Unchained Memories (28 page)

Clay reached for a negative response, but he only came up with, “I’m not stubborn.”

Becky rolled her eyes, then took a sip of her wine. “No. You’re just willing to cut off all ties with Charlotte because of a lawsuit you know will eventually be dismissed against you. Instead of agonizing over her involvement, why don’t you have your attorney file some sort of papers with the court to have Charlotte removed from the case?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore whether she’s representing the Lincoln family against me. Our relationship is over. There is no conflict.” Clay exhaled the anxiety which had been building up in his system over this whole awful discussion. “Can we stop talking about this? Please?”

Clay had his own theory of why Charley took the case against him, but he wasn’t about to share it. She was terrified of losing someone she loved. Therefore, she ran from relationships. Perhaps she felt she and Clay were getting too close. So she did the next best thing to running: she sued him. End of relationship without having to break up. Easy. Quick. Done.

“What are you thinking about?” Becky broke in.

“Nothing.”

“Will you at least consider what I had to say?”

He shouldn’t ignore her after she tried so hard to convince him of his flawed thinking. Maybe if he pretended to understand, she’d stop badgering him. “I’ll take your words under advisement.”

But he knew, deep down, nothing would change. Whatever reason prompted Charley to get involved in this case—no matter how compelling from her point of view—the damage had been done.

There was no going back.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Where’ve you been?” Charlotte stood in the middle of Renee’s living room, her hands on her hips.

Renee laid a sleeping Jake on the couch and shooed Eva upstairs to play. Guilt played across her face. “I’m really sorry, Charlotte. I forgot to tell you we were going to the museum today.”

“You forgot? I’ve been coming here every Saturday for the past eight months to help you. How could you forget? The least you could have done was given me a heads up. I would have gone to the office. I’m swamped. Instead, I’ve been tidying up and doing your laundry, expecting you and the kids to come in at any moment. I thought maybe you went to the park for a little while, or to the grocery store.” The steam that had been building up in her for the past few hours was about to blow. “I can’t believe how inconsiderate you are.

“You’re right.” Renee shook her head. “I must have blanked. Matt came by this morning, and although I had all intentions of straightening up the house today, he convinced me to go to the Please Touch Me Museum in Philadelphia with the kids. He already had the tickets and I’d been meaning to go there anyway. I had to dash around getting ready, and I guess I forgot to call.” She bit her lip, visably waiting for the onslaught.

“I thought you wanted to limit the interaction between him and the children. You said you didn’t want them to get close to someone you’re just dating after all they’d been through with losing their father.”

“You’re right. I did want to shield the children for their own protection. But I’ve been spending a little more time with Matt and, I know you don’t want to hear this, or won’t believe it, but he’s a good man. And he’s really good with the kids.” Renee held up her hand to stop Charlotte’s response. “Please don’t make me feel guilty about seeing Matt or make me feel like I’m a bad mother for allowing them to spend time with him. I’ve analyzed and second-guessed my decision all day, making myself crazy. We just went to the museum.”

Renee’s gaze slid from Charlotte to take in the room beyond. “You did a great job cleaning up. I’m so sorry I didn’t call you or leave you a note. I really am. How can I make it up to you?”

Renee’s expressive blue eyes pleaded with Charlotte for forgiveness. Owning up to her sin, and looking so remorseful as she wrung her hands, gave Charlotte no choice but to deflate.

“You can come and clean my house tomorrow.”

Renee perked up at the offer of forgiveness. “I’ll be there at eight.” A slow smile ensued. “Will you watch the kids while I clean?”

Charlotte had to laugh. “No. I’m going to work. I guess I’ll have to come up with some other way for you to make it up.”

“Whew. Thank God. I’m not very good at cleaning as you’ve probably noticed. Do you want something to drink? Iced tea, coffee, wine?”

Charlotte looked at her watch. It was already four o’clock. Maybe she could get in a few hours of work. “No, I have to get going.”

“Please. Just for a little while. I want to talk to you about something.” Renee pushed her in the direction of the kitchen. “So what will it be?”

“Iced tea.” That would be the quickest. “Does this talk have something to do with Matt?”

An interesting smile played across Renee’s lips at the mention of his name. Then it disappeared.

“Indirectly.” Renee poured two glasses of iced tea, gave one to Charlotte, and motioned for her to sit down. “Matt told me you’re not only suing the hospital, you’re suing Clay. Is that true?”

Prickles of anger shot through Charlotte. “Why did Matt discuss that with you? I thought you were having fun with the kids at a museum?”

“We were. It came up while the kids were investigating the train. I suggested we have dinner with you and Clay one night.” Renee fingered the condensation on her glass. “He said he didn’t think that would be happening anytime soon, if ever. I was shocked. I thought you and Clay were really into each other. What happened?”

Charlotte’s heart squeezed. This whole thing was hard enough to deal with in her head. Now she had to put it into words. “My client’s husband died at Nassau General. He was taken to the ER first, then had surgery. We had to bring Clay into the lawsuit. He was the first doctor on the scene.” At least that’s what she learned after talking to Brad about the revised complaint.

“He didn’t cause his death, did he?”

She wished she could say no. “Until we take all the depositions and learn what happened that day, we name everyone in the complaint who could be involved.”

“If you find out Clay wasn’t responsible, do you let him out of the lawsuit?”

“We don’t volunteer, but he could file a summary judgment motion with the court to have the suit dismissed against him.”

She hoped he’d do that sooner, rather than later, and for the second time in her career, she prayed such motion would be successful. A strangling sadness prevented her from continuing.

“How could you sue the man you care about so much?”

The censure in Renee’s voice arrived loud and clear. Matt must have done a real number on her today.

“Don’t get involved in this, Renee.” The steel in Charlotte’s voice accompanied the reprimand inherent in her statement. “I’m a malpractice lawyer in Princeton. Our clients are from this area, and sometimes have a claim against a local hospital. I can’t pick and choose my clients, nor can I decide who to name as defendants. They are who they are, and it’s our job to represent our clients well.”

Renee looked into her iced tea and whispered, “I just don’t get it.”

Anger bubbled up and over. “How dare you judge me about this. I’m here, in Princeton, because of you. I came back here to help you. I was lucky to find a great job in the field I’d chosen to practice, at a great firm. I didn’t seek this out. I didn’t plan on coming back to sue doctors who had helped me in the past. You may recall I had a job in San Francisco. I was happy there and could do my thing without worrying about past relationships.”

Renee bit her lip, and avoided Charlotte’s eyes, noticeably feeling the heat of her scolding. The silence weighed heavily, while Charlotte waited for Renee to respond.

Finally, in a thin voice, she said, “I can’t believe you chose medical malpractice. I thought you adored the doctors who cared for you after the accident. It doesn’t make sense.” Renee looked directly into Charlotte’s eyes now. “There are other fields of law you could have chosen to help people. You chose this. Why?”

Without knowing it, Renee was pulling protective layers away from Charlotte. She longed to tuck them back around her, come up with some answer that would satisfy her without divulging the truth.

“I see those wheels turning,” Renee broke in. “Don’t come up with some plausible excuse. This has something to do with Mom, doesn’t it?”

Renee’s insight had Charlotte stunned. When had Renee become so tuned in?

“Yes.” The confirmation slipped out of her mouth. After all these years she’d kept it from her. “Mom may have died from a mistake at the hospital. The lawyer at Mom and Dad’s firm who represented their estates wanted to speak to both of us about filing a lawsuit back then. You refused to take his calls, if you remember, telling your roommate to tell him if he had any questions, he should speak to me. So he did. But I never wanted to pursue it because I was so beholden to the doctors of Nassau General who had cared for me. Dr. Collins, Clay, and Matt were my family at the time. I couldn’t agree to sue their hospital, their colleague. But I never forgot the allegation and I’ve wondered about it all these years. After law school, I decided I’d honor Mom’s memory by helping others pursue their claims.”

“But you never intended to come back here to do it?”

“Never. I had closed that chapter in my life. I would always remember the doctors at Nassau General as my friends, my protectors.”

“And then Jason died.” Renee’s voice softened with understanding.

“I came back to the place I’d sworn I’d never come. Doing the very thing I never wanted to do to them. But I recently got my chance to do what I probably should have allowed with regard to Mom. I’m involved in a suit against the doctor who operated on her. He’s the main defendant in our current case. Unfortunately, we had to bring in Clay. How ironic is that?”

What an insignificant word for the havoc she was causing not only herself, but the person she adored. And loved.

Renee toyed with her glass as tears streamed down her face. Shaking her head, she whispered, “I’m so sorry to bring you back to all this heartache. I never knew.”

Charlotte swallowed, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. “I know. But time and circumstances have brought us back together. It seems only right that you know the truth now.”

She sat there for a long time, silent, questioning fate, mistakes, secrets, choices, and how things inevitably come full circle.

****

Clay’s jaw tightened as Matt sauntered into the ER. He’d managed to set the schedule so they didn’t work together for the past week, but that couldn’t last forever.

Matt stopped in his tracks when he saw Clay. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?”

Matt’s tone betrayed nothing. Did he plan to skewer Charlotte some more, and in the process, nick Clay with his stabbing anger? Or did Matt finally want to clear the air?

Clay hoped for the latter as he nodded and made his way to his office.

Matt shut the door behind him. Taking up all the space in the tiny office, the two of them faced each other. Matt sighed, then rubbed his hands together. Clay was sure he would have paced if there was any room.

Matt finally began. “I know I blindsided you last week.” Matt’s voice sounded odd, strained. “It was...stupid. It wasn’t my place to tell you about the lawsuit. I was pissed and wanted you to be pissed, too.” Matt focused on the floor, evidently uncomfortable with having to acknowledge fault. “Can we put this behind us and move on?”

Clay should let him off the hook. They’d been friends for over ten years, covering for each other, protecting each other’s back. Even listening to each other on the personal stuff.

Never comfortable with silence, Matt said, “Well, let me know if you change your mind.” He began to leave.

“Wait.” Clay paused, looking at the disappointment evident in Matt’s eyes. “Apology accepted.”

A slow grin broke out over Matt’s face. “Thanks, man.” He stuck his hand out and they shook. “You had me worried for a minute.”

Clay eased the tension out of his shoulders. “I can’t stay mad at you for telling me the truth. I didn’t want to believe it. But I know now.”

His stomach felt hollow, and the headache that had started last week had only dulled marginally.

“You look like shit, Clay. Are you that worried about the lawsuit?”

It wasn’t the lawsuit. It was Charley. He’d lost the woman he’d fallen in love with to her career. Sleep had eluded him, and when he did manage an hour or two, it was punctuated with nightmares. Awful dreams of plunging through the air with no safety net. But he’d never admit that to Matt. Matt had it in for Charley from the minute he’d learned she was a malpractice lawyer.

“Yeah. I’m worried.” How else could he respond?

“Have your attorney file to dismiss the claim against you. It worked for me. Maybe it will work for you.”

“If it were only that easy.”

Even if the case against him was dismissed, his time with Charley was over. She’d made sure of that. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself her involvement in the lawsuit allowed her to assure their relationship would terminate.

“Maybe I could get Renee to talk some sense into her. When I told her Charlotte was suing you, she couldn’t believe it. She might have some pull with her.”

“You told Renee about the suit? When did you see her?”

“The other day.” A wary smile appeared. “And a few other times before that.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Was this some kind of cruel joke being played by a celestial force to punish him?

The smile disappeared from Matt’s face. “Why? Do you have something against it? I really like her. She’s been through a lot, but she seems to have fun when we’re together. Her kids are real nice, too.”

“You’ve spent time with her kids?” This was too much.

“I know it seems odd. Given my history of dating around since I got divorced. But Renee is special. She didn’t want me to meet her kids at first. She was afraid they’d get too attached and then be upset if it didn’t work out between us. But I convinced her that wasn’t my plan. She finally agreed.”

Clay sank down in his chair and massaged his forehead. “So, you’re into Renee.”