Belmont Springs

Monday, March 30th, 10:00 AM

Ethan

Ethan squirmed in the waiting room chair, trying in vain to find a position that didn’t pinch his sciatic nerve or numb his backside. The Harvard chair wasn’t designed for comfort. With its black lacquered wood and crimson Veritas crest, it was made to intimidate.

Last time I sat in one of these, I was trying to get into med school. Now I’m just praying they won’t kick me out.

Expulsion seemed like a good bet. He remembered Doctor Grieves’ warning about having two strikes on his record. The pressure to make an example of him would only increase once Prime Dirt found out about his addiction history. He could already picture the next headline.

HARVARD MED SCHOOL LETS IN DRUG ADDICT WHO STOLE

DAD’S RX PAD TO FORGE OXY SCRIPTS

Maybe Maddie would be the one to write that story. They’d always gotten along, but she was fiercely loyal to her sister. If she wanted him out of the picture…

He massaged his throbbing temples. He needed to stay focused. Get his mind straight before they called him into the conference room. Choi and Grieves had entered ten minutes earlier, accompanied by two men and a woman wearing dark suits that screamed executive or lawyer.

He thought of Jess’s warning. This wasn’t going to be a casual chat. He was fighting for his professional life, and the cards were stacked against him.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Sara Jensen was lurking at the far end of the hallway, neck craned like she was trying to catch a glimpse of a gory crime scene. When their eyes met, she flashed him a mean little smile before walking away.

He could almost hear those stubby fingers tapping away at her cell phone. More grist for the gossip mill.

The conference room door cracked open and Doctor Choi stuck her head out. “Ethan? We’re ready for you.”

Her strained voice and pale complexion told him everything he needed to know. Jess was right. This wasn’t going to be an open-minded conversation with his peers. He was walking right into an ambush.

Choi led him to his seat at the head of the conference table, then sat at the opposite end next to Grieves. The psychiatrist’s expression was hard to read, but he looked older since their last meeting. His beard stubble was more salt than pepper, his shoulders stooped, and the worry lines around his eyes cut deeper.

He fixed a somber gaze on Ethan. “Thank you for joining us, Mister Chase. As you can see, we have company this morning. Seated to your right are Chuck Vermeer and Lynne Mitchell, who run Belmont’s Risk Management team. And on your left is Doctor William Fischer, representing the medical school’s Promotion and Review Board. You probably recognized Bill as Castle Society’s Advisory Dean.”

Dean Fischer glanced up from his cell, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He had the silver hair, austere expression, and wire-framed glasses of a stereotypical old-school doctor. All that was missing was the black bag. Ethan remembered meeting Fischer once, during the first week of medical school. They’d discussed his plans for addiction counseling and therapy. The conversation had lasted five minutes.

“I’m here to observe and gather preliminary information,” Fischer said in a gruff voice. “The PRB will be contacting you later this week if this situation warrants a full disciplinary hearing.”

Ethan surveyed the room, wondering who would be taking the lead. After an uncomfortable stretch of silence, Chuck Vermeer cleared his throat. His tanned complexion, fake smile, and shifty eyes made Ethan think of a used car salesman.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, doctors. I realize we all have tight schedules, so let’s cut right to the chase.”  He turned to Ethan, grinning to let him know the pun was intentional. “Ethan Chase, you’ve been accused of serious ethics violations. We’ve all read the headlines and seen those inappropriate photographs of you and Miss Perrin. Now our IT department has found proof linking your Belmont guest e-mail account to –”

“Excuse me.” Ethan held up a hand to cut him off. “Before we continue, I’d like to conference in my attorney.” He glanced around the table. “If there are no objections, of course.”

Vermeer’s smile faded. “I don’t understand. This isn’t a formal hearing. Why would you need a lawyer?”

“Just following her advice.” Ethan set his iPhone on the table. “She’s very hands-on.”

Vermeer’s partner snickered. “Innocent people don’t usually lawyer up this early in the game, Mr. Chase.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Ethan met her gaze. With that sour expression, platinum blonde hair and navy pants suit, she looked like the kind of person who always demanded to speak to the manager.  “Is it Doctor Mitchell? Sorry, but I didn’t catch your title.”

She narrowed her eyes. “It’s Ms. Mitchell.”

“Risk Management.” Ethan leaned toward her. “What kind of degree do you need for that job?”

Dean Fischer chuckled. “Can’t you tell? They’re both lawyers.”

“Got it.” Ethan rested his elbows on the table. “So it’s okay for Belmont to sneak two lawyers into this meeting, but I’m the shady one for asking to include mine?”

“Hold on,” Vermeer protested. “No one said you can’t have legal representation, but this isn’t the right time or place. We’re discussing confidential patient information here.”

“Which will be protected by lawyer-client privilege,” Ethan fired back.

“Enough with this garbage,” Fischer grumbled. “Let’s get on with it. Doctor Grieves? Doctor Choi?” He tilted his chin toward them “Do you have any problem with Ethan’s lawyer listening in?”

Grieves shook his head. “Not under these circumstances.”

“Besides,” Choi added. “It’s not like Miss Perrin’s confidential information isn’t already public knowledge thanks to the leak.” Her gaze cut to Ethan. “Whether he’s responsible or not.”

The lawyers exchanged loaded looks.

“Well, what’ll it be?” Fischer tapped his wristwatch. “I’ve got clinic in half an hour.”

Mitchell whispered something into Vermeer’s ear, and he nodded. “Then we’ll need to reschedule,” he said, gathering papers into his briefcase. “We’re not authorized to discuss pending litigation with opposing counsel at this time.”

Fischer snorted. “Can’t believe I’m a doctor saying this, but could someone please translate that into English?”

“They just realized I’m suing Belmont for defamation,” Ethan explained. “I’m fighting this with everything I’ve got. That’s what innocent people do when they’re falsely accused of a crime.”

He tried not to gloat as Vermeer and Mitchell got up from their seats. Jess had warned him this was just the first round of a long fight. Still, it felt good to connect with the first punch.

The lawyers couldn’t leave the room fast enough. Grieves and Fischer followed them out, but Choi trailed behind. Maybe she wouldn’t listen, but it was still worth a shot.

“I’m not the one who leaked Callie’s information,” he called after her. “You know I’d never do that.”

She turned around, shoulders sagging, and he realized what kind of pressure she and Grieves were under. Things wouldn’t get any easier for them now that they’d gone against Belmont’s lawyers.

“Callie’s my friend,” he pleaded. “I know that’s wrong, and I’m prepared to face the consequences for crossing that line. But I didn’t leak her information.”

Choi sighed. “I’m sorry, Ethan, but they’ve got some pretty damning evidence.”

“Then dig deeper. I’ve been framed.”

“Dig deeper? What does that even mean?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” he admitted. “Your IT guys. Are they any good?”

“You mean the ones who nailed you?”

“Maybe. Think you could get them to take another look?”

Her cell buzzed. “Shit, that’s the floor. I’ve gotta go.”

“Please, Sophie.” He followed her down the hallway. “What does your gut tell you?”

She kept walking as if she hadn’t heard the question. It wasn’t until she’d disappeared down the stairwell that her answer echoed back to him.

“I’ll think about it.”

*

On the T ride home, Ethan called Jess to recap the meeting.

“You were right about everything,” he said breathlessly. “As soon as I asked to conference you in, they freaked. I wish you could’ve seen their expressions. It was priceless.”

“It was predictable,” she replied.

“How did you know they’d call off the meeting rather than let you join in?”

“Because lawyers never show their cards to other lawyers. Not until they’ve got an airtight case. Which I guarantee they don’t.”

“They seemed pretty confident.”

“Good. Then they’re idiots.”

The T car brightened as it emerged from a tunnel to cross the Charles River. Ethan’s gaze drifted out the window to the Boston side, where the glass-and-concrete towers of Massachusetts General Hospital crowded along the shoreline. He thought of Jess, hundreds of miles away in her law office. Maybe she was staring across the East River at that same moment, trying to picture him. Trying to figure out how things went so wrong.

“You saved my neck today, Jess. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t need to. You know I’ll always have your back. Even if....” She sniffed. “Even if, after all this, we wind up being friends and nothing more.”

“Jess.” He closed his eyes, hating the sadness in her voice. Hating even more that he was the reason. “Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “What about you?”

“I know I love you.”

She sniffed again. “Are you sure?”

“More than anything in the world.”

“Then why…” Her voice cracked. “Why did you hold her hand like that?”

Ethan pressed the phone to his temple, wishing he could answer honestly without hurting her even more. “Because I care about her. But that doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

“Of course it does,” she shot back. “If you’re falling for someone you’ve only known for a week, what does that say about us?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I love you, Jess. When it comes to just you and me, I have no doubts. But the things you want out of life” – he got up and moved to an empty seat, away from a couple of eavesdropping teenagers – “what if they’re not the same things I want?”

She laughed, but it was a joyless sound. “I have no idea what I want.”

“Yes you do. Look at your career. Your family and friends. You’ve always known what kind of life would make you happy. What if I don’t fit into that picture? That might be fine now, but what about ten years from now? Or twenty?”

“Who thinks that far ahead?”

“You do, Jess. And so does your family.”

The T stopped at the Charles/MGH platform, passengers jostling to get on and off. Ethan pressed the phone to his ear, trying to hear Jess above the noise. He wondered if the call had been dropped, but then she cleared her throat.

“Listen,” she said with a new, hard edge in her voice. “I’ve got a conference call in a few minutes. We can pick this up later, but before I forget… I’m handing over your case to one of my partners. He specializes in defamation suits. That’s his thing, not mine, and besides, I have a pretty clear conflict of interest.”

He sighed, realizing he’d been expecting this. “I understand.”

“His name’s Ryan Widmer. I’ll text you his contact info so you can set up a conference call, or you can meet him in person sometime this week.”

“Good. Maybe after I see him, I can drop by your apartment.”

“I… I don’t know.”

The T picked up speed as the track curved into another tunnel. Ethan felt the swaying motion in the pit of his stomach. Or maybe it was the growing realization that Jess had just ended the conversation with those three unsettling words.

I don’t know.

Fuck. What did that mean?

His cell buzzed as the T approached South Station. He hoped it was Jess calling to end on a better note, until he saw the unfamiliar number. Someone had left a video message.

He pressed play, mouth opening when Jess’s sister popped onto the screen. He recognized Faneuil Hall in the background. Unless she was using a screensaver, she’d recorded the message only minutes away from his current location.

“Hey, it’s Maddie,” she said, sounding bored as usual. “I’m in Boston right now covering a story.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, you know why I’m here. Anyway, we need to talk. I’m visiting some friends at BC for lunch, but then I’m heading back to New York. You can call me, but it’s better if we meet face-to-face.”

He jumped out of the T as soon as the door rattled open and sprinted toward the Green Line. Maddie must have left the message while he was talking to Jess. She was probably already on her way to Boston College.

Maybe he still had time to catch her.

***

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