"Exactly what I said," she said and put her hands on her hips. "We have a committee. I'm on the committee. It's made up of people concerned with the welfare of our female staff members. People are aware of your past and have advised the new nurses and the student nurses to beware. There's gossip that you also had an affair with one of your students in Africa when you taught in Nairobi."
I stood in awed silence for a moment at the self-satisfied expression on her face, and struggled for a response. Then, I realized that there really was no response, so I shrugged, trying hard to keep my calm.
"That was the past. Now, I'm a very happily married man and father of a toddler. You can rest assured that I have no interest in the nursing staff – or anyone else, for that matter."
Then I sat inside, slamming the door before she could respond. I gave her a big smile and I heard her talking to me through the window but her words were muffled by the sound of my car stereo. I turned up as loud as I could and while I drove away, I saw her point her finger at me, her face screwed up in anger.
What a witch...
She'd obviously taken it upon herself to be the protector of the nursing staff from dangerous threats like me. She was one of Maureen's friends? I could imagine it. Maureen still disapproved of me all these years later, even though I saved Liam's life.
I drove through the darkened streets of the city, a little faster than I should have, and must have been caught up in a speed trap for as I was flying along the road, I heard a siren and saw lights flashing behind me.
Damn...
I pulled over and stopped my car, already reaching for my driver's license and registration so I could easily hand them to the police officer. Then, I put my hands clearly on the wheel and waited for the officer to come over to my open window.
When he got out of his vehicle, I saw him checking out the car, one hand on his weapon. He walked up to my door and bent down, peering into the car and at me, no doubt sizing me up. I had on a clean pair of hospital scrubs and my hair was still a bit damp.
I smiled at him. "Hello, officer."
He checked me out, nodding in response. "Driver's license and registration please."
I pointed to the dashboard. "It's there. I'm reaching for it now."
I grabbed it and handed them to the officer and waited. He checked them over and handed them back to me.
"Dr. Morgan, are you aware you were traveling fifty miles per hour in a thirty mile per hour zone?"
"I'm sorry, officer. I just got off my shift in the ER at SF General and must have lost track of my speed."
He nodded, his expression not changing at all. "It's late. You should try to obey the speed limit even this late at night when the streets are empty. I'll give you a warning this time, but the next time, I'll have to issue you a ticket."
"Thanks," I said. "I'll be more careful from now on."
He nodded and returned to his vehicle. I put on my signal and merged back into the lane and drove the rest of the way home more cautiously, making sure to keep my speed in check.
By the time I got home, it was four in the morning. I pulled up in the driveway just as the first faint sunlight was visible along the eastern horizon. I entered the house as quietly as I could
, and stripped off my clothes down to my boxer briefs. I stood beside the bed and just watched for a moment. On the bed lay a sleeping Kate and beside her Sophie, who was facing the wall, her thumb stuck in her mouth, an empty bottle on the bed near her hand.
I slipped into bed beside Kate, trying not to wake her but she was a pretty light sleeper and woke when I snuggled closer. She rolled over into my arms and I kissed her on the forehead, and pulled her closer.
"What time is it?" she asked, her eyes still closed.
"It's just after four thirty. I was late getting out and was pulled over for speeding on the way back."
Her eyes blinked open at that. "Oh, Drake," she whispered, her voice less sleepy. "What happened?"
"I had a run-in with a nursing supervisor on the sexual harassment committee so I must have been pressing a bit too enthusiastically on the gas pedal. The cop was nice and let me off when he realized I was an ER doc just getting off shift."
"What do you mean, you had a run-in with a nursing supervisor on the sexual harassment committee?"
Then I told Kate about meeting Christy, how she had been a friend of Maureen's in Manhattan and what she told me about watching me for the committee.
"Oh, God, Drake! What a total bitch," Kate said, her voice filled with sympathy – and a bit of anger.
"My words exactly," I replied and squeezed her more tightly, so glad that I had her and that she understood. "I told her I was happily married and wasn't interested in the nursing staff."