Shed be looking at a malpractice suit, and even worse, it meant that someone in her dwindling department couldnt be trusted.
Hes late.
Ripley jumped, cracked her elbow on the corner of her desk, and swore. It wasnt often that her best friend, Tansy, snuck up on her. Usually, the pretty blonde entered the room with a flourish and an invisible fanfare. Men lit up. Women smiled. Her energy was infectious.
Not today. Ripley grimaced. You look about how I feel. Whats wrong?
Nothing important. Tansys smile barely flattened the frown. A sleepless night was etched in the slump of her shoulders and the dark circles under her eyes. How are you feeling after yesterday?
Jumpy and sore, Ripley replied. And I know Cage is late.
The new RSOs threatened audit was another reason for her nerves. Though Ripley and her technicians were scrupulous about their radiation practices, Zachary Cage was reputed to be on a mission. And Leo Gabney was looking for an excuse to close the R-ONC department and shuffle their expensive patients elsewhere across the city, where Ripley knew theyd get adequate care.
Adequate, but not exceptional. And though shed originally taken the R-ONC position to prove to her father that she wasnt going to join him in his cushy private practice, over the years the department had become her baby. Her family.
It was the only family she was likely to have, Ripley knew, and she wasnt about to let the administration, or the new RSO, take it away from her.
Ida Mae Harriss autopsy is today, you know, Tansy broke the silence, shooting her a sidelong glance.
And there was her biggest worry in a nutshell. She touched the manila folder on her desk. It was all that was left of a sixty-eight-year-old woman whod been looking forward to a milestone anniversary she would never reach. Yes, I know.
They wont find anything that Gabney will be able to use against us. Tansy gave her a one-armed hug. Though she spent much of her time on loan to Hospitals for HumanityHFHan international group of doctors who took assignments under the worst of conditions, Tansy worked in R-ONC when she was at home. She understood.
I almost hope they do find something, you know? At least then wed have an answer. Ripley shrugged. Its always better to know than to wonder.
Well, whatever they find, it wasnt anything R-ONC did wrong. It wasnt anything you did wrong. Of anyone in the hospital, only Tansy knew how much Ripley needed to hear the words. Only Tansy knew how insecure the seemingly invincible Dr. Davis was about her work, how much it frightened her to play God.
How much it hurt when she lost a patient. A friend.
Ripley squeezed her eyes shut. I hope youre right. And I hope the new RSO doesnt cause problems. Her temperature spiked as her mind flashed back to black eyes and the hot whispered promises of her dreams.
Or had that been a nightmare?
What sort of problems would those be? The rough rumble came from close behind her, too close, and the sizzle that lanced through her midsection was unmistakable.
Ripley spun and faced the door. Cage. She stifled a curse that hed walked through the outer office and into the inner sanctum without her realizing it, before shed been able to prepare herself to see him again.
She didnt want him to know about the autopsy. Didnt want him to know that she couldnt explain Ida Maes death. Her past experience with Radiation Safety had taught her it was best to tell them as little as possible.
And her own reactions told her it was safest to keep her distance from this RSO in particular. With R-ONCs future uncertain, she couldnt afford the weakness that came with an emotional entanglement.
Her father had taught her that, as well.
Cages face gave away nothing as they squared off in her doorway, and once again Ripley felt that click of connection. Something primitive flared deep in his black eyes and he held out his hand like a challenge. We werent properly introduced yesterday. Im Cage, the new RSO.
She took the hand and felt her heart kick when his fingers closed over hers. Dr. Davis. He held on a moment longer than necessary before allowing her to pull away.
A pleasure, he replied, but a lift of his heavy brow told her it was anything but.
Though Im grateful for your help in the atrium yesterday, Im not thrilled about a full audit. I have patients to treat, and the violations you mentioned were Dixons way of getting back at me for refusing to date him. A hint of temper seeped into Ripleys voice and she gestured toward the outer office, feeling tired and cranky. Twitchy. Tense. Never mind. Come on, Ill show you where we keep the radiation logs.
She tried to brush past him, but the RSO didnt budge and she ended up too close, staring up into his dark, dark eyes. A tremble began in her stomach and worked its way out from there. Irritation, she told herself. Nerves.
Lust, whispered her subconscious. Sexual awareness.
It took her a long moment to realize that he wasnt gazing into her eyes with mirrored desire. He was focused over her shoulder, staring at Ida Maes paperwork piled on the corner of her desk. What is that, your personnel file?
Ripley spun away and slapped a hand on the pile. This is confidential patient information, Mr. Cage. Off-limits unless youre a doctor.
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes, but he stepped back and inclined his head. My apologies. After you, Dr. Davis.
Why had he thought it was her personnel file? Ripley had no idea, just as she had no idea why the outer office suddenly seemed crowded and hot.
Hyperaware of him following close behind, she walked to a padlocked refrigerator, pulled out a green binder and handed it to him. Heres the main radiation log. Its up to date as of this morning.
Their fingers brushed when he took the rad log. Of course it is. His voice gave away nothing, but Ripley felt as though he was mocking her. Or perhaps himself. I would expect nothing less.
With that, he spun on his heel and headed for the treatment rooms that branched off the outer office. In his wake, Ripley stared.
Wow, said Tansys voice from the inner office. The blonde crossed the room to stand at Ripleys shoulder and watch Cage walk away.
Yeah, Ripley agreed. Wow, what a jerk.
Tansys lips curved slightly and she glanced at Ripley. Thats not quite what I meant. Thats who rescued you from Ida Maes husband? They watched as Cage crouched down and began copying serial numbers off the linear accelerator in Treatment Room One.
A foul, whiskey-laden breath on the side of her neck. Hard, grabbing fingers. A sweep of glittering glass. Panic. Warm black eyes and cool waterfalls. Ripley shivered and rubbed her arms where goose bumps came to life at the thought. Yes, but that doesnt make him any less dangerous to R-ONC. You heard him at the meeting. Hes on a witch hunt.
They watched him bend over to peer at the electrical hookups. With a fleeting spark of her usual manner, Tansy murmured, I wouldnt mind being the witch hes hunting for, if you know what I mean. She leveled a telling glance at her friend. But I get the feeling hes already picked her out.
Did you just call me a witch? Ripley deflected the quick jolt with sarcasm, but Tansys knowing look told her the sparks flying in the little office hadnt been her imagination.
Did you just call me a witch? Ripley deflected the quick jolt with sarcasm, but Tansys knowing look told her the sparks flying in the little office hadnt been her imagination.
What a time for her libido to wake up. What a poor choice for it to make.
Just calling it how I see it, Dr. Davis. Then Tansy sobered. Im just glad he was there for you yesterday. When I imagine what might have happened
Lets not think about it right now, okay? Ripley patted her friends arm and tried to summon a reassuring smile. Its over.
Then she remembered Harriss words in the atrium, and thought of her desk chair that morning. The closed files. The subtle disarray. And she wondered.
Was it really over? Or was it just beginning?
FINGERS POUNDING on the keyboard of the linear accelerator, Cage congratulated himself on learning three things in the first two minutes hed been in the Radiation Oncology department. One, Ripley Davis didnt want him auditing R-ONC. Two, she didnt want him to know about the papers on her desk. And three, she was so goddamn beautiful she made his chest ache.
The first two were no surprise. The third was shocking. Cage had thought all the softer emotions had been burned out of him long ago with a single pencil-thin beam of radiation and a tidal wave of guilt.
I keep the programs updated. Her voice at his shoulder was a jolt he refused to show, but the buzz of her nearness sliced through him and set up a greedy alarm in his brain.
So I see. And it was true. Shed upgraded the software every time another glitch in the treatment equipment had come to light. Too bad it takes people dying for Radcorp to debug these death traps. He slapped the shielding of the linear accelerator with a scowl.
She sucked in a breath on what he thought might have been a growl. I think those stories are exaggerated, dont you, Mr. Cage? And lets not forget the hundreds of thousands of patients who are helped each year by radiation treatment.
But its okay to forget about the people who died because Radcorp and a group of R-ONCs at Albany Memorial ignored the reports and kept treating patients with a broken accelerator? Cages fingers were beginning to hurt from punching the keys so hard. He paused, clenched his fists and blew out a breath. Never mind. The programs look fine and your fixes are up to date. Where are your disposal logs?
I get it. Ripleys voice sharpened and the air between them snapped. You dislike R-ONCs in general. And here I thought it was me you didnt like. Because let me tell you, Cage, Im grateful for your help yesterday, but
Whatever shed planned to tell him was lost in a flurry of noise and color from the outer office.
Dr. Rip, Dr. Rip! With lots of vroom-vroom noises and imaginary squealing tires, a purple-haired girl flew toward the treatment room, pushing a small boy in a hospital-issue wheelchair. They skidded to a halt and the girls hair slid off her head and landed on the floor.
Ripley and the kids took one look at the purple road-kill and started laughing.
Cage took one look at the girls naked pink scalp and the fine blue veins beneath, and shuddered.
Livvy, what are you doing here? I thought you were between treatments. Is everything okay? Ripley hugged the girl and bent to pick up the purple wig. Hey, Milo. Whats up? She didnt touch the boy, who sagged back as though exhausted by the shared laughter. A Boston baseball cap looked ridiculously large on his bald head.
Cages stomach clenched on the three cups of coffee hed poured into it that morning. One of the reasons hed chosen Rad Safety was its distance from the actual patients. He could help them without ever seeing them. Without remembering.
Belle called my mom and said Milo wasnt feeling so hot. The girl was older than she looked at first, Cage realized as she adjusted the purple wig on her slippery scalp. She was probably in her early teens, though her painful thinness and large eyes made her seem younger. So a few of us came in for a visit. We were just talking about the game next week, werent we, Milo?
The boy in the chair nodded limply. Yep. The word was no more than a breath, but Ripley didnt seem to notice. Her callousness made Cage think of other doctors. Other times.
She glanced at him and explained, though he hadnt asked. The Tammy Fund has a box at the ballpark and they give it to a different R-ONC department after each game. The kids love it. Weve got tickets for next week.
Cage shrugged. Baseballs okay.
He felt the damaged ligaments in his pitching arm ache. The pain was duller than the throb in his soul, but both reminded him of a man whod cared more for his career than his family.
Do I know you? The soft question pulled Cage from the memory of broken promises and busted dreams, but he had no answer for the girl. Nor did he take the hand she offered when she said, Im Olivia Minton.
Cage. And no, we havent met. He backed away on the pretext of flipping the green binder open and studying an unseen column of numbers.
Dont worry, kids. Hes rude to everyone. Ripley glared at him and herded the children away. Did you just stop by to say hi, or did you want something?
We wanted to say hi, Livvy said staunchly at the same time Milo breathed, We wanted some markers.
Ripley laughed and the sound zinged through Cage. Going to tattoo yourselves again? She crossed to a desk drawer and pulled out a handful of pens. Just remember, these are the permanent ones we use to mark you for radiation treatment. The ink takes weeks to fade.
Milo cheered softly and clutched the pens in his lap like a prize. Livvy thanked Ripley and cast one long look back at Cage before she pushed Milo out the door, but Cage didnt tell the girl where shed seen him before.
He was five years, one court battle and a masters degree in Health Physics away from being that man. His love of the game had faltered, leaving behind a need for revenge.
Theyre not contagious, Ripley said without preamble as she stalked back over to him, holding a thick binder as if she wanted to smack him with it. You wont catch cancer from shaking hands. She didnt say you jerk, but it was implied.
Those your wipe logs? Thanks. Ignoring the dig, Cage grabbed the ledger and opened it on the nearest table, though he knew what hed see. Nothing. Hed already figured he wasnt going to find a single digit out of place in the R-ONC department. Hed bet that every sheet was filled in to the last MilliCurie of radioactive material and the last tenth of a rad of waste. Hed find every bottle of neutralizer filled to the brim and every employees training up to date.
And hed bet his job she was hiding something.
He hefted the logbooks and ignored the twinge of protest from his shoulder. Ill get these back to you when Ive gone over everything.
Fine. Just dont shut me down, okay? I have patients that depend on me. She glanced over and tucked a strand of curly dark hair behind her ear. The gesture was strangely vulnerable. We do good things here, Cage. We save lives.
Cage didnt say anything, because his answer would have been you dont save all of them, and that would never do. Instead, he repeated, Ill get these back to you when Im done with them, and escaped out into the hall beyond the R-ONC doors.