Page 53 of Lost in Love
They sat in silence, waiting for the phone to ring. Occasionally exchanging glances, Katherine could feel Rebecca’s disappointment in her. She was disappointed in herself, but she regretted nothing. Her mind raced with choices and outcomes.
The phone rang. Katherine stared at it and took a deep breath.
Rebecca tutted and picked it up.
“Adrian, hang on, let me put you on speaker.” Rebecca placed the phone on the work surface between them.
“Hi, Katherine.”
“Hi, Adrian, thanks for your time.”
“Not a problem. I owe your friend more than one favour.”
Rebecca smirked.
“Right, I’ll jump straight to your options. One, admit it and throw yourself on the Council’s mercy; you will, however, risk erasure from the register. Has there been any sexual activity yet?’
Rebecca looked to Katherine.
“No.”
“Well, that may play in your favour, but no doubt there has been intention; the fact it was absent doesn’t discount the seriousness of the allegation. Plus, they may assume it anyway even if you deny it; you know what people are like, and these guys are no different. Two, and I don’t advocate lying, especially to the GMC, deny everything and hope they don’t produce any evidence of your relationship. This is just a preliminary stage, so it may not go any further. With this option, you would, of course, have to prevent any evidence from being acquired, so you would need to sever all future ties to the patient’s daughter. If there is no evidence, they should drop the case. If they do have evidence, then you are no worse off than option one except they will likely come down harder on you for lying.”
The patient’s daughter! Her name was Anna, and she was so much more than just the patient’s daughter. It sounded like a book you’d see on the bestseller table at Waterstones.
“It’s a confirm-or-deny option, Katherine,” Adrian stated.
Katherine rubbed at her hands. “There was no mention of a suspension in the letter, so I can keep practising.”
“It’s a moral rather than a performance case, and with no other regulatory body involved, they wouldn’t look to suspend you without further evidence. Now you have my number. All responses need to go back through me; don’t contact them yourself.”
“Thank you, Adrian. One last thing.”
“Fire away.”
“Will the GMC inform Anna of the investigation?”
“Assuming she’s been named as the other party, it’s a possibility. If all they have is a rumour, then it’s unlikely.”
“I really, really need to keep my job and this patient.”
“It’s option two then. Mull it over.”
Option two: sever all future ties with the patient’s daughter. This hit her like a gut punch. “Thanks, Adrian,” Katherine managed to say.
“No problem, and I’ll see you soon, Rebecca.”
“No doubt, Adrian.” Rebecca hung up the phone.
“Are you two…?”
Rebecca grinned. “No, we’re just friends. What do you reckon then?”
“I don’t know. Either way I lose.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to throw yourself on their mercy? Is she not worth losing your licence over? It’s not like you work to live.”
“Of course I would pack it all in for her. I love her, but the most important thing to her is that her father gets the best medical care, and she knows I can give that to him. She doesn’t trust anyone else. I have to fight to keep my job for her, for Harry, but I’ll have to give her up in exchange.”
