She had some fucking nerve to be jealous. The asshole part of me nearly took a lunch break to make a home visit to Joyce’s. Mia and the hospital could all go to hell.
Fueled with anger and resentment, I headed back to work. My bedside manner was lacking the rest of the day, but what did it matter? It was only a matter of time before I was fired and blamed for Ms. Mason’s death. I’d have to move. What hospital would hire me if I was accused of medical negligence? What other job could I get where I could continue to pay my student loans? I had over a hundred thousand left to pay.
I wondered how much the lawsuit would require me to pay? What was a life worth? I had malpractice insurance, but still. This situation was beyond fucked up. My lungs seized, and I felt the now familiar signs of anxiety. Fuck off, I told it. There was no way I was going to let Mia or anyone at the hospital see how much their betrayal was killing me.
I finished my twelve-hour shift and immediately headed to the woods, needing to get my shit together and figure out what the fuck to do. It was dark, but I’d been coming to this spot since I was a boy, usually with Eli.
The first thing I needed to do was protect myself and my job. I’d get a lawyer, but I also had to get down in the muck and figure out what happened that day. Did the EMR fail? Did the lab or radiology fail?
Next, I had to have a backup plan. I wasn’t the type of man to kiss and tell, and so turning Mia in for letting me fuck her wasn’t an option to retaliate. It wouldn’t matter anyway. They’d just fire her, and while I was beyond pissed and deeply hurt, I knew she needed the job. She was here for her father, and he deserved to have peace and happiness, even if his kids didn’t.
So, plan B … perhaps I’d move down to San Diego. I could be the clichéd kid that moved back in with his parents. I laughed derisively. How many of those kids had medical degrees?
I looked out over the view of the lake, and the way the moon shone over it. It would have been romantic if I was there with a woman. As teenagers, I’d sometimes bring a girl up here to neck. I’d lost my virginity here at the age of sixteen to a twenty-year-old CNA. I’d never brought Mia here, but I’d wanted to.
Fuck! I scrubbed my hands over my face, wishing I’d never touched her. It was bad enough that my employer was prepared to toss me under the bus, but to have her helping them was killing me. That wasn’t a good sign. It meant my feelings for her were deeper than I’d admitted to. That somehow in the short time she’d been back, I’d let myself start to fall for her again.
Hell, who was I kidding? I don’t think I ever fully got over her. But what did it matter? I cared for her and she didn’t give a shit about me. Well, maybe she cared a little bit, but not enough to choose me over her job. Just like four years ago.
I didn’t see you choosing me back then.
That wasn’t completely true. I remembered the night she ended things. Feeling panicked about losing her, I’d mentioned I could look for work in southern California, but she was shaking her head before I could finish getting the words out.
“I think it’s better if we just focus on our careers right now,” she’d said. So, I did. And now she held it against me.
I left my place of solitude not feeling very settled, but at least I had the start of a plan. That night, I called another doctor to ask him to cover my shift the next day. I agreed to take on two of his in return. I didn’t mention that it was possible I’d be fired and wouldn’t be able to hold up my end of the deal.
The next day, I drove the hour to Reno to the law office of Victoria Manning for the appointment I’d made that morning. She was licensed in both Nevada and California. There was an attorney in Goldrush Lake who could do medical malpractice, but the chances were good he or someone he knew had Ms. Mason as a teacher, and I didn’t want to have that clouding the judgement of the person I hired to look out for me.
“Dr. Foster, come in,” Victoria Manning greeted me with a firm handshake.
She was tall and thin, with dark hair and light blue eyes. She was the type of woman, smart looking and sexy, that I’d ask out for a drink, in the hopes that it would lead to bed. That was, before Mia.
“Can I get you a drink? Coffee?”
“I’m good, thank you.” I sat in the chair she’d indicated.
“How can I help you?” She sat at her desk.
I went over the case about Ms. Mason. She nodded, took notes, and asked questions. “So, the hospital isn’t considering the EMR?”
I shrugged. “I was told there was going to be a consult with an IT person, but my sense is that they want it to be human error.”
She studied me. “Does that mean if the EMR was to blame, the hospital would hold all liability?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She shook her head. “It should have negotiated for shared liability.”
“Too late now. The thing is, the possibility that there was nothing that could have been done is there too. She died within an hour of arriving at the hospital, and I’m not sure we’d have been able to stop that even if we did figure it out sooner.”
“Is the hospital considering that?”
“I don’t know. I’m not privy to that information.” I thought of Mia and how much I’d shared with her that she could use against me, and yet she’d told me nothing except that I should get a lawyer. “The hospital lawyer did tell me I should get a lawyer of my own, which I’ve interpreted to mean the hospital is focusing on me being the error. Can you help me, Ms. Manning?”
“Please call me Vic, and yes. I’d be interested in taking your case.” She went over her fees, which made my gut clench. More money down the drain. But it had to be done. “Does that sound acceptable to you, Dr. Foster?”
“Call me Nick, and yes.” I stood and we shook hands. Despite the cost, I felt some relief at having someone on my side.