Unchained Memories (29 page)

“I’m crazy about her. I can’t believe I’m admitting this.” The stupid grin on Matt’s face confirmed his statement. “It’s too bad she’s related to the she-devil.”

The tension in Clay’s neck tripled. “Don’t start. Charlotte’s doing her job. She doesn’t have a choice.” At least that’s the line that got him through the day. But the sick, empty feeling in his heart resurfaced. He’d tried to acknowledge it only when he was home, at night, alone. He grabbed for the bottle of Tums on his desk and popped two. As if they would help.

“Why are you defending her? She filed a lawsuit against you. And she didn’t even have the courtesy to tell you about it before she filed.”

Clay felt nauseous and laid his head against the back of the chair in an effort to stop the hammer to his brain. “She claims she drafted the complaint only against the hospital and Hauser. Her boss added me without discussing it with her.” He raked his hands through his tousled hair and exhaled. “Even if true, it doesn’t change anything.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, Clay. I know how hard it is to end something you don’t necessarily want to end. I did it with my wife, and it hurt like hell.”

Clay raised his head. “I thought you wanted to end your marriage.”

Matt sank into the chair across from him, a shadow crossing his face. “I know. I never let anyone know the real reason. I wanted kids. She didn’t. Her ballet career was too important to her. She didn’t want to mess up her body or miss a year from the dance company. She’d have been replaced by another dancer. It was the same story every year. Until I finally realized she would never want children. And I couldn’t live the rest of my life without them.”

“Wow.” Clay ran his hand through his hair. “And I thought you broke up because you had a wandering eye.”

Matt chuckled without humor. “That’s how I made it look.” Matt gave Clay a sheepish look. “But the end result is the same. It had to be ended. Just as it does with you. It’s for the best.”

“Yeah. It’s for the best.” Clay stood a pencil on its eraser, then flicked it over. “John Lincoln died from the same trauma as Charley’s mother. Bleeding into the brain. I pulled Mrs. Taylor’s records from storage. She was alert, talking when she came into the ER by ambulance. No one did a CT scan.” Clay sighed and glanced at Matt.

His face paled. “Shit. So it really was a case of negligence.”

“Probably.” Clay nodded, feeling every ounce of the crushing weight of this knowledge.

“But you did a CT scan on Lincoln. And he was rushed to surgery because of the results.”

“Yes. It was too late for him. There was nothing we could have done faster. Or better. We’ve got our procedures in place and we did everything by the book. But that wasn’t the case ten years ago.”

“Did you tell Charley?”

“No. I didn’t get a chance. I’m not sure whether I would have told her anyway.” He shrugged. “What good would it do? She’d just feel guilty for not filing suit ten years ago. She’s channeled that awful episode in her life into a productive career. I can’t change that. And since it doesn’t mesh with my career, it’s best we ended it.”

Clay had agonized over what he’d learned about Charlotte’s mother’s case. It would be an awful thing for a child to know her parent could have lived had a diagnostic test been given. Charlotte’s life might have been completely different had she not been orphaned.

“I hear you.” Matt shook his head. “If there’s anything I can do, let me know. If you want to go for a run, take in a game, hit the bars...anything.”

“Thanks. But I think I’ll just work twenty hours a day, seven days a week, until I can’t feel anything anymore. I’m not going to give myself one more second for self-pity or playing the game of what if. The only time I’ll have to see Charley is across a conference room table for a deposition. Or in the courtroom.”

Clay stood and took a fortifying breath.

“Hopefully, by then, I’ll be immune to her.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The bright September sun reflecting off the cement steps assaulted Charlotte’s eyes as she and Brad stepped out the front door of the old courthouse. The anxiety that had plagued her two hours earlier when walking in had turned to exhilaration, and Charlotte couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“You did a great job in there,” Brad commented. “Judge Stanton is tough, but you held your ground. Impressive.”

“Thanks.” Brad’s hard-to-win praise sprinkled over her like a refreshing shower on a hot summer day, buoying her spirits even more.

“Now that we got over that hurdle, it would be a good time for you to speak to your friend, Dr. Collins, about settlement.”

“What?” Had Charlotte heard him wrong? “Why would I get him involved? He’s not part of the suit. The malpractice insurance companies’ attorneys are representing the defendants.”

“Yes, but Collins is chief of surgery and high up in the chain of command at the hospital. I bet if he had a heart-to-heart with the attorneys representing his doctors, they’d listen. Besides, now’s a good time to settle before everyone has to start preparing for trial. Their attorneys fees will skyrocket.”

Since plaintiff’s attorneys received a percentage of the settlement or award, their clients didn’t have to worry about paying out of pocket as the defense side did. Charlotte agreed now would be a good time to settle, but Brad’s request was off base.

“I won’t use my friendship with Dr. Collins to discuss settlement in this case. Besides, I haven’t seen or talked to him since right after you added Clay to the suit.”

“Clay? You mean, Dr. Montgomery?”

Charlotte caught Brad’s questioning smirk and her face heated with embarrassment at her imprudent use of his given name. Especially since she had never told Brad of their relationship.

Keeping her eyes downcast to avoid any tell-tale confession, Charlotte startled when a microphone appeared in front of her mouth held by a reporter from the local TV station.

“Ms. Taylor, what happened in court today on the Lincoln matter?”

The case had been plastered on the front page of the newspapers ever since the press had learned John Lincoln’s wife recently delivered a baby girl. And because of John’s death, they didn’t have health insurance. The Lincolns’ plight was turned into a community outreach project. Because of its coverage, funds were pouring in. The lawsuit Charlotte’s firm had started against the hospital and two doctors was mentioned in every story. Great publicity for their firm, dreadful for the hospital and the doctors involved.

Charlotte turned to Brad who gave her an approving nod as he sidestepped out of the video camera’s lens.

Charlotte went into litigator mode as she talked to the camera, keeping all traces of victory out of her demeanor. She wanted to appear fair and humble, further fostering the community’s sympathy, which was already with the Lincolns.

“Dr. Hauser from Nassau General Hospital filed a motion to dismiss the Lincolns’ complaint against him. We, of course, opposed that motion. Judge Stanton heard the arguments from both sides and ruled in our favor. Dr. Hauser will remain a defendant.”

“You have a personal stake in this case, don’t you, Ms. Taylor?”

The cameraman zoomed in closer as the reporter fired off his question.

Charlotte didn’t miss a beat, refusing to allow anyone to see even the tiniest reaction to his pointed question. This reporter couldn’t know about her previous connection to the hospital. He couldn’t know anything about her mother’s death.

“I don’t know what you mean by that. The Lincolns are clients of the firm of Cooper, Smith & Bartlett. We represent all of our clients with the same passion and dedication.” Charlotte deliberately kept talking so as to preclude a follow up question, hoping to steer the interview in a different direction. “I didn’t know the Lincolns until they hired us. Although, I now know they are a close knit family that has fallen on difficult times. We want to make sure Tanya Lincoln has the funds to take care of herself and her baby, since her husband, John, is no longer here to support them. They’re entitled to be compensated fairly for the loss of their husband and father through the negligence of Nassau General Hospital and Dr. Hauser.” She refused to name Clay in this interview hoping to shield him from yet another negative article.

“Wasn’t Dr. Hauser your mother’s surgeon after the car accident that also claimed the life of your father?”

Charlotte’s stomach clenched, and she placed her hand on her abdomen to quell its uneasiness. How did he uncover that information? Weren’t there privacy laws in existence concerning medical care?

Charlotte cleared her throat and looked directly at the camera. “Yes. Dr. Hauser did perform surgery on my mother ten years ago.”

“Your mother died during the surgery, didn’t she?”

The familiar stab of pain shot through her heart, but she couldn’t let them see it. “Yes, she did. She died as a result of her injuries in the car accident.” At least that’s the story she was willing to state for the record, even if she wasn’t convinced of it.

Charlotte stole a glance at Brad, whose imperceptible smile told her she was handling this fine.

In a steadier voice, she stated, “That has nothing to do with the Lincoln case. If you have any more questions concerning this specific case, I’d be happy to answer them.”

“You have a personal relationship with one of the doctors at Nassau General, don’t you?”

The discomfort she’d felt over the previous questions, tripled, and panic threatened to overcome her calm demeanor. She wasn’t expecting this. Wasn’t prepared for this. Was he asking about Clay? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brad inching toward her, as if to lend moral support. She also noticed quite a crowd had assembled as they tended to do whenever a TV camera showed up. Great. Her nails pierced the palms of her hands as she reached for an appropriate response.

“I don’t know who you are talking about.” She kept her voice calm, but her heart raced.

“Dr. Richard Collins. The chief of surgery.”

Charlotte exhaled in relief. But she didn’t want to discuss Dr. Collins either.

“I do know Dr. Collins. He helped me through a very difficult time after my parents died.” Her throat constricted. How in the world had they gotten from the Lincoln lawsuit to her parents’ deaths to her relationship with Richard Collins? This was absurd. “We are getting off course here with your questions about my parents as well as Dr. Collins. I would prefer to stick to relevant questions about the Lincoln case. If you have nothing further...” She allowed her words to trail off.

She was ready to dash away when the reporter stood in her path. “Just one more question, Ms. Taylor.” She could have sworn he had a sneer on that mouth of his. “How could you sue the hospital where Dr. Collins is the chief of surgery after he funded your educational trust?”

Charlotte’s eyes blurred, and the queasiness in her stomach turned into a full blown riot. “Where did you get such...such rubbish?” She cringed at her choice of words, but she’d been at a total loss. Why in the world would a reporter think Richard Collins had funded her trust? That trust had been set up under her parents’ will.

She felt rather than saw Brad by her side. “Ms. Taylor is a consummate professional, and her personal life has no bearing on her chosen career as a malpractice attorney. She is representing the Lincolns with unwavering dedication despite the personal connections she has with Dr. Collins who happens to work at Nassau General. It proves how strongly Ms. Taylor, and we at Cooper, Smith & Bartlett, believe in this case and how tenaciously we represent our clients.” His voice remained silky and smooth, and smug satisfaction highlighted his tone. “Since there are no more relevant questions, we need to get back to the office. Thank you for your time.”

Brad ushered her away from the reporter, not saying a word as they headed toward his car.

But she could no longer hold it in. “How dare he make an unfounded allegation about Richard Collins funding my trust. Where would he get such an absurd idea?”

She glanced at Brad, but he said nothing.

“All they had to do was go to the Surrogate’s Office and get a copy of my parents’ will. They’d see that my sister and I were their only beneficiaries. That they’d set up a trust for us. How could they be so irresponsible?”

Anger oozed through her the more she talked. “We should issue a statement setting the record straight. I don’t want this crazy allegation taking on a life of its own.”

They reached the car and climbed in, with Brad still uncharacteristically quiet.

“Why aren’t you as upset as I am about that reporter?” She cast a sideways glance to take in Brad’s reaction.

His silence fueled an uneasiness she couldn’t quite wrap her arms around. If she had blown the interview because she was stunned over the personal questions, he should just come out and say it. “How would you have handled that reporter?” A direct question should get a response.

“I thought the interview went extremely well. We couldn’t have asked for better publicity.”

“What about that nonsense concerning the trust?”

Brad took a few moments before responding. “Have you ever asked for an accounting of the trust set up by your parents?”

Numbing tingles spread down her arms. “Of course not. Paul Diamond from the firm was the trustee. I would never have questioned his judgment.”

But the question was more than unsettling and she tried to read Brad’s face. Unfortunately, he never gave anything away.

“What do you know?” Her voice croaked, as the significance of the matter took on major implications. Could the reporter have been right? Did Richard Collins put her through school? “Answer me,” she demanded, not caring a whit he was her boss.

“You’ll have to talk to Paul to get the specifics.”

The implicit message sent off gongs in her head. It couldn’t be. “You tell me,” she demanded.

“You already know the answer.”

Anger rose within her like a tempest, and she spat out her accusation, not caring who he was in the food chain. “So you’re confirming Richard Collins paid for my education? And just minutes ago you asked me to convince Dr. Collins to get involved in settling our lawsuit. How could you be so callous, so calculating?” Her voice escalated with the increasing incredulity that came with her assessment. “You don’t care who you use to win a case, do you?”