Page 75 of After Anna

Noah had been at work when he got the call that one of his favorite patients, a fifteen-year-old named Mike Wilson, had died. Mike was allergic to bee stings and always carried an EpiPen with him. Mike even had great parents, Dina and Steve, who always reminded him,No pen left behind. Noah had made up the slogan himself to help his young patients.

But on this one day, Mike had left to play soccer from a friend’s house, leaving the EpiPen. Mike had gotten stung on the field, gone into anaphylactic shock, and died. Noah had rushed to the emergencydepartment, answered Dina and Steve’s heartbreaking questions, and comforted them while they cried.

Noah had left the hospital with their agonizing questions in his ears—did he feel pain, what was it like, did he suffocate to death—then had driven home and found the black Range Rover in his driveway. He’d spotted the temporary tag taped to the window, and in that moment, it had become clear to him that he couldn’t control anything, neither the allergens, nor Mike or his other patients. Not even his own family.

What the hell’s in the driveway?Noah had shouted as soon as he’d walked in the door.

Babe?Maggie recoiled, surprised.There’s no need to yell.It’s Anna’s car, and I already talked to her about it. She bought it with her own money.

That’s not the point! She bought it without permission!

We’ve settled that already and—

She has to ask permission!Noah had shouted, slamming the table. A glass fell over and rolled onto the floor, breaking on the hardwood.Anna, go to your room right now! You have to ask my permission for anything and everything!

Suddenly Noah came out of his reverie because Linda and Thomas were leaving the dais. He didn’t know what they’d decided. Thomas caught Noah’s eye and tilted his chin upward, in a victorious way. The projection screen went abruptly blank.

Judge Gardner turned to the jury. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we’re going to strike from the record not only the statement regarding Samantha Silas, but that transcript portion in general. Court stenographer, please strike that portion from the record.”

Noah’s heart sank, understanding that he would never be able to explain why he had acted that way.

“Let’s move on, Dr. Alderman,” Linda began.

Chapter Thirty-four

Maggie, Before

Maggie knew that Noah was upset the moment he walked in the door and she knew why. She’d called the office when they’d gotten home, and they’d told her that Mike Wilson had died. Everyone was upset, and Maggie knew that Noah would take it badly, since he’d adored Mike. But even so, she would never have expected him to come home so angry. He’d yelled at Anna about the Range Rover, and she’d run upstairs while Caleb had hustled outside with Wreck-It Ralph, leaving Maggie alone with Noah in the dining room.

“Maggie, how could you let this happen? What’s the matter with you?”

“Noah, really?” Maggie tried to get her bearings. She stepped back against the table, set for dinner. She’d tried to make everything special. A salmon fillet with fresh dill and rosemary potatoes roasted in the oven, filling the air with its distinctive aromas. She’d cut peonies from her garden and put them in a glass vase, and the late-day sun filtered through the windows.

“What,really?”

“Look, I know you’re upset about Mike, and I’m so sorry but—”

“This isn’t about Mike.”

“Yes it is.” Maggie knew Noah better than he knew himself, which was probably what most wives thought, and they were right.

“It is not!”

“Stop yelling, you’re acting crazy.”

“The hell I am, thehellI am! Do you know howoutrageousthat is?” Noah motioned at the driveway. “That a seventeen-year-old buys a brand-new Range Rover, just because she wants one? Do you know how much those cars cost?”

“Yes, but that’s no reason to holler.”

“Evidently, I have to because nobody listens! I told you that she was going to get that car. I gave you the heads-up. You dragged your feet on this, and look what happened! Who’s in charge here?”

“Noah, lower your voice or I’m not going to talk to you anymore.” Maggie swallowed hard, shaken.

“We are a family. She is supposed to be a part of this family. She joins us, we don’t join her. We set the rules, not her.”

“We didn’t have a rule that you can’t buy a car, and anyway, that’s not what you’re upset about.” Maggie could see that his eyes were bloodshot, and he must’ve been upset after the hospital. “I heard you went to meet Dina and Steve. How are they?”

“This isn’t about them, either. This is about Anna and how we live our lives.” Noah motioned to the driveway again. “Andthatisnothow we live our lives. We don’t blow money like that.”