Page 58 of Watching You
‘Hey,’ she said. ‘You okay?’
It was a question everyone asked before they got down to anything more substantial, since Molly had gone.
‘Sure. How busy is today going to be?’
Sharon frowned momentarily then took a deep breath. ‘Did you just get in?’
‘Yes. Flat tyre, so although I was supposed to be here early I’m now running late. Anything tricky waiting for us?’
‘Um, Beth, I … something came up. The chief executive wants to talk to you. You’re not on the list for surgery today. I’m so sorry,’ Sharon said softly. ‘Whatever I can do to help.’
‘You can tell me what’s going on, that would be a start,’ Beth said, standing instinctively.
Sharon looked like she’d been picked to play for a team she hated. ‘You obviously have no idea, and I wish it wasn’t me who had to tell you. There’s a video of you. It’s gone viral.’
Beth’s stomach performed somersaults that an Olympic gymnast would have been proud of, and she realised she should have been ready for it. She wasn’t stupid and she didn’t have an overactive imagination. The man who had destroyed her daughter’s life was coming for her too, and he wasn’t playing around.
‘What’s on the video?’ she asked.
Sharon looked her square in the eyes. ‘It’s you, looks like you’re in a pub garden or something, and you’re saying that people who smoke, drink and eat too much shouldn’t be allowed NHS treatment, and how we should only be saving the lives of the people who look after their bodies. Some of the language you use to describe those people is, well, unfortunate. Lots of expletives too. Ends in a toast, something about saving NHS money and you getting the pay rise you deserve. You get the idea.’
‘Is it my voice?’ Beth asked.
Sharon shrugged.
‘Come on, you’ve known me longer than anyone else here. If it could fool you then it could fool anyone. Is it my voice?’
Sharon paused for half a second. ‘Sounds exactly like you. I wish I could tell you something different.’
‘But it’s not me,’ Beth said. ‘You know that, right?’
‘I do,’ Sharon said. ‘But you know what’s going to happen.They’re going to have to investigate. They’ll suspend you until it’s been assessed. It’ll all be about bringing the hospital into disrepute and patients losing faith in us.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Beth picked up her bag and coat but the door opened again, this time without a warning knock.
The chief executive walked in followed by two men.
‘Beth,’ she began. ‘We need a formal chat, on the record, and you’ll need representation, but I wanted to see you before anyone else, although I see I’m possibly too late for that. This is our in-house lawyer and this is the head of human resources.’ She indicated who was who.
‘I should go,’ Sharon said.
‘Don’t bother,’ Beth told her. ‘The video’s a deep fake. It’s not me. I didn’t film it, I didn’t say those words, I don’t agree with the sentiment and I never have. Everyone who ends up on my table gets equal treatment. I don’t judge.’
‘We shouldn’t have a substantive discussion,’ the head of HR said blandly.
‘Beth, you know how much we respect you here. But the video looks and sounds exactly like you. It appears from items in the shot that alcohol has been consumed, and of course, you’ve just suffered the worst loss any mother can. No one would blame you.’ The chief executive didn’t finish the sentence.
‘It’s a deep fake. It’s been put on social media as a form of harassment. My record is impeccable.’ Beth’s voice was louder now, the effort to control her anger making her throat tight.
‘I’m not sure deep-fake technology is that good. And why would anyone do that to you?’ the chief executive continued.
Beth sighed. ‘We have the technology to perform surgery through computer controls when we’re not physically in the theatre, and a couple of years from now, with the right software, we’ll be able to do that remotely from anywhere in the worldwith decent Wi-Fi. Deep-fake technology has been producing videos of world leaders doing and saying ridiculous things for ages. Just how out of touch are you?’
Sharon reached out to lay a hand on Beth’s arm who shook the fingers away.
‘We’re going to give you a week while we get ourselves ready for a preliminary hearing, and you should obtain representation and produce any evidence you’d like to. That will simply be a fact-finding exercise. Please do consult your union. After that we’ll adjourn and look at professional outcomes.’
Beth was already walking around her desk and towards the door. ‘It’s not me,’ she said. ‘You can have as many hearings as you like, but I’m simply going to say the same thing over and over again.’
