“What?”
“You heard me, Doctor. We’re not going through with this.”
Two bright spots of color appeared in the white mask that was Sage’s face.
“Is this some kind of—of horrid game? Did you set this up just to see how far I would go to get you out of my life?”
Caleb got to his feet. “Get up.”
“Get up? Get up?” Her voice rose. “Do you think you can order me around? Jump me through hoops? You—you get the hell out of here, Caleb Wilde! I don’t want you here. I don’t need you here.”
“Yes,” Caleb said grimly, “you damned well do.”
“Mr. Wilde. Ms. Dalton—”
“Did you read the papers I gave you? Did you really and truly read them?”
“Every word.”
“Then you know that the risks are unacceptable.”
He was right. They were. But what choice did she have between the devil and the deep blue sea?
“This isn’t your decision.”
Caleb nodded.
She was right.
It wasn’t.
It was hers.
He had no legal standing here, except as his client’s representative …
And as the man who had abandoned her to that client’s coldly manipulative arrogance.
“You’re right,” Caleb said calmly. “Going through with the test isn’t my decision. Authorizing it is.” He looked at the doctor. “I am withdrawing that authorization. There will be no test.”
“You can’t do that,” Sage said.
Probably not. But he was the only lawyer in the room. Who was going to make a legal argument against him?
Caleb offered a thin smile.
“I just did.”
Sage got slowly to her feet.
“Damn you,” she whispered. “First you make it impossible for me to refuse the test. Then you say you won’t authorize it.”
“And I won’t.”
Sage looked at the doctor. “Can he do that?”
“Well,” the doctor said slowly, “well, I haven’t run into this situation before—”
“If you proceed, Doctor, we won’t accept the veracity of the results.”