Hidden Leaves (DeBeers 5)

Jackie Lee charged into the office so

aggressively, she bumped poor Edith out of her way. The man I assumed to be Jackie Lee's attorney was right on her heels. He was a tall, lean man with very sharp facial features, highlighted by a long, thin nose that looked like he could use it to peck opponents. He carried a briefcase, and held it so closely, it reminded me of a jewel courier with a case containing valuables handcuffed to his wrist,

"Mrs. Montgomery," I said, evincing surprise at her appearance and not daring to refer to her as Jackie Lee at the moment.

Edith lingered curiously in the doorway until my eyes shifted quickly to her. She stepped out and closed the door instantly.

"This," Jackie Lee began. "is my attorney. Mr. Madison, who served my late husband. Winthrop Montgomery,""

I nodded at him, but he didn't say a word, nor did he offer me his hand to shake.

"Please sit down." I said, indicating the sofa.

"I'd rather stand," Jackie Lee said. Her attorney, however, pulled the chair I used when I spoke to my patients, and turned it toward the desk. He offered it to her.

"Go on. Jackie Lee." he said. "This might take a while longer than you anticipate."

"Yes," she agreed. It might, Thank you. Bennet," she said, and sat. He brought the other chair closer,

"What is this all about?" I asked, lowering myself slowly to my own chair.

"The fact that you don't know what it is all about does not surprise me," Jackie Lee said. She gave her attorney a look of satisfaction and then turned back to me. "My daughter called me this morning. very early, I might add, to tell me she was pregnant." she said.

For a moment I thought my chair had turned to mush and I was actually sinking lower and lower and would disappear from sight. Grace must have come into my office, I thought, and made the call before I had arrived at the clinic.

"You don't look terribly surprised," Jackie Lee said. "Again. I'm not surprised. I imagine such a thing is not unusual here."

I started to shake my head.

"And don't think you can put this all off on someone else. You are the head of this ... this place. It's your full and complete responsibility."

Had Grace told her everything?

"Of course," I said. "What exactly did Grace tell you?" I asked. At this point Jackie Lee sat back and her attorney took over.

"Miss Montgomery informed us that she was with child. She said she believed she was raped. She said she believed someone, one of your attendants, perhaps, had come to her room when she was under some sedation or another and taken advantage of her. She has only a vague recollection of this monster, so a clean, precise identification is not possible. Because of her condition, she did not inform her mother, or vou apparently, until now, and from what Mrs. Montgomery understands, she is in a late month. She calculates it to be the beginning of the eighth, in fact."

You would think one of your expert nurses would have noticed." Jackie Lee interjected.

I knew how careful Grace had become when it came to anyone seeing her undressed, and cleverly she had taken to eating more so as to justify the weight gain that had started to be evident in her face. In fact, others an the staff interpreted her new robust appetite as something of a clinical improvement in her condition.

"Nevertheless," Mr. Madison continued. "we are here to produce a solution."

"Don't you have medical doctors examining your patients from time to time?" Jackie Lee snapped at me.

"Well, of course, if a patient has a medical issue. we--"

'A medical issue? What do you call pregnancy, a psychological phenomenon?" she practically screamed.

I stared at her, not moving a muscle, not even a muscle in my face.

"As you can see, this point astounds both of us. Dr. De Beers.

Why wouldn't your nurses know she was pregnant?" Mr. Madison asked me.

"Grace isn't incapable of taking care of her own bodil

y needs. Mr. Madison. She bathes herself, dresses herself. She obviously never indicated--"