Page 36 of Mountain Freedom
“Iwill be an excellent provider formyself,” I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “Or did you forget that I have a medical degree, too?”
“What I know is that you have a lot of student loans,” she said. “He comes from money. No student loans for him, and he’ll earn far more in his specialty than you ever will as a mountain town family doctor. He wants to give you everything, Allison. Why on earth would you throw that away over a misunderstanding?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you’re taking his side? Over mine?”
“There’s no need for sides,” she said, soothing. “He just wanted me to talk to you. Tell you to come back. He’s worried about you, and he misses you.I’mworried about you too. You don’t belong there. Mike said he’ll use his connections to get you something in Memphis.”
“I’m not going back.” My tone made it clear there was no room for discussion.
“You will,” she said, like a promise. “You can be as stubborn as you want right now, but you’ll see. That town has a dark side. I only hope you get out before you get hurt.”
With that, she hung up the phone.
Chapter Fourteen
Jackson
Friday flew by.I attributed my good mood to the fact that I had closed three cases that day, even though I knew at least half of it was because I was looking forward to seeing Allison again. I had long been the fifth wheel at Greg and Janet’s dinners. Fiona and I were the only two single people regularly included. Allison wouldn’t be there as my date, but it still felt good to bring someone with me.
Allison texted that I’d need to pick her up from the clinic, as she wouldn’t have time to run home after work to change. When I got there, ten minutes after they should have closed, I heard the muffled sounds of an argument from inside. I pulled the front door open, ignored Beverly completely, and strode straight through the door that separated the waiting room from the clinic.
Allison was in the hallway with a man towering over her, cussing her out. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she caught sight of me.
I walked straight to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. “What seems to be the problem?” I asked, my tone clipped. I was inwardly seething at the way he had been speaking to Allison, but I was good at my job, and part of that meant staying calm in the face of pressure.
The man—Frank Cross, as it turned out, a man I’d arrested twice for DUI and once for domestic assault—turned around and immediately flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, sorry, Jackson,” he said. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, jerking his thumb toward Allison. “The new girl here is refusing to give me the medicine I need. I’ve been in every day this week asking for refills and she won’t give them. I’d like to file charges. That’s got to be a crime, right? Medical neglect or something?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, willing myself to keep it under control. “If by ‘new girl’ you’re referring toDoctorBell, I’m assuming there’s probably a medicalreason she’s not filling the prescriptions you’re asking for. Doctor?” I addressed her, making sure I modeled the respect she was due.
She took a breath. “That’s right. As I’ve tried explaining to Mr. Cross every time he’s come in, his prescriptions aren’t appropriate for his condition. They’re also highly addictive and have a plethora of potential side effects with long-term use. I’ve offered other combinations that are less dangerous, I’ve offered help getting into rehab, and I’ve offered referrals for procedures that would likely eliminate the pain he’s feeling so that the meds aren’t even necessary. Mr. Cross,” she said, her face softening. “I know this is hard, but we’re talking about your life. You can’t continue like this.”
Frank’s face reddened again. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he hollered, jabbing her with his finger. “I’ve been getting by just fine, and I’ll keep getting by if you’ll just do your damn job and write the scripts!”
“That’s enough,” I said, stepping in between the two of them. “Frank, you’re out of line. At this point, Dr. Bell could press charges againstyou.”
Frank stepped back, shocked. “I didn’t do nothin’!”
“You’re verbally harassing her, and I just saw you jab her with your finger,” I said evenly. “You’re crossing the line, Frank, and with your history, no one’s going to go easy on you. Now, according to Dr. Bell, she’s offered you three alternatives. Which one will you be taking?”
His face turned even more red. “I’ll tell you which one. None of them! I’m going to go find me a real doctor. Kept coming here out of loyalty to Doc Rogers, but it ain’t worth it anymore. I don’t know what they were thinking, hiring a Bell. Bells are no-good trash. Ain’t never done anything good for this community. You’re probably just like your mama,” he said. Then he snarled at Allison as he kicked the metal trash can in the hallway.
It was getting harder and harder to keep my professional demeanor. “It’s time for you to leave,” I said. “And, Frank?”
“What?”
“I don’t ever want to hear you speaking about Dr. Bell that way again, you hear me?”
“It’s a free country,” he said. “I’ll speak about her anyway I want.”
“Not in front of me, you won’t.”
The warning in my eyes must have made him realize I was serious. He spun around and walked out, muttering under his breath the whole way. I followed, keeping him in sight until he was out of the building. Then I locked the door behind him.
When I turned around, I saw Beverly smiling smugly. I walked over to her, my arms crossed. “Beverly, the next time a staff member here—anystaff member—is being verbally harassed, you need to call for law enforcement immediately. You know Frank has a reputation for getting hot under the collar,and he’s desperate for narcotics. That could have escalated into a dangerous situation quickly. I’m disappointed you were content to sit here and watch the show instead of helping your colleague.”
Her mouth dropped open, but she was too shocked to say anything. Which, frankly, I was glad about.
I walked through the doors to the back of the clinic and started looking for Allison, who had disappeared from the hallway. I found her in an exam room, typing on her laptop. Her hands were shaky, her smile even more so when she looked up at me.
