Patience. Patience.
Julia opened the file of information and offered McMillan a copy of the product specification sheet she’d obtained from the doctor she’d met at the Wings event. “This is from the manufacturer.” He glanced at the page but didn’t uncross his arms to take it. Julia purposely let it hang in the air between them. “Specifically, I’d like to discuss this paragraph here.”
McMillan’s dark eyes scanned the page, before he straightened from the desk, arms at his sides. “Look, I don’t have the time to explain product specifications to you. What I can tell you is that Noah’s trust in my judgment is well-founded, and I’m very busy.”
He started past her, dismissing her without the decency to even take the time to actually dismiss her.
She stood, pausing in the doorway as he headed down the hall. “You don’t have time to discuss one of your gold medalists, Dr. McMillan?”
Her raised voice drew the attention of staff and patients alike, and stopped McMillan in his tracks.With his back still toward her, his hands clenched and released.
“Because,” she continued, “you must have skimmed the part of this study that says, and I quote, ‘Despite these interesting characteristics, in vivo studies on animal models are still incomplete, and ultrastructural data are lacking.’” She looked up just as McMillan slowly turned toward her with fury turning his brown eyes black. “Are you sure you don’t have time to discuss your use of untested material on one of your patients, Doctor?”
He started back toward her at a brisk pace, gripped her arm, and ushered her back into the chair. This time he closed the door and didn’t even attempt the fake smile. “What is this about?”
“It’s about exactly what I told you.” She waved the file of information she’d pulled together on Noah’s surgery and the screws, wires, and cement used to put him back together. “This prototype compound may have the ability to bind to the bone, but it does that by infiltrating the bone’s porous structure.” She snapped her forefinger against the paper. “And this report from the National Center for Biotechnology Information states that this compound doesn’t fully cure for eight to ten months. Doesn’t fully biodegrade for two years. Worse, there have been no documented studies to test the strength of the screws augmented with this material.”
He heaved a frustrated breath and crossed his arms. “Get to the point.”
She had to draw on every ounce of patience she owned to keep from screaming in his arrogant face. But this was bigger than her ego or McMillan’s ego. This was about Noah’s health.
So she drew a slow breath and forced her voice calm when she said, “My point is that if this cement infiltrates the porous structure of the bone, and if this cement doesn’t cure and turn into actual bone material for ten months, and if there are no studies showing its strength during the curing process, then the reality is that no one knows what will happen to Noah’s ankle if he has an accident before it’s fully cured.”
“That’s a lot of if’s, Ms. Bailey. You’re—”
“I’m deeply concerned for Noah’s health.” She took a step forward, imploring him with her expression, with her voice, with all the love in her heart for Noah. “I need to talk to the surgeon who operated on Noah about this compound, but he’s not returning my calls.”
“I’m sure he’s very busy—”
“The X Games begin in just a few days. Can you, in good conscience, assure Noah that his leg won’t shatter if he lands wrong? If his board hits a rail? If one of his aerial stunts goes haywire?”
“That’s ridiculous—”
“Is it? You know bone. You understand the structure. Just think about it for two seconds. Just consider the possibilities I’ve raised. This is Noah’s leg we’re talking about. His career. His future. He’s only thirty years old. He has his whole life ahead of him.”
McMillan’s gaze lowered to the carpet and his jaw worked. Thick silence filled the office for twenty seconds, and Julia swore a minute filled every second.
McMillan lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead, then let it drop against his thigh. “What do you want from me?”A better question would be, what kind of answer was that from a professional of this caliber?
“I want you to do whatever’s in Noah’s best interest. I want you to do for Noah what you’d do for him if he were your son. You have an obligation to do no harm. If you have any doubts about the stability and security of Noah’s ankle, you can’t sign off on his medical release to participate in the Games. And I believe this”—she lifted the report—“combined with your lack of information on the product used to piece Noah back together raises substantial doubt.”
He pushed from the desk, color washing his cheekbones again. “You’re not going to come in here, presume to know more than a specialist who’s been doing this since you were in diapers, and tell me what I can and can’t do. Nothing you’ve told me indicates Noah will have any problem performing at the Games. Every exam shows he’s been getting stronger and more stable. Every X-ray, every CT, every MRI has shown consistent improvement.”
“You’re not addressing the problem—”
“No, the real problem he
re is that you have a little bit of knowledge you’re trying to stretch a very long way. You’re way out of your depth here. I’ve seen this countless times, a physical therapist trying to play doctor when they barely understand their own field.” He passed her and flung open his office door. “And, honestly, I don’t have the time or patience to deal with it. Good-bye, Ms. Bailey.”
His accusation both infuriated and shamed her. She started toward the door with a last-ditch thought coming to mind. Pausing in the doorway, she met McMillan’s icy stare. “Will you at least inform Noah’s sponsor so he can get continued therapy? He needs consistent, quality rehab until the cement is cured and his ankle is fully healed.”
McMillan lifted his chin in a superior gesture and warned, “I’m a board-certified orthopedist with three decades of experience behind me, Ms. Bailey. I know what Noah needs. Now, please, don’t come back.”
Noah had finished his run and his stretches, and Julia still wasn’t back from the grocery store. He was breathing hard as he strolled into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. The garage door sounded, and Noah startled with excitement.
“Damn,” he muttered. “Get ahold of yourself. It’s not like she was gone weeks, for God’s sake.”
He opened the door to the garage just as she pulled grocery bags from the back of the SUV. “Hey.”