my throat.
"It's not unethical unless I use your medical information illegally, like looking up your phone number or where you live in your file for personal contact. If I refer you out, you won't be my patient anymore. There's no set time in my contract that I have to wait. You just can't be a current patient."
"Yeah..." I couldn't even imagine the struggle Carl was enduring, and all because he tho
ught I was attractive and vice versa. "Ha— have you ever had a crush on a patient before?"
"Not beyond very brief admiration of their looks. Most of my patients during my residency came to me because they had cancer or COPD or had destroyed themselves from decades of smoking."
Despite the heaviness of the conversation, the gentle sea breeze carried away the dense atmosphere. Suddenly, the awkwardness seeped down the bench legs, and I leaned forward to pick up my almost forgotten taco with a small nod.
"Did you go to college, Mel?"
"Yeah. I just did two years at the community college in Warwick for business. I figured it was the most versatile thing I could do, and also it'd help me with my money. It's a lot easier having a grasp of how it all works. I definitely wouldn't say I'm talented— average at best."
"You've just been living off it?"
Nodding again, I took a bite of my shrimp taco.
Carl hummed softly. He took a deep gulp of his iced tea, a thoughtfulness in his eyes over the rim of his cup. "Did you invest in anything?"
"When my mom decided to leave my dad, she bought shares at a real estate investment startup. I live off the returns. I guess, technically, I don't actually have all that money, since almost all of it was put into the startup. The real estate agency sends me a bottle of wine every year on the day my mom died. I still try to keep my expenses low, anyway. My mom may have given me the money, but it really was my dad who showed me exactly what I didn't want to end up happening with it." I swallowed my bite before I spoke up, and I frowned a little sourly at my own words. "I don't know what to do. He hasn't tried to call me or anything, which... I don't know if that's a good thing or not."
"It's a good thing. My mom recently got a boyfriend, and she never stops talking about him. Somehow, all conversation becomes about him. I could be dying, and she'd lament that he never got to know me or something."
My Forbidden Doctor: A Secret Baby Medical Romance Page 6