“We were duped in the same way.”
“How long ago did your husband pass away?” Brian asked. “If you’d rather not talk about it, I understand.”
“It’s all right. It was just a little over a year ago.”
“Did MMH Inwood sue you right away like me?”
“No,” Jeanne began. “Stupid me tried to pay them the original amount. There was some cash in the business, so I gave them sixty-five thousand up front and agreed to pay twenty thousand a month for two years. I’d made several monthly payments, but then the pandemic hit, and everything shut down, and the alarm business mostly dried up. That’s when they sued me.”
“Did they have something to do with your company’s bankruptcy?”
“Of course,” she said. “They also garnished any income I might have earned from the business if I’d tried to keep it going. But to tell you the truth, with my husband’s passing, I wasn’t all that interested in running the company even though I had learned a lot about alarm technology and business in the three years I’d spent involved. While he was alive it made sense because he was a techie, not a businessman, and he had been paying someone much too much to run the business side of the operation.”
“I can understand. I’m already wondering if I have what it takes to try to make a go of Personal Protection LLC without my wife. I’m probably more like your husband, since Emma handled the business side along with Camila. I’ve already wondered if I should try to get my old position back with the NYPD ESU.”
“I’m going to go back to school psychology as soon as the legal dust settles,” Jeanne said. “The only reason I’ve held off is because I certainly don’t want MMH Inwood garnishing my wages.”
“I want to go home,” Juliette said suddenly, taking out her earbuds.
“I’m sure you do, sweetie,” Brian agreed. “I do, too. I think I’ll see what is holding things up.” As he started to get up, Jeanne reached out and gripped his arm.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’ll get any satisfaction making a fuss,” she said. “And you could make things worse. Just a suggestion.”
He hesitated, looking over at the information desk, which was always a beehive of activity. When they’d first arrived two hours earlier, a triage nurse had listened to their story about Juliette’s symptoms, noted she was a patient of Dr. Rajiv Bhatt, whose records were available if needed since she had been a preemie, checked Juliette’s vital signs, and told them they’d be seen shortly. That was the last contact they’d had without any apology or explanation. At the same time, he knew Jeanne was correct and that raising a ruckus could very well be counterproductive.
“I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” Brian promised. “I just need to make sure we haven’t been forgotten somehow.”
Chapter 23
September 1
Juliette Murphy!” a nurse in gown and mask called out after emerging from the depths of the Emergency Department.
“God! It’s about time,” Brian mumbled as he got to his feet. It had been more than three hours that they had been waiting. Mercifully, Juliette had fallen asleep about a half hour earlier.
“It’s been a long wait,” Jeanne agreed. “But, again, try not to act angry, for Juliette’s sake.”
“It’s going to be difficult for me not to point out that we’ve seen a number of people arrive, be seen, and leave while we’ve been sitting here with a sick four-year-old.”
“I can’t imagine you’ll get any satisfaction if you act irritated,” Jeanne said. “And try to remember that at least she’s going to be seen, and you’ll get the Covid-19 test out of the way.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “You are right. I’ll try to be nice.” He then reached down and picked Juliette up. “Come on, Pumpkin!” he urged. “We’ll get you checked out and then get you home.” She mumbled a brief complaint but fell back asleep almost immediately in Brian’s arms with her head on his shoulder. While he reached for Bunny, he added to Jeanne: “No matter what you say, I’m convinced they’ve been keeping us waiting because of the outstanding bill I owe. I’m sorry, but it’s the only explanation.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Jeanne said.
“I feel it.”
“Feeling it and knowing it are two different things.”
“Maybe,” Brian said. “Can you get the rest of the stuff?”
“Leave it! I’ll watch it. No worries.”
“You’re not coming with us?”
“I’m not family and with the pandemic rules, we’re lucky they let me even in the waiting area. I’ll be here when you’re done. Good luck.”
“You’re probably right,” he said. “Okay! We’ll try to at least make this part quick.”
With the sleeping Juliette in one arm and Bunny in the other, Brian walked the width of the waiting room and approached the nurse who’d called out Juliette’s name. She was wearing a face shield as well as a mask.
“Well, well,” the nurse said good-naturedly. “The sweetie seems to have fallen asleep. I think that is a good sign, maybe she’s feeling better.”
“We’ve been waiting more than three hours,” he said, struggling to keep his voice neutral.
“Sorry about that. We’ve been busy as usual. My name is Olivia. Would you please follow me?”
Still carrying the sleeping Juliette and Bunny, Brian trailed the nurse back to a tiny ambulatory examination room with an exam table, a sink, two chairs, and a built-in desk with a monitor. Olivia patted the exam table, asked him to put Juliette down, and then washed her hands. At first Juliette resisted, but then became cooperative in the new surroundings when Olivia gave her a hemostat to hold. In a gentle and kind fashion, Olivia took Juliette’s vital signs while keeping up a conversation about Bunny, which Juliette had taken from Brian.
“What’s her temperature?” Brian asked.
“Ninety-eight point six,” Olivia read off the number. “Nice and normal.”
“Really?” he questioned. “Last time we took it at home it was almost 101. Are you sure of your reading?”
“I’ll take it again,” Olivia offered happily. She was using a thermal scanner. “Yup! Normal.” Addressing Juliette, she asked: “And how do you feel now, love?”
“I want to go home,” Juliette said.
“I’m sure you do,” Olivia responded. She looked briefly at the tablet she was holding and then asked, “But what about your sore throat, and headache, and upset stomach?”
“I’m okay now,” Juliette said.
“Are you sure?” Brian asked, butting in, shocked at the reversal of Juliette’s complaints.
“Yes,” Juliette insisted. “And Bunny feels better, too.”
“I’m so glad,” Olivia said. “Okay, Dr. Kramer will be in to see you, Miss Juliette, in just a few minutes. Is that okay?”
Juliette nodded, handing back the hemostat before Olivia left the room.
“Are you sure you don’t have a sore throat any longer?” Brian asked, mystified.
Juliette nodded and then started to climb down from the exam table, but Brian stopped her and sat down next to her. Taking a cue from Jeanne, he talked more about her symptoms using Bunny as a go-between. She continued to be insistent that Bunny’s throat, head, and stomach were fine.
It was almost twenty minutes before an extremely youthful Dr. Mercedes Kramer came swooping ebulliently into the tiny exam room along with Olivia. Now bored, Juliette answered all the doctor’s rapid-fire questions with a curt no: no sore throat, no congestion, no headache, no coughing, no vomiting, and no generally feeling bad. Maintaining a happy chatter, Dr. Kramer quickly washed her hands and then rapidly but thoroughly examined the child, even allowing Juliette to listen to her own heart. When she was finished, she said: “Miss Juliette, I think you are in fine shape.” She then gave Juliette a reassuring shoulder squeeze.