Page 4 of Hacker Auction

Then over breakfast Mom and Dad said I could live in the house they purchased near the hospital until I found something else. I decided to take them up on the offer. The place was still bigger than I needed, but I could make it my home quickly. We lived in that home for the first ten years of my life because of the proximity to the hospital. When Dad started to take less cases they bought the house they lived in now.

“Is Raphael meeting with us?”

“Raphael and I spoke this morning and he is fine with my decision. Your brother has no desire to run a hospital.” Dad ran a hand over his face. “Raymond, the previous CEO, called a few months back and told me the hospital was about to go bankrupt. This place holds a special place in my heart.”

“I know Dad, but you still haven’t told me what is going on.” When I left the hospital the prior year, I had never wanted to step foot inside the place again, which was a different feeling then the one I had growing up. I’d spent so many hours waiting for Dad to finish a surgery in the reception area or the doctor’s lounge. I’d told everyone who would listen I would work in this hospital and keep my dad’s legacy going.

“Like me I know you care about this place.” Dad held up his hand before I could complain about his statement. “Hear me out. While all your friends were off spending the money their parents had, you came here, studied in the doctor’s lounge, and asked questions. Your determination led to you graduating three years early and breezing through medical school.”

I wasn’t sure I breezed through medical school. Every waking minute, I studied. Dad was right. When my classmates went to prom, I was at home. It was also strange being so much younger than my classmates. When I went to college, I had the same issue. Everyone was older than me. I never slowed down with my schooling. The University of Miami was where I completed my bachelor’s degree and the additional four years of medical school. By the time I finished school, I had offers from all over the country for a spot in their residency program, but I chose to go to the hospital I spent years at.

My second year at the hospital, I rented a small apartment in walking distance, so I had a place to crash for a few hours, but I spent my time at the hospital learning. I wanted to be top in my program like my father.

Then everything fell apart during my last year of residence. One late night, I’d lost a mom and child in surgery. From the beginning of the pregnancy, the mother knew it was high risk. She didn’t have a support system, only herself, but she said the baby was a miracle. She pushed herself and waited to come to the hospital, but she waited too long. The mom wasn’t the first person I saw die during my residency, but she was the first person I’d become attached to. I’d gone into a depression for a few days. I wanted something other than myself to think about. I’d agreed to go on a date with Dr. Calvin Cobb. He’d asked many times over the years, and I always turned down the arrogant ass, but he caught me at the wrong time, and I said yes.

Over dinner I drank more wine than I could handle. He invited me to his place, which led to me giving him my virginity at twenty-eight. My life goal up to that moment was to follow in my father’s footsteps. And a month later, my priorities in life changed forever. The second two line appeared on the stick. Calvin and I hadn’t talked since the night we had sex, but I figured I should tell him.

He immediately demanded I get an abortion, and when I wouldn’t, he pushed my attending to write me up for anything he could find, even if the patient wasn’t mine. He’d turned the nurses and doctors against me. Even ones I knew my whole life. When the rumors died down, I kept my head down and worked. Somehow the father of the baby and woman I lost that night found out. To this day I still didn’t know how because she swore the father didn’t know, but the man sued me for malpractice. The hospital didn’t want to fight the grieving father. They put everything on me and then kicked me out of the residency program with one month left.

I tried to finish at another hospital, but none would not take me with the lawsuit the father filed against me. So I moved back into my parent’s mansion and assisted my mom with her charity work until Sage was born.

During the whole issue, Dad wanted to make calls and demands, but I said no. I guess I should have told him I didn’t want him to buy the hospital either. “Still don’t get why I’m here, Dad. I’ve been out of the program for almost a year, and everyone in the hospital thinks I killed that woman and her child, plus...”

I didn’t have to say Calvin’s name for my father to know what I meant. The night of the charity event was the first time I saw him in three months. Before that, it was to make him sign every right he could have ever claimed over my son to me. The bastard didn’t even blink an eye as he signed over the rights, and I handed him a check for a million dollars. I couldn’t believe Calvin put a price on my son’s head. No money in the world would ever be enough for me to give him up.

At the event when I stepped outside to get my car, he was waiting and asked to speak to me. He proceeded to ask if this was my plan all along. I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but now I wondered if he knew my father was the one to buy the hospital.

“Well, daughter, you have three choices on what you can do. Before you decide, I don’t see the light in your eyes helping your mother with the charity work like I saw when you were here. So you can either run this place by my side and take over one day which I would love. Second option is to continue your residency. I’ve already fixed the issue through the medical board, and you can join the program again. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you still studying up on every new procedure that is published. Or you continue to assist your mother with the charities for the family foundation.”

Before my son came into my life, I wouldn’t have had to think about my choices. I would have asked if I could start immediately but going back through the program would take me away from my son. Running the hospital had never been something I thought about. Dad was right about the charities. I understood the good work they did, but they weren’t what I enjoyed.

“This is all a lot to take in, Dad. Can we talk tomorrow? I also want to talk to Raphael.”

Dad didn’t say anything for a second, and I wondered if he thought I would turn it down.

“Sure. As for your brother, he was never a fan of this place. His ambition is to build a business from the ground up. I bet he doesn’t even touch his trust fund to do it. This place will always be yours. We have some cleaning up to do. Take your time and decide.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I went to get up, and he shook his head.

Dad pressed a button on his phone, and the younger woman’s voice had who told me to go in floated through the speaker, “Sir, are you ready?”

“Yes, send him in.”

The two large wooden doors to Dad’s new office opened, and in walked Calvin. He wore navy blue scrubs and a white lab coat. His eyes narrowed in my direction. Even with the depression I felt that night and the alcohol, I’m still not sure how I slept with the slime ball.

“Sit,” my father barked out. My dad held his temper close to him. Most people never knew if my father disliked them. Dad wasn’t holding back now. I could feel his anger pouring off him.

“Dr. Cobb, you’ve been with the hospital ten years.” Dad held a piece of paper in front of him. His reading glasses were on the tip of his nose.

“Yes, and I’ve brought tons of money into this hospital. I’m sure with you at the head of things, we can bring this place back to where it needs to be, but I also think we can have this conversation without a woman in the room.”

Dad sat the paper down along with his glasses and leaned back in the chair. “For starters, that woman you are referring to is my daughter. As for the money you brought in, it for the hospital, it doesn’t make up for the money you cost this hospital in the lawsuits it has paid out.” He tapped the piece of paper. “According to this report, close to ten million dollars in sexual harassment cases against you were swept under the rug. I would bet my wife’s fortune there are many more cases that were never reported.” Dad’s eyes flickered in my direction.

“Come on, Dr. Carlton, you know women all want it. They should know their place in the world, and it’s not next to a man. I don’t feel your daughter should be a part of this conversation. She is a female after all and couldn’t even finish her residency.”

My jaw dropped open, and I was about to speak when my father beat me to it.

“Last time I checked, we were in the twenty-first century and not the Stone Age. For someone who had a son with my daughter, you didn’t research us much. I might have made millions over the years, but it’s nothing compared to my wife’s net worth. She supported my broke ass through medical school and stood by my side.” Dad put Mom on a pedestal, always had, to this day, I could accidentally walk in on them making out like teenagers in the kitchen.

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