by Amy Vastine
Her voice was a little low and throaty but she managed a level “No, Tag, it’s fine. There’s nothing more to talk about. You need to focus on the campaign, and I need to focus on…my job.” Or job hunting, more likely.
“Is Dave coming with you to Rankins?”
“What? Dave? No, he’s going to cover for my grandpa.”
“Mmm. Do you…? Are you guys…? Are you interested in him?”
Ally stared. Was he serious with this? How dare he ask her about Dave after the mauling Kendall gave him on that stage? Enough was enough.
The words bubbled up and burst from her like a volcanic episode. “Are you out of your mind? How could you think that when I’m so clearly—” in love with you. She’d almost blurted it out. A sheen of nervous sweat prickled her back. She needed him to get out of here.
“You’re what?” he asked, his voice tight and fraught. Tension radiated from his body. “It would be nice to hear you say how you feel, for a change.”
Ally froze and then struggled to keep her tone level. “You want to hear how I feel?” Those stampeding words pounded against the back of her throat, clamoring for release. But what difference would it make? There could be no future here. And that’s what she wanted: a relationship, a future, a family. If they couldn’t have that, what was the point in telling him how she felt? She didn’t want to be second on his list. She didn’t even think she’d make second place. Probably she was down there around fourth or fifth after the campaign, his family, Kendall, his business… Better to end this, once and for all.
“Ally, tell me how you feel.”
Corralling the caribou, she said, “Fine. I feel…fine.”
“Hey, uh, Tag?” Dave’s voice sounded from down the hall. “Max’s cousin Brent is here to pick you up.”
“Thanks, Dave,” Tag called out. “I’ll be right there.”
Ally stayed silent.
“That’s it?” He stepped toward her. “You’re sticking with fine? That’s how you want to leave this? Us?”
“Yes.” A burning sensation erupted inside her rib cage. Excruciating, like her heart was tinder and had been blasted with a blowtorch.
“Can I see you on Wednesday when I get back?”
She managed a casual “I don’t see the point.”
“I see.”
She flinched when he reached out like he was going to touch her cheek. Lowering his hand, he whispered, “Goodbye, Ally.”
A sob welled up so quickly she let out a little gasp. She barely managed to swallow it. Like some sort of evil sinkhole, a giant gaping wound formed right in the middle of her soul, taking with it every bit of the joy he’d brought into her life. And more, because now she knew what she was missing. Tears burned behind her eyes and she was afraid to blink for fear they’d come pouring out. All she could manage was a nod before he turned and walked away.
* * *
“YOU LOOK LIKE…death warmed over. And then cooled off and warmed again. Are you sick?”
Monday morning, Tag stood in the kitchen of his house scowling at his sister. Upon returning home the evening before, he’d called Kendall, shut his phone off and then tried to sleep. He’d wound up watching infomercials all night. He may or may not now be the proud owner of something called a Quickie Crepe Machine, only $39.99 with shipping and handling. He’d only just dozed off when he heard Iris calling his name. When he hadn’t shown up at the office this morning or answered his phone, she’d come over to check on him.
“No.” Yes, heartsick. No, it was so much worse than that. Brokenhearted? Crushed-hearted? Was that a thing? He gave up. There were no words to describe the acid-like despair pumping through his veins, shredding him from the inside out with every beat of his aching heart.
“I’m not…sleeping. I haven’t slept much in the last few nights.” An understatement. Truthfully, he was beginning to fear for his health. He’d realized not long after taking off the previous afternoon that he shouldn’t have flown back yesterday, wouldn’t have if he’d had passengers.
“You know what? I’m glad. You deserve it.”
“What?” He choked on a sip of the coffee she’d made and then poured for him.
“You deserve to be miserable after what you did to Ally.”
“What I did?” he asked with a wheeze. “What… You know, you used to be my sweet little sister? And to think I wanted you to come home. I actually missed you. I flew my plane all the way to Anchorage to pick you up.”
“Hmmph. What were you thinking, hiring that witch to be your campaign manager?”
“I didn’t hire her. Maura did.”
“Oh, come on. You could have stopped it.”
He supposed that was true. Instead of telling Maura no and directing her to remove Kendall from the short list, he’d told her he’d prefer someone else. Prefer did not mean the same thing in political speak as it did regular speak, a fact he was fast becoming all too familiar with.
“It doesn’t matter. I have to get ready to go.”
“What do you mean? You’re not still going to Juneau?” She shifted her stance, hands fisted on her hips, fire shooting from her eyes.
“What is the matter with you? You know I have those meetings.”
“But you’ll miss the hearing.”
“What hearing?”
The sound of his front door crashing open and then slamming drew their attention.
“You’re here?” Hannah said, rushing into the room. “Oh, I’m so glad.”
“Where have you been?” Shay demanded, hot on Hannah’s heels.
“Yep, here. And here. Same answer to both questions. Accosted now by several of my siblings.”
“What is the matter with you? Are you sick?” Hannah marched over and put a hand on his forehead.
“Sort of.”
“What is it?” Shay scuttled backward a few steps. “Does he have a fever?”
Pointing a finger at Shay, he said, “Ha. You look like a scared crab.”
“Is he delirious?” Hannah asked Iris.
“No, well, maybe. Apparently, he hasn’t slept much in the last few nights.”
Shay blew out a breath of relief and moved forward again. “Oh, that’s good. Sign of a guilty conscience.”
He scowled. “Why would I have a guilty conscience?”
“Um, Ally, Kendall? Does stringing those two names together ring a bell?”
“Hey!” he cried, bunching his fist into his shirt over his heart. “Ally is the one who broke my heart. Broken, ha. No, I’m pretty sure my heart is dying, a slow and excruciatingly painful death if you must know. I hurt…all over.”
“Tag,” Iris demanded, “what are you talking about? You slayed her and left her writhing in the middle of the park thanks to that display on Friday with Kendall. Flynn told me that you then flew Ally to Killebrew, where you guys spent the weekend barely speaking. You never even explained yourself to her!”
“I tried. She didn’t want to hear it. It doesn’t matter now, anyway.”
“Of course it matters! You need to explain, apologize, whatever. You need to make this right.”
Throwing up his hands, he cried, “It doesn’t matter because it’s over! And besides, Ally isn’t jealous of Kendall.”
“Have you turned stupid…er? Ally is crazy about you.”
“Trust me, if I had an inkling that she loved me even a fraction as much as I love her, I would try, Iris. I would.”
“You’re in love?” Hannah asked, her voice a mix of joy and wonder.
“This is great news!” Shay cried.
Iris scowled at him, and Tag could see the wheels spinning in her mind. But she didn’t look surprised. Undoubtedly she’d known his feelings before he did.
Peering at him closely, she asked, “Did Ally happen to mention to you the conversation she had with Kendall
after the rally?”
“Ally didn’t talk to Kendall.”
“Oh, yes, she did. I was there. I heard the whole thing.”
“What—what did she say?”
“Among other brave, bold and beautifully worded comments that put that awful woman in her place, she told Kendall that she promised you that she’d never make you travel to Juneau without her again, that you’d made her promise never to leave your side.”
Hope sprouted inside him. Was this possible? If what Iris was saying was true, it could mean Ally cared more than he thought. It could mean… He needed to talk to Ally. Abe was right. There had to be a way to get over this issue with Shay. He had to find a way to put it aside. He would.
Except, how could they get over it? What happened with Shay was just a symptom of a greater problem. Because there would be more Shays in the future, more cases where they would disagree. And more Gingers, where Ally put concern for herself far below that of the patient. Except eventually she’d go too far.
“There’s more to it than that. The night before the rally we had a fight.”
“About what?” Hannah asked. “Ally doesn’t seem like a fighter.”
“She’s not. It wasn’t really a fight. It was more of an airing of irreconcilable differences. But it was a game changer.” He made eye contact with the eldest of his sisters. “About you, Shay.”
Eyes wide, mouth open, she looked appalled by the notion, and her words confirmed it. “Me? But I love Ally. I know I was mean about her at first, but that was before I knew her. Before she…”
“Yeah, I know. Before. Before she treated you or…whatever you want to call it. I got very angry when I learned that she’s been giving you medical advice. It was one thing to give Hannah tea and herbs and recommend acupuncture or whatever. That stuff felt harmless. But I couldn’t stand the thought of her giving you false hope about having a baby. She crossed a line.”
“Wait a minute.” Iris glared at him. “So, Ally’s beliefs are okay so long as you approve, as long as you believe they’re harmless? The omnipotent medical authority on all conditions, Taggart James, gets to decide how much value there is to Ally’s vast knowledge and experience? Not to mention the brilliant and respected grandfather doctor who taught her?”
“Iris, I understand what you’re saying. It’s not that, not necessarily. It’s just…this felt…personal. And Shay’s situation is different. It’s way more serious. It’s about who she is.”
Shay inhaled deeply before letting her breath whoosh out. “She didn’t give me false hope, you well-meaning dolt of a brother. In fact, she didn’t give me any medical advice whatsoever.”
He turned a frown on Shay. “But when I asked her what was going on with you, she said I should talk to you.”
Shay smiled. “Of course she did. Because I told her some things in confidence. All we did was talk. About how you can’t change things by worrying about them. You can only change your reaction to situations. And about stress and how bad it is for the body, how it’s not a good climate to grow a baby.”
Tag sighed and looked at the ceiling.
“Wait, Tag, I know how that sounds. I was going to wait a few more weeks to announce it but today makes three months, and the doctor said if I make it three months there’s a very good chance, in my case, that I’ll make it nine.”
Iris slapped a hand over her mouth and let out a squeal.
Even in his sleep-deprived state, Tag understood what her words meant. A helium-like euphoria expanded inside him. Tears stung his eyes, not tears but joy-filled drops of happiness.
Voice raspy with emotion he said, “Shay…really?”
“Really, Tag, I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, my… I’m so… Shay, I’m just… Congratulations.” With a clumsy fist, he swiped at his tears.
Much more gracefully, his sister dabbed at her cheeks. “Ally was only trying to help me get over my fear. I needed to find my joy again so I could make a peaceful place to grow our baby. It probably sounds crazy to you, but it worked for me, allowing my brain to accept the possibility that it might actually happen this time. Letting my body accept the baby. And accepting whatever was going to happen, one way or another. I mean, I don’t know if it worked scientifically or whatever, but changing my mind-set has made me happy. And I haven’t been happy in a while. Too long.” Shay’s eyes refilled with tears. “I’m so grateful Jonah hasn’t divorced me. I haven’t been easy to live with.”
“Shay!” Hannah admonished. “He would never.”
“I know.” Shay sniffled on a laugh. “I’m just super emotional. Hormones. You have no idea how good it feels to say that.”
Tag walked to his sister and wrapped her in his arms. “You’re going to be such a great mom.”
“Because I want this so much,” she said, nodding. “And I want it for you, too. Someday.” She pulled away. “And speaking of that, we’re here to talk about Ally. Are you going to the hearing?”
“What hearing? Iris mentioned it earlier, but you guys came in and…” He added a helpless shrug.
“Ally obviously didn’t tell you that, either,” Iris said.
“Tell me what?”
“Tag,” Hannah said, “there’s a special hospital board meeting tomorrow, a disciplinary hearing. Dr. Boyd is trying to get Ally fired.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
ALLY HELPED ABE get Zeke settled in the hospital and then headed to her office. As far as she was concerned, her job still belonged to her, and she was determined to do everything she could for her patients in the time she had left. The message light was blinking on her in-house phone.
She froze as the voice of Dr. Boyd’s secretary boomed from the voicemail requesting that she return the call as soon as possible. Picking up the receiver, she tapped the button to call her back.
“Cora? Hi, it’s Ally Mowak.”
“Ally, I’m glad you’re back. Dr. Boyd would like to meet with you. I went ahead and scheduled it for twelve thirty, hoping you’d be here by then.”
Ally glanced at the clock. That left her twenty minutes to spare. She assured Cora she’d be there and then took a few minutes to glance at her email inbox. Expecting a backlog, she was relieved to find only a few and reminded herself that she’d been away only for the weekend.
“Longest weekend of my life,” she muttered. She typed out a few responses and headed to Dr. Boyd’s office.
Ally walked into the anteroom where Cora sat guarding his inner sanctum. The secretary gave her a tentative, apologetic smile. “He’s expecting you,” she said and waved her toward his office.
Dr. Boyd, in his white coat, stethoscope draped around his neck, sat with his head bowed. Ally was struck by how ordinary he looked, like a hundred other doctors she’d met in her life. Kindly, if not harmless. Until he lifted his gaze to meet hers, and she saw that the look on his face wasn’t harmless at all. It was so full of hatred Ally wanted to wince.
“Hello, Dr. Boyd. You requested to see me?”
“I did, Ms. Mowak. Nice of you to join the rest of us here at work today. I hope you enjoyed your morning off.”
“I was out of town on an emergency.”
“Yes, with a pilot who is contracted with this hospital but who was able to make it back while you opted to stay behind.”
The implication was obvious. “Is that why you asked to see me? Because I took a few hours off this morning? If that’s the case, I can assure you that I more than made up the hours in the preceding weeks. You can check my work log.”
“I don’t like your tone.”
“My tone is my voice, Dr. Boyd. If you don’t like it, I suggest you get an interpreter or one of those voice alteration devices because this is simply the way I speak.”
“Not with patients, it’s not.”
“I have sympathy, empathy and compassion for my patients.
In addition to a desire to help them in any way I can.”
One hand spread on the desktop between them, he began a slow thrum of his spider fingers. “See, I don’t like that, the way you talk. You very cleverly…imply things. And you’re condescending.”
She was condescending? What was the point of this? “Are you trying to provoke me into losing my temper, sir? Because I can assure you, you will be disappointed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Interesting. But, no, I don’t care about your temper. Don’t get me wrong—it would be nice to be able to add that little gem to your file before I send you on your way. But, alas, it’s not why I called you in here.”
“Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to get to the point. Despite your special hearing tomorrow, we both know you, alone, can’t fire me. And, at least until then, I have work to do.”
“Ah. Yes. I’ve discovered this to be truer than I realized. That grandfather of yours has tentacles almost as long as mine. Fortunately for you, that means we are not going to have to duke it out at the hearing.”
Ally felt a faint stirring of hope but responded with a simple “Oh?”
“I’ve accepted the fact that I can’t have you fired.”
“Does this mean there won’t be a hearing?”
“Yes, it does, Ms. Mowak. You won’t be getting fired tomorrow.”
Relief coursed through her. But she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing how worried she’d been. And she certainly wasn’t going to show him even a whisker of gratitude.
“Hopefully, we can find a way to work amicably—”
“Not so fast. You’re not going to be fired because you’re going to quit.”
“Excuse me?”
Arrogant smirk in place, he explained, “I understand you and Tag James are in a relationship.” A slight narrowing of her eyes had him bringing a palm up and out as if to halt her response. “It’s not a question. I have it on good authority. Let me assure you that I do not care about your private life beyond my ability to use it as leverage.”