A few tense moments of silence passed before Octo-Cat finally extracted himself from the warmth of the blanket and came to stand before me on the wharf. “You’re my best friend, too,” he said, rubbing his head against my hand and purring in earnest. “But if you ever scruff me again, I’ll kill you and eat the evidence.”
I erupted with laughter, and Nan joined me even though she didn’t quite know why.
“Thank you for avenging Ethel,” he said when our peals of laughter faded out. “She would have liked you, you know.”
My eyes teared at the compliment. Ugh, more salt water was not what I needed just then. Still, judging from how awesome her cat was, I bet I would have liked her, too.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Ifelt fine—all things considering—but the hospital insisted on keeping me for at least twenty-four hours since I was still in danger of succumbing to my near-drowning even now.
I groaned audibly when a familiar face popped into my room.
“So…” Dr. Artie Lewis, the same ER doctor who had treated me earlier that week, said with an obnoxiously large smile. “You decided to up the ante this time, eh? You know, real life isn’t an action movie. You can’t keep putting your life at risk and expecting to survive.”
Yes, this was the same guy who had made me feel like an idiot when I came to him for care after getting zapped unconscious by the office coffeemaker. It was upsetting to see that his bedside manner hadn’t improved since I’d seen him last.
The doctor bobbed his head, ignoring the fact that I hadn’t responded to his greeting—or his advice. “Drowning is definitely a more impressive way to lose consciousness. Good job.”
Did he really just compliment me on my method of getting hurt? Yeah, because I had a lot of control over that. I briefly wondered if perhaps the not-so-good doc was a bit of a thrill seeker in his life outside of the hospital. He seemed almost excited as he discussed the details of my near drowning.
“Just leave me alone,” I pleaded, finally breaking my silence. Hadn’t I already been through enough that day?
I’d nearly died, for crying out loud!
He shot me a withering glance before chuckling to himself and saying, “No can do. This time you need a lot more than some regular strength Tylenol. You know, a smile wouldn’t hurt you much, either.”
If I had any strength left, I’d have shot out of bed to punch him in the face. I’d had enough violence for one day, however—even though it sure seemed like this doctor guy was cut from the same sleazy cloth as my least favorite colleague, Brad.
Maybe it was time to start exploring some alternative medicine therapies… or to stop getting knocked unconscious every other day. Either worked.
“I’ll be back later,” Dr. Lewis announced after a brief glance over my vitals. “By the way, you have some guests waiting in the lobby. Should I send them in?”
“Yes, please.” I nodded excitedly, wondering if Nan had somehow found a way to sneak Octo-Cat into my room. I definitely wouldn’t put it past her.
It wasn’t Nan who came to see me, though.
A few minutes later, Mr. Fulton and Bethany shuffled into my room. Mr. Fulton carried a giant pink teddy bear that said It’s a Girl which made me giggle.
Ouch. Laughing hurt deep in my chest.
“How are you doing?” Bethany asked, trailing her fingers along the foot of my bed. I’d never seen her out of office clothes before and was surprised to find her personal style was actually pretty fun. She wore red polka dotted pants with a white button down shirt, an outfit that would have fit perfectly with either Nan’s or my own wardrobe.
“Pretty good, considering.” I smiled to show her I was all right and that there were no hard feelings between us.
“I’m sorry my wife almost killed you,” Mr. Fulton interjected, catching me off guard. I mean, I’d only been in the hospital a few hours. It seemed strange that he and Bethany already knew what had happened.
“How did you find out?” I asked, wondering just how much he knew about what had transpired between me and Diane, if he knew that she was also to blame for killing his beloved aunt.
He rushed to explain. “I came home from my trip early and saw your car in front of my house and the door wide open. A short while later, officers showed up and brought me in for questioning. Let’s just say they caught me up on my wife’s shocking extracurricular activities.”
“And you?” I asked Bethany. I remembered now that, in the middle of her maniacal raving, Diane had mentioned something about Bethany being Mr. Fulton’s daughter. I still had so many questions about that but was hoping they might fill me in without being prompted. After all, it technically wasn’t any of my business.
Bethany glanced toward Mr. Fulton nervously. “He called me on the way over.”
“It’s okay,” I coaxed, apparently unable to play it cool. “Diane told me the truth. At least, I think she did.”
I turned to Mr. Fulton. “Is she really your daughter?”
“Yes,” they answered in unison, both regarding me with similar expressions.
“How come you didn’t just tell me that?” I asked Bethany, recalling the hard time I’d given her at the funeral. Of course I felt terrible now.
“I didn’t want it getting out,” Mr. Fulton explained. “Diane was already so upset.”
I glanced back toward Bethany. “Did you know all this time?”
“Not all this time. I suspected he might be my mysterious missing father when I took my position at the firm, but we only just had it verified by DNA testing. In fact, that’s why I decided to apply in the first place.”
Mr. Fulton looked like he was going to be sick as he explained, “I cheated on Diane while we were dating. Just once, but—”
“It led to my mom getting pregnant,” Bethany supplied. “I’ve had some strange… health issues these past few years, and I’ve been trying to learn more about my best options. So, finally my mom caved and told me more about my father.”
“Oh,” I said simply. It sucked for Diane that her husband had cheated on her. Sure, they hadn’t been married at that time, but they’d still been committed to each other. You always assume that your partner will be faithful—but then again, you also assume they won’t try to murder anyone you care about, too.
“We figured since you were already part of the family drama, thanks to Diane, you at least deserved to know the full story,” she said with a sniff.
“I’m so sorry, Bethany. I treated you horribly.” It all came rushing to me then. She’d grown up without a dad. She’d suffered health issues she didn’t feel comfortable disclosing, and she’d recently lost an aunt she never even got the chance to know.
“Yes, you did,” Bethany said with a frown that quickly transformed into a smile. “But I’ve treated you horribly on so many other occasions that perhaps we’re just even now. Let’s stop trying to tear each other down and start lifting each other up instead now, okay?”
“We girls have to stick together,” I said in agreement. “By the way, I really like your outfit.”
She smiled and sashayed playfully at the compliment.
“Again, I’m so sorry that my wife tried to kill you,” Mr. Fulton said with a pained expression. “What I don’t understand is why. Do you know?”
Both he and Bethany studied me with curious eyes.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before revealing, “She thought I was psychic and that I had figured everything out. As part of that, she confessed to killing Ethel in a scheme to get more money out of your divorce.”
Mr. Fulton sighed and shook his head.