Page 8 of Nica (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood #17)

The name still had the power to make him flinch.

“Richardson was her physician, scheduled to perform her surgery. It was a routine procedure, gallbladder removal. But he called in sick at the last minute, and even though it wasn’t part of my specialty, which is—was—cardiothoracic surgery, I was fully qualified to perform a simple laparoscopic gallbladder procedure.

He asked me personally to handle her case.

Everything was going fine until suddenly it wasn’t.

My coordination went off. My vision blurred.

I knew something was wrong. Everything about the whole room seemed skewed, like I was looking at things in a funhouse mirror.

The monitors started alarming because the patient’s blood pressure crashed.

I couldn’t understand what was happening—to her or to me.

I started getting shaky on my feet, but I kept going.

Couldn’t admit something was wrong, because I’d never walked away from a surgery, especially after it started.

My vision got blurry, all fuzzy around the edges.

Because I couldn’t see, I nicked a major artery.

Before I managed to get it under control, she went into cardiac arrest and couldn’t be resuscitated.

She basically bled out before the hemorrhaging could be stopped. And it was all my fault.”

He forced himself to meet Nica’s eyes. “I was reported to the Chief of Surgery by both the anesthesiologist on the case as well as the Director of Nursing. Humiliated at being called out. I’d never had any kind of incident throughout medical school or after going into private practice.

I was put on administrative leave while an investigation was carried out.

They tested me immediately after the case for drugs and alcohol.

They found a high dose of ketamine in my system.

Someone drugged me—put it in my coffee before the surgery.

Which was a huge mistake, a red flag, because everyone on staff knew I never took drugs of any kind, not even aspirin.

Wouldn’t tolerate it in my operating room.

It was well known that if you did any kind of drugs, stay out of my OR.

” He scrubbed a hand over his face before continuing.

“It was discovered that Richardson had been using another surgeon as a scapegoat for his mistakes for years, until she finally moved across the country to get away from him. She hadn’t been able to get enough evidence to report him, so she left.

This was his attempt to do the same to me. ”

“And Melissa died,” Nica said softly.

The pain was still there, sharp and immediate.

“Yes. She died. Two kids lost their mother because I didn’t see what was happening until it was too late.

Because I trusted the wrong person. I accepted full responsibility, because I should have stopped the procedure when I noticed something wasn’t right. I didn’t and that’s on me.”

“The papers said you were cleared.”

“After eight months of investigation, both by the hospital as well as by the State Licensing Board, yes. They found a witness, a janitor emptying the trash and cleaning the floors, who saw Richardson in the locker room before I came to the OR to prep for the surgery; the surgery I was doing covering for him because he was ‘sick’. While they didn’t see him actually put anything in my coffee, it would have been easy enough, because the cup was right there by my gym bag.

The janitor did see Richardson pick up my cup.

It was proven that the ketamine was in my coffee.

But it didn’t matter to her family. It couldn’t bring her back.

” He swallowed hard. “The hospital settled with them out of court. I resigned. Richardson lost his license after it was determined he was responsible. The pressure and the disgrace of what he’d done eventually led to him committing suicide.

He never admitted it, so there will always be a cloud over my name.

I’ll never be free of the accusations, or the guilt I carry every day.

I was cocky and vain. My reputation meant everything to me and in an instant, it was gone, beyond repair. ”

Understanding dawned in Nica’s eyes. “If he committed suicide, it can’t be him behind these calls. He couldn’t have mailed me these papers.”

Gabe nodded. “It must be someone connected to him. Or maybe somebody connected to Melissa’s family.

They might have settled with the hospital, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still blame me.

” He started to reach for her, his hand outstretched, before he pulled it back.

“What I want to know is, how did they find out about us, Nica. Nobody knows about our elopement.” The fear he’d been holding at bay surged forward.

“If they’re willing to drag all this up again, to hunt me down halfway across the country, I don’t know what else they are capable of, what they might do to you. ”

“You should have told me, explained all of this to me so I wasn’t broadsided by a stranger trying to hurt me—hurt us.” Her voice was quiet, but there was steel in it. “We’re married, Gabe. For better or worse, remember? Those aren’t just pretty words. I meant them.”

“I know.” Shame washed over him. “I was afraid. Not just of them finding you, but of losing you. Your family…”

“My family doesn’t know we’re married,” she reminded him, her voice gentle. “I’ve been keeping secrets too.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “What a mess.”

“I’m so sorry. I know sorry doesn’t even begin to…” The words seemed pathetically inadequate. “I should have trusted you.”

Nica was silent for a long moment, staring down at the papers that had shattered their peaceful existence. “Yes,” she said finally. “You should have.”

He wanted desperately to go to her, to pull her into his arms, but sensed that would be the wrong move.

She needed space. Time to process. She was a smart woman, one of the most intelligent women he’d ever met, but she was also her mother’s daughter.

Given enough time, she’d come up with the right answer, that he loved her desperately, and needed her in his life. She was already in his heart.

“What do we do now?”

Nica looked up at him, and despite everything, he could still see the love in her eyes, though now tinged by hurt and uncertainty.

“First, no more secrets. We’re going to sit down and go over every detail about what happened in California, about these calls, about what you think they want.

Then we decide together how to handle it. ”

“Together,” he repeated, clinging to the word like a lifeline.

“Yes. But Gabe?” Her voice hardened. “If I find out you’re keeping anything else from me, that’s it. I won’t be able to trust you again. Do you understand?”

He nodded, throat tight. “I understand.”

She stood and walked around the coffee table, the one covered with the medical reports and newspaper clippings, swiping them onto the floor, and took his hand.

Her grip was firm, anchoring him. “I think we should order some dinner; I’m in the mood for Chinese.

Then we talk. Because whoever sent these,” she gestured toward the loose sheets lying on the coffee table, “they’re not just after you anymore.

They’re after us.” She paused and looked into his eyes before adding, “And they are not going to win. Because we are stronger than anything they can throw at us, if we face it together.”

Gabe squeezed her hand, then pulled her into his arms, hugging her close, drawing strength from her touch.

The truth might’ve been painful, but keeping it inside had been worse.

As the room grew darker around them, he began to tell his wife everything he should have told her long ago—every detail about Melissa Carpenter, about Richardson’s betrayal, about the nightmares that still woke him in a cold sweat.

And somewhere in the back of his mind, a clock was ticking.

Because whoever had found Nica today wouldn’t stop there.

Somebody had done their homework, had discovered how much Nica meant to him, and would use that as a weapon.

The past he’d tried to outrun had finally caught up with him, and this time, the stakes were higher than ever.

This time, it wasn’t just his career on the line. It was his heart.