Foundation for Three (8 page)

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “I thought about it, but I love heart surgery.”

Or did she love Dr. Carson? Kara’s time was up. “For the next session, I want you to write down your emotions before and after the next occurrence of any inappropriate behavior. Be honest with yourself. Are you sending him any signals?”

Kara jumped up. “No. I hate him.”

This wasn’t the reaction Zoey had hoped for. “Try to keep an open mind.” The sudden shift in behavior was troublesome, but Zoey’s sister, Courtney, had a similar situation. Unfortunately, hers had ended in heartache.

“I’ll try.” Kara thanked her, but her words came out harsh and on edge.

Damn. Had Zoey pushed too hard? Her own nerves were still quite raw, so perhaps she had. If she hadn’t had a lot of patients on her calendar, she would have cancelled the rest of the day and gone home. As soon as Kara left, Zoey checked her office Outlook and noticed her two o’clock was crossed off. As much as she’d needed the break, this one worried her. Zoey called her secretary.

“Rachel, is Mrs. Fletcher okay?” The woman never cancelled.

“Her daughter was ill, so Mrs. Fletcher had to keep her home. She rescheduled for next week. I put it on the calendar.”

Zoey should have looked. “Perfect. Thanks.” That gave her the needed time to see Thad and then grab a bite.

On her way out, she told Rachel to text her if anything important came up.

As Zoey headed to Thad’s room, she didn’t want to arrive empty handed. It wasn’t in her nature. Having heard patients complain about the coffee the hospital served, she bet he’d welcome a good cup from Starbucks. When he was working undercover, he’d mentioned his need for his caffeine fix each morning.

At the small coffee stand in the lobby she purchased the strongest blend they had. She wasn’t sure if he liked sugar or cream, so she grabbed two sugar packets. There weren’t any creamer containers visible, so he’d have to do without.

When she arrived, Thad’s door was open and the television on. That seemed like a good sign. She popped her head in and knocked. “Hello?” Her palms were a bit moist, but she chalked it up to holding the hot coffee, and not because she might be nervous. She feared the sight of her might remind him of what happened. When he looked up and smiled, the tension in her shoulders faded.

He turned off the television. “Hey. How are you doing?” he asked, looking better than she expected.

She chuckled, allowing relief to wash over her. “Good, thank you.” She placed the coffee on the side table. From her purse, she retrieved the sugar packets. “I didn’t know how you took it.” She was glad to see the IV stand had disappeared.

“Black, but you didn’t have to go to all the trouble.” He cocked a brow and his lips curled up at the ends. “I’m a cop. What? No donuts?”

She shook her head and grinned. His humor surprised her, but she liked it. She pulled over the chair. “You’re too fit to eat donuts. You told me you ran.” It was something they both liked to do—only she wasn’t as consistent as he was. Also, she was more of a two miler. He did five.

“I’m surprised you remembered.”

She tapped her skull. “Just call me elephant brain.”

“I like it.” They talked a bit more about his rigorous nutrition plan. Not wanting to wear him out, Zoey started to excuse herself, but Thad stopped her. “Can you stay a minute? I’d love the company.”

“Sure. I don’t have another appointment for a while.” If she had to skip lunch, she would. “I met your roommate.” She was intrigued by Pete. College educated, owner of his own company, family rebel, and yet he listened and seemed to be a caring person. It was an uncommon combination of traits.

“I heard. Pete stopped by a while ago. I want to apologize for him.”

Now Thad had her attention. “For what? Pete did an amazing job renovating the house.” While his workers might have done a lot of the actual work, the attention to detail was exceptional.
Plus, he held my hand and took care of me when I needed someone the most.

“His comment about sharing.” Thad’s face colored.

Oh, that.
“It was nothing.” Pete never hinted he was interested in her anyway, so how he conducted his life was his own business. She nodded to Thad’s arm. “How’s it doing? Are you able to go home soon?” If he did, would she ever see him again?

He lifted his arm that was held in a sling. “Feeling good. Doc says if the wound looks okay tomorrow, I can leave.”

“Fantastic. How long before they let you go back to work full time?”

His jaw tightened. “Desk work for at least a week. It sucks. Plus, I gotta get a psych eval for discharging my gun.”

“That should be easy. You handled all of my questions well.”

“Yes, but that was fake.”

Not completely. The cops had given him a background, complete with a pregnant wife and late stage pancreatic cancer. Sure, he was acting, but she could tell he longed for a family of his own. They’d discussed what was important in the ill Thad’s life and how much he’d miss seeing his unborn child when he passed away. Zoey had the sense Thad’s answers, while made up, contained a lot of truth.

“One of the nurses told me that man you shot is married to your ex-wife.”

Thad nodded. “Garrett McDonald. He married Peggy a month after we divorced.” His lips thinned as if the topic was still painful.

Way to go, Zoey.
His ex-wife remarrying so soon after a divorce had a lot of implications. None of which were good. “How is our nemesis?”

“Recovering.”

She couldn’t tell if Thad was relieved or upset. So much for her ability to read people today. “How about I buy you dinner Saturday night?” Normally, Zoey didn’t ask men out, but she owed Thad her life.

He grinned and his face lit up. “It’s a date.”

She pulled out her cell. “What’s your number? I’ll call you and then you’ll have mine in your contacts.”

He told her the information then took a drink of coffee. “Ah. That hits the spot. I can’t tell you how much the hospital’s version of coffee and food sucks. I feel better already.” He was exaggerating, but that was probably his way of saying thanks.

Even though Thad looked better than yesterday and his attitude was more upbeat, she sensed he was torn up about having to shoot her captor. “Are you mentally doing okay?”

“You mean with shooting someone I knew?”

There she went again. Trying to get into a person’s head. “Yes.”

His lips hardened as if he was debating what and how much to reveal. “Let’s just say shooting a stranger would have been easier.”

She was afraid of that. “He shot you first. Still, it must have been hard.”
Stop it.
Why was she trying to pick at his wound?

Zoey was a therapist through and through. She couldn’t help it.

“It was.”

His short response was his way of asking her to mind her own business and she took his cue. Zoey slapped her thighs and stood. “I need to get back, but I do owe you.” She didn’t want to overstay her visit, though she wouldn’t have minded getting to know him better.

“Don’t forget our date,” he said.

The butterflies in her stomach flew away, and she smiled. “I won’t.” She was halfway to the door when she turned around. How thoughtless of her. “Do you need a ride home tomorrow or anything?” She didn’t know if Pete would be at work.

“I could use one. I’m kind of out of commission for a while. Can’t drive until the doc clears me.”

That might be the toughest part of the ordeal—having to depend on someone. “Call me when you’re ready to leave. I’m only a few floors away.”

“You bet.”

His enthusiastic response pleased her. Happy that Thad was in better spirits, she took the elevator to the second floor. Food was calling her name. It was past the lunch rush, so she made it through the line quickly. Finding a seat near the back, she readied for some peace and quiet. She’d eaten only a few bites of her salad when loud chatter caught her attention. She turned back toward the entrance. Oh, shit. Dr. Avery Carson had come in with plastic surgeon Dr. Raymond Thompson. While she’d never been introduced to either man, everyone knew those two. Being in the same room with Carson curbed her appetite.

Don’t judge.

Returning to her meal, she delved in, mentally reliving her visit with Thad instead of thinking about what Kara had told her about her boss. Chairs scraped right behind her, and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. What the heck? The cafeteria was half empty, and yet Carson and Thompson had to sit right behind her? Really? She leaned over to pick up her purse when Thompson spoke up.

“Tell me what happened, Avery. I’ve never seen you so upset.”

She sat up again. Was he about to say something about Kara? If so, perhaps Zoey should leave. She would have done so right away, except that it might look a bit obvious if she moved to the other side of the cafeteria with her full tray.

Liar.
Her curiosity was piqued.

Chapter Seven

Z
oey had recently checked out Dr. Carson because Kara Molloy had alleged the man had not only sexually harassed her, he’d also made fun of the anesthetized patients and broken numerous operating room rules. It sucked Zoey couldn’t hear his side of the story. However, all was not lost. She had observed him when he wasn’t looking and had very subtly asked around about the man. Everyone said he had an aura about him that exuded confidence and sexuality.

From his good posture, and with the way he was manscaped from head to nails, she bet he believed he could charm any woman he wanted. From what she’d heard in the break room, most women had already fallen under his spell.

Zoey wasn’t into egocentric men. The images of Pete bending over the tub as he finished the bathroom remodel and Thad, as he held Garrett McDonald at gunpoint, flashed across her mind’s eye.

“I lost a child yesterday,” Carson replied. “I’m still reeling.”

He’d lost a child? Oh, no. That wasn’t what she thought he’d be speaking about. It was rude to eavesdrop, but there wasn’t enough noise in the room to block out Carson’s booming voice. His words finally registered, and a wave of depression filled her. A young death would break anyone’s heart.

“Avery, man, I’m sorry, but stuff like that happens to the best. What happened exactly?” Dr. Thompson sounded sincere.

“That’s the thing, I’m not even sure. It should have been a relatively routine operation. It was one I’d done many times. One minute everything’s going well, and the next the kid coded.”

“Shit. How old was he?”

“Three and change. Had a congenital heart defect. I tried my best, but in the end I was unable to save him.”

Her heart went out to the child and his family. Years ago, she’d counseled a teenager who was suicidal. Nothing Zoey said seemed to have an effect on the girl. The teen’s classmates had bullied her until she couldn’t take it anymore, and despite Zoey’s efforts, Janet had taken her life. For weeks afterward, Zoey had grieved. She’d read and reread her notes to see what she could have done better. Her guilt was so strong that she’d consulted with another therapist. Dr. Claire Daniels told her that Zoey couldn’t expect to reach everyone, especially those who refused to listen. Though what Claire said made sense, a bit of the pain never quite went away.

“That’s got to be tough.” Thompson’s voice interrupted Zoey’s thoughts.

“You ever lose anyone, Ray?” Carson acted like Thompson didn’t understand.

“No, I’ve been lucky. Cardiac arrest after a procedure is always a risk, though.” Neither said anything for a moment. “You’ve lost patients before. Why is this one so bad?”

“He was a
child
.” Carson’s voice cracked. “The young boy’s parents were devastated. I’ve never seen such grief. I spent a long time with them, but nothing I said seemed to help.”

Zoey’s eyes watered a bit. Janet’s parents had been inconsolable, too.

“That’s horrible,” Thompson replied. “What was the cause of his death?”

“Stroke.”

Zoey couldn’t imagine a three-year old having a stroke. She associated that with the elderly.

“How the hell did that happened?”

Carson blew out an exaggerated breath. “I was repairing the hole. It was a bad one. This issue should have been taken care of soon after birth, but the parents waited. Too long in my opinion. I took so much time trying to make sure the sutures would hold together that I didn’t notice a blood clot had broken off.”