CHAPTER EIGHT
“Should I be worried about that?” frowned Mitchell as he watched his great-grandfather and Marnie walk toward Gwen’s store.
“I hardly think he’s hitting on her, Mitch,” laughed his dad.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. He might be telling her about all the stupid shit I did as a kid.” His father laughed, shaking his head.
“Mitch, you didn’t do anything stupid as a kid other than stupid kid shit. We all did that! Grandpa is making her feel better about herself. He’s telling her about Grandma and him. And, if I had to guess, he’s taking her to get a new dress for your date tonight.”
“My date?”
“Yes, you idiot,” laughed Brooks. “We’ve prepared a surprise for the two of you. A date for you beneath the gazebo near the river gardens. All your favorite foods, and hers too. So dress in something other than cargo shorts.”
“I have other things,” he said shyly.
“Do you?” smirked Christopher.
“Maybe,” he laughed. “If not, I’ll steal some of Brooks clothes.”
“All alert. All alert. Whoever is available head to the hospital. Disruption reported. Cruz and Doc are there along with Shep. Move!”
The three men took off toward the hospital, others joining them. As they entered through the back doors, they could hear Shep’s calm voice.
“Listen, you’re clearly upset about something. Let’s sit down and talk,” said Shep.
“Talk? I’m not going to fucking talk to you. You’re not listening to me. I just want the chance to practice medicine again.”
“I’m sorry but your license is no longer valid,” said Ajei. “We cannot allow you to practice here.”
“That fucking bitch you hired is the problem,” he spat. They all stilled and it was Gabi that stepped forward.
“You call any of my doctors bitch again and I’ll show you how good I am with a scalpel.”
“See! You’re defending her! Fat Marnie. That’s what she is. Who wants a fat doctor taking care of them?”
“Boy, you better shut your mouth if you know what’s good for you,” said Christopher.
“I know she works here. I know she does. She was the one that got me fired. She was the one that turned on me.”
“She didn’t turn on you,” said Ajei. “You were using and selling drugs. That’s not something we could abide by. I’m sorry. You need to leave or you’ll be arrested.”
“Fine. Fine,” he said backing up toward the door. “But I’ll be back. I’ll be back for her and that bitch will die!”
He ran out of the building and Mitch started to take off after him but Christopher and Brooks held him back.
“That’s what he wants. Don’t do that, son,” said Christopher. “We’ll find him. Ajei? What happened?”
“He applied for the other ER role we had and I recognized the name. Marnie told us why she left the other hospital. It all checked out. When I calmly explained we couldn’t hire him when he didn’t possess an active license, he flipped out. I think he’s still using.”
“Name.” It was an order and Ajei stared at the younger man with a glare that would make her sister proud. “I’m sorry. What was his name?”
“Alden Johns. He’s originally from Philadelphia, went to medical school at NYU and started working at the same hospital as Marnie about two years ago.
Nurses had been reporting him for weeks but no one seemed to want to listen until Marnie had hard evidence.
His signature for the drugs, a photo of him in the closet when he wasn’t supposed to be there, and the evidence of the wrong drug he delivered to the patient. That sealed his fate.”
“Didn’t he get jail time?” asked Brooks.
“Probation and loss of license to practice anywhere in the U.S.,” said Ajei. “You need to tell Marnie, Mitch. Don’t keep this from her. She needs to know and needs to understand that we’ll protect her.”
“She’s going to run,” he said staring at his father, pleading with his eyes.
“We won’t let her run. I promise.”