Page 48 of Bad Blood

He throws up his hands and plops back into the recliner, dropping his ball. It bounces once before he steadies it with his foot. “I change doctors.”

His comment makes about as much sense as this entire thing makes sense, which means only in his brain. “She’s the best.”

“Or she could be the worst.” He narrows one eye at me and cocks his brow, groaning for emphasis. “If she’s part of the malpractice, I don’t want her.”

“Do you know what the malpractice is for?” It irritates me that he’s only concerned that Dr. Fields could be one of the names in the lawsuit, not that she could be dead.

“Well, no, but—”

“Exactly. Maybe it’s nothing.”

“She’s getting sued.”

“What makes you think Dr. Fields is the one they’re talking about?” A seed of worry settles into the pit of my stomach that he could be correct, but I don’t know what to do about it. Doctors get hit with malpractice all the time, right? Even if her name is in it, it doesn’t mean she’s at fault. It’s probably not even her.

The reporter drones on. “. . . nationally renowned for the unconventional treatment of her patients, many practices she’s undertaken have led to outcomes that have paved the way for . . .”

I’m pretty sure the news guy is reading verbatim from the article I read on Dr. Fields yesterday.

Liam drops his ear to his shoulder and gives me an I told you so look of irritation.

“Maybe it’s a mistake.”

“But what if it isn’t?”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Guess you could ask her.”

He scoffs, dropping his voice to a deeper tone. “Hey there, Dr. Fields, you the doc in the lawsuit? What’d you do? I need to know so I can decide if I want to keep you as my doctor.” His pitch returns to normal. “That’ll go over great.”

“. . . when questioned about her involvement with the open murder case, Dr. Fields denied comment . . .”

“See, I knew it!” Liam slaps his leg, not missing a beat. “She found the body, and she’s the one in the lawsuit.”

A mixture of relief and worry settles into my gut. I’m thankful she isn’t the victim, but knowing she’s part of the lawsuit doesn’t bode well for her according to Liam’s opinion. “What do you suggest?”

He kicks the ball to his other foot. “I don’t know.”

“You wanna change doctors? Because that sounds like a pain in the ass, but it’s up to you.” I’m losing an uphill battle, and I’m still trying to figure out how to manage his expectations.

“Not really.”

“Exactly.”

“Guess we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Stop worrying about it,” he says, appeased. I can’t tell if he’s reassuring himself, or if he’s talking to me. He mutes the TV and leans back in the chair, happy with his decision.

I scoop up my phone and start researching information about the lawsuit. From everything I find, Dr. Fields hasn’t been named outright for anything. However, the references in the articles do point at her as the unnamed physician.

If I thought I had doubts about her before, they’re now blaring in my face. Do I suggest he stay? Tell him to get another opinion? This is a fucking mess.

Liam munches on his carrot, pointing it at me. “Maybe if you worried more about the size of your chicken legs than you did over everything else, you’d have a better chance of outrunning me.” Fear replaces the glint in his eyes as it hits him that this isn’t accurate right now because of his cancer. He swallows, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he backtracks. “I mean, uh . . . I didn’t . . .”

I leap off the sofa and race around the far edge of the coffee table as Liam flies over the arm of the recliner and slides across the wood floor, gripping the kitchen counter as his socks give way once he hits the tile and slips onto his side.

He grabs at his hip and winces. I stop a couple of feet from him, instantly regretting how easy it was for me to forget about his cancer. He sees the guilt in my eyes and gives me a flippant grin.

The little shit’s playing me.

“I was kidding.” He stands. The counter is the only thing separating us, and he uses it to his advantage. “We both know your chicken legs have nothing to do with your lack of speed.”

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