“He made a judgment that I agree with completely.”
“I saw her bruises,” Sky spoke through clenched teeth. “They were not fresh. That girl had been beaten.”
Dr. Shaw responded in hushed angry tones. “Trying to determine what caused or how old a bruise is based on how it looks is imprecise science at best and you know it.”
“They were yellowing. It can take up to eighteen to twenty-four hours after an injury for that color to appear. According to her parents, Charlie Kneeland was brought into the emergency room within an hour of the accident without bruises. We should have at least asked questions about them!”
“You know as well as I do that too many variables can affect the creation and resolution of a bruise. The type of tissue injured, mechanism of injury, length, duration of force, depth of injury, skin color, the health status of the patient, medications, and age. We don’t have enough definitive information to go throwing around charges like that. Remove it from the report. I won’t leave this hospital open for a lawsuit.”
And there it was. The priority was to protect the hospital even at the expense of someone’s health. As Dr. Shaw spoke, Sky’s mind flashed to the sweet face of the young girl. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but Charlie had managed to garner a healthy dose of empathy from Sky for her. “Again, you are asking me to change the report, and I cannot do that. What I wrote is my complete and final assessment.”
Dr. Shaw was pissed. “So, you are telling me no? That could be considered insubordination.”
“Call it what you want, but . . .” Sky straightened her spine. “I am not changing one word.”
They glared at each other for what seemed like forever before he spoke again. “I have another meeting. We will revisit this later.” Dr. Shaw was furious as he stalked away.
Sky was relieved and happy he was gone. Dr. Shaw knew full well that something other than falling off a horse caused those bruises. He saw the pictures. However, the top brass seemed to be banding together to cover it up. It was disgusting.
Speaking of her famous patient, Sky was on her way to see her. After her run-in with Dr. Shaw, Sky could only hope she wouldn’t be bumping heads with Noah anytime soon. At least she knew it wouldn’t be today since he wasn’t at the hospital.
Sky walked with purpose down the hallway that boasted nothing but white floors and walls, and super bright fluorescent lights lining the ceilings. It mirrored how she felt–cold, colorless, and lifeless.
As she approached Charlie’s room, she heard them before she saw them. Bella and Remington—arguing. They stood outside Charlie’s door going at it.
“So, you’re leaving?” Remington couldn’t believe it.
They were so involved in their discussion that they hadn’t even noticed Sky’s presence. Too bad I can’t sneak past these crazies. Her patience was gone. She didn’t have any energy left to deal with their issues, and they had plenty of them. She whisper-yelled. “Lower your voices! This is a hospital, not an MMA event. If you can’t do that, take your discussion outside and away from my patient.”
Bella and Remington turned angry eyes meant for each other at her. Sky didn’t care. She could take it. She had had more than enough experience dealing with divorced parents from hell. She only needed to pull from her own personal experiences. Although Bella and Remington had been in the same hospital for less than twenty-four hours, they argued twenty-three of them and stretched Sky past her limits. Sky couldn’t imagine how Charlie dealt with it. She had to have felt like being trapped inside a hurricane. It wasn’t good for her as she fought to recover.
Sky turned her I mean business glare first to Bella and then Remington. Once she was confident they got the message, Sky moved to enter Charlie’s room. However, Bella stopped her by placing a hand over her arm.
“Dr. Kirby, I need to have a word with you. Since Dr. Bridges is not on call today, you’ll have to do.”
No. She. Didn’t. Sky’s eyes narrowed. “I can always give you Dr. Bridge’s personal cell phone number?” Noah never answered that phone when he was off, and Sky knew it. “Especially since he’s better at managing high-maintenance people than I am.”
Bella Langston drew back as if she’d been slapped. She wasn’t used to people talking to her in any way other than adoration. Bella couldn’t fire Sky or send her away because she was considered one of the best. Instead, Bella ignored her snide remark. When this situation was all over, Bella vowed that Dr. Kirby would be handled. In the meantime, she took a deep breath and flipped her flowing golden hair over her shoulders. “I just wanted to know if you received the paperwork giving REMI complete control over Charlie’s medical treatment while I’m out of the country.”
Sky nodded. Her response was clipped. “I received it, and the hospital staff is aware of the changes.” It was good at least one of Charlie’s parents could be bothered with the ordeal of parenting. Sky couldn’t believe the Bella Lord-Langston was about to abandon her only child less than twenty-four hours after surgery. If nothing else, she would have thought it would be a public relations nightmare. It infuriated her.
Sky refused to give the self-absorbed woman another second of her time, so she pushed forward. “Excuse me. I need to check on your daughter.” Sky was surprised she was able
