Page 77 of Rookie Days

“Oh yes, I’ll never forget that day.”

“You were so in charge and reassuring.” Ellie smiled as she remembered. “A bright light inside of a dark nightmare. I knew for sure that Quinn was in the best hands.”

“I noticed you as well, Ellie. Gutsy rookie with the gorgeous eyes.” Janet caressed her cheek and lingered for a second before going on. “I always give everyone my best. And yes, I am damn good!” There was no false arrogance there and Ellie just nodded again. “But on that occasion, not even I could bring the poor girl back. Too much trauma, and massive bleeding in the brain. Oh, Ellie, it was a mess!”

“You lost her.”

“Yes.” Janet grunted, anger piercing through. “I couldn’t fix the damage; her brain was totally beyond repair.” She shrugged. “When I went out to tell the family, her older brother was there. He confronted me. Violently.”

Ellie wanted to growl in reaction.

“He touched you?” she prompted.

“Tried to.” Janet answered with a nonplussed, one shoulder shrug. “He grabbed me and shoved me against the wall. I kicked him in the balls. Called Security as he was writhing on the floor. Not the way I wanted it to go, but he left me with no choice.”

“Okay.” Ellie did flash a smile at that.My kick-ass girlfriend.It occurred to her that she may be falling in love. “So then, what happened?”

“He made a nuisance of himself. Brought a lawsuit against the hospital. Tried to sue me personally as well, though he didn’t get very far. He sent me a few nasty emails.” She sighed. “It was just grief talking. Things calmed down after a few months.”

“You sound very matter-of-fact about all this.”

“It’s just human nature.” Janet reflected. “What can you do, uh?”

“Right. So, what’s the connection with this case?”

“Based on your line of investigation, it’s an important one.” A small muscle in Janet’s jaw twitched, betraying tension. “Bryn and Mary-Ann were both in the OR with me on the day we lost the young girl.”

Ah, damn!Ellie shivered as her blood turned cold. It looked as if she’d found her link. And now, two out of the three women involved in the accidental death of the patient in question had been murdered. The remaining odds were terrifying. Janet must have taken her silence for annoyance.

“I’m sorry, Ellie. I should have told you before but I’ve not thought about this case for a long time. It only came back to me now when you explained your theory.”

“It’s okay.” Ellie squeezed her fingers tighter and fought a wave of fear.If this is right… she could be next.“How come this wasn’t in any of the official admin files?”

“Admin.” Janet’s upper lip curled as if it were a dirty word. “Wouldn’t be the first time something is recorded inaccurately. Let me bring up my personal files.”

Ellie stood behind her as she switched on her laptop. Janet’s own records were tidy and accurate, reflecting that side of her personality. Dr Fox did not indulge in sloppiness or mediocrity, and she would have little patience for the people who did. Ellie admired women like her, who held themselves to high standards of excellence.

“Ah, yes,” Janet nodded. “I remember. Mary-Ann came in with the ambulance. She was training as a paramedic. Bryn was on regular duty. So they both ended up being involved.”

“What’s the guy’s name?”

“Mark Edison.”

“Do you have any contact details on here?”

“Just a sec, I’ll check the legal file.” Ellie suppressed another smile when Janet came back almost instantly. “There you go. He lived in Stanley Beach at the time.”

“Can you send me this file, please?”

“Consider it done, Detective.”

“Thanks. What was the outcome of the lawsuit against the hospital?”

“It didn’t go anywhere.” Janet swiveled around in her chair to face her. “As you know, Lewiston General is by far the largest medical center in the region. It also has some of the best lawyers. In that particular case as well, cause of death was very obviously not due to medical error.”

“No… But not according to Edison, uh?”

“It took him a while to come to terms with what happened, for sure.” Janet eyed her intently as she nibbled on her bottom lip. “Damn, Ellie… This is a wild idea.”

---