All because of money.
So, yes, goddamn it, yes, it pissed me off. I wanted to fight, wanted to burn that whole place to the ground. I wanted to expose Gina and Caroline for what they were—liars, fakes, obsessed with climbing the ranks, uncaring frauds. And yet the more I sat, the more I spent the day doing nothing but turning the problem over and over in my head, the more I knew that I couldn’t do a thing.
And still I started to search for lawyers.
It was around six that night when my phone buzzed. I was sitting on the top floor of Barnes & Noble in their little cafe, drinking bad coffee, using the free Wi-Fi, flipping through page after page of local attorneys that might be able to help. I picked up and answered, not thinking about it.
Lori’s voice. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.
“Hey. You’re alive.”
“Barely,” I said. My hangover still throbbed at my temples. I wasn’t a young man anymore.
“Dr. Baker is boring,” she said. “You’re a better teacher.”
“Of course I am. Is that why you called?”
“No.” A short silence. I watched the barista make a latte—espresso, steamed milk, lots of froth and noise. “I think we should go meet with my cousin.”
“Rees? How do you know he’s not in on this?”
“When I talked to him, he didn’t seem to be a part of it.”
“But he encouraged you to go work somewhere else.”
I could practically see her squirming, wherever she was. “True, but still. What other choice do we have?”
“I’m looking at lawyers.”
“That’s a good idea.” She sounded oddly hopeful, and I immediately regretting telling her that. I didn’t want her to think that I was going to fight this tooth and nail. I’d pursue it, but only to a point. I wouldn’t burn down my life for revenge.
“If your cousin can help, I’m open to it. I’m just skeptical.”
“Where are you right now?”
“In the Barnes & Noble in Rittenhouse.”
“I’m not far. What if I called my cousin and had him meet both of us there?”
I laughed a little. “It’s hard to picture that guy in a bookstore cafe.”
“I know, but the sooner we get going, the better it’ll be.”
I stared at the computer in front of me, then down at the greasy, dirty tile floor. An announcement came over the loudspeaker, fuzzy and indistinct. Muzak was punctuated by coffee gurgles.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “Call him.”
But I didn’t add: only for you.
“Stay where you are. I’ll see you soon.”
I hung up and squeezed my eyes shut.
Maybe this was cruel. I shouldn’t let her stay involved in all this. I’d only drag her down with me, and I wanted to avoid that at all costs. Maybe the smart thing would be to leave right now, to walk away and start over—and let her have a life free from stain and heartache.
Because I knew that was how it would end, as much as I wanted something more.
Despite all that, I didn’t move. I had a thousand chances to get up and walk away after that phone call, but I kept sitting in my uncomfortable metal chair, until Lori appeared at the top of the escalator, followed a beat later by her cousin, a gruff man in an expensive suit.
I stood as they approached, shook his hand, nodded at her. They sat, and Rees looked more annoyed than anything.
“Thanks for coming,” I said to him, and shut my laptop lid. “I appreciate you taking the time.”
“Lucky for you both, I was in town.” He frowned at her, then at me. “Lori tells me that Caroline suspended you.”
“That’s right.”
“For some notes you took?”
“Fake ones,” I said. “And yes, apparently they’re not nice, but they’re not real.”
“So you’re saying Caroline, hospital administrator, and Gina, your direct superior, both worked together to forge documents, and are using them against you?” He spoke slowly, but his tone suggested he didn’t find it so implausible.
“Yes,” I said. “They did it, or they hired someone to do it, or someone in the hospital did it. But I know I didn’t make those notes.”
He looked at Lori and she leaned toward him.
“He’s not lying,” she said. “I’ve been with him long enough to know, he doesn’t operate like that.”
“Even patients he doesn’t like?” Rees asked, glancing at me.
“Even them,” she said. “And there have been a few. One spit in his face.”
“Being a doctor must be difficult,” Rees said.
“Getting spit on isn’t so wild,” I said. “It’s happened a few times. I still don’t write something nasty about them in my notes. It’s unprofessional and worthless.”
“I believe you,” Rees said, which surprised me. The fact that he’d even entertain my accusation said a lot about him, and his faith in me. “But the problem is, you have no proof. In a situation like this, it’s he said, she said, and typically the big institutions have better lawyers.”
“I know,” I said. “And I wish I could do something, but I’m at a disadvantage here.”
Rees nodded slowly, and glanced at Lori again. There wasn’t much he could do, and now that he was here, I regretted agreeing to this.
“I’ll tell you something,” Rees said, speaking to Lori, but the words felt like they were directed at me. “The Tippett family is offering a very, very large donation to the hospital.”
“I figured,” Lori said.
“I think maybe I should be more specific. Robert Tippett is offering that donation, not his sister.” Rees leaned forward. “I know Robert quite well, and I know that he’s not above getting his hands dirty to get what he wants.”
I exchanged looks with Lori.
“I spoke with Robert,” she said, glancing down at the table. “He tried to recruit me, you know, to help with their side. He told me that this whole thing is basically so that he can end up with the inheritance. It’s complicated, but he needs to prove that his father wasn’t in
