Unchained Memories (7 page)

Clay chuckled at the memory. “That was only in calculus. I distinctly remember you helping her out more in physics.”

“Maybe,” Matt said grudgingly.

“She definitely had an interest in medicine.” Clay clicked back through the years as if it were yesterday. “She used to go to the children’s wing and play games with them, try to cheer them up. After every visit, she’d have a list of questions about their medical status; what was the diagnosis, the prognosis, what were we doing to make them better. She was so concerned.” The memories came pouring back as if a tap had been opened.

“Clay, can you drive me to my house after your shift?” Charley’s timid question and anxious stance raised his antenna.

“Why? Do you need something? I can go pick it up.”

She hadn’t been to the house since before the accident. What would she find there but memories of that fateful day, of her parents? Maybe she’d tossed a sweater on the bed she’d decided not to wear. Maybe her father’s briefcase still stood in the living room. Maybe the scent of her mother’s shampoo lingered in the bathroom.

“No. I want to go.” Her voice gained conviction. “I want to get my dolls and stuffed animals. Clean them up. Some of the sick kids here could use a toy to cheer them.”

Clay took her hand and sat her down in the hallway of the children’s’ wing where he’d been working and she’d been shadowing. “Do you think it’s a good idea to go back there? You should talk this over with your therapist first.”

Her clear blue eyes held such determination and her initial angst had completely disappeared. “I’m ready. I need to face it sooner or later. And this is a good cause. The kids I was talking to today are going to be here for a while. I might be able to make their area more homey, their stay more tolerable. Besides, if you come with me, I’ll feel stronger, better able to deal with it.”

Clay nodded. How could he refuse? This teenaged girl, who had lost so much, was maturing into a young adult before his very eyes.

Matt’s voice brought him back. “Please don’t tell me you’re interested in her.” Matt took a swig of his beer. “Of course, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to hop in the sack with her. She’s a lot hotter now than she was before.”

Clay grimaced at Matt’s lack of respect where Charley was concerned. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no, I’m not interested. It would never work out.”

A smile inched over Matt’s mouth. “Good. Then I don’t have to worry about you sleeping with the enemy.”

Clay inwardly bristled at his friend’s callous concern. “No, you don’t have to worry about that. But not because of what she does for a living. Because of our past. It wouldn’t be fair to even start something with her. She deserves more than a workaholic who has no time for a relationship.” Clay sighed. “My loss.”

Matt took another slug of his beer while studying Clay’s face, making him uncomfortable. “Oh, man. You’ve got it bad for her if you’re willing to walk away because you’re worried about what she deserves. You’ve always been fine with dating, humping and going on your merry way. What did Charlotte do? Put some drug in your drink?” He arched his eyebrow.

Clay laughed a little too loudly. “You’re wrong. And since when have you ever been able to read me? You don’t even know when I’m pissed off at you for missing our monthly poker game without my spelling it out. I’m sure your ex-wife had the same complaint.”

“Don’t use my disregard of your pissy moods as proof I don’t get something. I’m not as inattentive as you think. And what I’m getting here is the distinct impression you’re trying to talk your head out of something, but it’s not cooperating. Saying it out loud to me isn’t going to help either.”

Clay stood and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. He needed to get away from Matt’s x-ray vision and his insightful words. He didn’t need to be told how he felt about Charley.

Because he didn’t want to know.

Chapter Six

“Hey, golden girl, you look exhausted.” Annie eased into the client chair in front of Charlotte’s desk and sipped from her coffee cup.

“Stop calling me that.” Although Charlotte didn’t find the moniker amusing, she couldn’t help but smile at her friend who loved to tease. “I am tired.” Charlotte tossed the papers she held onto her desk and sat back, closing her eyes for a moment. “Couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Why? Too stressed out about work?”

“That’s part of the reason. I’m meeting with Gina Belton and her parents on Monday. Brad is letting me work on the case with him.”

“There’s the root of all anxiety. Brad. Have you ever met anyone so difficult to work with? He’s a little scary if you ask me. So cold and insensitive. I try to avoid cases with him.”

“How have you managed that? You’ve been here for three years.”

Annie shrugged. “I’m not one of his favorites. I think he has this thing against women attorneys. Not you of course. You’re his shining star.”

There was no hint of envy in Annie’s voice, but Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder if her hiring had in any way upset the delicate balance among the other associates striving for recognition and eventual partnership. Being the newest associate at the firm, Charlotte had no intention of leap-frogging over the others to win the coveted role of partner, for she had no interest in staying in Princeton that long. But no one else knew that.

“I am not his shining star,” Charlotte said, ignoring her inner musings.

“If you haven’t noticed, Brad doesn’t usually work with young associates, either. He prefers those who have at least five years behind them.”

Charlotte had noticed, but didn’t think much of it. She just assumed there hadn’t been a need for him to delegate too far up the food chain. Besides, if Brad didn’t like to work with women or new associates, why had he hired her? Maybe Annie was wrong about that.

“He’s such a brilliant lawyer. I know I can learn an awful lot from breathing the same air.”

Annie ignored her comment. “Okay, so working with him didn’t keep you awake. However, that will come. So what’s wrong?”

“I had dinner with Clay Montgomery last night.”

Annie sat up in her chair, all ears. “I knew something was going on between you two at the gala. Do tell.”

Charlotte laughed at her spiked interest. “We went to Zoey’s. What a beautiful restaurant. And the food—”

“I don’t care about the food. What happened after that? And give me all the juicy details.” Annie’s voice had dropped to a stage whisper.

“There are no juicy details.” Charlotte chuckled at Annie’s insinuation, but couldn’t help the disappointment flowing through her at the thought of their less than romantic evening. “We’re just friends. I guess.”

At least that’s all she allowed herself to think. And maybe not even that, given the way the evening had ended. Although, fantasies about what could have been were what had kept her tossing and turning all night.

“Well, change that, girlfriend. He’s gorgeous, smart, driven. And single. Why aren’t you going after him? You’d be perfect for each other.”

“We’re hardly that. He’s a doctor at Nassau General. We sue doctors. And right now, I’m involved in a case against Nassau General.” Charlotte bit her lower lip, watching closely for Annie’s response. “How’s that for perfect?”

Annie opened her mouth, then closed it, and opened it again. “Nassau General’s a big place. He probably doesn’t even know who your case is against. And just because he’s employed by the hospital doesn’t make for a conflict of interest if you date him. He has nothing to do with the case.”

Charlotte mulled over her friend’s technical rationalization. “True. But in addition to Clay, I had relationships with others at the hospital.” When Annie looked confused, Charlotte told her about the months she’d spent there after the accident, and how Richard Collins had been instrumental in her care.

“I knew your parents had died, but I had no idea about the circumstances. Or that you were injured and left to fend for yourself. That’s so awful.”

“It was. But I was tutored by two of the best looking interns in the state. Clay was one of them. I lived for those tutoring hours with him.” She mentally pinched herself. Why had she shared that little piece of herself with Annie? Yes, they were friends, but she hadn’t meant to open herself up like that. And then sound so pathetic.

“It sounds to me like you want to reconnect with Clay but, at the same time, you’re focusing on complications to convince yourself it will never work.”

Charlotte blanched at Annie’s perceptiveness. Not only did she want to re-establish at least a friendship with Clay, if not more, she also wanted to restore her ties to Dr. Collins. He’d been so nice when he’d called her the other day. He’d learned about Renee’s husband’s death and wanted to extend his sympathy to both Charlotte and Renee. He’d even asked if either of them needed anything. How had she allowed her relationship with him to just fade away?

“Maybe I can ask Brad to only assign me to cases that don’t involve Nassau General.”
Where had that come from?

Annie gaped like a fish. “Are you looking to get fired? You can’t pick and choose which cases you’ll work on.”

“I know. Just brainstorming.” Or more truthfully, grasping for a solution that wouldn’t infringe on her ties to two very special people from her prior life. Charlotte sighed. “I better get back to this file, or I’m never going to be ready for my meeting with the Beltons.”

“Okay. I can take a hint.” Annie stood. “It’s so hard to find a good-looking, eligible guy around here.” Annie had often bemoaned that very problem since Charlotte had arrived, asking her why she would leave a big city for Smalltown, USA. Annie turned and smiled over her shoulder. “If you decide not to go for Clay, feel free to introduce him to me.”

Charlotte threw a pencil in her direction and laughed. “Sure.”

But deep down she knew that would never happen. She fully intended to subscribe to Annie’s interpretation of the conflicts of interest rules while hoping that Clay would soon forget about their huge philosophical differences.

****

“So how goes it?” Brad Carlton stood in Charlotte’s doorway, half in, half out, obviously not staying long.

“Good. I’m meeting with Gina and her parents on Monday to get a solid history from them.”

“How did Gallway’s deposition go?”

“Fine. Good actually. He admitted he didn’t see any neck x-rays before surgery. At first he claimed none were taken. But when pressed, he said he wasn’t sure.”

“Go through the hospital records and find out.”

Brad’s order was curt. As if she hadn’t already put that on her priority list. She’d only been involved in the case for a little over a week and the files took up two whole cabinet drawers. It could conceivably take her a few more weeks before she got through the entire thing.

“It must be hard on Dr. Gallway wondering if he caused Gina’s paralysis.” She’d felt bad for him while taking his deposition. He seemed so sad.

“He’ll never admit it. They always come up with some other reason for the outcome.”

“I know, but I bet he lies awake nights re-hashing it.”

“You’re giving him too much credit. These doctors think they’re better than the rest of us, that their lofty goals to treat the ills of mankind shouldn’t be challenged or questioned. None of the defendants in our cases have ever admitted to negligence. They usually argue there was a sudden event that couldn’t have been anticipated or planned for. Of course, they have loads of time, after the tragedy, to come up with excuses for having failed to appreciate the potential problem. When we sue them for their mistakes, they look at us as if we’re the sharks. I, for one, will never be swayed by their blame-shifting tactics. And I never assume they wonder if they did the wrong thing.”

A direct and cutting stab at Charlotte.

The scowl on Brad’s face and the venom in his voice advised her to keep any empathy for doctors to herself.

Could Annie be right? Was he a cold-hearted soul? Was his only goal to beat the other side and get as much money as possible? He rarely talked about their clients as people. They were victims or plaintiffs. Oh, he knew the facts of each case like the back of his hand. But he never spoke of their clients’ losses with sympathy. At least not around the office. Instead, he used medical terms and legalese, as if arguing his case to the Supreme Court. When he did get passionate about a case, it was a rant about the negligent doctor and not about the trauma to the patient.

Charlotte had originally thought his outside surface was impenetrable for show. He hid the fact he truly cared about his clients behind his tough litigator persona. For he couldn’t possibly be such a stellar malpractice attorney if he didn’t care. And there was no doubt Brad was brilliant in representing plaintiffs. He had an uncanny sense that allowed him to hone in on the cases to accept. More often than not, he was able to prove the defendant doctor should have known the potential risks during surgery, or should have at least anticipated those risks, in order to avoid the resulting injury.

Yet, Charlotte couldn’t shake the discomfort penetrating her being over Brad’s apparent malevolence for doctors. Brad didn’t even pretend to see the other side. Settlements came from compromise and giving due consideration to the merits of their adversary’s defense. Given his clear abhorrence of the medical profession, she couldn’t imagine Brad even listening to the position of the unlucky doctor who happened to be the defendant in one of his cases.

Brad broke into her thoughts. “I noticed your usual spark is missing when we talk about this case. Do you have a problem with it?”

Charlotte inhaled. Damn. “No. It’s not that. It’s just that it’s against Nassau General. I was a patient there for quite a while after my parents died. I got to know some of the staff fairly well.”

“If you have any warm, fuzzy feelings for those doctors, you better get over them. You have a client to represent and your loyalty is to her. If I see one compromise made by you because of your past connections, it won’t bode well for you.”

Charlotte nodded, feeling the chill of his words reach her bones. If she’d had any question about Brad’s human empathy, it had become perfectly clear that gene was missing.