Surrender My Love (23 page)

Richard cursed and turned to leave, sending Brad one last angry glare.

“Wait, Richard!” Chloe reached out to him, but he disappeared through the door.

She
pivoted, her hands fisted at her sides as she leveled an angry glare at Brad.

“
How dare you!
Who do you think you are, interfering?”

Chloe could tell he was s
urprised by the emotion spilling from her. His lips flattened into a tight line and he took a step towards her.

“Chloe…
”

“
You have no right!”

She took a step back and he halted in his tracks, his tall body thick with tension.

“Chloe, what’s going on? Is your mother ill? Do you need money?”

Chloe felt tears blur her vision and the shameful
scourge of her pitiful situation hit her head on, sending fine tremors crawling up her spine. She’d never felt so beaten down by life as she did at that very moment and she suffered the ruthless blows. She hated the look in his eyes. The last thing she wanted was his sorrowful pity. It was bad enough he’d witnessed the embarrassing encounter with Richard.

“Chloe, you’re dealing with so much. Let m
e help. Let me take care of you,” he said softly.

“I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ve been doing it myself since I was eight years old!
I don’t need
anyone
to take care of me.”

He sighed and pushed his fingers through his wet hair. “Let me handle things financially. Consider it a loan
, just until you start working again.”

“
No!
” Her shrill voice rang through the apartment.

Brad shifted his weight and his broad shoulders bunched. Chloe could tell he was getting angry again.

“You shouldn’t be giving your brother money. From the wild look on his face, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on drugs.”

Chloe stomped her foot, her spine so rigid it threatened to snap. Anger, frustration, helplessness, failure, all mixed into sludge and
poured into the black abyss in her gut.

“Just leave, Brad.
”

“Listen to me, Chloe.”

“This is not your problem
. My life isn’t your responsibility to fix.”

“Chloe…”

She looked into his eyes. “You don’t do relationships, remember?”

He stared at her, his exp
ression blank, though his searching eyes dug a hole into her soul. She walked to the couch and dropped to the worn cushion as he made his way to her bedroom. She wiped her tears as she listened to him get dressed. Chloe pursed her lips. She was done crying. She refused to feel sorry for herself. Brad was already doing enough. She couldn’t possibly ask him to do more.

Moments later she
heard the soft tread of his steps as he walked back into the room and stood in front of her, his thick thighs braced wide. She stared straight ahead, afraid to look at him. She’d just gotten hold of her emotions and knew she’d fall apart if she looked into those deep, probing eyes. His large palm skated gently over her head, his fingers groping through her hair, the feeling so familiar now. He bent down and placed his lips against her forehead.

“It will be okay,
Chlo.” Warm lips tickled her skin. “I’ll let you know when I’ve met with the hospital board.”

Her head dipped fractionally
, but she kept her gaze averted.

“Thank you,” s
he whispered just before he walked out the door.

Later that day, Chloe walked back to her apartment from the small laundry room in her building, her arms full with a basket of clean laundry. She was trying hard to put the events of the morning out of her mind. Well, not all of them, she mused. Her time with Brad was forever stamped in her mind and on every inch of flesh he’d coaxed to inexorable pleasure. She had no idea that sex could be this intense, this fulfilling. When he held her, she felt…special. Desirable. He had no idea what that meant to her. Jack’s rejection had been a crushing blow she thought she’d never heal from.

Although she knew now that he’d probably done her a favor, she was determined to never go through that destructive, soul-deep
agony again. Every aspect of her life had been compressed into the pinpoint darkness of those emotions, and she’d had to endure the prick each day until she could find her way to the light. It had been hell—the apology notes, returning the wedding gifts, canceling the honeymoon, the sympathetic phone calls and pitying glances that secretly wondered what was wrong with her. She would never open herself to that again.

Sighing heavily,
she thought of her brother. He’d been out of control this morning and unfortunately, Brad had been there. Perhaps she’d overreacted with Brad. She knew he’d been acting in her defense, but she was used to handling her family on her own. He already knew more about her than she was comfortable with, and he didn’t need other glimpses into her disordered life.

She was so de
ep in thought she didn’t notice the three people at her door until she was almost upon them. Susan, Justin, and Paul were standing in the hallway.

“There you are!”
Susan rushed forward and hugged her.

“Are you okay? We’ve been s
o worried,” Paul relieved her of the laundry basket.

Chloe managed a smile and nodded. She opened the door
and ushered her friends in, happy to have the company, considering her tumultuous morning. She recalled the last time she’d seen them and how distraught she’d been.

“We miss you, Chloe.” Justin took a seat on her couch while she sat in a chair opposite
him. “We still can’t believe what’s happened.”

“I can’t believe it myself,” s
he said sadly.

“It’s not the same without you
. Who am I going to flirt with?” Paul teased from across the room, pulling a smile from her. “Susan?”

Susan’s lips twisted snidely. “Not if you value you
r gonads.”

Paul grinned. “Women go
mad
for my
gonads
.”

Susan rolled
her eyes and gave him the finger, then directed her attention to Chloe.

“
We miss you. Everyone is so tense. There’s a security guard always around!” She pushed up her lips, her voice plaintive.

“Witch Wall has been wielding her broom. I swear that woman needs a house to land on her!”
Justin said.

Chloe laughed, thinking h
ow she’d always imagined Nurse Wall as the Wicked Witch of the West.

“What can we do to help?” Paul asked, placing the basket on her table.

…a winning lotto ticket, clean up my druggy brother, heal my mom, have my job reinstated, make Brad fall in love with me forever and never break my heart….oh, and a flying house would be nice…

“Nothing.”
She shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

Susan sat forward and regarded her seriously. “Listen, we know you’re not allowed to tell us what’s going on, but if there’s anything we can do, just let us know. We’re here for you.”

Justin’s face screwed up. “What’s with this Nigel person? You seemed so upset the last time we saw you.”

Chloe shrugged
and regarded her friends. “I’ve seen him on the unit. I thought he worked there.”

“Do you want us to try to find him for you?
Would that help you? Maybe he’s from another department or something?” Paul said.

“Yeah, we could ask around th
e hospital. I’m sure someone’s seen him,” Justin said.

Chloe chewed her bottom lip, wondering how much she could tell her friends.
The administrators didn’t want her saying anything, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t use their help to find Nigel—hopefully he was still around. Or even if they could find others who’d seen him, that would corroborate her story and prove she wasn’t crazy. She was sure he was the key to this whole mess.

“
Well, if you can ask around that would be great.”

She gave them a description of
Nigel. Paul, who’d taken some art classes in college, helped to sketch a passable likeness. Her friends didn’t stay long because she had to put her laundry away and get ready to go to her mother’s, but she appreciated the time they took to visit and their willingness to help. They gave her a renewed sense of hope and she prayed that they’d at least find someone who’d recognize the sketch of Nigel. That, along with Brad speaking to the administrators, should hopefully restore her position and get her back to doing what she loved.

CHAPTER NINE

It was late
Friday morning by the time Brad got to his medical suite. Upon seeing him, Bea quickly hung up the phone and followed him into his office. The office was quiet and reception was empty. He knew it would be, since he was not scheduled to see patients and had been expected to be out of town. Bea had come in to do paperwork and make appointments. Before coming to his office, he’d gone to Madame LaFontine’s room to try to talk her into leaving. He’d written her discharge papers almost two weeks prior.

Of course upon seeing him
, she suddenly developed chest pain. Not in the mood for her antics, he ordered an EKG and left the room. What he really wanted to do was order an enema, or a colonoscopy, perhaps that would persuade her to leave. He and the hospital’s case managers had been strategizing on how to get her to vacate the hospital, but so far no luck. He hoped to God the hospital didn’t need the bed for someone who was really sick. Sitting at his desk he made a mental note to contact case management again,
after
he straightened out this situation with Chloe.

How could someone so amazingly wonderful be dealt such horrible cards in life? He had a strong desire to take her away from her
problems. He wanted to protect her and see the happiness sparkle bright in her golden eyes. He wanted her in his arms, pillowed against his chest. If only the stubborn little hoyden would allow him! Perhaps he shouldn’t have intervened with her brother. It really wasn’t his place, but there was no way in hell he was going to stay quiet in her room and listen to him abuse her. He’d seriously wanted to hurt the little punk.

“Well?”

He looked up to find Bea standing in front of his desk, her dark eyes staring expectantly.

“Well? How’s Chloe?”
she asked again.

Brad sighed and returned her concerned gaze. “She’s hanging in there. She’s stubborn and determine
d.”

She
smirked. “She sounds like someone I know.”

“Thank you for contacting me,” he said softly.

She nodded, and he grinned at her, wondering about her apparent affection for Chloe. “What’s the word on the meeting with the administrators? Any chance of moving it up?”

“No. They’re saying they have commitments until Wed
nesday.”

He
cursed under his breath. It usually took weeks to get an audience with this elusive group and knew they were doing him a favor by scheduling the meeting on such short notice, but it just wasn’t good enough! He felt like he was spinning his wheels and getting nowhere. He was a man who was used to getting his way.

“Your father has called twice.
Diane called again. She’s driving me crazy! If I have to listen to her whiny voice one more time, I’m gonna reach through the phone and rip out her vocal cords.” Bea huffed and rolled her eyes, and he had to bite his tongue to contain his laughter.

“
I’ve just finalized the details for your lecture at Harvard Medical School for the end of next month, so I don’t know when you’ll be able to reschedule the conference at the Cardiovascular Center with all the surgeries scheduled. I suppose you can combine the two.”

Brad listened with half an ear, groaning at the message about his father and Diane. Both
were relentless. His father he planned to call back, but Diane was becoming a problem. She’d left him several messages which he hadn’t returned. He hoped she’d get the message that their relationship was over.

“Senator McMillon called. His uncle just had a heart attack. He wants to know if you’
ll take him on as a patient, and I still need to get back to the College of Cardiothoracic Surgeons about the symposium.”

He held Bea’s gaze, his thoughts elsewhere. “We’ll discuss all that in a sec. I know you don’t like to get involved in my personal business, but there’re a few things I need you to do for me.”

Bea stared at him, one brow pulling
cautiously into her forehead.

“It
involves Chloe,” he elucidated. At that her face relaxed and she nodded affirmatively.

Fifteen minutes later
, Bea stood to leave his office when Larry pushed open the door and walked in. Brad immediately noted his blush when his green gaze landed on Bea.

Brad
shook his head, but smiled, reluctantly thinking he understood a bit of what his friend was feeling.

You don’t do relationships, remember?
Chloe’s poignant words echoed in his head. He
had
said that to her, hadn’t he? That was his mantra, his line…he’d said that to every woman he’d ever slept with. Funny that Chloe was the one to throw the words back at him, and the honesty behind them had almost toppled him.

“
What brings you by, Larry?”

Brad tried to
divert his friend’s attention. Larry was avidly perusing Bea’s form as she walked past him towards the door. Brad quirked his brow, noting that there was an exaggerated swing to Bea’s hips as she left the room. Mmmm…interesting.

He made a theatrical clearing of his throat and
was finally able to usurp Larry’s attention. He took hold of a pen and tapped it against his desk.

“I don’t want to hear any more crazy ideas.” He held a hand up in warning as Larry was about to speak.

Larry’s grin was all teeth. “I’m moving on to plan B.”

Brad fixed him
with a direct stare, thinking he was more likely on plan W. “Just leave me out of it.”

“
You are supposed to be in Boston, aren’t you?” Larry asked, ignoring him.

Brad shrugged and reclined in his chair as Larry too
k a seat. “I had something urgent to attend to. How did you know I was back?”

“Dr. Smith saw you running from Madame
LaFontine’s room a while ago.” His face wrinkled with curiosity. “What urgent business would make you piss off Dr. and Dr. Markson?”

Brad
felt his face harden at the mention of his parents. Larry was right. His parents had put this conference together, had made sure that prestigious people would attend. And when Dr. and Dr. Markson requested your presence, it was unheard of to not make an appearance. That was the power and influence they wielded. They were the elite of the academic elite. That was what he’d had to live with his entire life. His parents judged him with a measuring stick that kept lengthening by infinite degrees.

“I thought maybe you’d come back to check on your patients considering all the excitemen
t around here,” Larry remarked casually.

Brad frowned. “What excitement?
”

Larry’s
green eyes grew round with disbelief. “Are you kidding me? Haven’t you heard? It’s been a mad house here!”

Brad’s eyes narrowed
and he felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His office was in a different wing of the hospital and didn’t get much of the house gossip. He schooled his expression and motioned to Larry to continue.

“God, Brad. There’s a nurse here they suspect of
harming patients…There’s even been whispers of murder! It’s crazy, really!”

Brad blinked, the pen in his hand almost snapping in two.

“What are you talking about?” He didn’t recognize the voice that issued slowly from his lips. It was thick and marbled, and congealed with apprehension.

“I suspect
it’s all bullshit, but I hear the hospital is conducting an investigation. The administrators so far have been able to keep it under control to avoid a panic, but with the way news spreads around here, they’ll be lucky to keep it off the six o’clock news.”

“
Shit!
” Brad buried his face in his palms and listened to Larry continue.

“The police were here
all morning. I heard from Don Accardo that they went through her locker and found something.”

Brad’s head snapped up
, a steady pounding beating his cranium. “What could they possibly have found?”

Larry’s eyes held his seriously. “
I’m not one to spread rumors, Brad, but I think they found a syringe filled with something. Don told me in the strictest of confidence.”

“Oh my God.”

“Apparently they’ve been concerned about her for some time now. The police were called in on the investigation a few weeks ago.”

Brad f
orced himself to breathe as air became scarce in his lungs.
Weeks?
The incident with Mr. Kaplan was just a week ago. Could they have started an investigation before then?

“
Do you know who this nurse is
?
” Brad asked, his voice like industrial steel.

His friend shrugged and
shook his head gravely. “No, he didn’t say, but I’m sure it will soon get out. I know the nurse is a
she
and she works on Four West. The police were all over that ward this morning.” His brows scrunched thoughtfully. “Hey, that nurse who was here a few days ago, Chloe, she works on Four West. If you’re truly interested, maybe she can give you more information.”

Brad swore under his br
eath. “These rumors are absurd! Why would any nurse want to harm a patient?”

Larry frowned, now
apparently noticing his billowing rage. “I don’t know. They’re saying she has a lot of issues at home and that she may have a psych problem.”

Brad sprang up from his desk, his heart skipping wildly. He pun
ched the button for Bea and leaned over the speaker.

“Bea! I need you to get the
head of O&S, Mr. Accardo, on the phone
now
! I want to speak to the CEO of the hospital, and the head of the nursing department. I want that meeting moved up
and I don’t give a shit what excuses they give you. You tell them if they don’t move up that meeting, I’ll be resigning my appointment at this hospital and taking all my benefactors with me!” 

He cli
cked off the phone and looked over to stare directly into Larry’s stunned eyes. Looking around, he now noticed that all the charts from his office were gone.
Holy fuck!

“Brad, w
hat the hell is going on?”

He
blew out a deep breath and sank into his chair, his hands scrubbing up and down his face as he tried to slow his racing heart.

“I don’t know,
Lar. I just don’t know.”

Chloe finished packing
clothes and toiletries into her backpack, then slung it over her shoulder. She was planning on spending a few days at her mother’s apartment and although she kept a few items there, she wanted to make sure she’d have everything she needed. Grabbing the stack of mail she’d retrieved from downstairs, she shoved it into the backpack along with the notes she’d collected from Brad’s office. While at her mother’s, she intended to catch up on her bills and review the information she’d gotten from the charts.

She’d been giving her situation a lot of thought and was becoming
more certain that the deaths at the hospital had to do with Omega and Memoram. She just didn’t know how or why. She needed to find out more about the drug. The documentation she had regarding the patients’ symptoms was interesting, but didn’t mean much in itself and could be easily dismissed. She needed real proof. She still didn’t know what to make of Nigel. Every time she’d seen him, he’d been carrying vials of blood. He’d obviously been drawing blood from patients. Why would he do that if he didn’t work there?

He’
d been at the Stark’s conference. Did he work for Omega? Were these deaths not an accidental mix up in drugs as she’d previously thought?
Oh God
… No wonder it was so hard to convince Brad. Just the idea that it might be something else terrified her. She slipped her feet into her sneakers and headed towards the door, still trying to figure out Nigel’s place in this confusing puzzle. She knew part of the key to this mystery was finding him. But, how did one go about finding someone who didn’t exist?

Chloe
opened her door and choked back a scream, startled by the figure with a fist raised, poised to knock.

The man was tall, dressed in a wrinkled
, ill-fitting jacket and tie. His thinning hair was slicked back tight against his head with a day’s growth of a patchy beard sprinkled along his jaw. It wasn’t so much his gruff appearance that caused the fluttery apprehension in Chloe’s belly, but the three uniformed police officers standing stoically behind him.

The
man flashed a badge in front of her face and shot her a smile she found anything but reassuring.

“
Chloe Bennett?”

“Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Detective Sullivan.”

Chloe frowned, confused
as he introduced the officers. “What is this about?”

She noticed the de
tective’s gaze slip past her to delve into her apartment.

“
We’d like to have a word. May we come in?”