“I was told to help you,” Joyce said as Donna approached her in the hall, outside Linda Wilson’s patient care room.
“I’d like to see you in Sam’s office first,” Donna responded.
Joyce locked her eyes with Donna’s for a few seconds before making a move. Donna groaned inwardly and raised an expectant eyebrow as she motioned to Sam’s office. She closed the door behind them and sat behind the desk. Donna held out her hand. “Joyce, may I see Mrs. Wilson’s medical chart, please?”
Joyce sighed and slid the chart across the desk. Donna picked it up and glanced through the notes. The handwriting looked familiar. Donna didn’t know many doctors that wrote legibly – herself included - but it didn’t dawn on her who it was until she read the attending physician’s signature, dated ten hours ago; Jared Thundercloud. Her eyes glossed, and she swallowed hard. She cleared her throat and pushed the chart aside. Joyce raised a curious eyebrow at Donna’s reaction.
“Before we go in to see Mrs. Wilson, there’s something I’d like to get straight with you,” Donna said, her voice calm and professional. “I know you don’t like me, and I have to be honest, I don’t particularly like you, but when we work together, and we go into a hospital room, we go in as doctor and nurse. I will expect you to honour that difference. If you want to have it out with me – fine – I’m game, but, not in front of my patients. Are we clear?”
“Is this… off the record, or are you running to Sam with everything I tell you?”
“It’s off the record right now, Joyce.”
Joyce frowned. “It’s obvious you could have Richard, or Sam, but you chose Sam. Why? I don’t understand that. Only a fool would pick a sack artist like Sam Kaliea, over Richard Triplet.”
“Pardon?” Donna arched an eyebrow. “What is a sack artist?”
“A womaniser, Donna. Sam has probably slept with every woman in this Centre at least once.”
“Are you including yourself?”
“That’s none of your business!” Joyce snapped.
“You’re exactly right,” Donna softly chuckled. “And what I do, or who I do it with, is none of yours. Sam may be a womaniser, Joyce, but at least he’s not a liar, and he doesn’t go around spying on people. Before you put Richard on such a high pedestal, maybe you should make sure you know what you’re worshipping. Richard is handsome, and he’s sweet. He knows just what to say, but he uses his status and his money to get what he wants. I love Richard. He’s a dear friend to me, but he’s not the angel you’re making him out to be. Now, do you think we can go in and attend to Mrs. Wilson?”
“You’re the doctor,” Joyce snorted.
“Yes, Joyce. While I’m in this infirmary, I am a doctor, and you’re a nurse, but outside this centre, I’m a woman, just like you. If you have a problem with me, you take it up with me, and I’ll do the same with you.”
“Yeah, I heard what Sam said before he darted out of here. ‘If she gives you any grief, I’ll ring her bloody neck’,” Joyce said, mimicking Sam’s accent.
Donna stood. “Well, let me set the record straight, then. I do not need Sam, or any man to fight my battles. I’m with Sam because I want to be, not because I’m so infatuated by his sex and charm. He reminds me of something I lost – something I threw away for a chance to save the World, Joyce. I don’t love Sam. I am just surviving day to day. I don’t even consider my future. You want Sam? Take him. If he wants you, I’m not going to try and hold on to him. I learned how to make lemonade with lemons a long time ago because sometimes the apple is just as sour as the lemon,” she glanced at her watch. “If you want to continue this, let’s do it outside the office. Linda Wilson is probably scared out of her wits. She’s my concern. Not you or your green eyes.”
Joyce frowned. “My eyes aren’t green.”
Donna tucked Linda’s chart under her arm and headed for the door. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
------------
Sir Richard approached his office door. The two men guarding Wilson stepped aside. “Stay here,” he said and entered the room. Wilson started to stand. Sir Richard held up an imperious hand. “Don’t bother, Kevin,” he growled. “This won’t take long.”
“It’s been a long time, Trip,” Wilson said.
Sir Richard sat behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Not… long enough. I’ve pulled your arse out of the fire, now what do you want from me, Kevin?”
“I told you. I wanted Linda out. You did get her out, didn’t you?”
“Missy is in that fucking operating room fighting for her life. She trusted you, and you betrayed her. Just like you betrayed me. Why would I help you do anything?”
“Obviously, you still haven’t forgiven me.”
Sir Richard was shocked. “What did you expect, Kevin? That I would welcome you back with open arms. Slap your hand a couple of times for being a bad boy and then just forget everything that you’ve done?”
“No, but I had expected you to be more reasonable about this, especially where my wife was concerned.”
“Like I told you in my note. An eye for an eye, Kevin. I forgave Martha. I haven’t forgiven you.”
“Oh come on, Richard! We both know this is not about Martha. This is about Marie, Donna’s mother, your lover. I told you before, and I’ll tell you again. I did not know Marie or Kenneth would be in the plant. I was told to blow the fucking thing up so Forrest could collect the insurance money. It was supposed to be empty. That’s what this is all about. It’s not about Martha. You didn’t care about her, so don’t try to make me believe that you’re letting Forrest get his hands on my wife because I took yours.”
“You didn’t take… my wife, Kevin,” Sir Richard forced through his teeth. “You murdered her, just like you murdered Donna’s parents. Forrest might have pronounced the sentence, but you executed his judgement. Because of you, I was forced to walk away from a nine-year-old girl, my godchild.”
Wilson looked surprised. Sir Richard grinned and continued; never missing a beat. “Did you think I stopped searching for evidence, simply because The Order said so?”
Wilson sighed. “This isn’t getting us anywhere.”
“No, you’re right. It isn’t. Maybe I should just throw you in one of my holding cells for the rest of your miserable life. Maybe, by the time you draw your last breath, you’ll have understood what it feels like to lose something precious. And then, just when you think you couldn’t lose any more, the woman you grew to love is taken from you, as well.”
“Does Richard know about your dark secrets? Does he know that there was a time when you thought Donna might be your daughter? I was there before you, Richard, but I wasn’t worthy enough for Martha. My blood wasn’t blue enough. The World doesn’t know you like I do Richard. Even your own son doesn’t. What about Donna? Does she know you’re her godfather, or are you keeping secrets from her too? You blame me for walking away, but I don’t think it was me, Richard. I think it was guilt. You are the reason Marie and Ken were at the sewage plant that night. Don’t forget that.”
“Go to your wife!” Sir Richard growled.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know me as well as you thought you did, Kevin. Forrest lied to you. Two of his men picked Linda up at her doctor’s office. There was nothing wrong with your car. It was a set-up. Your wife is in our infirmary. Donna, the other person you turned your back on, is examining her. Just answer one question for me. What were you talking about when you said Donna has what Forrest needs? I assumed it was for her stem cell research.”
“No. It has nothing to do with her research. Dr. Mobley, his doctor at Willis Knight Cancer Centre said Donna could save Forrest’s life if she agreed to give him a bone marrow transplant.”
“If that’s the case, why hasn’t Forrest approached Donna about this before now? Knowing Donna, she probably would have helped him.”
“I don’t know. That part was puzzling to me, too. You see, when Forrest found out for sure he had CML, every single person at D’Netics was screened as a possible donor, but there were no matches. This last time, when Dr. Mobley put the information through the database again, Donna’s name came out.”
Sir Richard frowned. “But, in order to be a donor, Donna would have to be related to Forrest, and she’s not. Forrest’s doctor was lying to him, probably because he threatened his life like he does everybody else’s. Was Forrest responsible for the shooting at the cemetery in Louisiana?”
Wilson furrowed his brow. “What shooting? When? Who was shot?”
Sir Richard’s lip curled. “Are you going to sit there and tell me you didn’t know about that?”
“No, Richard. Who was shot?”
“Donna. John and Richard took her to the cemetery to say goodbye to her parents and grandparents. While they were there, someone held them under gunfire. Donna was shot in the arm when she was trying to get to the car.”
“Is she all right?”
“Obviously, or she wouldn’t be examining your wife. Don’t look so concerned, Kevin. You don’t care what happens to Donna, any more than you cared about what happened to Missy. When your wife is released from the infirmary, you’re moving into my guest house so I can keep an eye on you. You make one wrong move, and I will throw you in a holding cell, and your child will never know its father. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“Now let me ask you a question, Richard. In return for this generous offer of living under your rule, what do you want from me?”
“When I think of something, I’ll let you know,” he said, jerking the door open. “Take Mr. Wilson to see his wife. Do not let him out of your sight.”
“You trusted me once, Richard.”
“Yeah – well – that was a long time ago. If you want my trust again, you’ll have to earn it, and it won’t come easy. Go to your wife, Kevin. I have other things to do.”
------------
While Sir Richard was debriefing Wilson, Jared and Juanita sat side by side, in the observation area of the Centre’s operating theatre. Twenty minutes later, someone entered the theatre. Jared grinned and pointed. As he’d predicted, Donna hadn’t followed Sam’s instructions. When she’d finished examining her patient, Donna had scrubbed, suited-up and come to join the action. “I told you she wouldn’t listen,” Jared chuckled. “That’s Donna!”
Juanita furrowed her brow. “How can you tell, Jared? In scrubs, from this distance, they all look the same.”
“If you don’t’ believe me, watch. She’ll position herself next to Sam. Whoever that person is will be asked to move.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s what I would do if I were in Sam’s position,” Jared responded.
Sam glanced up, grinned and shook his head. “Come to get your gloves dirty?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Donna responded.
“Bunk along, honey,” Sam motioned with his head. “Dr. Rigden will take over.” The nurse gave Donna a cold stare and moved down. “I had a feeling I’d see those pretty brown eyes in here,” Sam said, leaning close to her ear.
“You didn’t expect me to sit and twiddle my thumbs while you had all the fun, did you?”
Sam studied her eyes. “As your superior, I expected you to follow my orders.”
Donna softly chuckled. “That’ll be the day. Besides, Dr. Kaliea, you’re not officially my superior. Other than Sir Richard, I don’t have a superior, as such.”
“I’ll sort you out tonight, Little Miss Delinquent.”
She softly chuckled again. “I’ll look forward to it.” Donna looked up, scanning the full length of the tinted glass with her eyes. She fixed her vision at the exact spot where Jared’s eyes were; he could feel the connection. “What’s up there?”
Sam held out his hand. “Clamp,” he ordered. “Up where?”
Donna slapped the instrument in Sam’s hand. “Up there,” she motioned with her head, toward the tinted glass wall.
Sam glanced up and went back to his work. “It’s the observation area.”
Donna kept her eyes focused on Jared’s. “Is anyone in there?”
Sam groaned inwardly. “No, sweetheart,” he lied. “We’re not being observed. If we were, you’d be able to see whoever it was.” He glanced at her. “Why, what’s wrong?”
Donna shook her head. “It’s nothing – never mind.” She sighed and focused her attention on following Sam’s instructions.
Jared swallowed hard and sighed. Even, through the wall of glass, Donna sensed she was being watched. Were her affectionate feelings toward Sam a direct result of Jared shouldering the majority of Donna’s pain and guilt? If so, he may well have permanently pushed her into the arms of another man.
“It feels funny, watching her like this,” he commented. “It’s almost more than I can stand, especially seeing her with that womaniser. I want to pick him up by the scruff of the neck and shake him good. Then I want to hold Donna in my arms and tell her how much I love her, and how sorry I am for what happened between us.”
“Then do it,” Sir Richard said as he sat on the other side of Jared. “Hello again, Son.”
“I can’t tell her, Sir Richard,” Jared responded, firmly shaking Sir Richard’s outstretched hand.
“Hello, Juanita,” he said, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you both. Jared, there’s nothing stopping you from telling Donna how you feel. Having feelings for someone does not necessarily mean you’ll act on those feelings. I’m sure if she understood why you did what you did; Donna would wait for you, for however long it took.”
“Yes, Sir. I’m sure she would, too, but in the meantime, Donna wouldn’t have a life. There’s no guarantee we’ll ever be able to be together, Sir Richard. Not as long as Forrest is a threat.”
Juanita groaned. “As long as he’s breathing, Forrest is a threat to the entire planet!”
“Yes, Juanita, he is, but Forrest is not going to be around much longer. Unless he gets what he needs, at the most, Forrest has six months left. I’m sure both you and Juanita know the quality of life he’ll have in the final stages of CML.”
Jared swallowed hard. “What do you mean, unless he gets what he needs?”
Juanita’s eyes widened. “Is there something out there that could save him?”
“Not something – someone – Donna. Unless, of course, Wilson was lying.”
Juanita cocked her head to the side. “Why does Mr. Wilson think Donna can save Forrest?”
“Do either of you know a Dr. Mobley, from Willis Knight Cancer Centre?”
“I know of him – yes,” Jared nodded.
“I’ve heard of him, too,” Juanita agreed. “He’s supposed to be a reputable physician.”
Jared narrowed his eyes. “Is he involved with Forrest?”
“Dr. Mobley is the one who diagnosed Forrest. He’s been discreetly treating him, over the years. We’ve suspected Forrest was dying, long before we knew the cause. Dr. Mobley ran Forrest’s information through the donor database, and Donna’s name came out, as a compatible match.”
Juanita shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sir Richard, but that’s not possible. In order for Donna to be a compatible match, she would have to be related to Forrest. I grew up with Donna. I knew both her parents and her grandparents. Donna is not related to Forrest,” she declared with certainty. “Wilson is lying to you.”
“According to Wilson, this wasn’t the first time Forrest information had been put through the database. The first time, there were no matches. Then this time Donna came up as a donor. I’d like for you to stick around for a while, so we can discuss this in private,” he said, turning his attention back to Jared and glancing at Juanita.
“I’m curious myself, Sir Richard…” Jared responded, “…but I can’t hang around. I can’t risk Donna finding out I’m here.”
“What if I could put you in a place, where I could guarantee that Donna would never know you, or Juanita were here?”
Jared and Juanita frowned. “Sir Richard, I have a little girl. And since Donna and I split up…” he paused and snorted. “Let me rephrase that. Since I had to walk away from Donna, Beth doesn’t like me to be gone too long. I think she’s afraid I won’t come back either.”
“Does she know what happened between you and Donna? Does your family?”
“Beth doesn’t. She knows Donna had to leave. I figured the circumstances were a little complicated for a child her age to understand. My parents know. They’ve been extremely supportive through this.”
“Although I’ll likely find myself on the run when Forrest finds out I was involved, I couldn’t stay either, Sir Richard.”
“If you and Jared will work with me, we can beat Forrest. I need people like you and Jared, Juanita.” Sir Richard held up a hand. “And, before you ask, this has nothing to do with Donna or Gary. Will you at least listen to what I can offer you?”
Jared glanced down at the surgical scene again. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He knew Donna sensed his presence. He swallowed hard and studied Sir Richard’s eyes. “I’ll listen, but if it puts anyone I love at risk….”
“I will make sure your family in Arizona, as well as your family in Shreveport, are protected. Same goes for you, Juanita. Join me and I’ll see your mother has the best possible medical care available. I’ll give you the same salary and deal I gave Donna.”
“And exactly what do you want in return?” Jared asked.
“The same thing you did tonight, only with a bit more advanced planning. This was kind of on the hoof.”
“You promise Donna won’t know?”
“Jared… you have my word, son.”
“Can I talk to my daughter and let her know this is temporary, and that I’ll be coming back soon?”
“Of course you can Jared,” Sir Richard smiled. “Where possible, I don’t split up families. You can talk to Beth on the most secure network available. Everyone in your family will get a new cell phone – one of my cell phones. When you go back to America, we can communicate with each other and know for certain no one can listen in.”
“How do you know it’s that secure of a network?”
Sir Richard grinned. “Ask me that again, when you’ve seen it. Do we have a deal?” He offered his hand.
Cautiously Jared took it. “We have a deal. I’ll listen to your offer, but I won’t guarantee I’ll take it. Is that good enough for you, Sir Richard?”
“What about you, Juanita?”
Juanita smiled and shook his hand. “Sir Richard, the only family I have is my mother. As long as she’s taken care of, I’ll gladly help you bring Forrest down, but I don’t want Gary or Donna to know I’m involved, either. It would cause too many complications – at least for the time being,” she added.
Sir Richard turned to face the operating room. “We’ll sort the contracts out later. How’s Missy doing?”
“Unless Donna pulls a magic rabbit out of her hat, I’m afraid it doesn’t look promising.” Jared sighed. “I have to give the devil his dues. Sam might be an arrogant asshole, but he and Donna work well together as a surgical team. She seems to have worked through some of her emotional issues.”
Sir Richard groaned. “She’s worked through a lot of things, Jared. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but what she went through with you has made her stronger. Donna stands on her own two feet now.”
Jared smiled. Maybe my parents were right….