Page 44 of The Cottage on Plum Island
“Okay, but the same rules apply,” Jennifer added. “They have to be questions about me.”
“Fair enough,” Harley agreed. “As you asked two questions already, I get to ask you two.”
“No, that’s not fair,” Jennifer stated. “You get one question for answering my questions about DoctorI love to brag about being a doctor.”
“The woman is a narcissist,” Harley told Jennifer. “She has a high opinion of herself as a doctor.” He shook his head. “To be fair, Doctor Ainsley was excellent with Daniel and thorough. At least Angela and I thought she was until Daniel got the flu.”
“I wanted to ask you about how Daniel got sick after the bone marrow transplant, but I thought it was rude to pry, especially when it upset you,” Jennifer admitted.
“While the memories are still painful,” Harley told Jennifer, “it’s been good to finally talk to someone about them.”
“I felt the same way about telling you about my childhood and Andrew,” Jennifer admitted. “It was good to finally let all the hurt out. It was like finally facing the monsters I’ve hidden in the recesses of my mind.”
“Life works in mysterious ways,” Harley said. “Who would’ve thought when we met two weeks ago that we’d be sitting telling each other our deepest secrets?”
“Not me.” Jennifer laughed. “Now stop hedging and tell me about Doctor Ainsley.”
Harley took a deep breath and continued, “Daniel wasn’t in isolation when he was recovering, but we had to be careful when we went into his room.” He took a sip of coffee. “We had to disinfect our hands and put on booties, caps, gowns, masks, and gloves. We couldn’t go in until a nurse ensured Daniel was wearing a mask and gloves.”
“That’s understandable.” Jennifer nodded.
“His blood count was rising but slowly, and his immune system was weak.” Harley cleared his throat as his voice became hoarse with emotion. “I told you what happened on the day the flu took him. The day he passed away when Angela had her first breakdown, DoctorAinsley had to sedate Angela, and she’d no sooner given the sedative when she started sneezing.”
“Doctor Ainsley had the flu?” Jennifer’s eyes widened in disbelief. “She had the flu and still went near Daniel?”
“Yes.” Harley nodded. “Although Doctor Ainsley denied she had the flu or even a cold. She said it was allergies, and she’d never go near an immune-compromised cancer patient if she were sick.”
“What happened?” Jennifer poured water into a glass. “Was there an investigation?”
“Yes, but we couldn’t prove anything,” Harley told her. “Doctor Ainsley was found guilty of negligence, got a suspension, and gave us a payout, which we donated to the children’s cancer ward.”
“After her suspension, she went back to work as if nothing happened.” Jennifer finished the story feeling angry for Harley.
“Doctor Ainsley tried to contact me a few times after that, but I wouldn’t take her calls.” A muscle ticked at the side of Harley’s jaw, and his eyes flickered angrily. “I had nothing more to say to her and didn’t want to hear any empty apologies.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jennifer told him. “Now that I know what happened, I think you showed a lot of restraint when she walked into Liam’s office.”
“I didn’t want to end up in jail.” Harley laughed.
“I would’ve insisted Andrew get all charges dropped,” Jennifer assured him.
“Andrew’s an attorney?” Harley’s eyebrows rose.
“He may have been a terrible parent and negligent husband,” Jennifer said before grudgingly adding. “But he is one of the top defense attorneys in Massachusetts.”
“I noted the grudging respect you said that with.” Harley’s eyes twinkled teasingly.
“Aunt Betty taught us that it doesn’t matter what you think of the person. You have to give them credit where credit is due,” Jennifer repeated one of her aunt’s mantras. “My turn to ask another question.”
“What?” Harley looked at her in confusion. “No. I haven’t asked a question yet.”
“You did.” Jennifer gave him a smug smile. “You asked me if Andrew was an attorney.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Harley’s eyes narrowed. “We agreed the question has to be about us and not one of our loved ones.”
“Andrew isn’t one of my loved ones,” Jennifer pointed out.
“That’s not fair!” Harley shook his head. “I’ve been cheated.”
