Waiting for Daybreak (20 page)
No, wait. She remembered Jack this morning, up early, making her coffee, kissing her before he left. He’d been as sweet as he was when she first moved in—like he finally woke up and remembered how much he loved her or something. Things were getting better, she wouldn’t let an unexpected kid visit ruin that. Besides, Nicole and Jeremy were lovable kids, most of the time anyway.
A stream of water arced from the side of the house. Nicole’s high-pitched squeal and Jeremy’s laughter came from the direction of the geyser. Dawn smiled, picturing Jack chasing them with the hose, cooling off on a hot night. Maybe things here were going like she’d always known they would, if she’d just hang in there long enough.
She climbed from the car and moved toward the commotion.
A spray of water blasted through the air again. She did not want to turn the corner and get soaked, so she cupped her hands to her mouth and called, “Watch out, coming through,” and chanced a peek around the corner.
When Nicole saw her, she ran over and threw her arms around Dawn’s leg, still giggling. Her hair hung in wet strings, her blue sundress clung to her—every inch soaked through.
“What are you doing?” Dawn looked toward Jeremy, who was almost equally wet. He turned the spigot at the hose. “Cleaning up.”
“Cleaning what up?”
“Ourselves.”
“That’s not what it looks like.”
Jeremy shrugged. “Nic was all sticky, so we came over here to rinse her off a bit.”
“And one thing led to another, I see.” Dawn looked toward the house, expecting to see Renee coming out any minute now.
She never hung around long when she dropped off the kids. “Why was Nicole sticky?”
Nicole licked her lips. “Cotton candy. Mmm. We got some at the fair.”
“Wow, y’all drove over to Lawrenceburg today for the fair?
That’s special.” No wonder Renee had brought them by. A day at the fair, the kids pumped up on sugar. Yeah, she’d probably called Jack and made some lame excuse about why he needed to take the kids tonight. “Was your mom off work today?”
“She took off special. Just like Dad.”
“Like Dad?”
“Yeah, he took us all. It was so much fun. He bought Jeremy a balloon, and he won stuffed animals for mama and me.”
The door to the house remained closed. The kids were soaking wet. How long had they been home? How long had Renee been here?
Dawn shook off the thought. Jack had gotten up early today, fixed her coffee. He loved her. The two of them were probably in there fighting about child support. Still, it was probably time for Renee to get on her way. “Let’s get you inside and into some dry clothes.”
Jeremy shook his head. “Can’t. Daddy said not to.”
Dawn took Nicole’s hand and started toward the house. “Said not to what?”
“Come inside. He said him and mama were going to take a nap. He said we had to play outside.”
Dawn dropped Nicole’s hand and turned to look at Jeremy.
A sick anger boiled inside her. She took the front porch steps two at a time. When she pushed on the door handle, it didn’t move. Locked. She jerked open her purse flap and shoved her hand past the torn wallet and the tube of lipstick to find her key ring. The heart-shaped key ring Jack had given her when they first started dating. She jerked it out and shoved the key in the door. In one motion she turned the key, pushed the latch, and flung open the door.
Renee stood in the front room, brushing through wet hair. She was wearing an old shirt of Jack’s and not much else. “Oh, hi. Didn’t realize it was time for you to be home yet.”
I’ll bet. “What are you doing here?”
“The kids was just spending a little quality time with their daddy. That’s important, you know.”
Jack came walking into the room, hair dripping wet, a towel wrapped around his waist. “I’ve got to fix that water heater. I hate cold showers. I’m about frozen through.”
Renee set down the brush. “Funny, it was plenty warm when I was in there. Hot, I’d almost say.” She smiled coyly at Jack. “Things cooled after I got out, hmm?”
Jack smiled but didn’t answer.
Renee crossed the room to stand beside him. “Well, I’d best be getting home.” She rubbed a finger down his bare chest. “Talk to you . . . later.” She turned and looked at Dawn, a smirk on her face. “Have a nice evening.” The faint sound of suppressed giggles trailed behind her as she walked out the door.
Dawn didn’t even wait for it to close. “What was that all about?”
“I spent the day with my family. That’s what it was all about.”
“Your
family
? Your family? I seem to remember that you are divorced from at least part of that family. Any of that ringing a bell with you?”
“It’s good for kids to spend some time with both parents. Even if we’re not married, they need to see that we still get along.”
“Get along is one thing. Locking the kids out of the house and
getting along
is another.” She pointed at the couch. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here tonight, because you are no longer welcome in my bed.”
Jack grabbed her by both shoulders and put his face only inches from hers. His breath was thick with the smell of beer. “This is my house. Mine. Got it? I live here, I own it. That includes the bed. I’ll do whatever I want, with whoever I want. Got it?” He pulled her toward the back room.
“Let me go.” She knew even as she said the words that he wouldn’t. It was hopeless.
Tuesday morning, Paige watched Clarissa make her entrance into the pharmacy. Something about her seemed different today. The bored disinterest that always radiated from her felt forced today. Defiant almost. She walked into the dispensing area, her jaw set.
“There’s something I need to tell you, but I don’t want any lectures or ‘I told you so’s.’ ”
Paige held up the first three fingers of her right hand. “Scouts honor. I’ll leave the lectures to the mothers of this world.”
Clarissa did not smile. “Yeah, well, I’m sure I’ll get plenty of yap from my step-monster.” Her eyes glinted hard and flat.
“What’s the matter?” The news must have been pretty bad for Clarissa to be this serious about it. Paige dropped onto the stool behind her.
“You remember Ms. Feldhouse? The Zebeta lady?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she’s filed a lawsuit.” Clarissa looked toward the ceiling. “I mean, come on. It wasn’t like anything bad happened to her or anything. She’s just out to make a little money.”
Pictures of Atlanta flashed before Paige’s eyes. Things could get worse from here—a lot worse. Clarissa might not see the big picture yet, but she did. “Do they know yet? About Dawn taking the call, I mean?”
Clarissa snorted. “Are you crazy? And I’m not going to tell them.”
“So, you plan to lie?”
Clarissa waved her hand once. “Relax. My father’s lawyer is going to handle it. He’s already started looking into it and said her lawyer is some backwoods loser. We’ll settle it fast so there won’t be a trial or anything—and insurance will cover it. So, it’s an inconvenience.” She ran her fingers through the black silk of her hair. “An inconvenience I don’t want to deal with, but what can I say? There’s a lot I’d rather not deal with.”
“Are you sure? It definitely wouldn’t go to trial?”
“He’ll handle it. We just need to keep our mouths shut about what happened, and it’ll all be over in a quick and painless manner.”
It might be quick, but for Paige it would not be painless. The memories were already awakening in her mind.
Clarissa reached over and took Paige by the arm. “If someone comes around asking questions, you know what you are
not
going to say, right?”
“I’m not going to lie. You were doing something that you knew was wrong. Something I kept telling you not to do.”
Clarissa pulled her hand away. “So much for scout’s honor about lectures, hmm?” She looked at her fingernails. “Besides, I’d think someone with your past, more than most people, would understand this situation.”
The words slipped like a cold blade between her ribs. She could barely manage to say, “What?”
“Have you forgotten about Mr. Bartlett so soon?”
Paige looked at Clarissa, knowing now without a doubt who had hired the investigator.
“In case you need a reminder, that was the name of the man in Atlanta who had a seizure behind the wheel because he got the wrong strength of his medication. He hit an SUV carrying a mother and her toddler. Ring any bells?” Clarissa crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, victory shining from her eyes.
Breathe. Just breathe. You’ve got to be strong, your parents need
you to be strong.
“The things that happened in Atlanta . . . They were . . . That was different.”
“You think so? What was so different about it?”
“Those were
mistakes
, made by people who were working according to the law. What you’re doing is
negligence
plain and simple.”
Clarissa looked at her fingernails. “I doubt my grandfather would see it that way. Don’t you?”
“It was different,” Paige insisted, trying hard to forget the memories that flooded back.
Paige sat in the committee meeting, looking at Mr. Bartlett’s
chart, her heart pounding. What was going on here?
“Would you read for us, please, what the order says?” Dr. Pilcher
put his finger above the order in question.
The refill had been written on a call-in form, which would then
have been paper clipped to the front of the chart, sent for a doctor’s
signature, then sent to the pharmacy to be filled. After the completion
of all those steps, the order was permanently attached to the chart.
“It says Phenobarbital 30 mg BID.”
“Yes, 30 mg twice a day. But Jerry Bartlett’s regimen is 100 mg
twice a day.”
Paige looked at the words written before her. “Then why is it
written as 30 mg?”
The head nurse spoke up. “It seems that when he called in, he
asked for 30. In retrospect, what he meant was a thirty-day supply,
since that’s what his plan covers.”
Paige tried to blink aside the pictures of Jerry Bartlett’s wrinkled
face, his stooped posture, his withered hands. She could still hear his
“Thank you very much, young lady” as she handed him his prescription,
see him wink as he took it from her hand. That she had handed
him a bag filled with what caused his wreck was unthinkable. She
rubbed her fingertips with her thumb, as if to erase the stain.
Dr. Pilcher pressed against his forehead again. “What I want to
know, Miss Woodward, is why didn’t you catch this?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve spoken extensively with our medical error committee,” he
said nodding toward the three assembled doctors. Brian did not look
at her. “It has been agreed that this should have been stopped by the
pharmacy. Would your computer not have flashed a warning that a
different dose than normal was being given?”
“Yes, of course. But with a drug like phenobarbital, the doses are
often adjusted. I would have seen that and made the assumption that
this was being added to his current regimen.”
“It sounds a lot like carelessness to me.”
Paige cast a glance toward Brian, waiting for him to speak up.
He looked down at his hands and remained silent.
Helga pointed at the chart. “Thankfully, Mr. Bartlett’s family
has agreed to compensation and complete medical coverage, and
they will not file a lawsuit. They just want to make certain that the
person responsible for this is held to account.”
Dr. Pilcher nodded his head. “This committee is in agreement
that you are that person, Miss Woodward.”
The room seemed to blink shades of light and dark, as if the injustice
of it all was too much for even the walls to take. Paige could
hear her own pulse beating in time with the flickering shadows.
“As of right now, you may consider yourself on unpaid leave.”
Helga’s voice carried no hint of remorse. “We will give you a week
to think it over. If you choose to resign during that week, it will be
recorded as a resignation in Human Resources, thus preserving your
reference for another job you might apply for. If you choose not to
resign, then we may have no other choice but to let you go.”
Paige looked around the room. “But, I only filled the prescription
as written. How can you blame me for this?”
“That’s all for now.”
Paige stood and walked through the front room, her legs barely
supporting her. This had to be a dream. A nightmare from which she
would soon wake. But never did.
“You know my grandfather would fire you in a heartbeat if he knew about your past, don’t you?”
Paige nodded her head. “Clarissa, I need this job.”
“Yes, and I need a lawsuit that is easily settled. If someone comes around asking questions, you keep your mouth shut, and in return, I’ll keep my mouth shut to Granddad. Understand?” The hard glimmer in Clarissa’s eyes left no doubt that she was completely serious. “Look, accidents happen. I don’t judge. I’ve made mistakes, you’ve made mistakes. Right?” Clarissa put her hand on Paige’s shoulder and squeezed. “Do you understand?”
Paige took a deep breath. “I understand perfectly.”
Dawn came back into the pharmacy from the stock room. Clarissa nodded toward her, then turned back to Paige. “Good. Now that we’ve got that all settled, how was your weekend with your friend?” She said it in the most conversational, friendly tone. It was almost impossible to believe it was the same mouth that had spoken not ten seconds ago.
Paige tried to pull herself back into the here and now. She was in a desperate situation with her parents, and she needed to buck up and get through this. “The weekend with my friend was nice.” At least she knew the truth now. Paige pulled up some extra courage from somewhere and forced herself to pretend this was just a casual conversation with a co-worker. “It was good to see her again.”