“Sit down, Madeline,” Jacob said.
He reached into his drawer and pulled out a hand-size digital recorder, showing it to her and then turning it on. He placed it in the center of his desk. “I’m taping this conversation. Our lawyers would recommend it.”
“Record away,” Madeline replied, waving her arm. She pulled out the chair directly across from Jacob’s desk and sat stiffly at the edge.
“What is it you want?”
“To know what you relayed to the entire hospital staff about me. Because whatever that was, it’s succeeded in alienating me to the point where no one will even look at me except with resentment. Did you tell them I’m the entire reason that Nancy Lexington initiated a lawsuit?”
“I told them the truth.”
“And what truth is that? That you offered to unload Conrad and me as a settlement prize?”
He started. “Who told you that?”
“Does it matter? I know. Or are you denying it?”
“I’m denying nothing. I did what I had to do to save this hospital.”
“You mean to preserve your future.” Madeline’s eyes blazed. “Why didn’t the offer to kick Conrad and me out work, Jacob? Wasn’t it enough? Did Nancy Lexington want more—like a larger fortune and the total ruin of the hospital—on top of having Conrad’s and my heads?”
Jacob was clearly thrown by how much Madeline knew. He swiveled around to his computer and punched some buttons. A few seconds later, his printer fired up and printed a two-page memo.
“This is the entirety of what’s been shared with the staff.” He handed the memo to Madeline. “You can call it up on your own computer, but here it is in black-and-white. Now you’ll be fully informed and you can leave my office.”
Madeline glanced down and scanned the memo.
It began by informing the staff that Manhattan Memorial was the target of a medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit, initiated by Nancy Lexington. No details were disclosed, except the names of the accused. That list was several lines long, including the whole cardiac unit as well as the whole surgical team.
But Conrad’s and Madeline’s names stood out, like blazing neon signs. The description of their involvement was so heavily weighted that it stopped just short of accusing them of negligence and sloppy surgical work and naming them the root cause of Ronald Lexington’s death.
The memo closed by assuring the entire staff that everything was being handled professionally and ethically to make the lawsuit go away as soon as possible, and that Manhattan Memorial should continue to operate business as usual.
Madeline looked up, her eyes narrow and her lips tight with anger. “You bastard,” she said, shredding the memo and tossing the pieces on the floor. “You’re saving face by throwing Conrad and me under the bus. If that’s the way you and your attorneys want to play it, I’ll be contacting ours. I’m sure we’ll be filing defamation of character lawsuits. You know damned well that neither Conrad nor I was responsible for Ronald’s death. I never laid a finger on him, and Conrad sweated bullets to save his life.”
Madeline rose. “And here’s more news for you and your recorder. If you think I’m going away, I’m not. This is where I work. I plan to come in for every one of my shifts—regardless of how few you give me—and do the best job I can, even if my coworkers refuse to speak to me. What you’ve done is despicable. And I’m not going down quietly.”
Gesturing at the small box on Jacob’s desk, Madeline informed him, “You can turn that thing off now. I’ve said everything I plan to say.”
She stalked to the door and called out, “Back off, Janet. Eavesdropping time is over. I’m about to fling open this door so hard it will knock you on your ass.”
A brief flurry of activity from the other side of the door preceded Madeline’s exit by a split second.
She strode past Janet and the receptionist and headed back to the emergency room.
* * *
Madeline called their attorney, Edward Markham, the moment her shift was over, explaining exactly what was taking place. “I printed another copy of the memo I tore up as soon as I left Jacob’s office,” she told him, “so we have that damning email in our possession.”
“I’ll contact the hospital lawyers and get copies of everything, including the summons and complaint,” Markham said. “It’s interesting that Conrad was served and you weren’t. That means they have no basis for their accusations against you and can only subpoena you as a material witness. I’ll begin drafting a summons and complaint. Leave this to me.”
The next call Madeline made was to Marc.
“I’m not surprised,” Marc responded. “This is why I suggested you stay home a little longer.”
“I’m not backing down,” Madeline informed him. “If anything, I’m more determined than ever to show up at that hospital and act like everything is normal. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll find out I still have a few friends there.”
Marc chuckled. “Are you planning on softening a few hearts?”