Page 38 of Dr. Scandal Claus

But when I walked in and Emily was frowning and waiting at the door, my apprehension returned almost immediately, engulfing me in the negativity I was trying so hard to rid myself of.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I passed by her, setting my half-empty coffee and my laptop bag on the nurse's station counter. Emily was pretty even-keeled, so when she looked upset or rattled I knew it was for good reason. She'd been more than helpful following what we now suspected were two break-ins over the summer, though she'd been very nervous to open or close by herself since Labor Day.

"Sir, you'll want to see this…" She extended her arm and opened her hand. In the palm of her hand was a flash drive. "I found it in the back of the computer when I was cleaning. I dropped a receipt I was supposed to mail to Mrs. Barker so I moved the tower and this was in the computer."

The small black flash drive was run-of-the-mill, nothing special about it, and it was a little dusty, but nothing compared to the thick layers of dust I knew clung to the back of that computer tower.

"Did you put it in, see what's on it?" My gut instinct was to just open the drive and see what was on it, but Emily was smarter than me. That was what I paid her for.

"No sir, I didn't." Her fingers clasped around it, then she turned her hand over and dropped it into my palm as I held my hand out to her. "If there's a virus or something, only the one computer is affected, I think. If I put it back, I'm afraid something will happen. We have so many patient files on our network." She bit her lower lip as it quivered. "Do you think whoever broke in earlier this month put this in the computer? It's been there the whole time and we never knew?"

I stared at the flash drive and sighed. She had a very good point. Whatever this was could be malicious, and if someone had snuck into our office to put this into a computer, there was no telling what it was. I sighed hard and scowled.

"I think we need to send an email out to our patients and let them know we may have been compromised. Meanwhile, I have to get this to the detectives who are looking into the break-in." This day was getting worse by the second. As if it wasn't bad enough that my name had become a household name for all the wrong reasons, someone was messing with my career again. This had Marjorie Whitman written all over it; I just couldn't prove it. I had no evidence.

"I'll send it out, sir." Emily frowned and walked over to her desk as I collected my laptop bag and coffee and retreated to my office to get set up for the day.

When I called the police to tell them about the drive, they told me to put it in a baggie and drop it by the precinct, or they could send a man to come get it. I told them I'd dropit by because curiosity was getting the better of me. I knew I didn't have anything compromising on my laptop. It was just my personal computer, so I put the drive into it and opened the files on it. It was just a bunch of random code that tried to run on my computer, but my virus software didn't detect anything, which made even less sense.

The one thing the cops told me was something I already knew, but hearing them say it out loud was a kick to the gut. I had to inform every patient, including Scarlett on Ethan's behalf, that my system had been compromised. Just what I needed, another scandal. If Scarlett heard about this, she was going to freak out even more, and I was beginning to get afraid that she'd just pack up and leave.

Maybe that was what we both needed to do. I had enough money to start a new practice and a new bakery in a new town, far away from here. I just didn't know if I could convince her to go. And the looming guilt that I'd break a promise to my parents still hung over my head. I was supposed to care for their home.

I just needed someone out there to care about what was happening to my life again. It was too bad I couldn't get Marjorie Whitman to report on someone else and let the wolves prey somewhere else.

29

SCARLETT

Trick or treat was over and Ethan looked exhausted. He'd been panting a little and lagging behind the group when we went out with his friend Ryan and Ryan's parents. I wasn't sure I even wanted to go along, but lately with him being tired more often, I decided I'd feel safer if I walked along with them instead of just having him go. Now I was really glad I'd made that choice.

Tina was here though. I called her down to sit with Ethan while I went to pick up his prescription. I didn't want to drag him out because of the way he was feeling. I hadn't told Nick. I'd been so overly worried and hypervigilant about every tiny symptom he probably got sick of me obsessing. I was trying to do better with that. After all, Nick had assured me that Ethan was doing really well, so I had to learn to trust him and his professional opinion.

"You sure you're okay? It'll just take twenty minutes." I smiled at Tina who was munching on some of Ethan's candy. Ethan was lying on the couch watching a cartoon on her phone and he hadn't even asked for candy yet. Another concerningthing, but I forced myself not to freak out. Sometimes he was just tired.

"We'll be fine. Go on." Tina waved me off as if I was hovering too much, and again I told myself not to worry. Ethan had a big day, and it was a lot of walking. He was just tired.

I left the apartment and went down to my car. The pharmacy knew I was coming. They'd sent me a text reminder that Ethan's prescription was ready for pickup like normal. I'd usually pick it up on the way home from work, but today I closed the bakery early so I could make sure Ethan was ready for trick or treat on time. I rushed right home and forgot all about his meds, and if I didn't have them tonight, he'd miss a dose.

The line at the drive-up window was five cars long and people were honking their horns. I didn't want to sit in the line, so I parked and walked inside. I immediately felt eyes on me and knew it was a bad choice, but now that I was out of the car and inside the store, I didn't want to turn around. I squared my shoulders, ignoring the dirty look on the teenage cashier's face, and walked to the back of the store where the pharmacist dispensed prescriptions.

There were two older women in line ahead of me chatting about their medications, and when I stepped up behind them, one turned and looked over her shoulder. Her initial smile was choked out by a grunt of disgust followed by a scowl aimed at me. It didn't matter how many times something like this happened, I still felt shocked every time.

"Well, you're that woman everyone's talking about." Her wrinkled face looked even older when she scowled. Someone should've told her that, but I was far too polite. "Is it true what they say? You're a gold digger? Out for that poor man's money?"

The woman standing with her stared at me with a prim expression of disapproval and I fidgeted nervously with my purse strap. "Uh, no, ma'am. I'm not dating Dr. Edwards forhis money." My conscience was clean, but guilt still niggled in my chest. I'd taken his money but only because he insisted. My bakery needed the infusion of capital to keep going.

"Strange how you had his child for the past eight years and all of a sudden you come back?" Her eyebrows peaked in the center and her lips puckered up tightly. "If you're not out for his money, why'd you come around saying that kid is his? Is it even his?"

Of all the hurtful things they could've brought up, speaking negatively about Ethan was the one I refused to allow.

"I didn't just come back around…" I didn't know how to defend myself, my actions, or my child without getting emotional. Tears were already welling up and I had to blink them back.

"Mrs. Maier, your prescription is ready." The pharmacist offered me the first look of compassion I'd been given in months. At least one person in this town understood that you can't believe everything you see on TV or read in the tabloids.

The older women approached the counter and paid for their medications, and I breathed a sigh of relief that they were otherwise entertained for the moment. I checked my phone so that my eyes had somewhere to look, but I heard the rude women still making a fuss. As they walked away, one of them said, "Hussy…"

And the other said, "If you're not out for money, why'd you even come back?"

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