Chapter 13
Ronan
Ten and Ronan got home a little after noon. Thankfully Tennyson’s nose wasn’t broken and he didn’t have a concussion. Even so, Ronan had sent Ten to take a nap.
While Ten was snoozing, Ronan had read through the entire Autumn Miller file.
Fitz had scanned it into the computer and sent Ronan a copy.
The one thing that had been obvious to Ronan right off the bat was that Autumn should have been fired long before last week.
There were three formal complaints filed against her by other nurses in the unit who’d wanted to remain anonymous.
Each of them accused Autumn of failing to fulfill her job responsibilities.
Instead, she’d been mooning over Elijah Logan, evidenced by the complaints he’d filed against Autumn with HR.
It had taken a close call with the Hughes’s baby for the hospital to finally take action and terminate her employment.
Ronan didn’t need Ten’s gifts to know that lawsuits for wrongful termination, discrimination, and sexual harassment would be forthcoming against the hospital and Elijah Logan.
“Hey, what’s got you looking so serious?” Ten asked from the kitchen door. His hair was damp and he was dressed in jeans and a tee. “Don’t tell me I’m about to be arrested again.”
“No, you’re not getting arrested again. Once was bad enough.
” Ronan ushered Ten into a chair and turned on the electric kettle.
“Fitz and Jude sent me the Autumn Miller file and what they let her get away with in that hospital is astounding. I know there are protocols for verbal and written warnings, but putting patient’s lives in danger should be an automatic termination, in my book.
” Ronan had a lot more to say on the matter, but was interrupted by the doorbell.
“If that’s someone here to arrest me, tell them I’ve fled to France. They don’t have an extradition treaty with the United States!” Ten shouted after his husband.
“I hate to break it to you, Ten,” Reagan Pryce said, walking into the kitchen, “but that only applies to death penalty cases and you’re only facing ten years.”
“Only,” Ten muttered under his breath.
“Can I get you something, Reagan?” Ronan asked. “Bottle of water? Cup of tea?”
“Peppermint would be great if you have it.” Reagan turned to Tennyson. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Ronan made me get checked out at the hospital. I’m fine, my nose isn’t broken and I don’t have a concussion.”
“We also had the nurse document Ten’s injuries.
I’ll send you the photographs.” Ronan set a mug full of hot water and a peppermint teabag in front of Reagan.
“Ten and I spoke with Doctor Elijah Logan and the Hughes family. It was their baby that Autumn Miller abandoned in distress last week. Fitz and Jude were supposed to send you her personnel file. Logan turned it over to them this morning.”
“Fitz sent it to me after lunch. I’ve read it over and added it to Tennyson’s case file.
I also got a call from Elijah Logan. He let me know Autumn is preparing suit against him and he wants me to represent him.
Since Miss Miller hasn’t filed the paperwork, I wonder how Elijah found out that she’s in his sights. ”
“I told him,” Ten said. “I didn’t want the lawsuit to come out of the blue.”
“Well, from what I’ve seen from Miss Miller’s employee file and the personal cell phone data Elijah turned over, she’s got bigger things to worry about than suing the man she planned to marry, which is why I’m here.”
Ten sighed. “Don’t tell me the Danvers Police Department has trumped up more things to charge me with? I think I jaywalked last week.”
Reagan laughed. “No, there are no more charges against you at present, but I would suggest you obey all traffic laws.” Taking a sip of tea, Reagan’s eyes stayed on Tennyson. “I got a strange call this afternoon. You’ll never guess who it was.”
“Who?” Ronan didn’t like the sound of this one bit. Cops didn’t like when strange things happened and he assumed neither did lawyers.
“Dorothy Planter, Autumn Miller’s attorney. They want to meet with us tomorrow morning to talk about a deal.”
“A deal?” Ronan asked. “Ten is up on criminal charges, the only one who can offer him a deal is Briggs, the district attorney.”
“According to the message, Autumn is willing to drop the criminal charges against Tennyson if certain conditions are met.”
“What certain conditions?” Ten asked, looking hopeful.
“We’ll find out tomorrow, if the two of you decide to take the meeting.” Reagan looked back and forth between Ten and Ronan.
“What’s Ten’s liability if we attend? Can they use anything he says against him?” Ronan asked.
“Yes, for the criminal trial and for the civil suit, should one be brought.”
“Civil suit?” Ten asked. “So, not only can this woman have me jailed on criminal charges, but she can sue me and take everything Ronan and I have spent years building?”
Reagan nodded. “All of that, but it gets worse. Autumn Miller can also sue West Side Magick, Carson, Cole, and Cope, since the four of you own the business jointly.”
Ten got up from the table and began to pace around the kitchen. “Obviously we have to take this meeting.”
“I don’t like that idea, Ten,” Ronan said as the doorbell rang.
“It’s Jude and Fitz. Let them in and I’ll explain my stance to all of you.” Ten set his empty tea cup in the sink.
Ronan did what Ten asked. There was no way in hell he wanted Tennyson anywhere near Autumn Miller, but had a feeling he was about to be outvoted in the matter. He opened the door and ushered Fitz and Jude inside.
“Hey, everyone,” Fitz said, as he and Jude walked into the kitchen. “Ronan mentioned something about Autumn wanting to have a meeting tomorrow.” He and Jude took seats at the table.
“Do I have your permission to speak in front of Jude and Fitz?” Reagan asked.
“Yes, especially since Fitz is paying your fee.” Ten offered the captain a small smile. “There’s no one I trust more to have our best interests at heart than Fitz and Jude.”
“Like Ronan said, Autumn and her attorney wants sit down with Ten tomorrow. What he didn’t tell you is that Autumn claims she will drop the criminal charges against Tennyson under certain conditions that she’ll only name at this meeting.
” Reagan wore a sour look, as if to say he wasn’t a fan of whatever quid pro quo Autumn was going to spring on them.
“Shit,” Jude said. “I don’t like the sound of that one bit.”
“Autumn isn’t under criminal indictment, so why does she have an attorney? Why isn’t DA Briggs involved in this meeting?” Fitz sighed, his eyes on Ronan. “I think Ten has to take the meeting. At least hear out what Autumn wants, then you can make decisions from there.”
Ronan knew his boss was speaking sense, but the thought of Ten being in a room with a woman who’d already caused him so much harm, mentally and professionally, made his skin crawl.
“That’s what I was thinking too, Fitz, but with one difference.
I want you and Jude there with all of the information you’ve dug up on Autumn.
I’m sick of sitting on the sideline while this woman comes at me and my family because she didn’t get what she wanted.
It’s obvious why Elijah Logan wanted nothing to do with her.
None of that is on me. From this moment forward, we fight fire with fire.
” Ten turned to Ronan. “What do you think?”
“I agree with you, Ten, but Reagan runs the meeting. If he says we’re done, we’re done. No arguments.” Ronan paused, trying to figure out the best way to move forward. “Are we anywhere close to asking for an arrest warrant for Autumn over what happened to the Hughes baby?”
Fitz shook his head. “That’s the bad news. The District Attorney’s office doesn’t want to pursue this case.”
“What! Why? Because of the case against Tennyson?” Ronan half-shouted.
“This is the exact kind of outburst we need to avoid tomorrow,” Reagan said, softly.
Ronan rolled his eyes. “Fitz, why don’t they want to pursue this case against Autumn?”
“Because the child survived. They don’t want to set a precedent of going after doctors and nurses for providing subpar care. Secondly, Autumn is going to say she left the baby’s room to find Doctor Logan. She’s not lying, she did go find him.”
“No, she’s not lying,” Ronan agreed with disdain. “What about the instances of stalking and harassment?”
“There’s plenty of evidence of that behavior,” Jude said. “We’ve got Doctor Logan’s phone records which show how often Autumn Miller calls him. There are also her text messages to him.”
“Stalking cases hinge on the victim being able to prove there is a threat of death or bodily harm. The looseness of this statute is the reason battered women can’t get the protection they need.
” Reagan paused to take a sip of tea, as if to wash the taste of those words from his mouth.
“Each charge carries a penalty of two to five years and a thousand dollar fine. Autumn Miller has no criminal record. It’s my guess a judge would rule that she’d have to pay a fine and go along on her merry way.
From what I read in the file Jude sent over, the doctor’s life hasn’t been threatened. ”
“Yet,” Ronan said. “With Autumn having lost her job and her access to Logan, this situation could escalate quickly and dangerously.”
“I agree,” Fitz said. “But we need some kind of leverage against Miller. We can’t walk into this meeting tomorrow with no ammunition of our own against this woman.”
“Leave that to me. I’ll be in touch tonight.” Reagan got out of his chair. “Ten, do I have your permission to take this meeting with Autumn Miller and her lawyer?”
Ten nodded. “Yes. Let me know what you need from me. I’m going to reach out to Cope and Carson and see if they’re willing to attend the meeting as well. All of our professional futures are on the line here and I’ll be damned we go down without a fight.”
Ronan was onboard with Ten’s plan. Yes, Carson, Cole, and Cope’s livelihood was on the line, but so was Tennyson’s freedom. In Ronan’s book, keeping Ten out of jail came before anything else. He was ready to do anything in his power to fight for his husband.