Unchained Memories (31 page)

He shook his head, while he cleaned his finger with his tongue.

“Try the sandwich. It’s even better with jelly.”

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before taking a bite. He rubbed his eyes again.

“Is there something in your eye, Jake?”

“They itch.”

This time he used his sticky fingers to rub. His face flushed and his nose was now running.

“Let’s wash those hands before you rub them all over your face again.” Charlotte went to the sink and grabbed some paper towels, wetting them before coming back to the table to clean his hands and face.

He started coughing.

“Jake? Are you okay?” She patted his back, then washed his face with the paper towels, noticing blotchy red spots and what appeared to be hives.
Oh no
. Her heart pounded. Was he allergic to peanut butter? Renee had never said anything. “Jake, give me your hands.” She washed them too, attempting to remove every trace of peanut butter. “Here, have some water.” She held his cup for him and he tried to drink, but another coughing bout started.

“My lips feel funny,” he said between coughs.

He was just ready to grab a piece of the sandwich, but Charlotte stopped him. “No. I think you may be allergic.”

Her mind whirred, searching her brain for facts about food allergies. She was at a loss. A horrible noise coming from his throat spurred her to action. His cough was tight and sounded more like a high-pitched bark.

She picked him up, ran through the living room, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. The hospital was only five minutes away. This couldn’t be happening.

Charlotte tried to keep her voice even, tamping down the panic, for Jake’s sake. “Jake, honey. I think your body isn’t liking the peanut butter. I’m just going to take you to the doctor to have a look.”

She didn’t have a car seat, so she strapped him into the front seat, using the seat belt. All the wrong things to do, but she couldn’t waste another minute. Hadn’t she heard on some news show that peanut allergies could be deadly?

Adrenaline took over, pushing her to act without thought. She had to get to the ER, safely and quickly, while trying to keep Jake calm. She took the side streets, hoping to avoid traffic as well as pedestrians, through the town center. Little Jake was working so hard trying to suck in air, his tiny chest and shoulders heaved with the effort. Charlotte stepped on the gas, exceeding the speed limit. Every second seemed like a minute, her senses so heightened she could hardly breathe herself. Surely he must be scared.

She reached over and rubbed his leg. “It’s okay, Jake. We’re almost there. Don’t worry. Just try to breathe.” She kept saying the same words over and over. Like a mantra.

Within minutes, she pulled in front of the ER at Nassau General. She jumped out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition, and ran around to the passenger side to grab Jake, who was now crying while he coughed. The sliding glass doors parted, and she screamed to the triage nurse, “He can’t breathe. I think he’s having an allergic reaction to peanut butter.”

The woman catapulted out of her chair and ushered them into the emergency room. “Dr. Montgomery, there’s a child here who may have a peanut allergy.”

Clay moved quickly toward her and took Jake from her arms. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re going to make you all better. Sally,” he yelled over his shoulder to a nurse, “start an IV. We need epinephrine, Benadryl, and Decadron.” He laid Jake on a gurney and motioned to Charlotte to stand next to him. “You’re Aunt Charlotte is here. Don’t worry.” Clay put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. “Breathe in, buddy. It will make you feel better.”

Jake’s eyes were huge, but with all the activity around him, he had stopped crying. Clay took a needle from the nurse, wiped Jake’s thigh with alcohol then injected him with something.

A startled shout came from Jake’s mouth at the prick. “It’s okay, honey. It’s going to be okay. You remember Dr. Montgomery. He’s going to help you breathe.” Charlotte feared her heart would burst.

But within minutes, the drugs seemed to be doing their job. Although Jake started crying again over the shock of it all, he had stopped coughing and wheezing. His breathing became more normal.

“That’s better,” said Clay. “Let’s get you comfortable so we can take your blood pressure and keep an eye on you for a while. What do you say?”

Jake nodded at Clay, refusing to take his eyes off the doctor. Charlotte didn’t know if he was scared of him or in awe over this person who had just made him better.

“Jake, you met Dr. Montgomery during the summer. That day in the park, at the softball game.” Jake nodded. “He’s a frien—an acquaintance of mine. He’s a very good doctor, and he’s going to make sure you’re okay before he sends us back home.”

Clay called over to a nurse and gave her some instructions before turning back to Jake. “I’m going to take your aunt into my office over there so I can get some information from her. She’ll be back in a few minutes. Nurse Sally is going to take real good care of you. So don’t be scared. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Charlotte knew he was either too afraid to say anything else of he was heroically putting up a brave front. She smiled at the little boy lying in the hospital bed, and smoothed back his hair. “I’ll be right back.” She kissed him on the forehead and tried for a smile.

Clay put his hand on her back and guided her to his office. He closed the door and looked at her, his eyes sympathetic. That one little gesture was her undoing. All the strength she had summoned in moving Jake from Renee’s kitchen to the ER evaporated, and her knees buckled. Clay reached out and pulled her into his arms as the tears sprang into her eyes and down her cheeks. His warm strength encircled her in security.

“Let it out.” He rubbed her back and held her close as she drenched his white coat with her torrent.

If only she could stay in his arms forever. She inhaled his familiar scent, felt his strong body against hers, heard the rich timbre of his voice softly soothing her. It was heaven. And hell.

“I’m sorry,” she said after a few minutes and moved away, knowing she couldn’t continue torturing herself with his closeness. “I was so scared, but I couldn’t let myself feel it.”

He handed her some tissues. “Why don’t you sit down? Tell me what happened.”

Clay grabbed a blank chart on a clipboard and made notes as Charlotte explained what had transpired.

“Peanut allergies are becoming more and more common in children these days. We don’t know why, but at least they can be controlled. Where’s Renee?”

“Out with Matt. I didn’t even think to call her.” She turned to search for her pocket book with her cell phone. “I guess I left my bag in the car. I left the keys there too. Someone has probably stolen it by now.”

“The security guard brought in your keys and bag. They’re at the front desk. You can use my phone to call.”

Charlotte’s stomach knotted in two when she thought about having to tell Renee her son was in the hospital. When she didn’t immediately reach for the phone, Clay must have understood her hesitance.

“How about if I call Matt and tell him what happened. He can explain it to Renee and keep her calm. Jake is fine now.”

Relief washed through her. “Thanks. That would be good. And thank you for letting me fall apart in here.”

A smile inched over his lips. “When I saw the way you were looking at Jake, I knew you weren’t going to hold up much longer. You were great with him though. You’ll make a wonderful mother someday.”

Those last words kicked her in the gut, leaving her speechless. She sat, glued to the chair, while he left to go call Matt from another location, considerately giving her time to calm down.

She inhaled, trying to fuse the two Clays together. The last time she’d seen him, he was shooting eye daggers at her because of the lawsuit. But today he had managed to put that aside, at least for now, in order to comfort her. He was doing what he must do for hundreds of relatives who end up in his ER. Being the kind, caring doctor who sometimes gives good news, and sometimes bad. But all with compassion and grace.

Clay stuck his head into the office. “I just got off the phone with Matt. They’re on their way.”

“Is Renee okay?”

“She will be. Matt’s the best.”

Charlotte bit her lip and lowered her lids. She should not say anything given the circumstances.

“What’s the matter?”

She swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “Matt and I are not what you’d call friends. Even though he’s seeing my sister, he can barely tolerate being in my presence.” She threaded her fingers together to keep them still. “I guess I can’t fault him for that, but unfortunately, since he’s dating Renee, we run into each other more than either of us would like. He won’t even talk to me anymore. Tonight, instead of waiting for Renee in the house, he went out to the car because I was there.”

Clay chuckled. “A good and loyal friend. But it’s not just this lawsuit that has him giving you the cold shoulder. Nor the one you brought him into that he was lucky enough to have dismissed.”

Charlotte looked at him pointedly. “Go on.”

“Our colleague, Vic, was sued by a mother who brought her child into the ER, much like you did tonight. Her son had swallowed a piece of a toy that had lodged in his throat, and he couldn’t breathe. The poor kid was blue by the time he got here. Vic grabbed the boy and did the Heimlich maneuver a few times before the toy popped out. He saved that kid’s life. But he also broke a few of his ribs. The mother sued Vic.”

“How could she?” The words were out of her mouth without thought. “He did what he had to do. The little boy could have died.”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t have taken the case if she’d walked into your office?” The insightful question, delivered without rancor, stopped her cold. She opened her mouth to answer, but her instinct told her to think about it long and hard.

“I’m going to check on Jake.”

Clay eased out of the room, leaving Charlotte to wrestle with her thoughts. He had saved Jake, and the gratefulness she felt, would never allow her to even contemplate suing him over any injury Jake might have sustained while being treated. Why didn’t that mother feel the same way? But getting past that, what would she have done if that woman had come to her for representation?

She knew the answer.

And she hated herself for it.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“I’m handing in my resignation.” Charlotte placed the typed letter in front of Paul Diamond.

He didn’t even look at it. “I hope you’re joking.” His warm eyes made her question her decision.

“I would have given it to Brad, but his office was dark.”

“He packed up as soon as our meeting was over last night.” The grim look on Paul’s face told of the difficulty of the situation. “I know how hurt and betrayed you must feel right now, but please don’t hold it against all of us. The fact that Richard Collins contributed to your trust was never supposed to be revealed to you. Although a breach of confidentiality, since Dr. Collins was not our client, it wasn’t an ethics violation. However, the partners all agreed it was highly immoral and could’ve become an ethics problem if you followed his demands and used your relationship with Dr. Collins to manipulate a settlement. It also became apparent in our discussions that Brad tipped off the reporter. We voted to oust him as our partner. That has never happened in the fifty year history of this firm and we are still reeling over his deceitful plan.”

Charlotte nodded, but was at a loss for words.

“Now that Brad’s gone, there’s no reason for you to leave.”

Maybe that seemed like a foregone conclusion to Paul, but Brad, albeit a major problem, wasn’t the only reason she’d made her decision. “I’ve given this a lot of consideration. I think it’s best if I leave. I’m going back to California.” The words stuck in her throat. Out of all her options, this one seemed the easiest, but hurt the most.

She could probably get her old job back, but she didn’t know if she wanted it. She’d take a few weeks to pack up, say her good-byes to Renee and the kids. Then deal with a job and apartment when she arrived on the West Coast.

“If you’re sure.”

Not only had Brad shaken her to the core with his immoral plan to use Charlotte’s friendship with Dr. Collins for financial gain, but still haunting her was the story Clay told her while in the ER. It frightened her that she might take on a similar case if some child’s mother accused a doctor of breaking her son’s ribs.

“Thanks for your support. And your kind offer for me to stay. But this is for the best.”

“Why don’t you take a week or two to write up memos on the status of each of your files. Maybe while you’re doing it, you’ll change your mind. Time may give you a better perspective.”

“The cases I’ve been working on are in good shape for someone else to take over. All the information the next person needs is in the computer files, as well as the paper file.”

Their system of putting notes into their computer program on the substance of every telephone call, every letter that went out or came in, as well as tracking discovery requests and responses would give a full picture to whomever was going to pick up the file.

“So, this is it? You’re leaving?”

She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

Paul’s eyes looked as sad as she felt. She managed a lopsided smile and backed out of his office, adding a half-hearted wave.

After finding a box near the photocopier, Charlotte placed it on her desk and began removing her framed diplomas from the wall. Next came the photograph of Eva, Jake and Renee, then the one of her parents. She stared at her parents’ eyes, their smiles. The photo had been taken at a Bar Association annual dinner where they’d received the Jane Scott Award for Distinguished Service in the Community. A beautiful couple who’d not only raised a family and solidified their professional reputation as respected lawyers in their field, but who’d also dedicated their free time to helping others.

Their lives were cut too short.

Charlotte carefully placed the photo in the box. She looked around. Everything else belonged to the firm from the pads of paper, pens and clips in her drawers to the law books inhabiting her bookshelf.