Love M.D. (23 page)

“It’s normal to feel that way.”

She bangs her fists on the vanity
top. “I want to hurt these people. I want them to pay for taking away my
brother. I want them to pay for what they did to him, to Megan, to that little
girl… I feel like going to the hospital and punching that asshole until he’s
bleeding in the face.” Her voice softens, becoming shaky and sad, “Morgan, he
pretended to be sorry about Zach. He pretended to care. He was kind and
sympathetic and the whole time he was lying to me, to my face.”

I’ve seen Zoë hurt, but it hurts me
to see her so angry. Right now, her eyes are red and full of unadulterated
rage.

“I hate what they did to my life. That
hospital took away the only family I had left.” Her tears fall, and I know the
pain of losing Zach is as painful for her now as the day she found out. I want
to take her in my arms so badly, but a part of me resists. I just slip my hand
over hers.

“Do you think they get that? Do you
think they care? I will stop at nothing. I will spend my last dollar to make
sure they don’t do what they did to Zach and that woman to anyone ever again.”

“Zoë, I’m so sorry. But we don’t
know who caused this yet. It could have been someone who was visiting.”

“Bullshit! If that were the case,
the right thing to do would be to get law enforcement involved. Someone had to
think up some fake story for what killed Zach. Someone had to take the time to
write a false report.”

True.
“I’m sorry I didn’t
notice something wrong before.”

“It’s not your fault,” she murmurs.
Turning to face me, she looks me straight in the eye. “I’m so sorry for not
trusting you. I’m so sorry for all those hurtful things I said to you. I wish I
could take it all back. All you’ve done is be there for me, in a way only Zach
has before, and this is how I repay you. I regret that, please forgive me.
Please, I’m really, really sorry.”

Looking into her eyes, my chest
tightens. I break down and give in, pulling her in my arms in a strong hold. While
there, some of the tension drains from her body. It is also then I realize how
much I’ve missed holding her like this.

Five minutes later, after she’s
washed and dried her face, I clasp her hand tightly in mine.

“Ready for this battle?” I ask.

“I’ll find the energy,” she
responds. With her hand in mine, we walk into the living room and start what
might be our first big battle together.

Christina Hernández is
older than I am, probably in
her mid to late forties. We all sit in the great room around the fireplace. As Jonathan,
Morgan, and I explain to her what’s happened in the last few weeks, she listens
attentively, vigorously taking notes. When we’re done, she looks to Morgan.

“Have you discussed this matter
with anyone else apart from those of us in this room?”

“Just my sister, but not in detail.
She’s a doctor, as well. She doesn’t know about the autopsy results.”

“What about other doctors at the
hospital?” she continues.

“Deandre—Doctor Jackson. He’s the
medical examiner. We discussed our suspicions that there might be something
criminal, but he doesn’t know that I sought legal advice on the matter.”

“I’d like you to keep it that way.
Something as serious as this should have immediately been reported to the
police. Go ahead and do as Jonathan suggested—document everything that is
discussed from now on.”

“I’ll send out an email as soon as
you leave,” Morgan says.

She hands him her business card. “Keep
copies of all emails you send and receive.”

“Should I just BCC you?”

“No,” she and Jonathan chorus.

“If anyone who receives those
emails hits reply all, they’ll see I’ve been carbon copied,” Ms. Hernández
continues. “Until I can get a warrant, which shouldn’t take long, I want you to
keep copies of the emails you send and receive. Once the warrant comes through,
I’ll have the appropriate software installed and I’ll have access to all
communications with you.”

“I can do that.”

“Now, with regard to the substance found
in the patient’s system, we need to identify what it is and where it comes from.
Providing the hospital does not contact us within the next forty-eight hours,
do you think you might be able to get us a sample?”

“I could ask Deandre, but I’m sure
he’d want to know why. Although he seemed very concerned about it as well. Then
again, I can come straight out and ask him. I can tell him I have a friend who
is a chemist, and she agreed to research it so we can find out what it is.”

“Test the waters with that first. I
don’t want him or the toxicologist to alert the administrator that you asked
for this,” Christina responds.

“He’s supposed to get back to me
tonight with all the information regarding Zoë’s brother. I’ll put some feelers
out then.”

“The fewer people who know about
this, the better. If he gives you any indication he’s not comfortable and he’d
like to contact the authorities, steer him my way. That way, I can talk to him
and get access to all he knows, as well.”

This whole thing makes me anxious. “Is
there a reason you wouldn’t go in with a search warrant now and seize
everything?” I ask Christina.

“Yes. It worries me that the hospital
did not contact the police as soon as they found out about this. That indicates
they may have something to hide. I’d like to get as much inside information as
I can before I take that step, hopefully get some inside witnesses.”

I worry about others at that
hospital. “What if more people are killed between now and then?”

“Your concern is legitimate. To try
to alleviate that concern to a certain extent, I can get the Department of
Health and Human Services to poke their heads around somehow, just to keep the
staff on their toes. But I’d like to get to the root of the problem, hopefully
with some inside help. I can’t file charges or build a case with no witnesses.
For us to find out how far this goes, this is the best course of action. I may
even need to get the FBI involved.”

I see her point. I just hope the
presence of DHHS will be enough to stop this from happening again. It sickens
me to think of what really might be going on at that hospital, and I worry more
people will get hurt.

 “I understand how difficult this
is for you, Zoë,” she continues. “Especially with all that’s going on in your
life. But I’m going to try to get to the bottom of this.”

Standing, Christina looks at Jonathan,
“I’ll give the lab a call to see if they can expedite those results. In the
meantime, thank you for contacting me.”

“Thanks,” he responds, shaking her
hand.

“Zoë, stay safe and take care.” She
smiles.

“I will. Thank you.”

“And good job with the security by
the way. I had an easier time seeing the president at the White House.”

We all chuckle. Jonathan and Morgan
escort her to the door.

When they return, I say to
Jonathan, “I’m putting you on notice. When this is over, I’m suing that
hospital. And if I find out that there are other people who lost their lives
like this, I’m going to rally the troops and bring a class action lawsuit
against them.”

“You would have every right to do
so.”

“I know money will never bring our
family members back, but if that little girl can get an education and be taken
care of for the rest of her life, it will be worth it.”

The orange glow
from the setting sun floods through
the house. It’s been a crazy day. After spending the morning on the phone with
the fire department and the insurance company, and the afternoon with the
police and D.A., I barely saw the hours go by.

I wanted to go to the house, but
the fire department informed me that the house was too badly damaged for
reentry. Anything left standing would need to be demolished if it hadn’t
collapsed on its own already.

The insurance offered to find me
another place to live, but after last night, it doesn’t look like I will be
able to go anywhere. Until I am able to move forward, they’ll pay Morgan the
rent. It’s the least I can do.

I delay the trip to my old home.
For now, it’s nice to sit with Jada and Jonathan and enjoy an evening dinner
where we talk about things other than the problems plaguing Morgan and me.

Soon after dinner, they leave to
tend to their mommy and daddy duties. I help clear the dining table with Morgan
the best I can then sit at the island while he loads the dishwasher. My
thoughts wander.

 “What are you thinking about so
deeply?” Morgan asks.

 “My life and how to get it back on
track. There’s been so much change and so much to do, I’m not sure where or how
to start.”

“Just take it one step at a time.”

“Thank you for being here. I think
once Todd is arrested, I might move into Zach’s house during the rebuilding
process. It will give me a chance to start getting his things together.”

“You’re free to stay here as long
as you want.”

“I appreciate it, but I think it’s
something I will need to do to get my life back together. Will you be able to
come to Cabo next weekend?”

“I don’t think so. It would have
been great, but I postponed two patients’ surgeries once already. I have them
scheduled for next week, and I can’t postpone it again.”

I’m disappointed, but I understand.
He’s been taking all this time off work because of me. I really wanted to be
alone with him, away from all the stresses in my life, in a beautiful and
foreign place.

“What are you going to do for
Thanksgiving?”

“Nothing. Robin and Dad are going
to L.A. to spend the weekend with José’s family.”

“Can you come after the surgery and
meet us there?”

“No, I have another patient to see
the following Saturday. I know you were looking forward to it. Go. After
Jonathan shared some of the things he and Jada have been through in the past,
he’s managed to convince me that he knows what he’s doing and that you will be
safe. I had a long conversation with him about it. Jada’s chartered a jet to
fly everyone over there, and there will be armed security at the villa where
you will be staying so you should be okay. I think it will be difficult to
trace your steps because of the measures they have put in place.”

I know that I intended on going
whether he chose to come or not, but now I don’t want to leave him alone. I
feel like I miss him already, and I haven’t even stepped out the door yet.

“Maybe I’ll stay. I don’t want you
to be alone for Thanksgiving.”

“I’ll be fine. And dad, Robin and
the kids will be coming over for dinner before they leave on Saturday. You’ll
finally get to meet her.”

I hear him, but I feel down, and I’m
not sure why.

“By the way, where is your
passport? Was it destroyed?”

“Yes. I’ve already asked the police
and the fire department for their reports so I can get everything replaced. I
lost my driver’s license, too.”

“Okay, we’ll talk to Lucas tomorrow
and wherever you need to go he will escort you. He also knows how to get these
things expedited quickly.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

When he’s done in the kitchen, we
watch a movie in the family room upstairs together. Deandre calls to confirm
his suspicions later that night.

Over the coming
days, I regain my strength. At least
I can make it up and down the stairs on my own. My voice is mostly back, as
well.

I’ve purchased some clothing online
to replace all that I lost. The selection of things I brought with me to Morgan’s
house was not at all extensive and everything else was destroyed. Also, thanks
to Morgan and Lucas, I have two valid forms of ID now.

Leo and Trevor were able to find a
small office space not too far away from our current location. They’ve already
started with the office renovation, and because it was just my office and the
stairwell that was destroyed, I’m hoping all will be back to normal soon.

Tomorrow morning, Jada and Jonathan
will come by in the morning to pick me up for Cabo. However, as the time draws
near, I’m anxious about leaving.

Robin and her family will be coming
by for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner of sorts tonight. They leave for L.A.
tomorrow. I’m thankful for the distraction. After I pack my bags for the trip,
I slip into an alluring black and white maxi dress and throw on a matching pair
of thong sandals. It’s elegant and appropriate for tonight, but it also covers
up one or two scars that still lag behind on my feet.

I head downstairs to assist Morgan
with dinner.

By the time I’m done setting the
dining room table, I hear a vehicle pull up outside. I take a moment to look at
the room and the space I designed. It’s nice to see it all come together,
complete with china and crystal that I picked out. With all the candles lit, it
sets the mood for this wonderful family occasion.