Page 3 of Reasonable Doubt (Wounded Heroes: The Redemption #7)

Nick took a deep breath as he headed to the cardiac surgical wing of Penn Hospital. He wished he hadn’t been compelled to drive down here. He had to face his family, who he’d neglected since Scotty died. To top everything off, it had rained like hell on the whole two-hour trip.

He reached the waiting room and stepped inside. And there they were. His family huddled together at a round table only twenty feet away. He crossed to them. “Good morning.”

Someone turned. Tommy. His brother smiled broadly. “Nick. You made it.” He stood and hugged Nick. Nick didn’t hug anymore but he allowed the embrace.

“I told you I’d come.” He drew back as soon as possible.

A woman stood too. “Hello Nick.”

“Lisa. You’re looking well.”

“You too.”

He’d dressed down in jeans and a light green cashmere sweater.

Another man came to his feet. Liam resembled Nick the most. Ten years younger, Liam had idolized his big brother. Nick could remember taking him on rides in a red wagon behind his bike, giving him a bath, playing endlessly with matchbox cars.

Right now, there was a fierce expression on his face. “You shouldn’t have come. Tommy shouldn’t have called you.” He turned and walked away. His wife stood, gave Nick a disgusted look and followed her husband.

He didn’t recognize the other man sitting at the table. The guy stared at him. Nick said, “I don’t think we’ve met.”

The man rose to his feet. “I’m Steven.” He held Nick’s gaze. “I’m your half-brother.”

“Excuse me?” He turned to Tommy who was still standing next to him. “What’s going on?”

“A year or so ago, Mom told us our father cheated on her. That we had a half-brother. I searched for him. He comes here to visit.”

This was a lot to take in.

“How’s Mom?”

“They’re preparing her for the surgery. The doc said he’d come out when we could see her before the operation.”

“Okay.” He looked around. “Is there coffee here?”

“There’s a pot in the corner.”

His head spinning, Nick crossed the room to calm himself. His heart had clutched when he first confronted his brothers. But Liam’s hostility came as a surprise. Not as big as the last revelation, though.

He poured coffee and took a sip. Hell. This wasn’t what he expected at all.

Eventually, the doctor came out and addressed the family. “Your mother will be going for her surgery in an hour. You can visit, but a few at a time and don’t upset her.” He pivoted and started away but then turned back. “She’s been asking to see Nicky.”

Liam swore, but Tommy took over. “Go on in, Nick. We’ll give you a few minutes alone with her.”

Everyone else was quiet so he headed to the desk and was shown into the pre-op area.

When he got to the doorway to number 7, he didn’t recognize the woman in the bed.

Her hair was completely white and her gray eyes dull.

It took her a moment to realize who he was.

“Oh, my God, Nicky.” She held out a wobbly hand.

He crossed to the bed and stood over her. She grabbed his hand and held on to it. “Hi, Mom.”

“My boy.” Her face shadowed. “We haven’t seen you since…” She trailed off.

“Since Scotty died. I’m sorry. I couldn’t do anything that connected me too much to anyone.”

“That’s a lonely life, son.” She glanced at the chair. “Sit.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked after he took the seat beside the hospital bed.

“I don’t feel anything now. Good meds. But the heart attack? It was excruciating.”

“Well, the doctors are going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“So they say.” She squeezed his hand. “Tell me how you’re doing.”

“Better. Do you know Audrey and I got divorced?”

“No, we didn’t know that. But they say that’s common after losing a child. Do you have someone else in your life?”

Not a chance . “I date. My work is demanding.”

After a few more minutes, a nurse entered the room. “Your other family members want a chance to see you, Mrs. Redmond.”

Nick stood. “I’m waiting until after the surgery to see how you are.”

She nodded.

Feeling emotional, he leaned over and kissed her head. Then he walked out.

Unaccustomed to the barrage of feelings he experienced, he was totally drained.

* * *

“State your name and date of birth, please.”

The deposition took place in a room off a courtroom, with a court reporter and recording devices.

Noreen stared at Cid Marx, from Marx Associates, the lawyer for the plaintiff. The expression on her face was bland. “Noreen Eve Shannon.” She gave her birthdate.

He asked for her address, social security number and place of birth. Then, “Where did you go to school, Ms. Shannon?”

“It’s Dr. Shannon.” Her voice was cool. Dismissive.

She’d been dealing with men like this for years.

More than likely, the nomenclature was meant to distract her.

“I graduated from Harvard University and Med School. After that, I spent three years doing a fellowship in cardiac surgery at Upstate Medical.”

“And your last position at Upstate Medical?”

“I was chief of surgery.”

“Was?”

“Yes, I recently retired.”

He had to know this but he arched a brow in surprise. “At 41?”

“Objection.” This from Nick Redmond. “Irrelevant.”

Objections would be noted by the court reporter for consideration but the questioning kept going.

“I don’t mind answering. I’d worked obsessively for years and I did all I wanted to do there. It was time for a change.”

“You’re an author now, right?”

“Yes. I publish medical thrillers.”

“Are you successful at that?”

“My second book made the New York Times bestseller list.”

“Let’s go back two years ago to the night of April 12. You were chief of surgery then?”

The abrupt change was meant to throw her off again. “I was.”

“You know this deposition is about Dr. Paxton Barry. Did you have contact with him the night of the surgery in question?”

“Yes. He left the operation and came to my office.”

“Had the surgery ended?”

“No.”

“How did you know that?”

“I found out later.”

“Who is Stuart Struthers?”

“At the time, an intern.”

“What did he have to say?”

“He told me Dr. Barry kicked him out of the surgery before it started.”

Nick said, “A clarification for the record. Struthers was not present in the surgery. Why is his opinion relevant?”

“I plan to show that.” Marx had a glib way of saying everything. He turned back to Noreen. “What did the intern have to say?”

“He told me Dr. Barry kicked him out for nothing. That Dr. Barry was an arrogant asshole.”

“What did you say to him?”

“That he was on thin ice and better change his tone.”

“When Dr. Barry came to your office, was he upset?” Another abrupt switch of topics.

“Yes.”

“Did you deal with how hysterical he was?”

“He wasn’t hysterical.”

“Had he lost patients before?”

“Of course, he lost patients. Nearly every surgeon has.”

“Do they become frantic like him?”

“I never said that he was frantic.”

“Objection. Counsel needs to stop putting words in the witness’s mouth. If he doesn’t halt that, this deposition is over.”

“How upset —he put the term in air quotes—was he?”

“Appropriate to losing a patient.”

“As evidenced by…”

“His breathing was irregular, his face was flushed and his hands were shaking.”

“How escalated was his breath…was his face as flushed as yours is now…how unsteady were his hands?” The questions came in a barrage.

But she refused to lose her cool. “In my medical opinion, his breathing was escalated like someone who had run around a track, his complexion was flushed, his hands were shaky.”

“Did you ask him why he was so upset ?”

“I didn’t have a chance to ask him. He left before I could. I didn’t see him again for two years.”

“Why do you think he came to your office?”

“Objection.” Nick again. “Calls for a conclusion.”

“All right. I withdraw it.” The counselor knew that too many objections would weaken the testimony given.

“Did you ever talk to him about this once you reunited after two years?”

“Briefly.”

“Did you know Dr. Barry personally?”

“Yes.”

“How personally?”

“Fairly well.”

“Were you having an affair?”

“An affair? How quaint. If you’re asking if we were intimately involved, yes we were.”

“Did you investigate the circumstances of his surgery after he left?”

“I did.”

“Did you call for the inquiry?”

“I did not. The family of the deceased pressed the hospital for one. It was out of my hands.”

“Objection. That’s to be established.”

“Why didn’t you call for one yourself?”

“Because I believed Pax made a mistake. Not that he was negligent.”

“Did your personal feelings enter into it?”

“No. That was my professional opinion. He was a brilliant doctor.”

“And still is, right?”

“Yes.”

“You have a job at his clinic now, don’t you?”

“No, I volunteer there. He needed another doctor parttime.”

“Are you still in love with him?”

“Did I say I ever was?”

“Objection. Again. You’re badgering the witness.”

“I’ll answer. I got a job there because it’s a worthwhile endeavor for Westwood.” And she’d found out her feelings for Paxton weren’t the same anymore. “I wanted to treat that element of society.”

“And he was involved with someone else.”

“Yes. There were no hard feelings. I went to his wedding. I’d hardly do that if I was in love with him.”

He said, “I’m through with my questioning.”

Nick leaned over the table. “Dr. Shannon did you ever believe Pax was guilty of negligence?

“No. Only that he made a mistake.” She asked Nick, “May I elaborate?”

“Yes.”

“The Mortality Review Conference doctors at the hospital agreed with me.”

“What’s The Mortality Review Conference for?”

“Hospitals review every instance of the death a patient.”

“Was Dr. Barry there?”

“No. He’d disappeared by then. As the head of surgery, I had to present, field questions, and lead the discussion of the incident.”

“Have you ever made a mistake that upset you like he was?”

“I’ve lost patients. I’ve gotten upset. A doctor always wonders if he or she could have done something more or differently.”

“Dr. Shannon, do you consider yourself a good witness?”

“I don’t know. I was never in this position before.”