Page 14 of The Last One You Loved

But then Layton’s shamed, pale face shifting with agony reminded me that I’d done the right thing. I couldn’t have made a different choice.

My phone rang, a local number I didn’t recognize, but I picked up anyway.

“Hello.”

“Dr. Lloyd, this is Dr. Gomez.”

“Hey.”

Silence for a moment before she continued, “I’m afraid I have more bad news than good.”

“I kind of figured,” I told her. I didn’t want her to feel guilty for simply telling me the consequences of my actions. I’d brought this on myself.

“We’ve suspended you, pending further investigation. The board will review the findings and make a ruling, but it’s going to take some time.”

I swallowed hard, biting my cheek and pushing my nails into my palms.

“Is Layton safe?” I asked.

She hesitated. “We had to release him into his mother’s custody.”

“Which means he’ll be home with his dad.”

“Did you call CPS?” Dr. Gomez asked.

“Yes.”

“He’s accusing you of false reporting. Says it’s retaliation for his bad review.”

“He didn’t give me a bad review. We did butt heads a couple of times, but the case he mentioned today was his case,” I told her.

“I have multiple infractions listed in your record by him.”

My brain stalled for a moment. There was no way. My heart started to pound.

“That’s not possible. I…” I didn’t know what else to say.

“He and Shirley, from IT…they’re…friendly,” Dr. Gomez said softly.

Shit. Shit. Shit.I was screwed beyond anything I’d even considered. Even if I’d been let go by Hearld, I could have found somewhere else to finish my residency. It would have been hard, almost impossible, but I could have. But if he filed a report with the medical board and the police, I could lose my license. I could be fined. In the worst scenario, I could be facing jail time.

I closed my eyes, willing back the tears, grinding my teeth and trying not to choke on the lump in my throat. “I did the right thing, Dr. Gomez,” I croaked out. “If that boy had come in off the street, I would have done the exact same thing. I stand by my call.”

“There’s nothing else I can do for you at the moment. I did convince them to suspend you with pay, if that helps at all. I can tell you that Layton was adamant he hurt himself climbing.”

God, my whole life was gone, washed away in mere hours.

“It was the right call. I’d do it a thousand times over,” I told her in a fierce whisper.

“Okay. Well. It’s going to get rocky, but I’ll do my best to make sure you have a hospital advocate and attorney at your disposal as we would in any other case of false reporting. Is this the best number for them to reach you?” she asked.

“Yes. And…thank you.”

She paused before saying, “You repeated the Hippocratic Oath today, Dr. Lloyd. Do no harm. It’s a shame the newer versions of the oath don’t have it in there quite the same way. But if that was your intention, then I can only hope your good deed will be rewarded.”

Then, she hung up, and I sat with tears pooling, body rigid, wondering if I’d ever get any of my dreams back, or if they were all gone in the blink of an eye. Wondering if the mountain of debt I had would ever be paid off. Wondering if I’d have to get a minimum-wage job because I had no other career path open to me.

My breath became uneven. My eyes grew spotty, and I forced myself to lie back down on the couch before I passed out. Sally sat next to me on the floor, head pressed into my thigh.