Love M.D. (31 page)

“What about other evidence? Cameras
and that sort of thing?” Morgan asks.

“I can get a warrant to confiscate
computers from all the doctors involved so far, both at the hospital and their
homes. To date, we have four doctors showing suspicious behavior. Hopefully,
those four can lead us to more. Some might start talking.”

“On that note,” Morgan says.
“Something happened that you should know about.” He looks at me. I see
apprehension in his eyes.

“What is it?” she asks.

“Zoë had never met my sister before
this past weekend. She came over for dinner, and Zoë recognized her as the
other doctor who was with Doctor Roberts and Doctor Francis when she was given
those false results.”

Christina looks at Morgan then me.
“Can you positively identify her as the one?”

I’m almost afraid to answer, but
eventually the words leave my lips. “Yes, I can.”

 “I’m sorry,” she responds. “I
realize that this has now become more complicated for you two. What did your
sister say when she saw you?”

“I immediately recognized her. I
even dropped the glass I was holding when I saw her. I asked her if we’d met
before, and she said we hadn’t. I never addressed it with her. I sort of
pretended that my reaction was just an accident. I only spoke to Morgan about
it.”

“Doctor Drake have you discussed
the matter with her?”

“I haven’t said a word to her. Frankly,
I’m still hoping this is some sort of misunderstanding. However, I don’t know
why she’d be there. I never even knew she had any business outside of her
clinic.”

“This investigation has become very
sensitive in nature,” Christina says looking at Morgan then to me. “I’m sure no
one is more aware of that than you two are, but this is another piece of the
puzzle that we will need to investigate. Doctor Drake, can I continue to trust
you to keep this between us?”

“Yes. Just please be thorough. This
is my sister we’re talking about. Please don’t just jump to conclusions or make
assumptions without hard evidence to back it up. She is the mother of two
innocent kids, and I’ll never forgive myself if you incriminate her without
hard evidence to back up your findings.”

“Doctor Drake, you have my word
that my office and the investigators involved in this will be thorough. I
appreciate you being forthright with me. Trust me when I tell you I have no
desire to throw innocent people behind bars. However, if she is involved in
this, don’t expect me not to prosecute her to the fullest extent that the law
will allow. We simply don’t know the details of her involvement yet, for now,
please let us do our jobs and get to the bottom of this.”

“Fine,” he replies. I can tell he’s
second-guessing himself and the decision he made to tell her. I understand his
position, and it hurts me to see him go through this, but I need to know what
happened to Zach.

“So where do we go from here?” I
ask.

“We’ll start with the raid tomorrow
and move on from there.”

“Are you going to go back there?” I
ask Morgan.

He looks at me but doesn’t respond.
“Suppose they don’t know that Deandre and I were talking about this. If I were
to resign, wouldn’t my resignation make them suspicious?”

“It might, but I think we can help
alleviate that by confiscating your things, too.”

“That might sort out this problem
at the hospital, but if this raid gets out, it will affect the clinic, too. I
can’t do that. My sister worked her ass off to open the place, not to mention I’m
a part owner at several businesses in Washington State. I have to think about
how this might impact them.”

I am appalled by his response.
“Morgan, we’re talking about your life over your reputation.”

“It’s not mine I’m concerned about.
My sister and partners have professional reputations, too.”

“We do need to make decisions on
this, but I think for now we have enough to work on. How we choose to execute
that warrant can be decided later. There are measures I might be able to put in
place to take care of that. Zoë, are you certain about exhuming your brother’s
body? Are you sure you want to go down this road?” she asks.

“Yes. I’m sure. Jonathan, can you
handle all the legalities, please?”

“I will,” he replies. “I need the
two of you to do me a huge favor,” he says, looking at Morgan and me. “Keep all
this information about Zach to yourself. Megan’s been through enough. If she
were to find out about this, it would only upset her. I don’t want to ruin the
little progress she’s made in the last few weeks.”

“Consider our lips sealed,” I
respond.

“I appreciate that.”

“Let me speak to the feds about
this. We will need to figure out how this warrant is executed,” Christina says.
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. If you don’t hear from me by morning, call
me before you go in, Morgan.”

“Thanks for coming by,” Morgan
says, walking our visitors to the door.

Returning, he looks at me as if he
knows what I’m going to say.

“Zoë, I have to go in. At least to
test the waters to see how this is going to play out.”

“Play out? Don’t you get it?
Morgan, your friend you work with has gone missing. How can you be certain
these two issues aren’t related? How much more do you need to know?”

“Yet you seem so nonchalant about
your ex’s involvement in this.”

“I may not be convinced that he is,
but you don’t see me walking around and rubbing shoulders with him.”

“I know if this isn’t executed
properly, the media could get word of this and my sister’s clinic would suffer
in the process. I’m not ready to label her as guilty yet without knowing the
facts. She doesn’t even know this is all happening; I can’t just arbitrarily
make that kind of decision without thinking of how this will affect her or my
other businesses.”

“And what if you’re not around to
make any decisions at all? How’s that going to help anyone?”

“I just want to consider all my
options before I make that decision.”

“Well, thanks for considering how I
feel in the process.”

“Zoë, that’s not fair.”

“Fair? Look at my whole life and
tell me what’s fair,” I reply angrily. I pick up my laptop, go upstairs and
lock myself in the guest room.

I’m so furious with him right now.
I need to be alone. I can’t believe that he would even consider this.

I sit on the chair looking out at
the view. The sun is preparing to make its exit. Gradually, the voices of
workmen, the hammering, and the sounds of saws, drilling and banging quiet.

I feel so guilty when I remember
all this activity around the house is for me—to keep me safe. What about Morgan?
Who’s going to keep him safe? Who’s going to make sure he’s okay?

I’m terrified.

After an exhaustive search, Lucas
tells me Morgan is in the gym downstairs.

When I open the door, I see him
ramming his gloved fist into a punching bag.

His stare drifts to me. He continues
to jab his fist into the bag.

Eventually pulling off his gloves,
he wipes the sweat that drips down his face and bare torso with a towel. “What
is it?”

I shake my head. I don’t quite know
what to say, and I find myself wrapping my arms tightly around him. I’m almost
afraid to let him go.

I know he’s mad at me, too, but he eventually
folds his arms around my shoulders and kisses my head.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

He pulls away and looks into my
eyes. “I’m sorry, too. I hate fighting with you.”

“I know you just want to do the
right thing, but I’m so afraid that you’ll go to that place and never come
back. Morgan, I can’t handle anything happening to you right now.”

He leans on the nearby dumbbell
rack, holds my hips and pulls me between his open legs.

“You don’t need to worry about it
anymore. I sent in my resignation this afternoon. I told them I’d come to pick
up my things in the morning, but by the time I get there, the FBI will be
raiding the place. And Christina got the warrant sealed so nothing regarding
the case will get out. They won’t even know what the FBI is looking for.”

I sigh in relief.

“Do us both a favor and take those
threats from your ex seriously. I cringe every time I hear you making excuses
for him. Underestimating a man like that is just asking for trouble. You become
careless, and then you walk right into a dangerous situation because you didn’t
pay attention to the signs.”

“I’m not making excuses for him. I
just don’t understand why now. It doesn’t make any sense. If he is the one
behind this, of course I want him behind bars—”

“Zoë, just promise me you’ll take
him seriously. Promise me you won’t answer when he calls, promise me you won’t
meet him if he conveniently needs to talk.”

He seems so adamant about this.

“Okay, I promise. But what aren’t
you telling me? What’s going on?”

“Robin was in a similar situation
at college with her ex-boyfriend. She never took his threats seriously until he
came up with some cock-and-bull story, and she found herself at his apartment.
He attacked her. Luckily, she got away, but it never would have happened had
she paid attention to the signs.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Baby, I don’t want you to get
hurt,” he says, pulling me closer to him and kissing me tenderly on my lips.

“I don’t want you getting hurt,
either. My brother died at that hospital, and I still don’t know why or who is
responsible for his death. Now your friend has gone missing. I’m scared if you
go there, especially now with this investigation happening, that you’ll be in
danger, too.”

 “It’s going to be okay,” he
murmurs, kissing me again.

He stands and embraces me. I tiptoe
to reach his lips and deepen our kiss, and I’m surprised when he raises me in
his arms. With his weight, he pins my body against the mosaic-tiled walls.

Groping my breasts through the knit
sweater dress I wear, he hardens between us. With his palms, he fondles and
explores my ass, as he kneads my body against the wall. Pushing away his shorts
and underwear, I free his hardened parts. Our kisses grow fervent and hungry.
He grabs my thong. I hear and feel him violently ripping it away.

He raises my leg over his ass. Then
he sinks his fingers into my mouth and runs them through my folds. Kneading his
fingertips hard against me, he slips his rugged body against mine as we kiss.
Seconds later, with intensity and force he penetrates me. I gasp at the sudden
entrance, but I grab him by his ass, pulling him closer and closer to me.

With his palms, he pins me against
the wall, my legs extended apart. I look down, so does he and we watch as he
ascends his body into mine against the wall. When I tie my legs around him, he
pushes my dress up, and circles and kisses my breasts as he moves inside me.

“Harder, Morgan. I want you. I need
to feel you.”

He gives me what I ask for,
thrusting his body hard inside me causing the pressure to mount within me.

“Look at me,” he says as I quickly
begin the climb to my peak.

As the pleasure disperses through
my body, his groans intensify. He squeezes his hold on me, pounding his body
into mine, gazing into my eyes. When I kiss him on his neck and plaster my
palms onto his ass while pulling him deeper into me, I feel him convulse inside
me over and over again.

As we calm, slowly moving against
the wall, my tears fall. I fasten my arms and legs firmly around him. I’m in
love with him. The fact that he’s in danger and he could get hurt over this
petrifies me.

He sets me down to the floor, and
slowly eases out of me.

Cupping my face in his palms, he
says, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

I can’t admit how I feel. In some
sick, twisted way, I’m afraid if I tell him, I’ll lose him. Everyone I’ve ever
loved, I’ve lost.

“I’m so afraid you’ll get hurt. I
don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m going to be fine. You’re going
to be fine. I promise you, we’ll get through this. Trust me.” He holds me for a
long time, kissing me lightly. “Come on, baby, smile. Let me see that beautiful
smile.”

I can’t help but succumb to his
charm. For a moment, I forget the last twenty-four hours and the last few
weeks.

“Shower with me,” he says, pulling
my dress over my head and taking the Uggs I wear off my feet.

He looks at the remnants of the
thong around my waist and laughs. “I guess I owe you a new pair of these.”

I giggle. “Don’t worry about that.
You’ll make up for it in about ten minutes.”

“Really? And how am I going to do
that?”

“You’re going to go down on me and
do that thing you do with your tongue over and over again until I come.”

“If that’s my punishment, then I
need to rip your panties off more often,” he replies, slapping me on my ass as
I walk toward the bathroom.

Minutes later, after a hot and
heavy kissing fest, I’m eager for what I know is coming when I hear Pixie in an
unusual, aggressive roar. Peaches begins barking, stopping us both in our
tracks. Morgan shuts off the faucet and hands me a towel.

“Get dressed,” he says, slipping
into his shorts and heads out the door.

I’m on his heels. Picking up my
dress off the floor, I quickly slide it over my head when his cell phone rings.

“He’s here?” Morgan asks the person
at the end of the line. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“What is it?” I ask. “Who’s here?”

“Todd.” Morgan continues
, “The police called to say
that he was in the area, and they suspected he was coming here. He made it to
the gate. They’re arresting him now.”

“Is he armed?” I ask, putting on my
shoes.

“I don’t know.”

When we open the door, Rick awaits
outside. Peaches bolts past him and runs upstairs. We quickly follow. As I
approach the top, I see the reflection of red and blue lights up the hill.
Peaches barks aggressively as she heads straight for the gates.

“Zoë, no.” Morgan says, grabbing my
wrist as I walk past the front door. “I’ll handle it. Go inside.”

“No, Morgan. This is my mess. You’re
free to come, but I can’t let you clean this up for me.”

Peaches is too big to make it
through the gate’s bars. As I get closer, I see the man I used to be married to
in cuffs, bent over the hood of a car, inches away from the gate.

“Zoë, I need to talk to you,” he
says.

“Is he armed?” Morgan asks the
police officer that holds him down.

They shake their heads in reply.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?
I’d never hurt Zoë like that.”

Glaring at him, I respond coldly,
“I don’t know that at all. If you wanted to talk to me, you know my lawyer’s
number. What did you think you were going to accomplish by coming here?”

“I wanted to talk to you in
person.”

“The same way you wanted to talk to
me that night at my house? You burned down my home.”

“No. No. I was at your house, but I
did not burn it down. I swear.”

“Right. And you couldn’t ring the
doorbell like a civilized human being? You tried to break in.”

“No, I didn’t. I swear to God, I
didn’t. Listen to me. I’m begging you.”

 “Why? After all you’ve done.” I
fold my arms in front me. “You threatened me just a few months ago, remember?
You tried to ruin my business and me. You trashed my name and business and when
the judge ordered you to pay, you promised to get back at me. I didn’t imagine
all of that. You did that!”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that.
Please, just one minute of your time in private.”

“Fuck no,” says Morgan.

“If you have anything to say to me
you’re going to have to do it in front of everyone here or have your lawyer
call mine.”

Peaches still growls at him.

“Zoë, please.”

“No,” Morgan shouts. An inferno
burns in his eyes. “I warned you before, stay the fuck away from her.”

I whistle at Peaches, and she
immediately stops growling and comes to me. “Leave me alone, and stay away from
everyone in my life, and that goes for this man here,” I point to Morgan.
“Please… just take him away,” I say to the police. I turn my back and return to
the house.

When I get inside, I realize Morgan
didn’t follow me. I slip into some clean clothing and head to the kitchen to
heat up dinner.

I need a distraction. I can’t
believe the gall of that asshole. Before tonight, I had my doubts about him
being the one who was after me. But him coming here, to Morgan’s home, is proof
that he has been eyeing me. The fact that he knew where he could find me
changes my mind about this. Morgan was right.

A while later, I hear Morgan’s
voice in the garage. He enters the kitchen and hugs me from behind.

He kisses me on my neck. “You’re
good?”

“I’m okay. What is that room in the
garage for?”

“Camera surveillance.”

“You should have saved yourself the
expense. It’s over now.”

“I might be able to write it off on
my taxes as a home improvement expense. I’m sure it will help the value of the
property, so it’s all good.”

“Now that he’s been arrested, I was
thinking about checking on things at the office tomorrow and maybe Zach’s
house. I’ll stay there until my house is rebuilt.”

He holds me by my hips and gently
spins me around to face him “Zoë, I don’t want you to go.”

I’m a little surprised by his
statement.

“Why? Zach’s house is not nearly as
secluded as mine was. There will be people all around me.”

“Well, that’s only part of the
reason I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay because I like having you
here. I hope you like being here, too.”

“Of course, but—”

“Don’t say anything,” he says,
tenderly laying his index finger on my lips. “Just think about it for a while.”

“You’re asking me to permanently
move in with you?”

“Yes. This house is too big for one
person, and I can’t imagine sharing it with anyone but you. Everywhere I turn,
there are reminders of you. You made this place. I want you to be a part of
it.”

“Imagine if all my clients offered
me a deal like that.”

“I’m not your client anymore.
Neither are you having a torrid affair with your other clients. This is about
you and me.”

“I know that. But Morgan, I’m just
about to get my house rebuilt.”

“And I think you should do that,
but just think about it, okay?” he murmurs kissing me on my cheek. “I’m going
to change. I’ll be right back.”

I’m somewhat excited, nervous and
flattered all at once. This all seems to be happening so quickly. I’m
overwhelmed, but when he returns, we don’t discuss it further.

Tomorrow, he will take me to get my
new car. I spend the rest of the evening trying to focus on that and not the
fact that Morgan asked me to move in with him, four months into our
relationship.

The next day,
while Zoë waits in the SUV, I head into
the hospital. Approaching the building’s doors, I see what seems like hundreds
of FBI agents walking in and out of the building with bags and boxes in their
possession. Doctor Singh and an FBI agent stop me at the door and tell me I’m
not allowed onto the property. I look through the glass doors and I notice
almost every single doctor’s office in view is on guard.

“We are cooperating with the
authorities right now on a raid,” Dr. Singh says.

“How do I get my things?” I ask.

“Sir, you will have to sort that
out some other time, and when you do return, your things may not be immediately
available. I advise you to vacate these premises right now.”

“My things are being confiscated,
too?”

“That is highly probable,” the agent
replies.

“What are you looking for?”

“Sir, you have to leave. I’m not at
liberty to discuss these details with you. The warrant is sealed.”

Dr. Singh looks at me in a
you-have-to-do-what-he-says, I-have-no-control-over-this sort of way.

After hunching my shoulders, I
thank them politely then leave. Nothing surprising there. Dr. Singh didn’t seem
at all suspicious. Then again, I don’t know her very well.

Zoë puts me under cross-examination
when I return to the car. Eventually, when she seems to have relaxed a bit, I
take her to see her newly renovated office. I’ve never been here before, and I
think it will be a good distraction.

On the way there, Detective
Bradshaw calls to say that the lab results came back. It confirmed that Todd
Hughes was at Zoë’s house, but after he admitted that last night, this is nothing
new.

Unfortunately, there is still no
word from Deandre and his brother. With every day that goes by, things look
more and more bleak.

As excited as Zoë might have been,
she hesitates at the stairs to her second floor office.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Just a little nervous. I was
nearly killed in this building.”

“You don’t have to do this if you’re
not ready,” I say, holding her hand.

“No, I’ll be fine. I can do it.”

We continue up the stairs. One of
her staff members I remember from the hospital screams with excitement when she
sees her. The scream commands attention. Leo, Trevor and Sheila emerge from
offices that surround the lobby. They all hug her.

After not seeing her staff for a
while, it becomes evident to me how much she misses them, too. Leo and Trevor
are proud and eager to show her to her new office. I know this might be
overwhelming for her, but as she slowly steps into the room, the smile that
radiates over her face tells me she’s okay. The office looks all her, like the
exact thing she’d do on her own.

“I did it only with your taste in
mind,” Leo says.

“Thank you. It’s perfect.”

“Are you back for good?” Lisa, the
receptionist asks.

“Not just yet. I have a lot I need
to put in place. We’ll see.”

“We have so much to tell you,” Leo
says with baby claps.

“I’m dying to hear, but can you
guys give me a moment alone for a second, please?”

They all leave the office. She asks
me to come in.

“Did you have plans?”

“No. What do you need?”

“It’s close to lunch. I was
thinking that I could take them out to catch up in a casual setting. They’ve
done an amazing job in my absence. I’d like to spend some time with them and
treat them.”

“Did you want to be alone with
them?”

“No, I want you to come. Do you
mind?”

“Not at all, baby. I want to get to
know the people you work with.”

“Great!” she replies excitedly.
Stepping out into the lobby she looks at her staff and says, “Let’s close up
shop. I’m taking you all to lunch.”

An hour later, we sit with four
office staffers and four foremen at a downtown restaurant for lunch. I think
this was a good idea. Now that Zoë realizes that she is open to trust her staff
again, she seems to be at a comfort level I only saw pre-fire.

 “So what are we doing for
Christmas this year?” Zoë asks her staff.

I had not even thought about it,
but as I hear her ask them about Christmas, it reminds me of Abby. It was her
favorite time of year, and it will be my first Christmas without her.

As Zoë poses the question to her
staff, it makes me think about us. It’s only been four months, but I feel like
I’ve shared a lifetime of experiences with her. We’ve been through more
together in three months than I shared with Audrey in eight years.

What do I give to the woman who has
lost almost everything from the day I met her? How do I make Christmas special
for her? That’s something I’ll need to think about. Whatever I come up with, I
have to get it done in under three weeks.

At the end of lunch, as we say
goodbye to some of her staff, Zoë asks Trevor and Leo to stay back.

“I have a big job for you two,” she
says.

“What’s that?” they ask.

“My house. I think the plans are in
Zach’s office somewhere. I want it rebuilt, and if you can complete it exactly
the way it was before I’d be grateful.”

“No changes?” Trevor asks.

“I don’t think so, at least not
with regards to the floor plan and structure.” Zoë responds, sipping some of
her drink. “Considering our current workload, when do you think we can start?”

“I’m more flexible than Trevor,”
Leo says. “The only outstanding design job is Bleu Resorts. I have small jobs
scheduled until January.”

“I think I should be done with
Megan’s renovation in time for Christmas, and the Simpson job should be done by
February,” Trevor says.

“Well, put me on the calendar, and
you both will have to work with the insurance company regarding the budget.”

“You’re just going to leave this in
our hands?” Trevor asks.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No,” they both concur.

We say goodbye. Zoë and I are alone
once more.

“You trust your staff. That’s quite
an undertaking to leave in their hands.”

“It’s a test. I’m thinking about
making them partners. What do you think?”

“You’re asking for my approval?”

“I’m asking for your opinion.”

“Partnerships can be great, very
beneficial. For me, they’ve been extremely lucrative.”

 “Since Zach’s gone, I’ve lost the
construction and architecture side of the business. Trevor worked with him
straight out of college. He’s been with us for three years. Zach taught him
much of what he knows. If he and Leo can finish my house from start to finish,
I think I’d like to make them owners in the business so I can keep offering the
services Zach used to provide.”

“I think that’s awfully generous of
you. You could hire people you know.”

“I want them to feel like it would
be in investment in their future. I want them to give it their all. Employees
come and go all the time. I think it would benefit all of us, and I know they
share the same work ethic as Zach and I did. My house is a test to see if they
can work with each other.”

“Are you talking about an equal
partnership?”

“No. Maybe 60/40 or 55/45. This is
a company Zach and I built from scratch. I could never give them equal say. We
only finished paying off our loan two years ago. That business represented
everything about Zach and me. It represented our creativity, the type of
relationship we shared, everything.”