“Good,” I said, turning to the door. “Maybe then you people will get off your asses and help one of your own. I’m out there saving lives in the goddamn trenches every day, while Caroline and the administrators sit in their little air-conditioned offices, making money and pretending to be important.”
“It’s not that simple,” Gina said, but by then I wasn’t listening, because in my mind, it was that simple.
I was a doctor. I healed patients, and that was all I did, all I cared about. Gina wanted me to play some other game, some meta game where I made the hospital admins happy, except they didn’t matter, not really. I couldn’t stoop to that level, even if I wanted to.
I stormed back to my office, raging on the inside. All my notes were gone, which would have been a problem if I didn’t have backups on my computer at least. I had procedures today, and I needed those notes and those charts to properly prepare. Taking away my files like that was incredibly dangerous, and yet nobody was going to do a damned thing about it—because they were cowards, all afraid of their jobs, afraid of the system.
I found Lori lingering near my desk. She looked up, her eyes wide, holding a coffee in each hand. I took mine from her and slumped down into my chair.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Caroline,” I said, logging into my personal laptop and pulling up the notes I’d need for the afternoon. Luckily, I had some backup copies saved—but only for my most recent procedures. I kept everything else at work.
“I don’t understand. All your stuff is missing.”
“I know.” I hit print, then slammed my fist down onto the desk.
Lori jumped. I looked up at her and softened. She looked almost as bad as I felt: bags under her eyes, stray hairs flying away from the tight bun on the back of her head. Maybe I was pushing her too hard. I needed to give her a break at some point.
Not yet though. I’d need her to get through today.
“They’re trying to push me out,” I said. “Some part of me thinks they want me to make a mistake.”
“That’s crazy. If you make a mistake, someone could die. They wouldn’t risk that.”
I laughed bitterly. “They might. You think Caroline gives a damn about someone dying? They’re nothing more than a line item on a budget to her.”
Lori looked uncomfortable. She walked to the other side of the room and stopped, leaning up against the empty filing cabinet. “I met with my cousin yesterday.”
I swiveled toward her, sipping my coffee. It was hot and good—one thing I could enjoy, at least. “How’d that go?”
“He encouraged me to leave this hospital,” she said. “Leave you, in particular.”
I smiled slightly, head tilted. “You fished your wish.”
“No,” she said. “I turned him down. I’m not going anywhere.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t sure why she’d do that—she’d made it clear from the start that she thought I was a total bastard. And yet maybe our little deal mattered to her more than I realized. She knew I was the best damn surgeon in this area, regardless of my sterling personality and my legal issues. She could learn a lot from me.
Or maybe it was something else. Something neither of us were willing to vocalize.
“What else did he say?” I asked.
“He seems to think he knows something,” she said. “He was very sure that you were going to lose your lawsuit.”
“He doesn’t know a thing,” I said, shaking my head. “Probably listening too much to Robert Tippett in the yacht club.”
“I asked him that, and he said it wasn’t from Robert.” She looked shaken, and I realized that what I thought was simple fatigue was actually something more. She was anxious about this, clearly worried, and I suddenly felt extreme guilty for pulling her into this mess.
She didn’t have to be a part of it. The Tippetts wanted to use her against me, and I wanted to use her as a positive reference during the trial. Everyone wanted to pull her in their own direction—including me.
I stood up suddenly. “This isn’t fair,” I said.
“I know, but—”
“No, it’s not fair for you.” I stared at her and felt my hands turn into fists. “You should go. Take whatever job your cousin offered or whatever.”
“What?” Her eyes went wide. “No, I already turned him down. I don’t want to go anywhere.”
I walked past her, fingering the cell phone in my pocket. She followed, calling my name, but I ignored her and kept walking. I reached the stairs and hurried down. Her footsteps echoed against the concrete, practically jogging to keep up. I reached the lobby, went outside, and stood in the early morning sunshine, still in the shadow of the buildings, as I took out my phone and dialed a number.
“What are you doing?” she asked, but I turned, ignoring her.
Robert Tippett answered on the second ring. “Hello, Dr. Hood,” he said, sounding pleased to hear from me. “I didn’t expect your call today. I almost didn’t answer.”
“I’m glad you did.” I glanced at Lori, and realized I had to do something to stop this. Even if it meant getting screwed in the end, she didn’t deserve to get screwed along with me. I was toxic, and if she weren’t careful, she’d end up with an awful reputation right alongside me. I couldn’t allow my stink to rub off on her. “I want to negotiate.”
Robert sounded amused. “Negotiate? Now? It seems late for that.”
“Who are you talking to?” Lori hissed at me.
I waved her away and paced toward the benches lining the path that wound its way around the building. “What do you want, Robert? I know this isn’t about money. Is it about revenge? Is that why you want to sue me?”
“Get off the phone with him,” Lori said. “Seriously, Piers, I know you’re mad—”
“It’s not revenge,” Robert said. “Please, why would it be
