Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
At the end of the day, Maxwell was writing notes in his journal.
Unfortunately, he had been correct about Trevor.
The in-house screening suggested an elevated blood lead level, and he immediately drew another sample that was sent to an outside lab.
In addition, Mrs. Thompson had confirmed some of the symptoms consistent with lead poisoning in her own body.
Maxwell was still beating himself up for not catching the issue during his appointments with Trevor.
He should’ve asked more questions. If he had, he would have learned the family had moved into an older home and connected the dots sooner.
He was glad at least that they were on the right track, and the family had answers.
If the second test confirmed lead poisoning, the Thompsons could then work with specialists to get the lead out of their environment.
As he finished up his notes, a knock on the door caused Maxwell to lift his eyes from the page in front of him. Dr. Roberson walked into the office.
“Great work with the Thompson family today.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“When will we have the lab results?”
“Thursday. In the meantime, the Thompsons are staying with family.”
“Good.”
Though he sounded satisfied, Dr. Roberson seemed oddly reserved. Without saying another word, he closed the door and looked at Maxwell with surprising concern in his eyes. Unsure of what was going on, Maxwell remained silent and waited for him to speak.
Dr. Roberson tucked his hands in the pockets of his white coat. “I’m an old man, but I’m not a fool. I’ve noticed the change in your relationship with Jay, though I admit you’ve both been doing a good job of hiding it. I doubt anyone else in the office has figured out what’s going on.”
Oh shit. “Sir—”
Dr. Roberson lifted one of his hands to stop him from speaking. “Do you care about my daughter?”
“Yes, sir. Very much.”
“Then I expect your attention is sincere. She might not have shared this with you, but she’s been hurt before. By someone she worked with.”
“She told me, and I would never hurt Jasmine.”
“You’re a good doctor, Maxwell. One of the best I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
The mystery with the Thompson boy—Trevor—proves you’re able to problem solve in a way we don’t often see in this field.
I hope you’re a good man too, because as much as I love having you here, if Jay sheds one tear over you, you’re gone. ”
Maxwell had never seen Dr. Roberson like this. The boisterous, friendly personality had been replaced by unflinching seriousness, which he suspected few people ever saw. This was a father speaking to him, not a boss. A man finding a way to protect his daughter.
“I understand,” Maxwell said. He had never been warned by a woman’s father before. He was in new, unfamiliar territory.
Dr. Roberson nodded, briefly smiling, offering a temporary glimpse of the man Maxwell had originally met and come to admire. When he opened the door, Jasmine was standing outside, her hand lifted to knock.
She looked at her father in surprise. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, honey. Dr. Santana and I had a little meeting. He’s all yours.” Dr. Roberson then went down the hall.
Frowning, Jasmine entered the office. “What was your meeting about?” she whispered.
“Doctor stuff. What’s that?” Standing, he purposely changed the subject and walked around the desk.
Jasmine extended the envelopes in her hand. “I finally got around to sorting the mail, and there are a couple of pieces for you.”
“Thanks. You want to go out to eat tonight, after work?” Sitting on the edge of the desk, he scanned the envelopes.
“Where to?”
“Haven’t decided yet. Unless you have a preference.” He briefly looked up at her.
“I have a taste for soul food. Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, et cetera.”
“Sounds good. I’m game.”
“Since we’re talking about eating, um... do you mind if we change our plans on Friday night?”
Maxwell immediately looked up. They had planned to go to dinner and a movie at Atlantic Station, a mixed-use neighborhood and retail district. “Sure. Did you want to do something else?”
Jasmine folded her hands behind her back. “Actually, my sister, Maura, wants to meet you and invited us to dinner at her place.”
“She’s the one you’re closest to, right?”
“Yes, and she’s a thorn in my side. For the sake of transparency, she and my brother-in-law will be checking you out to make sure you’re worthy of all my greatness.”
“The family screening. I guess I better be on my best behavior then.” He placed the envelopes on the desk, mildly excited at the prospect of meeting Jasmine’s sister. It was definitely a good sign. “Do I need to bring anything?”
“You’re okay with going?”
“Of course.”
She looked pleased. “You don’t need to bring anything, just yourself. Do you have any food allergies I don’t know about? My sister wanted to know, just in case.”
“No. She can make anything she wants.”
“I thought so, but I wanted to make sure. I’ll let her know.” She side-eyed him. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“You met my family, now I’m meeting yours. Seems like things are getting serious.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “Don’t get too excited. You might have a horrible time and fail miserably on Friday.”
“Doubt it.”
“Just be on your best behavior, and everything will be fine.”
She looked over her shoulder at the open doorway, and seeing the coast was clear, kissed him quickly. “See you later,” she said before scampering out of the office.
Since it was near the end of the day and Maxwell didn’t have any more appointments, he sat down behind his desk again and thought about the warning from Dr. Roberson, debating whether or not he wanted to tell Jasmine that her father had figured out they were involved.
After some thought, he decided he wouldn’t—for now.
One day, in the very distant future, probably years from now, he would tell her how her father had let him know and how he’d told Maxwell in no uncertain terms what the repercussions of hurting her would be.
For now, he only had one more sentence to add to his journal, which he underlined.
Don’t fuck this up!