Even as Suzanne fled my office, tears streaming down her face and telling anyone who would listen that I’d attacked her, I said nothing. I even tried to replay the events over and over in my head but failed at that small task. I couldn’t remember what happened. One minute I was standing there and the next I had my hand around her throat ready to kill her. I might’ve done it if Dr. Lyons and her patient hadn’t entered the room.
“Dr. Reynolds, we’re going to have to put you on immediate suspension until we can sort this thing out. We’re going to have to ascertain whether or not the police should be brought into this matter to file criminal charges.”
I barely heard the words of the hospital’s top lawyer.
“Nurse Greene is very adamant that we fire you but I told her that cannot be done until a full investigation is made. With that said, this is not looking good for you, Dr. Reynolds. Considering there were two witnesses and you haven’t said anything.”
I glanced around the room, in which there were three other members of the hospital’s legal team. We all sat around a huge, shiny conference table on the eighth floor of the hospital. From the window I could see down into the parking lot. I just needed to get outside of this damn hospital.
“Dr. Reynolds, where are you going? Do you have anything to say?”
I didn’t answer as I strolled out of the door and down the hallway to the elevator. I punched the down button repeatedly until the damn thing arrived.
Stepping on, I was grateful that I had the presence of mind to grab my keys and my wallet from my office before heading up to the hospital’s executive office suites.
I didn’t say a word as I stepped off the elevator and passed through the double doors, exiting the hospital. I got in my car and started it up, not sure of where the hell I was going, but knowing I needed to get as far from this hospital as I could.
****
Grace
“You were great in there, Nurse Young,” Dr. Jeffries stated as we exited the OR.
I smiled as I peeled the scrub cap from my head. “Thank you, Doctor.”
The hip replacement surgery had gone on longer than expected due to some complications. Thankfully, Dr. Jeffries was able to stop the excess bleeding that had occurred, and we were able to get the patient stabilized enough to finish the surgery. Though, he would likely have a much longer recovery time than anticipated. I didn’t envy Dr. Jeffries whose job it now was to go in and tell his patient what happened.
I watched as he strolled down the hall, the resident who aided in the surgery next to him. I had to admire surgeons for what they did. It took a hell of a lot of guts to literally pry another human being open with the confidence that you could fix whatever it was that ailed them.
I shook my head at the thought, rounding the corner to approach the nurses’ station. Out of the corner of my eye I saw three nurses huddled together in a corner, but didn’t think much of it. Gossiping at the nurses’ station wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. I took a seat at the desk to input some information into one of the computers.
“Did you hear what he did?” Lucy, another OR nurse, questioned, sounding outraged almost.
“He tried to kill her. I mean, we were only half joking when we called him Dr. Jackass but he has gone too far. He needs to be fired.”
My ears perked up because I knew that was the name many of the nurses referred to Jacob as, although most hadn’t called him that around me lately.
I turned in my chair because it’d become obvious theywantedme to overhear their gossiping.
“Who are you all talking about?” I tried to be polite about asking but there was some hostility apparent in my voice.
“You were in surgery when it happened.”
I blinked at Lucy. “When what happened?” I hated when people tried to be cryptic for dramatic effect. “Just spit it out.”
“Your boyfriend attacked Suzanne. He tried to strangle her.”
“Lucky for her, Dr. Lyons and a patient walked in on him.”
Rising, I began shaking my head in denial. “Someone’s lying.”
“It’s the truth. There were witnesses, just like Angela said,” Lucy interjected.
“What? Why would Jacob do something like that?”
“The same reason he’s always so pissy to the rest of the staff and even patients.”
“No, Jacob has never been abrasive toward a patient.” A little or a lot standoffish, sure, but never abrasive or harmful.
