Surrender My Love (17 page)

Chloe felt the blood drain from her face. She turned
numbly in Nurse Wall’s direction and suffered a head-on collision with her spiteful gaze.

“They volunte
ered,” she informed, but could sense their clinging apathy.

“And it seems that you
’ve been present at a number of Code Blues lately,” Mr. Accardo’s icy voice chimed in.

Chloe gasped, her he
art bucking wildly. “What are you trying to say?”

She watched Mrs.
Chavez lean back in her chair, her stubby fingers tapping on the table top. “Simply that your judgment may be impaired, Nurse Bennett.”

“
What?”
Chloe’s voice cracked, loud and high. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you saying that you think I did something wrong?”

“Nurse
Wall has told us that Dr. Markson was very angry with you. She said that he tried to ask you questions about his patient after a Code Blue and you refused to give him the information that he needed.”

“That was because—”

“
He has requested your charts. Are you aware of that, Nurse Bennett?”

“Yes, but—”

“And today he requested Mr. Kaplan’s chart as well. He, too is concerned, and investigating your activities,” Nurse Wall added.

Chloe watched with wide
, astonished eyes as Mr. Accardo shook his head sadly, peering at her over the rim of his glasses.

“But he found nothing wrong with my notes!” Chloe said, cutting him off as he was about to speak. She was aware that her voice was growing shrill and desperate.
She could feel the burn of tears press the back of her eyes.

“Nurse Bennett, under the circumstances, we have to recommend that you take some time off until this matter can be fully investigated.”

“No!” Chloe shrieked, her stomach tightening into a hard knot. She found she couldn’t control the tremors in her hand when she tried to raise it, and sweat was now pooling on her brows.

“
Please
… I didn’t do anything wrong! That man in Mr. Kaplan’s room…I’m sure he had something to do with it! He ran away! Ask Nigel—”

“That will be enough, Nurse Bennett!” Mr.
Accardo bellowed.

“Please! Just a
sk Nigel—”

“
There is no Nigel!”
Mr. Accardo hissed, his teeth snapping at her.

Chloe jerked back
, stung by the words. Confusion marched an army through her brain and camped on her face. “What are you talking about?”

“Enough of this charade, Nurse Bennett!
”

“What charade? What are you talking about?” Chloe’s eyes were wide with
puzzlement. Surely she must have heard wrong.

“There is no phlebotomist named Nigel employed anywhere in this hospital! There are two phlebotomists assigned to your ward and they are both females!”

Breathless, Chloe’s jaw unhinged and a small noise crawled from her throat. “
But…that’s impossible!
I’ve spoken to him many times! He has straight dark hair. Dark eyes. He—”

“
Nurse Bennett!
We’ve heard enough! As I said, we are
very
concerned. However, we must conduct a full investigation before we reach any official conclusions and proceed further. In the meantime, you are relieved of duty. And we request that you get a full psychological evaluation.”

Chloe felt the tears that had been dangling on her lids
spill over like a waterfall. Fat drops rolled down her cheeks to spatter on her nurse’s uniform.

“You think I’m crazy…that I made the whole thing up.
You think I did something to those patients?”

“Nurse Bennett,” Mr.
Pancost ground out her name between clenched teeth. “I would advise you to not make such bold statements. We are simply saying that you
quietly
take a leave of absence. This hospital has already had its share of scandal, and it’s better if you take the time off as suggested until the investigation has concluded.”

Chloe’s head was spinning
, her thoughts scrambling for a foothold. Desperately, she clutched for reason. She opened her mouth, intending to tell them about the conference, about her suspicions about Memoram, but she snapped it close. She knew they’d only consider her suspicions further evidence of mental instability. The people in this room seemed more concerned about protecting the hospital than about finding the reason for the patients’ deaths. She hiccupped a watery sob, her gaze scanning each face peering at her. Nurse Wall’s expression, she noted, had finally changed. Her lips were curled with the tiniest smile.

Oh God! They think
they’ve already found their reason!

CHAPTER SEVEN

When Chloe was dismissed from the mee
ting, she exited the room woodenly. Her world was collapsing, folding in on her with a suffocating tightness that wrapped her in a gruesome nightmare. Relieved to find a nearby bathroom, she entered and walked to a stall. There she sank onto a toilet and sobbed. Deep, explosive tears dragged up from her gut and wracked her shoulders. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe they thought her capable of harming a patient. They also thought she was unstable—crazy! She was the most level-headed of her friends! Chloe thought back to her night with Brad and winced.
Well, most of the time…

Her mind struggled for purchase, struggled to sieve through her jumbled thoughts. The ramifications of what had just occurred started to seep
slowly into her brain and a fresh wave of sobs erupted. She bunched a handful of toilet paper and wiped her soggy eyes. The administrators must have made a mistake. She’d seen Nigel many times, spoken to him on the ward. He’d even been in Mr. Barkley’s room during the code! He was new. He’d just started at the hospital a few months ago. Maybe that was the cause of the confusion.

Chloe scrubbed the wet mish-mosh of tissue over her face, trying to focus her thoughts. Other people surely must have seen
him.
I’m not crazy!
Chloe bolted from the porcelain seat, suddenly remembering her conversation with Susan before she’d gone into Mr. Kaplan’s room. Susan had told her that Mr. Kaplan had been so combative during his blood drawing that she’d had to help the phlebotomist restrain him. She splashed cool water on her face, hoping to refresh her thoughts.
There!
She had proof that she hadn’t concocted this story!

She
rushed onto the ward of Four West, hurrying down the familiar tiled hall. There was an instant tension in the atmosphere, an eerie quiet indicating something was awry. The day shift was still here, getting ready to go home, and the night shift was just trickling in. Chloe spotted Susan in the nurse’s station. She was hovering in a corner, talking softly to one of the day nurses. Chloe held her breath as she approached, choking back her tears, and tapped Susan on the shoulder.

Susan
turned, frowning. When she saw Chloe’s face she gasped and her eyes grew with concern.

“Oh m
y God! Chloe! What’s going on?”

Chloe struggled to chec
k her tears, but they started stubbornly rolling down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t seem to coax the words from her tongue.

Susan
twisted her head around, furtively checking the ward. Then abruptly she grabbed Chloe’s hand and dragged her into the back lounge, leaving the nurse she’d been speaking with staring after them. In the back, Susan pivoted and faced her.

“What the hell is going on, Chloe?”
Susan demanded, pushing her blonde hair back. “I’ve been trying to reach you on your cell for the last half hour! Nurse Wall came by and said that you weren’t coming back. She said that we were getting a floater tonight until we get a permanent night nurse! What’s going on?”

Chloe passed the
back of her hand over her eyes, surprised to hear that Nurse Wall was saying her absence was permanent. She knew the administrators wouldn’t want her divulging the details of what was happening, but she desperately needed some questions answered.

“Um
…Susan, it’s bad,” was all she could manage, shaking her head slowly. “I’m not really allowed to talk about it.”

“It was that asshole, wasn’t it
? Dr. Markson. He got you into trouble!”

“No.
I need to ask you a question.”

Susan
looked skeptical, but she nodded affirmatively.

Chloe was about to question
Susan when the door opened and Justin poked his head into the room, his eyebrows raised with worry.

“Are you okay, Chloe?” He walked in, Paul at his heel.

Chloe sniffled, trying to hold herself together as Paul came over and embraced her. “Shit, Chloe. I just heard. I came up to deliver meds and heard what was going on. What happened?”

“She
’s not allowed to talk about it,” Susan supplied, and the two men turned to scrutinize her.

Chloe took a deep breath, her fingers twisting
raw in front of her. She really needed to just talk to Susan. The shift was about to start and she didn’t have much time.

“
Susan, the other night with Mr. Kaplan…you said he was so combative that you needed to help hold him down for the phlebotomist. Nigel was here on the ward, right?” She fixed a determined stare at her friend.

Susan
was quiet for a protracted moment, then her forehead cinched and she gave Chloe a blank look. “Nigel? Who’s Nigel? The phlebotomist was Sarah. She’s always up here.”

Chloe took a deep breath,
feeling a suffocating darkness tunnel in on her. “I know Sarah, but
she
wasn’t here on Saturday night! It was
Nigel
!”

Susan
’s face screwed up with concern. She paused for some time then looked to Justin and Paul. The other two hesitated, their gazes bouncing from one to the other. Susan sighed and stepped forward, laying a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I don’t know who Nigel is.”

“Justin?” Chloe beseeched the other nurse.

Justin shook his head gravely. “I don’t know who he is either. I’ve never seen him.”

“He was at the Code Blue! He’s
tall, he’s got dark hair, dark eyes!” She was yelling now, tremors loosening her voice and giving it freedom.

“I’m sorry
, Chloe. He doesn’t sound familiar. And you know how it is during a Code, there’re a million people in the room…” Justin trailed off sadly.

Chloe buried her face in her palms and hiccoughed a sob when
Susan pulled her into a hug and spoke gently in her ear. “Listen, Chloe. You’ve been under a lot of stress these past few months. Maybe some time off will do you good. I’m sure we’ll have you back here soon.”

Chloe pulle
d out of the embrace and nodded, feeling exhaustion bow her shoulders.
Was she losing her mind?
Paul passed her a tissue and she blew her nose. She’d been crying now for over an hour and was sure she was a pathetically frightful sight.

“
Listen, we have to get going, but let’s get together in a day or so, okay?” Susan suggested.

“Let us know if th
ere’s anything we can do, Chloe,” Justin said softly before he and Susan left the room.

Chl
oe stared at the wall, wishing to wake from the unfathomable hell she was living in. She couldn’t wrap her brain around any of it. Distantly she noted that Paul had remained in the room. He peered at her under hooded lids, a contemplative frown on his face.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Chloe shot him an anemic smile and had difficulty affirming the question.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Paul asked quietly, causing Chloe to frown.

“Who?”

He shuffled his feet
and shoved his hands into the front of his lab coat. Slowly his gaze crept up to her face. “I saw the two of you, Chloe.”

Chloe’s head flinched back
. There was no doubt to whom or what he was referring. The last time Chloe had seen Paul was the night they’d all gone to Club Silo. She stilled, wondering just how much Paul had seen.

“I saw you two kissing in the hall. You and Dr.
Markson. Then you just disappeared. I didn’t see where you’d gone. I looked, but couldn’t find you.”

Chloe chewed on her lip, relief tip-toeing through her.
She really didn’t want to discuss this right now.

“I haven’t told anyone.” She saw him take a deep breat
h. “Has he done something?”

Chloe shook her head adamantly, realizing it would be futile to deny
what he’d witnessed.

“This is not about Brad, Paul.”

Paul’s lips pulled slightly. “So it’s ‘Brad,’ is it?”

“I have to
go. Thanks for everything,” Chloe gave him a weepy smile, ignoring his comment.

He grabbed
her, holding her tight, and Chloe sighed into his chest. “Don’t worry, Chloe. I’m sure whatever is going on will just blow over.”She clung to his shoulders and prayed he was right.

Before leaving the building, Chloe made a detour to the OR. She remembered Bra
d saying he had a case, and she had an overwhelming urge to see him. She knew he’d be able to help her sort out this distressing situation. He’d already gone through her notes, and if nothing else, he could attest to the fact that she’d done everything per protocol.

Chloe stepped off the elevator on
the fifth floor, which housed a brand new set of OR suites. Her gaze landed on a sign that proudly stated the suites were donated by the Goldstein family in honor of Dr. Bradley Markson. She realized she’d seen that sign many times and the name had never meant anything to her. Her life had changed so drastically in the last three weeks. The more she thought about seeing him, the more eager she became. Her heart hammered hard with anticipation. She had a bone-deep desperation for his comfort. She pressed the button that opened the doors to the OR and hurried into the section for staff.

“Wait a second! Hold up! You didn’t pump.”

Startled, Chloe turned to face
the pretty blonde nurse quickly accosting her.

“Excuse me? I’m…I’m sorry. I’m looking for Dr.
Markson? I know he had a case this afternoon and should have just finished.”

The nurse tucked a hand on
her hip and clucked her tongue. “Do you know how much bacteria you’re bringing in here? You didn’t use the hand sanitizer that’s on the wall!”

Chloe’s eyes followed the fin
ger pointing to an antibacterial dispenser hanging by the entrance, then her gaze lobbed back to the nurse. This part of the OR was not sterile, and Chloe did not plan on having any patient contact. What was her problem?

“I’m just looking for Dr.
Markson.”

Chloe frowned as the nurse stubbornly poked her finger in the direction of the dispenser and it was obvious she would not get an answer to her question until her hands were
scrubbed free of bacteria. She marched over to the dispenser and pumped the liquid into her palms as the nurse watched.

“The sign clearly says five pumps. You only did three.”

Chloe huffed and punched the dispenser two more times, then did a third one for good measure as the nurse counted them off.
This woman is crazy!

“Are you happy now?” Chloe asked, irritated. She was surprised when the nurse stuck out a hand and gave her a friendly smile.

“Yes. I need to make sure my OR stays as clean as possible.” She grinned. “I’m Maggie Masters. I’m the new director of the OR. I just started here a few weeks ago.”

Chloe shook the woman’s hand, but her mind was still in turmoil.

“I just need to talk to Dr. Markson. It—it’s important.”

Maggie’s assessing gaze roamed her face and Chloe knew the signs of her distress were clear.

“Let me see if I can find him for you.” The nurse’s eyes filled with concern as she picked up a house phone on the wall and started making inquiries.

A moment later
, Maggie frowned and shook her head. “I’m sorry. He is nowhere to be found. His case got moved earlier and he finished it hours ago. He might’ve gone back to his office,” she informed sympathetically. Chloe felt the woman’s eyes return to her face. “Are you okay? Is there something I can do?”

Chlo
e’s emotions surged, disappointment over not finding Brad engulfing her.

“A mess I can help you
clean
up?” Maggie prodded.

Chloe smile
d slightly, grateful for the unexpected kindness and the woman’s attempts at levity, but she worried that her situation was so dire there was nothing anyone could do. Stifling her tears, she met the concerned pewter blue eyes. “No, thanks. I appreciate your help. Welcome to WMH.”

Chloe
opened the door to Brad’s office and walked quickly to Bea’s desk. The longer she contemplated her situation, the more distraught she became. The administrators told her she’d be taking a leave of absence without pay. With her brother not working and bills due at the end of the month, there was no way she could make ends meet. Fear mixed with dread to swirl a bitter taste in her mouth. The hollow anxiety tunneling a void inside her quickly expanded to utter despondency, and tears started falling again before she could utter a word to Bea.

Seeing her,
Bea quickly pushed out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Chloe, leading her to a small room off the hall. In there, she motioned to a sofa and sat down next to her.

“Oh my God, Chloe! What’s wrong?”