Page 10 of Safe With Me

She held up a printout that she’d run off of the computer. “I came about the job.”

“You can’t be serious? Aren’t you still head of surgery at Upstate Medical University?”

“Not as of last week. I retired.”

“At forty?” She was his age. “Why?”

“I was tired of it.” And was still soured by what happened to Paxton. “I wanted to spend more time on my writing.”

His brow furrowed. He had new lines there and around his mouth. “Writing for journals?”

“No, Paxton, I’ve published one book and am writing another. And before you ask, they’re medical fiction.”

He started to laugh. Noreen had always loved his laugh.

“So why work in a clinic? We deal with indigents who have some serious medical issues. Not your usual clientele, Dr. Shannon.”

She shrugged.

He studied her. “No.”

“No, you’re not going to hire me?”

“I’m not.”

“Why?”

“Because when I needed you the most, you gave me the boot.”

Ah, the past had a way of biting you in the ass. “You never gave me a chance to explain.”

“No chance needed. What you did can’t possibly be explained away.”

“You’re the one who quit.”

“I couldn’t stay there. But there was an inquiry, right?”

“The patient’s lawyers made it impossible for me not to call for one.”

“Whatever makes you sleep at night.”

“Paxton, youwereguilty of negligence.” He’d been seen around town drinking and carousing in Syracuse the night before the surgery.

“You…gave up on me.”

“You gave up on us.”

“Tell me I still had a job after what I did.”

“I was only going to suspend you until you could prove you were innocent of wrongdoing.”

“As I said, I was guilty. Would you have kept me on after all that?”

“We never found out, did we?”

He shook his head at her. “Just leave me alone.”

“I—”

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