Gentleman Sinner

I sit forward in my chair, astounded. ‘He cornered me in a doorway and threatened me.’

She raises her eyebrow, returning her eyes to the paper and scanning the words. ‘He claims otherwise. He’s said when he tried to remove himself from the situation, he was ambushed by two large men, one who he recognized as your boyfriend.’ She looks back up at me expectantly. But what is she expecting? For me to take responsibility for these lies?

I gape at her, stunned. He’s twisting it. ‘Theo stepped in because Mr Sugden was threatening me.’ My alarm is making my voice higher. ‘Theo pulled him away, and then he let him go.’ I neglect to mention the gun, since Susan hasn’t. I realize I’m being selective here, but there’s one thing that matters: Theo released Percy’s son uninjured, even if he was shaken to the core. Good. He deserved to be.

‘That’s a different version of events to what Mr Sugden has told the police.’ She sounds so high-handed, so unlike herself. This isn’t my boss as I know her. And come to think of it, what she’s dictating from that letter isn’t how she knows me. Surely she doesn’t believe this trash.

‘He’s lying,’ I grate, incensed. ‘There wasn’t a scratch on Mr Sugden when I last saw him, and Theo and Callum were with me for the rest of the night.’

Susan sighs, dropping the paper to her desk. ‘I’m sorry, Izzy. With a complaint so serious, we have no choice but to suspend you pending further investigation.’

‘What? Susan, you saw that man. He’s an arsehole. He’s lying.’

‘Then how do you suggest he sustained those injuries?’ she asks. ‘Broken limbs, Izzy. He hasn’t tripped up a kerb or walked into a door.’

I close my eyes briefly and try to calm myself, feeling tears threatening to break free. What is happening here? ‘I don’t know how he sustained those injuries, but I do know it has nothing to do with me or my boyfriend.’

‘Well, I have to treat every complaint according to protocol, Izzy. Mr Sugden’s behaviour prior to his complaint will be noted in your defence, but someone gave him those injuries. He says you encouraged the beating.’

I fall back in the chair, absolutely dumbfounded. ‘I encouraged it? What, like egged them on?’

Susan remains silent for a few moments, clearly thinking hard. I hope it’s hard enough to see damn sense. ‘Izzy, it may not be my place to ask, but do you really know this man you’re involved with?’

I stare at my boss, trying to form words in my head that don’t include a flat fuck off. I’ve never once had any kind of complaint made against me since I qualified as a nurse. I’ve never had a confrontation with another member of staff, a patient, or a relative. Susan must know that this idiot’s claim is out of character for me. I egged Theo on? What I actually did was plead with him to let the idiot go. I stopped Mr Sugden from being pummelled to death.

I run through the horrid incident in my mind, from the moment Mr Sugden cornered me to the moment Theo, Callum, and I got in the car. We were all together and . . .

My thought process grinds to a halt, ice gushing into my veins. In the car park. Callum forgot to pay for the parking and Theo went to validate the ticket. My eyes dart across the desk before me, trying to figure out if the few minutes he was gone would be enough to inflict so much damage on Percy’s son.

I should laugh at myself for asking such a pathetic question. Theo would need only ten seconds with him to inflict serious damage. I have no doubt. I push out a deep breath, now questioning what really happened. It doesn’t matter that Mr Sugden is stretching the truth and twisting things. If Theo has knowingly jeopardized my job, I will lose my fucking shit.

I look up to Susan and find her lips pressed into a straight line. ‘I’m sorry, Izzy. I suggest you contact the union, and I expect the police will be in touch to question you.’ Her head tilts, sympathy engulfing her face. ‘You should leave now.’

I get up, feeling numb, and walk away to collect my things. My head is a riot of thoughts as I go, questioning Theo’s honour to respect my wishes. There’s no doubt Mr Sugden held me responsible for his father’s death and wanted some kind of stupid vengeance, and Theo has given him the opportunity for the best vengeance ever. What better way than to get me fired? Ruin my career, and on top of that, have my boyfriend locked up.

I wander out of the hospital with my coat over my arm and my bag dragging along the ground. I’m in conflicting places, my mind a tattered mess. This was a lose–lose situation for me. Had Theo not been there for me last night, I’ve no doubt Sugden would have clouted me one, but I wouldn’t have been suspended from duty. Yet Theo was there, and yes, I’m unscathed, but I’m now facing the possibility of having my career fall down the drain as a result. Or Theo could have walked away like I thought he had, instead of sneakily going back to find Sugden and pulverize him. Then I’d be uninjured and still have a career. But Theo thought Percy’s son was someone else. He thought I was lying to him.