Solemn Oath (12 page)

“However,” Bailey continued as his sharp, glinting gaze returned to Estelle, “first I need to share some news with you.” He held up a one-page letter, and then a stack of pages that looked like a contract. “We have here a possible answer to all our problems, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure you've all heard of RealCare Medical Group, one of the largest and most profitable heath-care organizations in the Midwest.” He indicated Estelle with a nod of the head and a practiced smile. “Our esteemed administrator has done
such an outstanding job with this hospital that RealCare wants to buy us out.”

The room grew silent. No one squeaked in their chair, no one moved. Estelle had trouble breathing, but she thought she managed to keep all expression from her face. While Bailey's eyes shot her a triumphant glare, it seemed as if everyone at the huge conference table began to talk at once.

“That's crazy! We'll be sucked dry!”…“How much are they offering?”…“I won't practice medicine for that company. They're sharks!”…“What'll happen to our county taxes? Knolls County may go for that, especially if it'll give the fire department more funds.”

Estelle continued to hold Bailey's stare. A buyout could destroy everything the people of Knolls prized in their county hospital, and Bailey knew that better than anybody. The small-town warmth, the sense of community, the pro bono cases they took for those truly in need, would all be gone. It was what Bailey wanted. Estelle knew what was going through his mind, knew he was remembering his visit to her house soon after his son died.

He had brought a sheaf of papers with him then, too—reports from the hospital and from the autopsy. Not only had Dr. Jarvis George given Dwayne an injection of morphine and a script for more, but he'd let the young man drive away high on the drug. And when Dwayne had been brought back to him, battered from the wreck, Jarvis hadn't even checked for the internal bleeding that had killed Dwayne. Jarvis, in his own stupor from undiagnosed tuberculin encephalitis, had concentrated on Dwayne's head injury.

“Your doctor killed my son,” Bailey had snarled. “My only child is dead, and Jarvis George and Knolls Community Hospital are going to pay for that death!”

As Bailey called for order in the meeting, Estelle fervently hoped these people remembered that Bailey Little
was not only taking Jarvis George to court for malpractice, but Knolls Community Hospital, as well. Further, he had not removed himself as hospital board president, which Estelle had protested fervently and often as a serious conflict of interest.

“In light of the circumstances,” Bailey said, raising his voice to be heard over the din in the room, “I once again advise that we permanently drop Dr. Jarvis George from the medical staff before he can return to work and damage our reputation any further than it has already been damaged.” As two of the doctors began to protest, he held up his hand. “Whether or not you agree with the idea of a buyout, I'm sure you agree that the reputation of our medical staff must remain immaculate. To that end, I also must disclose that this hospital and Dr. Lukas Bower are scheduled for investigation by the government watchdog COBRA.”

A collective groan stopped his words for a moment, then he continued. “If Dr. Bower is found guilty, both he and our hospital could be fined. We could be denied all federal support, which means we would not receive a penny for Medicare and Medicaid. If COBRA so desires, however, they can limit the hospital's involvement if we dismiss the offending physician.”

This time Estelle did not hide her amazement and outrage. “So in essence you're requesting termination of two staff physicians who are at this time being named in medical malpractice suits by the estate of Dwayne Little?”

“Perhaps everyone but you can see the logic.” Bailey's voice dripped with condescension. He glanced at the rest of the group. “Do I have a motion?”

They stared at him in silence, and Estelle held her breath.

Bailey's brow lowered in sudden, amazed annoyance. “Don't everyone speak at once.”

No one made a motion.

Dr. Wong stood up. “You're wasting our time here today,
Mr. Little. I have patients, as I believe most members of the medical staff do.” He turned toward the door. Chairs moved back on the thick carpet as others followed.

Bailey's eyes narrowed, and his face flushed with color as he sprang to his feet, pointing at Estelle. “What have you done?” He slammed the flat of his hand onto the table, and the sound of it froze the others for a moment. He studied the face of each member present, then turned to glare again at Estelle, who remained seated, her hands folded calmly on her lap.

“What did you do, call every member and poison their minds against me before the meeting? What did you tell them?” He glared around at the rest of them again. “What did she say?”

“She didn't have to say anything.” Greg Frost, the bank president, stepped over behind Estelle's chair. “I think we are all intelligent enough to see the issue here for ourselves. Why don't you save the histrionics for the courtroom, Bailey.”

Dr. Wong shook his head and left the room. One by one, the rest followed, except for Greg, who continued to stand where he was.

Estelle finally pushed her chair back and stood to her feet, facing her old nemesis across the table. “What they know, they've learned from you, Bailey. I think it's long past time you resigned.”

Bailey's lips whitened. His steel-gray eyes burned with growing fury. “You're the paid employee here, Mrs. Hospital Administrator. I can have you fired.”

His whole body quivered visibly with suppressed emotion, and Estelle only hoped he could retain enough self-control to leave without making a further scene.

“I don't think so, Bailey.” Greg put his hand on Estelle's arm. “Mrs. Pinkley, may I walk you back to your office?”

 

“Dr. Bower, you got a minute?”

Lukas turned from his charting to find Buck Oppen
heimer leaning against the counter of the circular central E.R. desk, his broad, thick shoulders drooping, his eyes bloodshot. He wore an old pair of gray sweats, which meant he was off duty—a rare condition for him lately.

“Sure, Buck.” Lukas shoved aside his charts and waited for Buck to talk.

Buck glanced at Carol, the secretary, who clicked at her computer keyboard a few feet away, then he looked back at Lukas. “Alone?”

“Hmm, must be serious.” Lukas got up and led the way across the pale green tile floor toward the private waiting room. “Come on in here.” He opened the heavy oak door and stepped into the carpeted silence of the small, comfortably furnished room. He indicated an overstuffed chair for Buck.

“Kendra didn't take me back.” Buck sank down on the edge of the chair with his head bowed and his hands clasped between his knees.

Lukas sighed. “I'm sorry.” What was he supposed to say? Admit that he thought Kendra was behaving like a spoiled brat? “Maybe she just needs more time, like Lauren said.” He knew Buck didn't have any kids, so at least no one else was being dragged through this ordeal. He'd heard a rumor that they couldn't have children, but he tended to ignore hospital gossip.

Buck rubbed his face with his hands. “She wants me to quit my job. She doesn't want me to be a firefighter anymore.”

Lukas watched his big-eared, big-muscled friend and wondered how he himself might react if someone important to him asked him to give up medicine. But Mercy wouldn't do that.

With a start, he realized the direction of his thoughts and refocused on Buck. “Have you talked to her about it much?”

“I begged her to at least let me stay at the house and give
me a chance. She threw a bunch of clothes at me and told me to stay down at the firehouse, said I loved my job more than I loved her. Now I'm bunking with our young Explorers.” He scowled. “So now I'm babysitting even when I'm not on duty.”

“You mean Kyle and Alex?”

Buck nodded. “Yeah, and Kyle's sulking because I had to shut him down after our competition on Tuesday. We did a training exercise where they had to raise a twenty-four-foot extension ladder, and Kyle tried to jump in and take over the show and forgot to tie off the halyard. That's a good way for a fireman to lose a foot if the dog doesn't click in.”

Lukas stared at him. “Dog?”

“You know, the ladder lock. Anyway, I lost my temper and let him have it right there in front of everybody. I shouldn't've been so rough on him, but he needed to learn. The kid's smart, but he jumps into things before he thinks. A fireman's got to think things out. He's got to watch what's going on around him and make good decisions. Some people think we're just a bunch of fire junkies, but that's not true. We—”

“Uh, Buck, we were talking about Kendra.”

Buck drooped again, and Lukas was sorry he'd said anything.

“Yeah. After five years, she thinks she can just throw me out like the trash.”

“Well, not exactly, Buck. Does she cry when she takes out the trash?”

Buck slumped farther down in his chair. “No. I hate to see her cry, but, Dr. Bower, I've always treated her right. She knows I love her. I can't help it that sometimes I have to take risks.”

“Would she take you back if you were…say…a paramedic instead of a firefighter?” As soon as he said it, he knew it was a stupid question.
What if somebody asked me to be a paramedic instead of a doctor?

Buck sat watching Lukas for a moment in silence. “But
that's not what I am. I'm a firefighter.” He scowled and shook his head. “And I'm not a teacher, either. Why can't I just be a fireman? Kendra wanted me to find out about paramedic school, but you know how much I hate riding the ambulance. I always seem to attract the drunks. Besides, they need me down at the station, especially since they're cutting back on the money. There've been two more fires since that one Monday.”

“When? Anybody hurt?”

“Nobody was hurt, but there was one Tuesday night and one yesterday.” Buck grimaced. “I wasn't on duty, but since I was just hanging around the firehouse anyway, I rode along.”

“Buck, I told you—”

“I know, I know, I need to take time to heal.” Buck held his hands up. “I didn't have to fight any fires. They were both small. I'm surprised you didn't read about them in the paper.”

“The only papers I've had time to look at lately have been patient charts. Any idea what caused the fires?”

“The chief's not giving out any information yet. He's being awfully careful.”

“Why? Could he be thinking arson?”

Buck looked away. “Maybe.”

“What else could it be?” Lukas asked. “Three fires in three days? Where were the other two?”

Buck still didn't look at him. “One in a warehouse and one in another convenience store.” He suddenly didn't seem as interested in talking.

Lukas felt a rush of sympathy for him. He was a firefighter. His first toy had probably been a fireman's hat, and he'd probably wanted to do just that one thing from the time he could talk. And now he was faced with a heartbreaking choice.

“Buck, are you going to be okay?”

The big guy blinked at him, sighed, and his features
drooped. “I've got to, Doc. I've got a job to do. I'll think about what you said. Thanks for talking to me.” He pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped out ahead of Lukas and nearly collided with Lauren, who was walking past.

She took one look at him, then glanced at Lukas. She placed a hand on Buck's arm. “I'm so sorry to hear about Kendra.”

He looked at her in surprise, and his jaw stiffened. “Thanks, Lauren.”

She shook his arm gently. “Hey, don't give up on her. She'll still come around when she realizes how much she misses you. You two have a good marriage, and you can't just give up and let it drop because one of you is struggling with demons from the past. She'll call you and ask you to come home.”

Buck hung his head. “I don't know. Maybe not.”

“Well, whatever happens, if you want to talk about it, I'll be glad to listen.”

Lukas shook his head and turned away. Sometimes he gave stupid advice. If Lauren could learn to just listen, anybody could.

T
hursday night at nine o'clock Lukas was attempting to tuck his T-shirt into his jeans when Mercy opened her front door and turned on the porch light, catching him in a glow that blinded him for a second. She stepped out, wearing a gauzy bright green dress that draped around her calves and highlighted the darkness of her hair. Her coffee-brown eyes reflected an inner warmth that seemed to glow more as Lukas and Mercy spent more time together.

In fact, right now the glow had ignited to a slow sizzle.

She placed her hands on her hips. “Lukas Bower, what are you doing?”

He stood staring back at her. “I told you I'd be late.”

She rolled her eyes. “Jeans? Come on. I said casual, not bowling night with the boys.”

That hurt. He'd gone to all the trouble of changing out of his scrubs so he wouldn't embarrass her. “Where I come from, jeans are casual. If you want me to change—”

“No time for that now.” She glanced at her watch. “We'll be an hour late as it is.” She stepped back inside and retrieved her coat and purse from the hall tree. “If you didn't want to come with me, you could have just told me.”

“I tried—”

She held her hand up. “Too late now. I don't even…” Her steps faltered. She took a deep, sharp breath through her nose. She closed her eyes and exhaled through her mouth.

Lukas reached over and touched her shoulder. “Mercy?”

Her face flushed, and she reached out to grab the doorjamb.

“Mercy? Are you okay?”

She took another deep breath and nodded, eyes still closed. “I'll be fine.”

“You don't look fine.”

She opened her eyes and shot him a scowl. “Thanks. Trust me, it'll pass.”

“You know, we've had a lot of people in with the flu this week. Maybe you shouldn't be going tonight. Come to think of it, you didn't look that great Monday, either.”

Her scowl deepened as she straightened from the doorjamb. “Lukas Bower, you should be ashamed of yourself, using my temporary weakness to get your way. Give it up. You're going through with this if it kills me.” She handed him her coat. “Mom says Jarvis still resents you for taking over the directorship when he got sick. I want you to smooth things out with him tonight.”

He shoved the coat over his arm. “I don't even want to be director, and everybody knows it. I'll be glad to let him come back and take over.”

“That's not going to happen for a long time.” Mercy checked her dim reflection in the storm door and adjusted her hair, which she had allowed to hang long and loose for once. “Maybe never.” She looked back at Lukas. “Especially if Bailey Little gets his way.”

“If Bailey gets his way the whole hospital could go under, but that won't stop Jarvis from being mad at you if you go to this party tonight and give him the flu. Tuberculosis isn't something to mess with.”

“I don't have the flu.”

“Then what's wrong with you? You're awfully gripey
tonight.” Lukas reached up and raised her right eyelid before she could stop him. “Your eyes don't look too bad.” He felt her forehead. “Do you have a fever? You feel hot and sweaty. Don't you think—”

Mercy pushed him away. “Would you stop! Lukas, you're the least romantic person in Knolls County.”

“I'm not trying to be romantic. If you're sick—”

“I'm not…probably not…sick.” She sighed and looked at him in silence for a moment, and just a hint of a smile glowed from the depths of her dark eyes. “Okay, maybe you are a romantic,” she said at last, her voice suddenly deeper and warmer. “Sorry if I've been gripey.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “Let's go.”

Lukas stood and watched her walk to the car, her movements graceful, entirely feminine. For some reason, his heart rate and breathing increased. He felt like a nervous adolescent on his first date, which was ridiculous, because he and Mercy had been friends all summer. They'd spent a lot of time together when neither of them had to work. They'd gone on hikes, had swum in the lake and actually had a few real dinner dates. And they talked all the time. They found so much to talk about, and to laugh about, and to care about.

His heart rate slowed to normal by the time they reached the car. “Hope these jeans don't embarrass you. We could stop by my house and I could at least—”

“Your house is in the other direction.” Without waiting for him to remember his manners, she opened the passenger door of his denim-blue Sable and slid inside. “I don't embarrass easily, Lukas.” She paused and fixed him with a stern glance. “That's not a dare.”

He was pulling onto the street when she said, “I can tell you one reason I'm grumpy tonight. Theo's out of detox and he came to see me Monday.”

Lukas's foot slipped from the accelerator for a second. “He's out already? How?”

She shrugged. “Good behavior, I guess. He even went and talked to Tedi and Mom, already trying to undermine me. That's how he's always operated. I told him to get lost. Mom thinks I should talk to him. I think he's charmed himself beneath that turtle-tough exterior of hers.”

Lukas hated the thought of Mercy and Tedi having to deal with Theo again. Not only had Theo left a lifetime scar on Tedi's body, he'd left scars in her heart. One night when Lukas was helping Tedi with homework—she was a smart kid—she told him that her father used to try to convince her that her mother didn't love her. How could a parent…

“Maybe I'm just being paranoid,” Mercy said, “but I know Theo. He manipulates people. He lies about people, especially me.”

Lukas nodded. “How does Tedi feel about seeing him?” He couldn't help the tiny flicker of jealousy he felt, and he couldn't pinpoint its source, exactly.

“Her nightmares are back, if that tells you anything.”

“Sounds like something to pray about.”

She looked sideways at him as they headed toward Jarvis George's house, where the party was being held. “I'd appreciate it if you would,” she said quietly.

He hid his sudden, hopeful surprise. “Of course.”

“I saw Clarence and Darlene today,” she said. “I did everything I could to convince Darlene she needs to start taking better care of herself. She promised to come to my office Monday, but you may see her sooner in the E.R.”

“She's that bad?”

“That bad.”

“If she comes in I'll give you a call. Maybe you can slap some handcuffs on her and fasten her to a hospital bed.”

They arrived at Jarvis George's home far too quickly, and Lukas had to park a block away because of all the cars. Oh, great, a big party. Just what he always loved. His only hope was that Jarvis wouldn't see him in the crowd.

Even under the best of conditions Lukas had always hated parties. Though he graduated from high school as valedictorian of his class, his social ineptitude had always embarrassed his two older, more popular brothers, who were jocks and proud of it. The resulting shyness, which had not disappeared with continuing education, kept him from making many friends—especially of the female persuasion. The fact that he and Mercy had become good friends was something he still considered with amazement and gratitude. Deep gratitude.

He couldn't help watching her as they walked to the front door and rang the bell. Her features might be too strong for others to consider her beautiful—her black brows were thick and straight, her mouth was a little too generous in proportion to the rest of her face, and she had a strong personality, outspoken to the point of occasional brashness—but as he got to know her, he thought she was the most attractive woman in Knolls. Her tendency to bully patients and family and friends into submission was offset by her willingness to listen and change and nurture everyone from children to the elderly. Her only rough spot was her distrust of men because of her bad experience with Theodore Zimmerman.

Lukas could identify, because a few years back an unethical woman had cost him his job and his internal medicine residency in Kansas City. The shared pain had drawn Lukas and Mercy close from the very beginning.

And the increasing depth of their friendship continued to disturb him. His parents had always warned him never to become romantically involved with someone he could not marry. He and Mercy had never even kissed, but he couldn't deny that they shared more than a simple, platonic friendship. At least he thought so. He'd never discussed it with Mercy.

The door opened and the hostess greeted them. Jean had been Jarvis George's private nurse during his long illness and was now his fiancée. Talk around Knolls was that she
was twenty-five years younger than Jarvis. She looked even younger, and friendlier. She dressed friendlier, too, with a boldness that spoke volumes more than it should have.

Lukas hesitated inside the doorway. Mercy took his arm, squeezed it and guided him forward through the vestibule behind their chattering hostess into the large, formal parlor beyond.

Lukas resisted dwelling on the obvious question—what on earth did Jean see in an old grouch like Jarvis? She'd even had the grace not to react to the sad “bowling night” outfit Lukas was wearing. She had, however, chosen to wear a dress designed to continue holding the host's attention throughout the party—and that of several other guests, no doubt.

Jarvis—with his gruff voice, erect, broad-shouldered posture and his gray hair still cut military length—held center stage with a fistful of his many guests in the center of the formal dining room. Mercy had too much compassion to drag Lukas through the crowd and lay his neck on the chopping block in front of the host. Instead, they wandered around the periphery of the mingling group in the general direction of the buffet table. They could talk with Jarvis later.

Lukas rounded a corner and nearly stumbled into Lauren McCaffrey, who stood talking to one of the floor nurses from the hospital. She had changed from her daytime scrubs to a silky-looking blue dress. Her long, naturally blond hair hung loose, and her green eyes widened with a smile when she caught sight of Lukas. Then Mercy stepped around the corner.

Some of Lauren's enthusiasm dissipated. “Hey, Dr. Bower, Dr. Mercy.”

Mercy's sudden tension reached out and touched Lukas with an almost physical force. “Hello, Lauren, hi, Megan.”

“Dr. Bower, I didn't know you were coming tonight,” Lauren said.

“You mean I had a choice?” Lukas muttered. Mercy nudged him with her elbow. He glanced sideways at her. She was not smiling, but he saw a glint of humor in her eyes.

“Dr. Bower, I was just telling Megan what a workaholic you are,” Lauren said. “We heard the new doc's starting Monday. Good job. Now, if we had a couple more, maybe you'd get a break. Did you know they're trying to hire more nurses for the floor? Mrs. Pinkley had the jobs posted yesterday, and somebody already asked if I knew anybody who might be interested. I told them about that new lady in our church who's a nurse—you know the one I mean? She and her husband joined a couple of weeks ago. I've only spoken with her a couple of times, but she seems—”

“Yes, I think hiring more nurses was a good decision,” Lukas interrupted, trying to stanch the freight-train flow of Lauren's chatter. He could smell barbecue in the air, rich and pungent and smoky, and his stomach growled at him. It wanted food.

“Mrs. Pinkley is making a lot of good decisions,” Mercy said.

“She sure is,” Lauren said. “I don't think the hospital would still be in operation if it weren't for her. Her husband was a good judge, too. Dr. Bower, I don't think you've ever met Judge Pinkley. He retired a couple of years ago because of a bad heart.” She glanced around the crowded room. “I don't think he came with Mrs. Pinkley tonight, but he sure is a character. He knows everybody he's ever met by their first name, and he remembers every case he ever had. I've never heard any complaints about his decisions, either, although I never—”

“Lauren,” Mercy interrupted gently, “does Jarvis have his buffet table in the usual place?”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Lauren said. “Here I am talking away, and you must be starved.” She smiled at Lukas again. “I know Dr. Bower is, since he worked so late tonight.”

“I'm sure we'll be talking to you later,” Mercy said as she turned and made her way through the crowd.

Megan stepped over to speak with someone else.

Lukas turned to follow Mercy, but Lauren reached out and touched his arm before he could walk away.

She took a step closer to him, glancing in the direction Mercy had gone. “Dr. Bower, I guess I should warn you. Dr. Mercy's ex-husband was here earlier.”

“Theodore?”
What was he doing here?
“How much earlier?”

“I saw him about thirty minutes ago. I didn't even know he'd gotten out of detox, and I can't believe Dr. George would have invited him after…you know. But Dr. Mercy's bound to be upset if she sees him. I haven't seen him since, but you might want to warn her just in case he hasn't left yet.”