"Security footage from The Golden Pearl showing that nothing unethical was done while inside the restaurant, as well as the outside camera showing them getting into different cars and her driving away. I also added the time of the call my brother had with our mother while sitting in the parking lot. These are statements from the waitress and bartender at the restaurant attesting that this woman, Melissa, actually had an asthma attack."
Eric looked surprised as he took the paper and CD in its generic, red case, and appreciation flickered in his eyes. He set them aside, the cogs working between his ears as he turned his gaze to me. I sat up a little straighter, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end under his weighty stare.
"So, would you mind explaining what happened at The Golden Pearl, Carl? In your own words."
Nodding even as a cold sweat broke out under my jacket, I cleared my throat roughly. Eric appeared to be an open-minded guy, and I was hoping he wouldn't just brush me off.
"Yes. I had an altercation with Eva at my car in the parking lot. She was waiting for me when I exited the building and proceeded to scream at me and threatened to ruin my life because I refused to have sex with her."
Eric's eyebrows almost flew off his face in surprise, and I grimaced ugly at the memory of that day.
"I decided that I didn't want to cook, so I ordered to-go from The Golden Pearl and headed over rather than risk her coming back to my car to yell at me again. When I entered the restaurant to wait for my food, Melissa was being escorted back in from the patio and was obviously on the tail end of a severe asthma attack. I approached her, asked if she was okay and if it was alright if I sat with her. It's in her file that her allergies impact her asthma, and that day had particularly bad air quality. I observed her while we waited for our food, as she decided to get her order to-go also, and we parted ways in the parking lot once I determined she was okay to drive. Melissa has an emergency inhaler, so hospitalization wasn't necessary. I also added it to my notes in her chart."
"What did you talk about?"
For a moment, I hesitated, not wanting to breach Melissa's privacy about her turbulent home life. Taking another deep breath, I ground my teeth before opening my mouth, and sourness coated my tongue.
"Melissa complained a bit that her father had ignored the seriousness of her condition and gotten patio seats in spite of the bad air. She explained that she didn't take any medication for her allergies prior to leaving for the Pearl. I advised Melissa to basically stick to her guns about her health, but that was really all. I knew from our appointment that her allergies and asthma were affecting her sleeping. She requested a CPAP machine for it, and I did take that episode into account when prescribing it after she completed her sleep study."
Eric nodded, jotting down notes about what I'd revealed, and I exhaled a slow, much more steady breath.
"After she left, I sat in my car and ate. My mom called me briefly. Then, I went back to the office to add to her chart before going home."
"Alright. I'll need to check the video you've provided me to confirm, but really... I'm much more interested in the altercation with Eva Mendez at your car. Would you mind telling me about that? You know she's the one who filed against you, you mentioned. Why do you think she would make false allegations?"
I cast a questioning glance at Laurie, and she nodded firmly and grabbed my hand to squeeze hard. Gulping down the dense lump in my throat, I licked my lips heavily. Shame tightened my chest, and my heart rate jacked up before I even spoke up.
Chapter 11
Melissa
Jogging down the path after Kimi, I wheezed painfully, and she just got farther and farther away.
"Stop that cat!" I winced as my rasp burned my throat. Kimi's shimmering, grey fur stood out in this wooded area, at least, and I paused my chasing to struggle to breathe. "Nothing is going my way today."
Aside from sleeping for over twenty-four hours straight, of course. I woke up to Kimi scratching me because her food bowl was empty. I almost broke my machine because I didn't realize it was still attached to me. I knocked my leg in the shower, and I got shampoo in my eyes. And now, my cat was running away.
My legs couldn't hold me, and I shuffled to the side of the path to sit on my butt and huff hoarsely. If I just sit here, Kimi will come back. Or someone will catch her, hopefully, and walk back down.
"Jeeze..." I picked myself back up as worry threaded my veins and gave me a boost of adrenaline. Kimi was an expensive, beautiful cat, and my best friend. I had gotten her as a kitten when I first moved here. I couldn't just trust someone to bring her back! "God— okay."
This time, I walked instead of jogged, and I rounded the bend to crane my neck for any flash of light grey. Relief eased the pressure on my heart when I saw Kimi up a tree, her leash stuck between a branch's fork. She meowed like crazy when she saw me, and I frowned up at her as I paused under the tree.
"You dumb cat! You ran away and now you need help getting down!" I wagged my finger at her, propping my fists on my hips as I debated how to get Kimi down. She kept yowling at me, balancing on the tree branch with her claws out and panic on her kitty face. "You better not jump off or you'll ring your own neck. You're lucky I love you, or you'd be stuck there forever!"
"You're in a good mood, aren't you, Mel?"
Jumping with a squeak of surprise, I whirled around to find Carl smiling happily at me. Pointing up at my cat, his smile grew as I struggled to get my heart back down from my throat.
"Want some help?"
"Can you reach?" Rather than answer me, Carl strode up to the tree to reach up, and my eyes widened when I realized he was shirtless again. The thick muscles of his back played tantalizingly, and flames licked up my neck. He couldn't quite reach, and I bit my bottom lip absently as he grabbed the branch. Hoisting himself up with a grunt, he carefully unhooked the leash, and Kimi instantly sailed over him to land on the concrete walkway.
"Dumb cat." Kneeling down to pet her and grab the leash, I smiled as she weaved between my legs, and I straightened as Carl dropped down. "Thank you. Again."
"You're welcome. Again. You look good, Mel." His eyes trailed down to scan my athletic wear, and my nipples tightened at the intense appreciation in his gaze. "Really."
"You're just saying that because of my cat." Blurting out the first thing that popped into my head.
My face flamed when Carl's eyebrows twitched suggestively. Swiping back his hair, he stepped a little closer and crouched to pet Kimi. His eyes scanned my front, and I crossed my arms under my breasts. Lightly, he licked his lips, almost unnoticeably when he quickly stood up.
"I— you know, I never properly thanked you for the last three times... you know— you helped me out. I think after the third time, I owe you... some tacos?"
"... I would like to, sure."
I smiled brightly, but Carl held up a hand quickly with a stern look.
"Only because you want to repay me for helping your cat, Mel. I'm your doctor. When you're having an asthmatic crisis, it's my duty to help you."
"Oh— yes. Obviously. Um, so, what's been going on with you? How'd your sister's visit go?"