"Not yet. I'm kinda nervous, to be honest, but... I just wanna sleep through this emotional stuff, so I'll definitely use it tonight and let you know in the morning." Standing up when Carl did, I mimicked his nod as satisfaction softened his features. "Thank you, again— I'm really sorry about that."
"I'm not gonna lie... I'm really enjoying being the hero and swooping in to save you." Even as uncertainty glimmered in Carl's eyes, he reached to touch my hip— like he couldn't stop himself.
Electricity skittered up my side and down my outer thigh, but he was quick to pull his hand back. This time, though, there wasn't any awkwardness as he shuffled out from the cabana. Only offering me a little wave, he returned to his sister, and I bit my bottom lip hard. Man... if only I could kiss him.
Chapter 10
Carl
"Thank you for doing this for me, Laurie." My sister flashed me a tight smile as she straightened her little vest, and I opened the door to the HR offices for her. She looked good, her plain, black skirt suit very smart and professional, and her hair up in a tight bun. It eased some of my nerves to have her here, but that same anxiety came surging up my throat when I saw Eva was already here.
That horrible woman was flipping through a magazine, her low heel dipping leisurely. When Eva heard the door open, she looked up and froze, her eyes going wide when she saw my sister. Confusion battled my already raging emotions, and I glanced between the two over thinned lips.
In her heels, Laurie was almost the same height as me, and I could almost smell how intimidated Eva was. A wilting flower, my sister was most decidedly not, and she sauntered up smoothly to the reception desk to talk to the woman behind. Eva watched my sister with panic tightening her face, making her look gaunt and haggard.
Of course, Laurie advised me not to say anything to Eva, ever again, but I seriously wanted to ask what got her feathers ruffled.
This investigation had taken less than a whole business week, and that was strange in itself, as well. Usually, it'd take months to resolve as they were trying to catch me doing something I wasn't. This hospital would hire a private investigator, pull, and analyze cameras— the whole nine yards— to cover their butts.
And they should, because I can sue their hats off for defamation, and I will sue Eva for all the emotional distress that bitch caused me. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and Laurie was leaving today. She'd only planned on staying three days, but she could see how this was eating away at me. At least her professor thought this was a great experience and counted it as long as she brought back materials to prove she'd done it.
I was going to send that man a bottle of whiskey in thanks.
"Carl? This way, please. Who do you have with you? This is just an information gathering session to determine whether you stay suspended and the investigation begins."
My head whipped to the side, and I inhaled a shallow breath as my heart threatened to burst through my ribs. Thank God for my sister when she walked over to confidently hold out her hand. The man assigned to my 'case' automatically took it, and my sister smiled politely.
"Eric Dane. I'll be taking Carl's statements to determine what to do next."
"It's a pleasure, Mr. Dane. I'm Laurie Northrop. I'm a law student at Harvard, but my brother has agreed to allow me to advise him."
Following my sister and Eric through to his office, I held my breath when I crossed the threshold. Behind me, Eva made a strangled choking sound, and my confusion threatened to drown me. It was just a friggin office, no smaller than mine, but it felt so tight and claustrophobic when I sat down.
"So, why haven't you already began to investigate when you suspended Carl?"
"Well, as you know, he's only been working here for two months, and considering the extremely favorable deal that we pulled to get you, I was hesitant to just believe the report. The suspension is just procedure until we gather enough facts to determine whether or not the allegations have any merit." Facing me once he sat down, Eric frowned under his sharply shaved, thin goatee, and I clenched my jaw hard. "I know it's entirely possible that you may have had a one-off encounter before realizing your patient was, in fact, your patient, given how slow your office is. I also know it's just as possible that what was reported may not have been what it seemed."
"What did the report say?" Somehow managing not to growl out my question, I arched a brow quizzically. Eric's eyes narrowed on me, and I had to forcibly unstuff my shoulder caps from my ears. "I already know who reported me, I just don't know why. I have never and will never compromise my job for anyone."
"There were two instances detailed in your report. One for a red-haired woman by the name of Melissa Jackson, who you were seen having lunch with and supposedly getting intimate with in your car." I almost choked, and my sister reached to pinch my knee sharply as anger surged through my veins. "The second is with a blue-haired woman who, obviously, was misidentified. From what information I received, it seemed like the woman may have dyed her hair to be less recognizable, but that's obviously not the case."
Gesturing to my sister, Eric didn't take his eyes off me, and I inhaled deeply through my nose. The air only fanned the flames lapping at my chest, but I couldn't blow up here. I couldn't risk my job over Eva's lies.
"As I said, I was hesitant to believe the report as not only were the physical descriptions for the women somewhat different, but that you'd attempt explicitly forbidden relationships so soon after coming here. Also, you have no patient with blue hair. I checked. So, really, my questions are regarding this Melissa Jackson." Clasping his hands together, Eric turned his gaze to my sister to nod in acknowledgment. "I apologize for the mix up, Miss Northrop."
"Apology accepted. I understand that the circumstances could've been construed different than they were. Carl and I haven't seen each other in a long time, and he didn't know I'd dyed my hair. To a stalker, at a distance, it could've seemed like flirting." Laurie emphasized the word with an arch of her brow, and I was suddenly so, so glad that I'd spilled the beans. Not about what happened with Mel in the exam room, but in the public places, yeah. "I find it extremely suspicious that whoever reported Carl had seen him multiple times even though she and he do not live in the same town, and she has seemingly no reason to be in those places. With our meeting at the Italian restaurant, I could call that a coincidence, maybe, but the second... much less so."
"You're aware that fraternizing outside the office with patients on a personal level is against his contract of Ethics?"
"Firstly, there was no fraternization. Carl was getting dinner to-go where his patient just so happened to be having a severe asthma attack. He sat with her, yes, until their food arrived, and then they parted ways." Shooting back smoothly, Laurie crossed her knees and held her head high. "Are you insinuating he should've called 9-1-1 and waited for them to get there while she was having a life-threatening attack?"
"Of course not, no. I just want to know what they talked about, if anything inappropriate was said, and to try to determine without a doubt whether or not anything unethical occurred." That seemed to be exactly what my sister wanted to hear, and she reached into her briefcase with a small CD and a stapled few sheets of paper. "What is this?"