The Silence That Speaks (Forensic Instincts 4)

“Do you live at your brownstone?”

Casey nodded. “The top level is my apartment. Hero spends more time sleeping there than I do.”

“You work long hours. I can relate to that.” Diana fiddled with her bread. “Do you think I could meet Hero sometime?”

She sounded so wistful that it tugged at Casey’s heart. This was one lonely young woman.

“Sure,” she told Diana. “We’ll work it out.”

“Oh, thank you.” There was that hint of youthful joy again. Diana resembled Janet around the nose and mouth, but her eyes were set wide apart, and they were deep brown and very expressive.

“Diana, it’s my turn to overstep,” Casey said. “The couple of times I’ve seen you, you look so sober. Your mother told me all about your exceptional skills as a circulating nurse. Is the hospital merger threatening your job?”

Diana turned up her palms. “I don’t know. I’ve only been here a year. That makes me vulnerable. On the other hand, my reviews have been really positive, so I’m hoping my skills are enough to convince the people integrating the two hospitals to keep me on.”

“Which translates into long work hours and no social life. I hear you.” Casey took another bite of salad, then offhandedly asked, “Do you at least hang out with some of the hospital employees?”

“Yes.” Diana tore off another piece of bread and nibbled on it. “Manhattan Memorial has some gifted, warmhearted people who work here. We tend to bond because we dedicate so much of our lives to our careers. That bonding is even more accentuated now since we’re all kind of free-falling and nervous.”

“I get it.”

Diana’s expression brightened. “I’ve chatted with that young candy striper you recommended—Emma. She’s smart as a whip and very feisty. She definitely speaks her mind.”

“That’s Emma,” Casey said dryly.

“Does she work with your team?”

Casey answered very carefully. “She’s our part-time receptionist. She files and answers phones, that kind of thing. She’s really leaning toward a career in nursing, but in the meantime, her job at FI means she can pay the bills.”

“She said that Madeline Westfield helped her get the job by speaking to Mr. Casper.”

Smart, Emma, Casey thought.

“She did.” Casey ran with Emma’s entrée. “That was very nice of Madeline, considering we hardly know her. But as a friend of Marc’s, she agreed to pitch Emma. Marc’s judgment is spot-on, and Madeline knows it. So she did Emma an enormous favor.”

“That’s typical Madeline,” Diana replied. “We call her Florence Nightingale. She’s constantly helping and healing. She’s pretty inspirational. And I am biased. She taught me the ropes when I first came to Manhattan Memorial. She’s an E.R. nurse, so she’s seen just about everything. And she was married to a surgeon, so she knew a lot about being a circulating nurse. Most of all, she brought me into the fold, so to speak. She introduced me around and made it easier for me to make friends. I’ll always be grateful.”

Diana pressed her lips together for a minute. “I know it sounds silly since I’m a trained professional, but I was very relieved that she was on the code team the day Ronald Lexington died. It was a horrible loss, and it was my first. Madeline, of course, was devastated. But just her presence helped me get through it.”

Casey’s fork stopped on its way to her salad. “You were the circulating nurse during Ronald Lexington’s surgery?”

“Yes.” Diana looked puzzled at Casey’s reaction. “Why? Is that significant in some way?” She paled. “Do you think the hospital will count that against me when they’re making their decision?”

“No, no, of course not.” Casey chastised herself for showing any reaction. It wasn’t like her to slip up like that, but she’d truly been shocked. She wasn’t even sure why. It’s just that it seemed that everything about Ronald Lexington’s surgery was cast in shadows. It was like an onion being peeled away one layer at a time.

“I guess after that beautiful dedication ceremony, I’m surprised no one mentioned that you were in the O.R. when Ronald passed away and how traumatized you must have been,” she said, trying to continue the conversation without making Diana suspicious.

Diana sighed, taking the bait. “Most people are more stoic than I am. Besides, my mother worked hard to shield me—harder than she should have. I’ve got to toughen up. I can handle pretty much anything—except losing a patient. I’m still grappling with that one. And I’d better hurry up and get over it because it’s a factor in a circulating nurse’s life, even if it is a rare occurrence. Also, Mr. Lexington’s death truly came out of nowhere. One minute he was fine, the next he was bleeding out. We never expected such a successful surgery to reverse itself so abruptly.”

“I agree.” Casey frowned. “At the dedication ceremony, I heard so much gossip and speculation about that surgery. People were whispering. Some of them even blamed Conrad Westfield.”

“I know.” A spark of anger flashed in Diana’s eyes. “And it’s horrible and untrue. Dr. Westfield did everything—and then some—to save Mr. Lexington’s life. He called on every one of us to assist him. I was running back and forth bringing instruments and sponges. The surgical nurses did everything he needed and responded to his every command. And afterward...” Diana’s voice trembled a bit. “Both he and Madeline were devastated. Dr. Westfield was white as a sheet and there were tears in his eyes. Anyone who blames him is cruel and dead wrong.”

Casey saw how upset Diana was getting. She clearl

y regarded herself as one of the team—a team that had lost someone of great significance.

“Were you there the whole time?” Casey asked.