Page 45 of Hush

“They met in medical school. Apparently, she broke it off. You know why?”

Elise’s stomach churned, as if she’d swallowed hot oil. “No,” she said quietly. “Are you sure I should know this?” she asked. Back when they were kids, Caitlin was always the one with the hot gossip, the scandalous rumors. People told her things they didn’t tell anyone else. It was the reason she was such a good lawyer, though Elise had always thought she would have made an even better detective. But Caitlin loved the courtroom, the drama and the careful plotting to win.

“I talked to one of their colleagues. He heard a rumor Ben had assaulted her.”

“What?” Elise cried. “No…” she moaned. “Please, Caitlin, I don’t want to hear anymore.”

“Oh, but you do.”

Elise locked eyes with her sister. “Promise I’m not going to need anti-depressants after I hear whatever you’re going to tell me.”

Caitlin used her index finger to cross her heart.

“During the spring of their residency, both Ben and Ashley were competing for a top position at the University of Washington Medical Center. Very prestigious. Top dollar.” Caitlin’s eyes sparkled. “Then, suddenly, poof! Ben withdraws his application. Six months later, he’s packing his bags for Walla Walla.”

“I don’t get it,” Elise said.

“I don’t have all the pieces yet, but I can tell something doesn’t add up. Ben graduates from Stanford Medical School, so he’s obviously very bright and ambitious. He gets into the top residency program, then he chooses to set up shop in Podunk City, Washington, corner of cow dung and grape juice?” Caitlin shook her head. “I don’t buy it.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“Like I said, I don’t know yet. I’ve only had a few days.”

“But he was still eating dinner with her,” Elise said. “I saw them together with my own eyes.”

“True,” Caitlin said. “What if they’ve just become friends? It’s not like you caught them doin’ the humpty.”

Elise felt the color drain from her face.

“Oops, sorry,” Caitlin said, grimacing.

“It doesn’t make sense. If he…assaulted her…why would she have dinner with him?” Elise sucked in a hard breath that burned all the way down to her knees. “How could I have fallen for someone like that?” She felt the tears fill her lids, but she swiped them away angrily.

“What if it was a misunderstanding? What if he really didn’t do it?”

Elise shook her head. “Then why didn’t he explain it to me? Why not just tell me, ‘hey, an old friend is coming to town and we have some things to work out.’” Elise crossed her arms. “You saw his text.”

Caitlin drummed her fingers on the table. “It did make him look pretty guilty.”

Elise sat back, her eyes finding the clock above the door. “I should get back. Garrett should be here any minute.”

“I’ll keep digging,” Caitlin said.

Chapter 18

Ben

With the first stage of the repair finished, Ben removed the compromised screw and cleaned the bone ends. At this point, Jaden’s vitals began destabilizing. Dr. Abbot, the anesthesiologist, adjusted the combination of medications, and he improved. But Ben couldn’t shake the feeling he was on borrowed time.

Halfway through affixing the plate to Jaden’s bone, Jaden’s heart began beating in an irregular pattern. Once again, the anesthesiologist adjusted the cocktail of oxygen and meds, but indicated they should get Jaden out of sedation soon.

A cold snake of fear wrapped around Ben’s insides. He forced himself to focus on the repair and trust Dr. Abbot. He could not and would not let anything bad happen to Jaden. His little hand and tiny, fragile bones were so delicate. Ben thought about all the incredible ideas in Jaden’s imagination he had yet to build. He had so many gifts to share with the world, and Ben felt the weight of this bright future settle heavy on his shoulders. And then he thought of his mother, her deep love for Jaden so pure, so powerful.

Deep in the back of his mind, Ben felt his emotions break free. How had it all gone so wrong? Had he made a mistake, not fighting Ashley back then? By blindsiding him with the assault charge, he had barely had time to understand the depth of her deception before she made him agree to her terms. She had it all lined up: the DNA collected from under her fingernails that would match his blood, the statement she gave to the rape team at the hospital. The only thing missing was his name—which she promised to protect.

When he finally learned how much of a game it all was to her, he’d wanted to expose her to the world. But the evidence against him would destroy his reputation, even if he were somehow cleared.

All he’d ever wanted was to be a surgeon, and when the very real threat of having that taken away hit him, he’d agreed to Ashley’s terms. It didn’t matter where he practiced medicine, he reasoned. Ashley could have U.W. As long as she let him go, he would be happy anywhere.

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