“You're kidding me!” My hands clench into fists. “They justboughtit? Just like that? I’m in the middle of my residency!”
“According to the HR person I spoke with,” his speech is clipped and his blue eyes turn, if possible, an even chillier hue. “She told me they had corroboration from a man who claims to be your ex fiancé.”
“FuckingKevin?”I snarl. “God he'ssucha prick! What did he say?”
“He told them that he’d ended your engagement and you’d been struggling with it. That you probably resigned because you couldn't bear working with him any longer.”
“He's been saying this to the other surgeons,” I rage. Dmitri glances at my monitor as my pulse speeds up. “I caught himsix weeks before our wedding cheating on me - and at the hospital, mind you - he picked up someone there because it wasconvenient, I guess. He's been telling everyone that he ended the engagement because I was so jealous and unstable.”
“So, his claims fit the narrative,” Dmitri nods.
“Yeah, well, he's going to be very unhappy when I show up at the hospital then,” I say between clenched teeth. “I'm going to lodge a complaint about false testimony and slander with HR and-”
“We'll work on it,” he says, putting his hand on my arm. It feels wonderfully warm and I don't want him to take it away. The heat of his hand is tethering me, while my brain wants to cut loose and scatter in a million different directions. It's been a while since I've had my ADHD meds and that's certainly not helping. “You said you had a close friend that you wanted to contact?”
“Yeah, my friend Priya, she's a surgeon there,” I say.
“It's important that she knows you’re safe,” Dmitri says. “However, because this is an ongoing investigation. It's crucial that you don't give her a lot of details. We need to craft a narrative because if there is someone at the hospital that might be involved, we don't want to give them warning.”
“What- You mean- Do you think they're poaching women fromBellevue?”I press my hand against my churning stomach. “Oh my God!”
“The point is,” he says patiently, “we can't trust anyone right now. Even if you trust your friend, you don't want her giving out information that could compromise this, do you?”
“No,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “Of course not. We can work out what to say.” His hand is still resting on my arm and itfeels nice. I wonder what it would be like to link my fingers with his and that I push the thought away.
Focus.
***
“Where are you!” Priya is crying so hard that it’s making me weepy again. “I’ll come get you. How do-”
“Deep breath, Pri,” I say, wiping the tears off my face with my hospital gown.
I’m expecting another round of sobbing because the girl is a champion class weeper. Unfortunately, so am I. Loud, noisy sobs with excessive phlegm. We’re no longer allowed to watch sad movies together, banned from every movie theatre in New York City. Most specifically, we’re barred from Priya’s living room because last time we watchedThe Notebooktogether, her husband Kabir locked himself in their bedroom and had a quiet nervous breakdown. He’s thoughtful like that.
Instead, her voice turns sharp, focused. “Do the doctors know how many shocks you received? Any idea about the voltage? Have you had any seizures? Vision loss? Have you read your chart? What’s the result of the MRI? Is there nerve damage?”
“Hold up, Pri. You can’t control this by turning doctor on me. Though I appreciate it, you know I already asked all these questions. You’d love Dr. Morozova, by the way, she’s a genius.”
“Dr. Ella Morozova? She used to be legendary with surgical suturing for internal organs,” Priya says. “I think she’s stepped back a bit, though.” She snorts disapprovingly. “Work-life balance and all that shit. This is great news!”
“This is the most important part-”
“You getting kidnapped and tortured isn’t the most important part?” she asks incredulously.
“You’d think, but no,” I rub my forehead. The headaches might be getting a little better or I’m just getting used to them. “It’s possible I got targeted because this human trafficking ring might be operating in the hospital.”
“I love you but yes that might be more important,” she says. “Is this why I’m not breathing a word of this to anyone? Because I already marched down to HR and told them you would never skip out on your residency.”
“Kevin apparently corroborated the resignation letter, claiming I was too heartbroken from yearning after him to work there,” I snarl. “This makes his shitty stunt at Heaven and Hell look almost caring by comparison."
Dmitri looks up abruptly, frowning when I mention the club.
“Yeah, he’s a saint,” she sneers. “A giver. I’m going to stab him in the kidney when this is over. So what do you need me to do?”
“Keep your mouth shut,” I cringe. She’s going to hate that. “Blow off anyone who asks about me with an, ‘I dunno’ kind of response. See if you’ve heard of any staff abruptly resigning, maybe vulnerable patients that didn’t return for follow-up care. But do not put yourself in a position where anyone could question what you’re doing,please.”
“Understood.” There’s a rustling of tissue before she loudly blows her nose. “But I want to come see you. Right away. I was going to file a police report tomorrow if I didn’t hear from you.”
