Page 21 of Code Trauma

A cold chill swept over her. “That’s not true. I did everything exactly the way it was supposed to be done. I followedyourorders.”

“But I wasn’t there, so I don’t know that, do I?”

“What is this?” Andy asked, stepping next to her. “Payback for giving you the brush-off? For the sheriff pulling you in yesterday?”

“Of course not.” Garrett crossed his arms. “I’m just passing on information.”

“That you got from where?” Andy asked.

“It’s from an anonymous source.”

“Well, that shouldn’t come from you,” Holly said. “That should come from Dr. Kirkpatrick. So unless you have anything else?—”

Mann held up a hand. “I was just giving you a heads-up.” He backed up and headed down the hallway.

Holly ran her hands down her face, then drew in a deep breath. She looked back at Andy. “I’m going to see Dr. Kirkpatrick.”

“I’m right behind you.”

* * *

“Doyou want me to wait out here?” Andy asked her.

“No, you might as well hear everything firsthand. It will save me having to repeat it.”

Holly knocked on her boss’s office and entered when he said, “Come in.”

The man was seated behind his desk. He looked up, and his eyes narrowed. “Holly. I was just about to ask you to come to my office. How’d you know I wanted to see you?”

“I didn’t, but I figured it was coming. Garrett Mann said Morbidity and Mortality are looking into Liza Hollister’s death.”

Dr. Kirkpatrick huffed and leaned back in his chair. “How on earth did he know?”

“I guess the rumor mill is operating at warp speed.” She raked a hand over her ponytail. “But this time, I’m stumped. I have no idea how anyone would know anything about what went on in the chopper. I only voiced my concerns to Penny and Raina. How did you come to hear about it?”

“I got a phone call from someone who said you had ‘messed up’”—he used air quotes—“and that the patient shouldn’t have died. And that the incident needed to be investigated.”

“Well, shouldn’t there be an autopsy first? To determine cause of death?”

“I’ve already asked the ME to make it a priority, but until we hear back from her, you just keep doing your job.”

She studied him. “Are you sure?”

He sighed. “Look, this was an anonymous tip thing. I’m not a fan of those. If someone has information, proof, that you made a mistake, then they can bring it to my attention, tell me to my face. This is all hearsay, and I don’t bench my players based on that.”

Holly nodded, her relief evident, yet she was still concerned. “Will you face backlash because of this?”

“Did you do anything wrong?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not worried about it.”

She sighed. “At least not on purpose. I mean, I’m not perfect, of course, but”—she twisted her fingers together, then straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin—“no. I did everything exactly how it should have been done, and I’d do everything the same if I had to do it all over again.”

“Then, we won’t worry about it until we have something to worry about.”

She stood. “Thank you, Dr. Kirkpatrick.”

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