“I don’t want money, if that’s what you mean,” he said, then looked at me. “I want to be your patient.”
I sat back, trying not to let my surprise show. As far as I could tell, Theodore was a healthy man—but appearances did not always mean much in my business. I dealt with the unseen, the hidden problems that lurk below the surface, went undiagnosed, unnoticed for years and years, and might eventually explode if they went unfixed. Maybe Theodore had one of those issues.
“What exactly is the problem?” I asked.
He frowned a little, then laughed and shook his head. “No problem,” he said. “But I’m not a young man anymore, and one day I might need an operation. I want you to perform it if I do.”
“Even after all this?” I asked.
“You’re the best.” He pushed back and stood up. “Do we have a deal?”
I stood and shook his head. “You get that proof, and I’ll do whatever surgery you want, on the house.”
“Let’s hope I never need it,” he said, and shifted around the table. He shook with Lori then left. I watched him go with trepidation—we hadn’t hammered down details about when he’d go to Gina, or what he’d do with the proof once he did.
But I didn’t think that mattered. He’d do it sooner rather than later. He couldn’t wait too long, or else Tippett might spring his trap and ruin Theodore in the process.
“What do you think?” she asked once Theodore was gone.
“I think we might get lucky,” I said, stepping closer to her. I wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned against me.
It was a simple gesture—like holding her hand, or touching her shoulder, but it was intimate, and almost unconscious. We’d been around each other so much, and whatever relationship we had developing deepened by the day. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, and she tilted her chin toward me, lips parted. I smirked a little, kissed her again, and held her there for a few steady beats of my heart.
“When this is over, you’re going to train me some more,” she said, blinking up at me.
“Yeah, you think so?”
“You’d better. What the hell am I going to do otherwise?”
“I don’t know, Dr. Baker’s a nice guy. And I bet you love being with all those other residents.”
She groaned. “Don’t joke.”
“I’ll train you,” I said. “Our promise still stands, remember? You’re going to be my witness in the trial.”
“I have a feeling we won’t get to that point anymore.”
“Probably not. But even still, I’ll train you.” I tugged her along, heading to the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here before Theodore comes back and changes his mind.”
She laughed and followed, and together we headed down the street holding hands, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like there was a future—not only for my practice as a doctor, but for our relationship.
29
Lori
I dropped a stack of papers in front of Rees, knocking aside his wireless mouse. It clattered down onto the hardwood floor.
I felt my cheeks flush. “Sorry,” I said, walking around the desk to grab it.
He took the mouse and placed it beside the papers. “To what do I owe this very annoying pleasure?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
His office at the top of a downtown commercial tower that overlooked Center City. The cube farm outside his glass door was in constant motion as employees shuffled around each other, gesturing wildly, saying very important things, holding very important documents, nodding their important heads. It all seemed so real, and so intense, but I couldn’t imagine being in a place like that for long: the quiet fluorescents lighting, the recycled air, the sound of chairs and typing and conversation.
“I brought proof that Piers is innocent,” I said.
Rees arched both of his eyebrows as he laced his fingers together and held them up to his lips. “How good is this proof?”
“It’s everything,” I said. “There are recordings of his boss, Gina, admitting that some of the stuff is fabricated, plus documents showing the differences they created.”
He looked at the folder, then back up at me. “And how the hell did you get all this?”
I explained the whole thing: our meeting with Theodore, how he went to Gina and asked her questions, how he recorded her answers the whole time, with her total consent, since she assumed it was for the Tippett family, how she gave him all the documents he requested and more, and how he’d walked right out of there without anyone the wiser.
“And her boss doesn’t know?” Rees asked. “Surely she would’ve mentioned it.”
“I don’t think so. I mean, why would she?”
He grunted softly and paged through the files. He whistled and shook his head. “This is a lot.”
“I know, and if I had anywhere else to go—”
He held up a hand. “I’m not happy that I’m involved,” he said. “Frankly, I regret ever sticking my nose in your business, but I couldn’t deny your mother’s request, and here we are.”
“Thank you,” I said meekly, feeling like a child in front of him again. I didn’t know why, it wasn’t like he was my uncle or something, but he had that effect on me.
“This whole thing has been a pain in my ass, but of course I’ll fix your little problem for you, cousin.”
“Thank you,” I said again. “I’m sorry this all happened, you know I never asked for it.”
He nodded and tapped his fingers on the pages. “First step is we need a lawyer to go through all this shit. Then we’ll need to file criminal complaints, and get some lawsuits rolling—”
“Criminal?” I asked, frowning. “Lawsuits?”
He nodded and tilted his head. “You did realize that’s what would happen, didn’t you?”
“No,” I admitted. “I thought we’d just, you know, threaten them, and all this would go away.”
He grinned at me, and there was a savage edge to his smile. My cousin was
