Laughing I start to hang up, but remember, “Gwen! You there?”
“Still here!”
“I forgot my—”
“—Your jacket in our car. I have been meaning to send it.”
“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I’ll ask David to bring it to the post office tomorrow.”
“I love you.”
She pauses, “Aww, I love you, too, Liz!”
We say goodbye and I exhale on a smile, sliding the phone into my white coat pocket.
Pivens walks his coffee to a separate table like he’s got me on his mind. He has many cases to handle—I’m sure I’m just being paranoid.
Clearing my throat I start to leave.
His voice stops me cold. “You been to the Seventh Floor recently?”
Turning on my heel, I lock eyes with our head oncologist, so quiet and mature he’s the last person I’d expect to reveal if he knew something about Caden and I. The man never gets involved in drama, gossip, or anything that might distract him from his main focus.
Shocked, I blink, “Sorry?”
“You should go there now.”
I frown, heart pounding. “Why would I do that?”
“They’ve finished construction.”
“I know. We reopen that section next week. So what do I care?”
“I have reason to believe you do care.”
Shoving my hands in my pockets since he has knowledge I wish he hadn’t, I dryly inform him, “Pivens, I think they’ve done just fine without me.”
Steam rises as he takes a sip. “Have they?”
Irritated and defensive, I head for the exit, deciding he can go fuck himself if he’s going to shame me, or guilt me, or blackmail me, or whatever his game is!
“Myers!”
Over my shoulder I hold his look, mine narrowed with fury. “What, Pivens?!”
“Go there.”
Swinging open the door I storm out to do my rounds. As my footsteps clomp heavily on the tile they begin to slow and I straighten up. Breaking into a run I skip the elevator and take the stairs two at a time, bursting into the newly remodeled space that should be empty since work has completed and it’s after three in the morning. Janet Gilroy gasps, and covers her naked breasts. Oberhan grunts and looks over his meaty shoulder. His eyes widen and he pulls out of her, grabbing his suit coat and covering wet genitals.
I grimace, jaw dropped as I back out, running into the door, scrambling to open it and finally bursting into the air-conditioned quiet while a puzzle whose pieces I never knew were missing rapidly fit into place one after the other.
CHAPTER 44
ELIZABETH
I ’m tapping the armrest in Chief’s office waiting for his inevitable return.
I don’t have to wait long.
His suit is tucked into place as he casually walks in like it’s any other night.
Until he sees me in his chair.
I sigh, “Wallace, Wallace, Wallace.”
He shuts the door, thrusting out his hand. “Myers!”
“Huh.” I’m staring at his fingers. “Turns out I’d much rather have your hand pointing at me than…other things.”
His nostrils flare.
But he’s stuck.
No excuse.
Can’t lie when you’re caught in the Janet.
“Wallace, I pity you.” I reposition his wife’s photograph.
He stares at it, fury dampening with a choked, “Elizabeth!”
“You’ve been fished, Wallace. Janet threw out her line with some very tempting, young bait hanging off it and you, like the swimming mid-life crisis of predictability that you are, opened your mouth wide and got the hook. So dumb.”
He collapses into the chair meant for visitors. “What do you want?”
“Her fired. Caden back.”
We stare at each other while he processes this. “And you won’t call my wife?”
“Again, you mean?”
His eyes turn the size of Janet’s breasts. “You called Irene?!”
“Mmhmm. Just now. Yep. Sorry.”
He looms over me and shouts, “What gives you the right?!”
I stand up, plant my hands on his desk. “Justice for everyone who’s ever been cheated on, that’s what gives me the right! Because I’m a human being and I like to honor thy neighbor by removing blinders they didn’t know were on! I tend to like my reflection in the mirror, and in order to do that I must do what’s right. I couldn’t leave you to tell her, Wallace, since the only thing you can be trusted to do is lie to her!”
His snarls turn to worry then back to snarls, eyes darting to the silent phone on his desk, both belonging to Atlanta Hope. He’s thinking of his marriage. His job. His affair.
Sitting back down in his chair I swivel and dryly observe, “What a conundrum.”
He sits down, too, head collapsed in his hands. “Myers,” he croaks.
“I know, it’s rough isn’t it? Irene might take you back, forgive you, give ya another shot. But if she does, she’ll do it with her eyes open now. That’s between you and your wife. I didn’t take your vows. You did. She did. So both of you together are going to have to decide how you forgive and heal, or cut and peel. However, on the subject of work, I’ve got an offer for you.”
Oberhan’s lips are tight. “What?”
“I won’t go to the Board of Directors with this, since both of you were off shift. The infidelity has been brought to light to the right person, Irene, but it’s not the hospital’s business. As you’ve told us many times: Romantic entanglements are frowned upon but are not forbidden. Make sure they last before you bring them into my hospital.” I pause and hold his gaze because I find irony amusing. “And I want it to stay that way. So you have a choice. Quit, or fire the snake and bring back Caden Cocker so he can be near his family.”
Oberhan’s eyes are twitching imagining the final things he said to Caden. All of it was shared with me in the hotel room while we stayed up until nearly six in the morning.
Impatient, I lean forward. “She got you to transfer Caden, that’s what she did. Whether you knew or not that she was dragging you around by your fishing line, you’ll have to live with that because I don’t really care. What
