Page 37 of So Silent

“What did she sue you for?” Michael asked.

Lucas scoffed. “She expected the impossible. She wanted to take away her sensitivity while still maintaining her resolution. That means she still wanted super hearing, she just didn’t want it to hurt.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Faith replied, “but maybe explain to me why that’s as stupid as you’re making it sound.”

“Because you can’t do that. In order to fix her sensitive hearing, I would have to reduce her sensitivity. She wanted something she couldn’t have, and when I couldn’t give it to her, she decided to sue me.”

“People don’t sue doctors for not doing things,” Michael challenged. “They sue doctors when doctors charge them for treatments that don’t do what the doctor says it will do. Like, for example, your nerve therapy.”

Lucas paled slightly. “I made it clear to her that nerve therapy isn’t intended to be a cure for any condition, only that it can relieve symptoms. She signed the waiver.”

“And then she sued you. And then you killed her.”

“No! I didn’t kill her!”

“Did the other two try your nerve therapy?” Faith asked.

“No. I only came up with it last year.”

“What exactly is nerve therapy?” Michael asked.

Lucas paled a little more. “It… um… why do you need to know?”

“Humor me.”

Michael’s expression made it clear that humor was the furthest thing from his mind. Lucas swallowed and said, “It, um… it involves applying targeted pressure to certain nerve clusters that can affect hearing sensitivity.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow. “Massage?”

“It superficially resembles massage, yes.”

“Do me,” Faith said, sitting in the chair across from Lucas’s desk.

Lucas swallowed. “W—what?”

“My hearing’s sensitive. Show me what nerve clusters you’d apply targeted pressure to. I’m interested to know where on my body these nerve clusters are.”

Lucas swallowed again. “You can make an appointment with the hospital for an examination, and then I will determine if nerve therapy is right for you.”

“Hmm. Here’s another thought: you were sued for malpractice because you invented a bullshit type of therapy and used it as an excuse to touch Emily inappropriately.”

Lucas’s lower lip trembled, which made his outburst of anger all that much more pathetic. “That… that’s not true!”

“Maybe you thought Maria and Rebecca were pretty, too,” Michael speculated. “Maybe you didn’t call it nerve therapy back then. Maybe you just wanted to cop a feel, and now you’re worried that if Emily got the courage to call you on your bullshit, they would too.”

“That’s a lie!”

“Where were you last night, Dr. Hammond?” Faith asked.

“I was here! I had a surgery that ran until after midnight, then I stayed the night.”

“The hospital lets you just stay the night?”

"Yes. If you're on shift late, they'll let you sleep in one of the lounges or break rooms. You have to let security know, and there has to be a room available, but we're medical professionals. We don't work nine to five. Sometimes things run late, and they don't want us getting into accidents or coming to work the next day too fatigued to hold a scalpel. I was here. Do you want to check with the charge nurse?"

Faith and Michael exchanged a look. “Sit tight,” Michael said. “We’ll be right back.”

When they left the office, Michael said, “We should have done that to begin with.

---