“What would make you lie to cover up a mistake of a co-worker, if you weren’t even involved in the mistake?”
Paige forced herself to meet Gary Powell’s gaze directly. “Because I’ve seen firsthand how someone can twist a mistake around and destroy someone else’s life.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, but there was a death in Atlanta.”
“Mr. Bartlett’s situation was a tragedy—” Paige tried to blink away her memories of the sweet older man “—and I’ve come to accept the fact that I do share in the blame for it. But he is not the reason I have trouble finding a job, he’s not even the reason I got fired in the first place. Basically, my life was ruined because of the mother’s lawsuit. The mother who was driving a Mercedes SUV that was paid for by a previous lawsuit. The mother who didn’t have a scratch on her or her child. Getting rid of me was the best way the HMO could protect themselves.”
“I see.”
Ora’s words ran through her mind again and hit her with all the force of conviction. “You know, that’s actually not the truth, either. The truth is, I lied because I didn’t have enough faith.”
“Faith?”
“I didn’t trust God to handle the situation if I told the truth. I suppose I tried to help Him a little, in the form of a lie.” She looked Gary Powell in the face. “No surprise that didn’t work out, huh?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “If you’ve given it that kind of thought, I don’t expect you’ll be doing it again in the near future.”
“I don’t know that I’ll have the chance.”
“You understand that this is not the same story I’m hearing from your two co-workers.”
“Yes, sir, I know. And I don’t expect that my telling you all this will change anything for the better for me. But, if the two of them are going to continue to work together, then someone needs to know what is going on so that someone else doesn’t get hurt.”
“You realize until this last error, your initials were on all the prescriptions that were misfilled.”
“Yes, I believe that Clarissa went in and changed computer records. I always hand-initial everything I touch—a habit I picked up in the Sharitz days. You could go look through the old files from the Nashville Clinic and confirm that, and I was the only pharmacist who was working there. One of the mistakes—Ms. Feldhouse’s—was made on a day that I wasn’t even at work.”
Gary Powell opened a folder on his desk and removed a sheet of paper—a copy of the prescription. “So, you’re telling me that on March 29 you weren’t even at the pharmacy?”
“Yes, sir, that’s what I’m telling you.” Paige pulled her shoulders upright and concentrated on keeping her chin lifted. She knew how this sounded, what Gary Powell must think, but it was the truth.
“Can you prove where you were?”
“No.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ll take what you’ve said under consideration. Thanks for coming in.”
“You’re welcome.” Paige walked down the hallway, realizing that she’d accomplished absolutely nothing. Regardless, she’d finally done what she should have done all along.
Houston was only a day’s drive away, but on the phone that night it might as well have been a million miles. Her father had never sounded more scared, more alone.
“How’s Mom?”
“Still pretty sick. The doctors say her lungs are staying clear, but her fever’s been steady. She’s on the knife’s edge, Paige.” There was a rustling on the other line. “She’s awake now and wants to say hello.”
“Hi, sweetie.”
“Oh, Mom. How are you feeling?”
“I think—” there was a slight wheezing sound as she took a breath—“I’m getting better.”
She didn’t sound better, but if she could pretend, so could Paige. “Good. You stay strong and keep fighting this thing.”
Paige’s father came back on the line. “The doctor said that this CMV might or might not materialize, ’cause the blood work’s kind of iffy. All we can do is wait it out.” He paused for a moment. “There’s nothing I hate worse than waiting, but in this case, I guess it beats the alternative. How are things with you?”
Dusty began a low-throated growl at the front window. Paige walked over to look out, and what she saw made her gasp. “I think I need to get off the phone.”
“What’s wrong?”
“A car just pulled up, and I’m pretty sure it’s Dawn’s.”