Crisis (15 page)

Realizing she had poor reception, she took the elevator down to the ground floor and walked back out into the sunlight. After being indoors, she had to squint. To avoid the smog of cigarette smoke from the nicotine addicts sprinkled around the courthouse entrance, she walked a distance until she was by herself. Leaning on a railing with her bag over her shoulder and tucked safely under her arm, she scrolled through her phone's electronic address book until she came to her older brother's entries. Since it was after two in the afternoon, she used his work number at the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in New York City.

As the call went through, Alexis tried to remember exactly when the last occasion had been that she'd called and talked with Jack. She couldn't remember but knew it had to have been months, maybe as much as half a year ago, as much as she'd been consumed by her family's disarray. Yet even prior to that there'd been only intermittent, haphazard contact, which was unfortunate because she and Jack had been extremely close as children. Life had not been easy for Jack, specifically fifteen years previously when his wife and two daughters, aged ten and eleven, had been killed in a commuter plane crash. They had been on their way home to Champaign, Illinois, after having visited Jack in Chicago, where he was retraining in forensic pathology. When Jack moved east to New York City, ten years previously, Alexis had been hopeful they would see a lot of each other. But it hadn't happened because of what she'd said to Craig earlier. Jack was still struggling to get over his tragedy, and Alexis's children were a painful reminder. Alexis's oldest daughter, Tracy, had been born one month after Jack's tragic loss.

"This better be important, Soldano," Jack said without so much as a hello after answering the phone. "I'm not getting anything done."

"Jack, it's Alexis."

"Alexis! Sorry! I thought it was my NYPD detective friend. He's just called me several times on his cell from his car but keeps getting cut off."

"Is it a call you need to take? I can call you back."

"No, I can talk to him later. I know what he wants, which we don't have yet. We have him well trained, so he's enamored with the power of forensics but he wants results overnight. What's up? It's good to hear from you. I never expected it would be you at this hour."

"I'm sorry I'm calling while you're at work. Is this a good time to chat, apart from your detective friend trying to get ahold of you?"

"Well, to be honest, I do have a waiting room full of patients. But I suppose they can wait since they're all dead."

Alexis giggled. Jack's new humorously sarcastic persona, which she'd experienced only a few times, was a marked change from his prior self. He'd always had a sense of humor, but in the past it was more subtle and frankly rather dry.

"Is everything okay up there in Beantown? It's not like you to call during the day. Where are you, at work at the hospital?"

"Actually, I'm not. You know, I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember the last time we spoke."

"It was about eight months ago. You called me to tell me Craig had come back home. As I recall, I wasn't all that optimistic about things working out and said so. Craig has always struck me as not much of a family man. I remember saying he was someone who made a great physician but not much of a father or husband. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings."

"Your comments surprised me, but you didn't hurt my feelings."

"When I didn't hear back from you, I thought I had."

You could have called me if you'd thought as much,
Alexis thought but did not say. Instead, she said, "Since you asked, things are not so good up here in Beantown."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope my prophecy hasn't come to pass."

"No, Craig is still at home. I don't think I mentioned last time we talked that Craig has been sued for malpractice."

"No, you didn't mention that tidbit. Was this after he'd come back or before?"

"It's been a difficult time for all of us," Alexis said, ignoring Jack's question.

"I can imagine. What's hard to imagine is him getting sued with as much of himself as he directs toward his patients. Then again, in the current medical-legal malpractice environment, everybody is at risk."

"The trial has just started today."

"Well, wish him good luck. Knowing his need to be number one in the class, I imagine he's taken what amounts to public censure pretty hard."

"That's an understatement. Being sued for malpractice is difficult for all doctors, but for Craig it is especially tough in terms of his self-esteem. He put all his eggs in one basket. The last eight months have been pure hell for him."

"How has it been for you and the girls?"

"It's not been easy, but we have been managing, except perhaps for Tracy. Age fifteen can be a tough time, and this added stress has made it worse. She can't quite come to grips with forgiving Craig for walking out on us when he did and carrying on with one of his secretaries. Her image of men has taken a beating. Meghan and Christina have taken it more or less in stride. As you know, Craig never had the time to involve himself too much in their lives."

"Are things okay between you and Craig? Are things back to normal?"

"Our relationship has been in a holding pattern, with him sleeping in the guest room until this malpractice mess has been resolved. I'm enough of a realist to know his plate is pretty full at the moment. It's brimming, in fact, which is why I'm calling."

There was a pause. Alexis took a breath.

"If you need some money it's not a problem," Jack offered.

"No, money is not an issue. The problem is that there is a good chance Craig will lose the case. And with the public censure, as you called it, I think there is a good chance he'll fall apart, meaning, in the vernacular, a nervous breakdown. And if that happens, I really don't see reconciliation happening. I think it would be a tragedy for Craig, for me, and for the girls."

"So you still love him?"

"That's a difficult question. Put it this way: He's the father of my daughters. I know he hasn't been the best father socially, not the best husband in a traditional storybook sense, but he's been a wonderful provider, he's always acted in a caring way. I fervently believe he loves us as much as he can. He's a doctor's doctor. Medicine is his mistress. In a real way, Craig is a victim of a system that pushed him to excel and to compete from the moment he decided to become a doctor. There's always been another test and another challenge. He's insatiable for professional approbation. Traditional social successes don't have the same import for him. I knew this was the case when I met him, and I knew it when I married him."

"Did you think he was going to change?"

"Not really. I have to say I admired him for his dedication and sacrifice, and I still do. Maybe that says something about me, but that's beside the point at the moment."

"I'm not going to argue with you about any of this. I've pretty much felt the same about Craig's personality, having gone through the same training system and felt the same pressure myself. I just couldn't have put it into words as well as you have. But that's probably because, as a psychologist, this is your area of expertise."

"It is. Personality disorders have been my bread and butter. I knew before Craig and I married that he had a lot of narcissistic traits. Now it might even have risen to be a disorder, since it's made aspects of his life dysfunctional. The trouble is, I've been unable to convince him to see someone professionally, which isn't surprising since narcissistic people in general have trouble admitting any deficiencies."

"Nor do they like to ask for help, since they see dependency as a sign of weakness," Jack said. "I've been down that road myself. Most physicians have a least a touch of narcissism."

"Well, Craig has a lot more than a touch, which is why he's finding this current problem so overwhelming."

"I'm sorry to hear all this, Alexis, but those dead patients of mine are starting to get restive. I don't want them to walk out without having been seen. Could I call you back this evening?"

"I'm sorry to be blabbing," Alexis said quickly. "But I have a favor to ask: a rather big favor."

"Oh?" Jack said.

"Would you be willing to fly up here and see if you could help?"

Jack gave a short laugh. "Help? How could I help?"

"You've mentioned in the past how often you testify at trials. With all that experience in the courtroom, you could help us. The insurance company lawyer assigned to represent Craig is experienced and seems competent, but he's not relating to the jurors. Craig and I have talked about asking for another lawyer but have no way of judging if that would be wise or not. The bottom line is that we are desperate and pessimistic."

"The vast majority of my courtroom appearances have been in criminal proceedings, not civil."

"I don't think that matters."

"In the one malpractice case I was involved in, I was on the side of the plaintiff."

"I don't think that matters, either. You are inventive, Jack. You think outside the box. We need a small miracle here. That's what my intuition is telling me."

"Alexis, I don't see how I could possibly help. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not good around lawyers. I don't even like lawyers."

"Jack, when we were younger, you always helped me. You're still my big brother. I need you now. As I said, I'm desperate. Even if it turns out to be more psychological support than actual, I would be so thankful if you'd come. Jack, I haven't pushed you to come to visit us since you've been here on the East Coast. I know it was hard for you. I know you have some avoidant traits, and that seeing our daughters and me, too, reminded you of your terrible loss."

"Was it that obvious?"

"It was the only explanation. And I'd seen some evidence of that kind of behavior back when we were kids. It was always easier for you to avoid an emotional situation than confront it. Anyway, I've respected that, but now I'm asking you to put it aside and come up here for me, for my daughters, and for Craig."

"How long is the trial supposed to take?"

"Most of the week is the general consensus."

"The last time we talked, there was something new in my life I didn't tell you. I'm getting married."

"Jack! That's wonderful news. Why didn't you mention it?"

"It didn't seem right after you told me the latest about your marriage situation."

"It wouldn't have mattered. Do I know her?"

"You met her the one and only time you visited me here at work. Laurie Montgomery. We're colleagues. She's also a medical examiner."

Alexis felt a shiver of distaste descend her spine. She'd never visited a morgue before visiting Jack's place of work. Even though he'd emphasized that the building was a medical examiner's office and that the morgue was merely a small part of a larger whole, she hadn't found the distinction convincing. To her it was a place of death, plain and simple, and the building looked and smelled as such. "I'm pleased for you," she said while she vaguely wondered what her brother and his potential wife might talk about over a routine breakfast. "What makes me particularly happy for you is that you've managed to process your grief about Marilyn and your girls and move on. I think that's terrific."

"I don't think one ever gets completely over such grief. But thank you!"

"When is the wedding?"

"This Friday afternoon."

"Oh my goodness. I'm sorry to be asking for a favor at such a critical time."

"It's not your fault, that's for certain, but it does complicate things, yet it doesn't preclude it, either. I'm not the one making all the plans for the wedding. My job was the honeymoon, and that's all been arranged."

"Does that mean you'll come?

"I'll come unless you hear back from me in the next hour or so, but I'd better come sooner rather than later so I can get back here. Otherwise, Laurie might start thinking I'm trying to get out of it."

"I'd be happy to speak with her to explain the situation."

"No need. Here's the plan. I'll come up on the shuttle late this afternoon or early evening after work. Obviously, I have to talk with Laurie and the deputy director, as well as clean up a few things here in my office. After I check into a hotel, I'll call your house. What I'll need is a complete case file: all the depositions, description or copies of any evidence, and if you can, any testimony."

"You're not staying at a hotel!" Alexis said with resolve. "Absolutely not. You have to stay at the house. We have plenty of room. I need to talk with you in person, and it would be best for the girls. Please, Jack."

There was a pause.

"Are you still there?" Alexis questioned.

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"Since you are making the effort to come up, I want you at the house. I really do. It will be good for everyone, although that might be selfish rationalization, meaning I know it will be good for me."

"All right," Jack said with a touch of reluctance in his voice.

"There's not been any testimony at the trial as of yet. The defense is giving its opening statement as we speak. The trial is very much still at the beginning."