“Andrew, I don’t have a problem with that,” said Arthur. “Doctors consult with each other all the time.”
“Graham’s not a doctor,” said Richard in a dull monotone. “He’s a slimy, two-faced, back-stabbing criminal. If he had any redeeming qualities, Peterson wouldn’t have chosen him to be his eyes and ears. The information he’s getting from Sabrina is priceless. He’s not going to let her go until Peterson is finished with her.”
“Would you shut up about Peterson?” said Arthur.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could,” said Richard. “You don’t know how much my heart is breaking for you right now, but this is an excellent opportunity for us to finally get some answers. We have something Graham wants. We need to use that leverage to learn as much as we can about Peterson.”
Arthur looked at Lisa’s father.
“Do you agree with him?” he said.
“In principle,” said Lisa’s father. “It doesn’t mean we need to give Sabrina the third dose if that’s not what you want. We can keep up appearances easily enough, at least for a while. Graham won’t know the difference.”
Arthur took out his cell phone.
“What are you doing?” said Richard.
“I’m calling an ambulance and getting Sabrina out of this house and away from the two of you,” said Arthur. “You’re both crazy.”
Lisa’s father expected Richard to do something, but he didn’t move. Agnes got up from where she had been sitting and checked Sabrina’s vital signs. The concern on her face deepened. She pulled back the covers and gently turned Sabrina onto her side.
“She’s bleeding,” she said.
Lisa’s father turned his attention to Sabrina. Her face was a sickly white color, and a dark red pool lay beneath her. He stared down at it stupidly, forgetting he was Sabrina’s doctor, until Agnes nudged him with her elbow.
“Transfuse two units,” he said. “Run them wide open.”
Agnes was already adjusting Sabrina’s intravenous fluids.
“Andrew, what’s our plan?” she said under her breath. “We’re way out of our depth. This is just a temporary solution.”
Sabrina opened her eyes and looked around.
“Arthur?” she said in a faint whisper. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise. Just go back to sleep, Sabrina. I’ll be right here. I love you so much.”
Agnes was holding a bag of blood over her head and squeezing it with both hands to make it flow into Sabrina’s veins as quickly as possible. Richard hovered in the background. Lisa’s father watched helplessly as Sabrina’s expression changed from confusion to terror. She clung to Arthur’s hand.
“Is this the end?” she said.
“No,” said Arthur. “Not yet.”
Sabrina’s eyes filled with tears.
“You’re lying,” she said. “I’m too tired. Just let me go.”
Agnes lowered her arms, and the flow in the tube stopped.
“What are you doing?” said Lisa’s father. “We can’t just give up.”
“This is Sabrina’s decision, not ours,” said Agnes. “I know you want to save her, but I’m not going to go against her wishes.”
“Agnes, she’s disoriented,” said Lisa’s father, pulling up a sedative in a syringe.
“You can’t give her that,” said Agnes. “Her blood pressure is too low.”
“Don’t,” sobbed Sabrina. “Whatever that is, I don’t want it. Everything hurts. Please listen to me. I can’t take it anymore.”
Lisa’s father told himself Sabrina was too hysterical to refuse the sedative. He pushed Arthur out of the way and stooped over Sabrina. She struggled against him, but there was no strength in her puny arms. Arthur was too overwhelmed to object. Lisa’s father gave Sabrina the injection, and she lost consciousness.
“Is she okay?” said Arthur.
“Yes, she’s fine,” said Lisa’s father.
Agnes resumed her efforts. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, and Sabrina was transported to the hospital. Arthur followed, after promising to return to the house in time to explain everything to the children when they got home from school.
As soon as they were gone, Agnes ripped the sheets off the bed and hurled them onto the floor. She pulled off her gloves and glared at Lisa’s father, who was still trying to internalize what had transpired.
“I don’t know why I helped you,” she said. “It was wrong. Sabrina made her choice, and we ignored her. I can’t imagine how she must have felt. We’re just as bad as Peterson.”
“Agnes, we saved her life,” said Andrew.
“What difference does it make?” said Agnes. “It would have been better for us to let her die here in peace with her husband at her side. If she regains consciousness, she’ll find herself in a place she never wanted to go.”
“I’m sure she’ll realize we were just trying to help her,” said Lisa’s father. Looking back, he regretted how he had treated Sabrina, but he refused to reveal his doubts to Agnes. “I know her a lot better than you do, and I’m confident we did the right thing.”
“For her, or for you?” said Agnes.
Lisa’s father felt too guilty to reply.
“That’s what I thought,” said Agnes. “I’m going home. I can’t stay here anymore. I had the feeling things were eventually going to get out of control. This was a crazy idea from the start, and I never should have agreed to help. You’ve got a lot to answer for, Andrew.”
“Agnes, wait,” said Richard.
“I expected more from you,” she said. “I believed you were a man of honor, but maybe you and Peterson aren’t as different as I thought.” With this scathing remark, she packed her suitcase and left without another word. Lisa’s father and Richard watched her go.
“She’s wrong,” said Lisa’s father. “Maybe I was being selfish at first, but when I realized Sabrina was bleeding, everything changed. It’s not the same when it’s someone you know. I started thinking about her kids, and I panicked. How do you tell a bunch of teenagers their mom is dead? What would I even say?”
“Probably the same thing you’ve said on every other occasion,” said Richard. “You’ve been delivering tragic news for the past twenty years. I assume you know how to do it by now.”
“That’s not the point,” said Lisa’s father. “Those words are the divider between joy and grief. Do you know how many people I’ve dragged across that line? I should have suffered with each one of them, but instead, I just went about my day like nothing was wrong.”
“You had a job to do,” said Richard.
Lisa’s father gazed around the room at the medical equipment and the chaos and the blood. He still couldn’t believe Sabrina was gone. She had been his primary focus for the better part of three months, and he had sacrificed everything for her.
“What are we going to do about Graham?” he said.
“Andrew, I hate to say this, but Arthur isn’t going to tolerate my presence here, now that he knows I’m just as suspicious of Peterson as I used to be,” said Richard. “He thinks I’m his enemy, and he’s not going to change his mind. The standard of proof is obviously higher than I thought. I’ll just have to collect more evidence. What I’m basically trying to say is that I probably won’t be around to help you with Graham.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?” said Lisa’s father.
“We’ll see,” said Richard. “I’ll definitely stay until the kids show up this afternoon. There’s something I need to give to Josh. Then, I don’t know what will happen. If Graham thinks you’re vulnerable, he might overplay his hand.”
“But I am vulnerable,” said Lisa’s father. “I’ve already messed up so many times, Richard. I need your help. You can’t walk out on me like this. I wouldn’t even be in this situation if it weren’t for you. What am I supposed to do?”
“Hope and pray,” said Richard.
He hurried out of the room t
o gather his belongings in preparation for being exiled, leaving Lisa’s father alone with his thoughts. Lisa’s father removed his white coat and dropped it on the floor. As he watched, it absorbed the stray speckles of Sabrina’s blood.
Chapter 14
Josh stood outside the school, waiting for the bus. The conversation with his father on the previous night had reassured him that his mother wasn’t in imminent danger, but he still felt unsettled about the situation. To make matters worse, he couldn’t stop thinking about Lisa. His conversation with her at the park had thoroughly shaken his preconceived notions, and his opinion of her had improved significantly. He was trying to sort everything out in his mind when Shannon hurried over.
“Here, these are for you,” she said, giving him a small bag of cookies. “They cost me a dollar and fifty cents, so I hope you appreciate them. That snack machine is a total rip-off.”
“Why are you being nice?” said Josh.
Shannon shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she said. “You’re always complaining about being hungry. Go ahead. It probably won’t kill you. Of course, it could be the first step on a slippery slope that leads you into an endless cycle of misery and regret, so be careful.”
“Shannon, what’s really going on here?” said Josh.
She turned with a flash of anger in her eyes that made him step back.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she said. “It’s Lisa. I don’t know what you were doing with her yesterday afternoon, but you’ve been acting weird ever since you came back. Please tell me you’re not interested in her. Come on! She’s a spoiled brat, and her droopy blond hair is definitely not a good look.”
“I think she’s pretty,” said Josh.
“Well, you’re an idiot,” said Shannon.
“And you’re rude,” said Josh. “If you knew her half as well as I do, you’d understand why she reacted so badly when we arrived. Just give her a chance. You might be surprised.”
“I can’t believe it,” said Shannon. “Josh, you actually like her! I knew I should have told her to back off, that scheming little—”
“Would you shut up?” said Josh.
“Whatever,” said Shannon. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s bad enough with Stephen drooling all over Veronica, but you should know better.” She yanked the bag of cookies out of his hand. “Since you don’t seem to know what to do with these, I’ll put them where they belong.”
She threw them away.
The bus arrived. Josh found a seat on the back row and stared out the window. Shannon’s accusations caused him to finally admit the truth: Lisa was the subject of his thoughts more frequently than he cared to admit. He was still trying to determine the significance of this realization when the bus stopped at the house.
Nothing had changed from the outside, but when Lisa opened the door, Josh saw his father waiting in the living room with Yvonne in his arms. His face was more solemn than usual, and he looked exhausted. Lisa’s mother was sitting on the couch. Richard was also there, pacing up and down. Josh immediately assumed the worst.
“Is she—?” he said.
“She’s at the hospital,” said his father. “She was struggling, so I decided it was time for a second opinion. She’s got a whole team of doctors taking care of her now. They’ve put her on some different pain medications, and she’s feeling a lot better.”
“But what are they doing about the cancer?” said Josh.
“Nothing, until she regains some of her strength,” said his father.
“Does this mean we can finally go home?” said Stephen.
“No, but we won’t be staying here,” he said. “I found an apartment near the hospital where we’ll be living for the next three months. We’ll move there this weekend if everything works out. Nothing else will change. You’ll still go to the same school, of course, and when your mom is ready for visitors, you’ll be just a few minutes away.”
Josh wanted to be happy, but he felt empty inside. He wouldn’t get to see Lisa nearly as much if they moved away. He glanced at her, expecting her to be overjoyed to finally get rid of his family, but her eyes were downcast.
“Can Veronica come with us?” said Stephen.
“No, but you’ll get to see her at school,” said his father.
Shannon alone seemed enthusiastic about the arrangement. With a derisive smile at Lisa, she hurried upstairs. Veronica and Stephen vanished into the kitchen, looking bereaved. Lisa and her mother followed them. Josh didn’t want to upset his father, but he couldn’t think of anything cheerful to say.
Richard stopped pacing.
“Arthur, this is a bad idea,” he said. “Your family shouldn’t be stuck in a trashy little apartment. It’s not safe.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ve already made up my mind,” said Josh’s father. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to set Yvonne down for her nap. She’s been awake all day. We’ll talk about this later, but I might as well tell you you’re not coming with us when we move.”
He left before Richard could reply.
“What are you going to do?” said Josh.
“The same thing I’ve done before,” said Richard. “This isn’t the first time your dad has kicked me out of the family. I’ll retreat temporarily and give him some space. Precedent is important in situations like this, but fortunately for me, there’s something your dad hasn’t considered.”
“What’s that?” said Josh.
“You,” said Richard. “I’m not trying to blame you, but it’s your fault your mom is in the hospital. Your dad listens to you, Josh. I don’t know what you told him, but it made him reevaluate everything.”
“I wasn’t trying to cause any trouble,” said Josh.
“I know, but you obviously had an agenda,” said Richard. “I’m impressed. Without even mentioning Graham, you somehow managed to manipulate your dad and stop your mom’s treatment. It’s especially interesting to me that you only decided to interfere after spending time with Lisa.”
Josh didn’t reply.
“I’m not surprised,” said Richard with a smile. “Lisa is an intelligent girl, and if she told you what I think she told you, I don’t blame you for wanting to get your mom as far away from her father as possible. You don’t trust him.”
“That’s your opinion,” said Josh.
“Excellent,” said Richard. “I’m glad you’re capable of keeping secrets. Knowledge is power, Josh, but only if you’re clever enough to use it properly. Remember that, and you’ll be okay. Now, come with me. I have a gift for you.”
Josh followed Richard upstairs. He couldn’t decide if Richard was irritated at him or proud of him. They went into Richard’s room. Josh noticed that Richard had already packed his rucksack as if he had anticipated having to leave.
Richard lifted the mattress. Josh saw the notebook lying there in all its tattered glory. Richard handed it to him.
“I want you to have this,” he said. “Your family is in more danger than ever before, and it’s the best weapon I can give you. Graham still wants it, and his obsession with it will become even more extreme now that your mom is beyond his reach. Peterson obviously needs it, or he wouldn’t have sent Graham to find it in the first place. There’s no knowing what condition he’s in, but I think we can safely conclude he doesn’t remember what he did with the drug.”
“Then he probably doesn’t remember you either,” said Josh. “You can’t have it both ways.” His interest in the contents of the notebook paled in comparison to his reluctance to be dragged further into Richard’s dubious version of reality. He tried to give the notebook back to Richard, but Richard refused to take it.
“I suggest you keep it safely hidden unless you want your dad to find it,” he said. “Oh, that reminds me of the other thing I meant to tell you: I wrote a letter to you about the events that caused your father to disown me. You’ll probably think I’m a rotten scoundrel when you’re done reading it, but that’s your prerogative.”
He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, gave it to Josh, and slung his rucksack over his shoulder.
“When are you coming back?” said Josh.
“Who knows?” said Richard. “I need to do some investigating. Graham is going to be scrambling to come up with a new plan over the next few days. If he slips up, I might finally get the proof I need to convince your dad I’m not insane.”
He hurried out of the room. Josh heard the door open and close. He looked out the window. Richard’s truck backed down the driveway and disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of blue fumes. Josh gazed down at the notebook and the envelope. With a sinking heart, he realized he didn’t need to read Richard’s account to know Graham had told him the truth about his family.
∞∞∞
Lisa hoped she would get to talk to Josh before he left, but the weekend arrived too soon. Other than a few brief interactions at school, they hadn’t communicated at all since their conversation at the park. In fact, he had been completely unavailable. Lisa assumed he had considered the pros and cons of associating with her and decided she wasn’t worth the risk. She tried not to care. After all, she had spent months wishing he were gone.
On the day Josh’s family was supposed to leave, they all sat down for one more breakfast together. Shannon was the only person at the table who looked happy. When they finished eating, Veronica and Stephen hurried down to the beach, and Josh went upstairs to finish packing. Lisa helped her mother clear the table, and then she sat down in the living room. Shannon came in a few minutes later, dragging her suitcase behind her.
“Thank you for letting me stay in your room,” she said. “Of course, I know you only did it because you didn’t have a choice. You must feel pretty stupid right now. You wasted all that time hating us, and now you’re moping around because we’re leaving.”
The Patient from Silvertree: Book One in the Silvertree Series Page 18