Chapter Eighteen
RODNEY NEVER CAME to her bed that evening. When Julie woke, she was beyond angry with him for toying with her as he had. Was she just a convenience he could play with when she agreed? And to think, she had almost forsaken her patient ethics for him. In fact, she had already done that, but it could have been much worse.
The next day, as she dressed, it pained her not to wear scrubs, but she understood the importance of donning a nice suit for the review board. Although the board wouldn’t object to scrubs, a more professional appearance would elicit a positive response to her.
Just as she finished pinning her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, a knock came at her door. She usually wore a ponytail, but she had always been told it made her look years younger. While that compliment flattered her most of the time, she needed to be serious today. She was risking her chance at becoming chief of surgery and her ability to practice medicine.
“Yes?” she said before answering.
“Julie,” Rodney said, “we need to talk.”
Oh no, they didn’t. The last time they “talked,” she had nearly slept with him. She flung the door open and breezed past him. “No, we don’t. Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”
The drive to the hospital was brutal. They sandwiched her between Rodney and Casper—two rather large men—in the backseat. She guessed they didn’t want another occurrence of the shooting.
Tension filled the SUV cabin as Julie focused solely on what she would say to the hospital administrators at her hearing. She had done absolutely nothing wrong, but the order had been erroneous. Had she overlooked it? Had she made a mistake?
No. She always double-checked her medication entries when someone had an allergy. She was sure she didn’t include oxycodone for the patient.
“Julie?” Rodney asked.
“Huh?” She glanced at him. “Did you say something?”
“Yes, I need to talk to you.”
Not this again. She wouldn’t have the conversation about why he stood her up, especially not in front of the other agents. “Later,” she said, trying to figure out how she could avoid the conversation then. Right now, she had to be entirely focused.
“Julie—” he pleaded.
“Not right now, Rodney,” she said, exasperated. “I need to get ready for this meeting.”
He nodded and turned his head toward the window. “I won’t be there when the meeting starts,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
She turned her head toward him. “What?” That shouldn’t have upset her, but it did. She was a whirlwind of contradictions when it came to this man. One minute, she wanted him with her; the next, she didn’t want to see him. One minute, she wanted him; the next, she—well, she still wanted him. Still….
They drove to the front of the hospital, an entrance she seldom utilized since she primarily worked in the emergency room and surgical suites.
Nerves overwhelmed her. Would they fire her for what they deemed to be her fault? She couldn’t bear the thought of not working at this hospital. She loved it—and the patients. Even the other doctors that had a god complex.
Casper exited the vehicle, and she followed him. The SUV drove away after he closed the door. What about her protection? While she expected to be safe at the hospital, lately, she didn’t feel safe anywhere except at Rodney’s home.
The two agents in the second SUV, Cowboy, Pup, and Casey, met them at the front door, and the group walked through the automatic doors.
Julie started to tremble as they made their way to the administrative wing. Even though she had never faced a review board hearing, she had heard they could be brutal.
Casper leaned down to her. “It’s okay, Dr. Banks. You’re a strong doctor. Just let me know, and remind them you didn’t make that error.”
She appreciated the brief pep talk but wished it had come from Rodney instead of another agent. Still, it helped calm her nerves. “Thank you, Casper.”
Calling these men by nicknames felt strange, yet they wouldn’t share their real names as if they were ashamed of them. Well, she hoped that soon she’d be free of them all and could return to her life.
That had her thinking about Carlos again. Was he behind everything that had been happening to her? Could he have altered the order in the system? She hadn’t shared her passcode, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have it.
It wasn’t as if she could accuse him without evidence. Otherwise, her career would be at risk. She would simply have to endure whatever storm the hospital sent her way.
As she approached the conference room, her steps felt heavy, and she struggled to keep pace with the agents. They must have noticed and adjusted their speed to match hers. As much as she hated having these men around her every moment of the day, she would miss the courtesy and protectiveness they offered her.
“Please have a seat, Dr. Banks,” the hospital administrator’s assistant said. “They’ll be with you shortly.”
In hospital terminology, “shortly” could mean anything, and she knew this. She sat, attempting not to fidget with her skirt, which might betray her nervousness.
When Casper stood close by, it only heightened her anxiety.
“Can’t you at least sit down?”
He smiled and nodded after looking at her for what felt like an eternity. “Sure thing, Doc.”
That brought Rodney to her mind as if he had never left. She wished it were him sitting next to her, holding her hand. She abruptly halted that train of thought.
“You know,” Casper said, “you’ve got this. We have no doubts.”
The use of “we” made her heart melt. These men were becoming friends with her—friends who would take a bullet for her, which troubled her endlessly—but friends, nonetheless. “Thank you, Casper.”
He leaned in closer. “You may call me Ash.”
Julie smiled and eased back into her chair. “Thank you, Ash.”
“Dr. Banks,” the assistant said, “they’re ready for you.”
So much for relaxation. It flew out the window as soon as she stood. With her shoulders back, she took a deep breath and released it before opening the door.
It was worse than she expected. The five administrators, including her boss, sat on one side of the table, leaving a solitary chair on the other side for her. They scrutinized her as she approached. Unsure if she could sit without permission, she knew better than to upset them right away. “May I sit?”
“Of course.” Mr. Baker, the head administrator of the hospital, nodded toward the chair.
Sitting nearly at attention, she left her ankles uncrossed beneath the table, prepared to bolt if necessary.
Mr. Baker cleared his throat. “Dr. Banks, do you know why we’re meeting today?”
She wanted to give him a “Duh,” like the younger students did with questions like that, but instead, she nodded. “I do.”
“Well, indulge me as I summarize.” Mr. Baker glanced at the file before him and recounted the details of Mr. Watkins’s near-death experience.
She wanted to scream. Those weren’t the facts. She hadn’t messed up. It had to be Carlos, but how could she prove it when she was only given a day before the hearing?
After completing the summation, he glanced at each board member. “Does anyone have anything to add?”
Julie hoped not, as that had been more than enough lies. She wanted to scream from her chair that they had it all wrong, but she knew that wouldn’t help her situation.
When no one spoke up, she sighed in relief. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by anything else.
“I’m going to read the timeline we have of Mr. Watkins’s file from your visit until his cardiac arrest.” Mr. Baker looked at her questioningly, as if she might object.
She nodded, as though her approval was the key to moving forward.
As the administrator noted the facts as they saw them, Julie quietly reviewed her defense once again. It would be her word against what was on the computer, and they had learned from the beginning that the computer didn’t lie.
“Now,” Mr. Baker interrupted her preparation. “What do you have to say, Dr. Banks?”
Julie cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sorry to say your facts are incorrect.”
Everyone on the other side of the table—except for her superior, who grinned—raised their eyebrows. She knew she would shock them with her disagreement rather than her plea for forgiveness, attributing it to burnout, too many patients, insufficient time, or any excuse. But they hadn’t anticipated her to fight back.
How can she word it to express doubt without placing blame on Carlos?
Just as she was about to continue, a commotion erupted as the door burst open.
“I apologize, Mr. Baker,” the assistant pleaded.
He raised his hand and said, “It’s okay, Mira. You may go now.”
In disbelief, Julie stared at Rodney, who had interrupted her meeting. Did he not understand how important this was? He couldn’t involve himself in this to protect her.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Baker,” she began, but he shook his head and gestured for her to remain seated.
“Ah, Mr. White. I have given your team ample leeway in my hospital to protect Dr. Banks, but this is unacceptable. She is not in danger from anyone on this board or in this room.”
Rodney glared at Mr. Baker until the man turned pale. “I’ll decide that, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh?” Mr. Baker tilted his head slightly. “Please share so we can keep running the hospital.”
“You’ve got this all wrong,” Rodney said, stepping beside her. “Dr. Banks didn’t do anything wrong.”
Julie felt like groaning. This wouldn’t help her case.
“And how do you know this?”
Rodney put a hand on the back of her chair. “I was with Dr. Banks when she entered that order, and I know for a fact that she double-checked it.”
“Did you see her input the medication into the tablet?”
He hadn’t, and Julie knew it, so she questioned whether he would lie to protect her.
“No,” he sighed. “But one of the students who followed her did see her enter the medication.”
“Where is this student?”
“One moment.” Rodney stepped away from her and opened the door.
What was he up to? She was curious about who would come to her aid, as she hadn’t noticed if any students had seen her enter the information.
Marla walked into the room with her head down.
Julie narrowed her eyes. If Marla thought that lying would convince Julie to give her a passing grade, she was sadly mistaken.
“Tell them,” Rodney urged.
Marla looked at Rodney with pleading eyes.
He nodded. “Go ahead and tell them.”
“Look, Mr. White,” Mr. Baker said, “we don’t force students to express anything that might not be true, especially about their instructor.”
Rodney faced the group of administrators. “Oh, you’re going to love what she says.” He turned back to Marla. “Go ahead and speak.”
Marla’s shoulders drooped. “I saw Dr. Banks enter the information correctly. She asked us to double-check if anyone was allergic to a medication we considered prescribing.”
“Thank you—?” Mr. Baker paused. “What’s your name?”
“Marla Rollins.”
“Thank you, Ms. Rollins. You’re excused.”
Rodney rested his hand on Marla’s shoulder. “She’s not done yet.”
“Do I really have to?” she begged Rodney.
He nodded. “Oh, yes, you definitely do.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “I watched Dr. Banks input the information, including her password. Later, I changed the order.”
The board gasped in unison.
“Why would you do that if it might harm a patient?” Mr. Baker asked.
“Because,” Marla glared at Julie, fury flashing in her eyes. “She was about to fail me.”