How Much I Feel - Marie Force Page 0,16
not?”
“Her kids have been through enough. I just don’t have it in me to drag them through the mud again.”
“Jason . . . She ruined your life. She shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that.”
“She hasn’t ruined my life yet.”
“She ruined your life in New York.”
“I just want to put it behind me, and a lawsuit would keep it alive for years. I had the lawyer reach out to let her know I was considering litigation, and he said she totally freaked out about that. It’s enough for me that she’s worried I might sue her. My only goal now is officially landing this job at Miami-Dade and having the chance to restore my reputation through the work. That’s all that matters, and I can’t do the work without hospital privileges. In many other specialties, I could fly solo, but not in neurosurgery.”
“Does it have to be neurosurgery?”
CHAPTER 5
CARMEN
He looks at me like I’m insane, and maybe I am. “It took years of training to get to where I was before this happened. I’m board certified, which is the holy grail. I’d be a fool to walk away from my specialty, not to mention the research I’ve worked on for years.”
“I’m not suggesting you walk away. I’m just wondering if you have options.”
“Of course I do, but I’ve been on this path for most of the last decade . . .” He shakes his head as his cheek pulses with tension. “I can’t let her destroy my career, Carmen. I won’t let her.”
“Is your goal to find a way back to New York?”
“That’d be my preference, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m persona non grata there after the board chairman personally saw to it that I was exiled to Miami. And now they’re balking at being stuck with me.”
“Is that what they said?”
“Mr. Augustino was rather blunt. He said the board isn’t interested in dealing with me or my scandal, but they are interested in my research. Apparently, that’s the only reason they’re even considering granting me privileges at Miami-Dade.”
“Did he say what happens at the end of the two weeks?”
“I assume they’ll decide my research isn’t worth the stink I bring with me. I think they’re basically giving me lip service but have no intention of granting privileges.”
“Is there any chance at all you’d consider doing an interview with someone here in Miami to set the record straight about what happened in New York?”
He ponders that for a minute. “I’d do it in a hot second if there was no chance of it being plastered all over the New York media. That’s not going to happen, though, with the internet. And in order to clear my name, I’d have to trash hers.”
“And you won’t do that because of her kids.”
“Right.”
I totally respect him for doing what he can to protect her children from further humiliation. This day has been a good reminder about the danger of leaping to conclusions about people. “What about asking her to contact the Miami-Dade board directly?”
His grimace tells me what he thinks of that idea. “That would require me to speak to her, and I’m not willing to do that.”
“Even to save your career?”
“I wouldn’t do it to save my life.”
“Could you text or email her so you wouldn’t have to speak to her?”
“Ugh, I really don’t want to have anything more to do with her if I can avoid that.”
“Maybe have the lawyer do it in exchange for possibly not suing her?”
“I suppose I could do that, as long as we leave the option open to sue her. It gives me pleasure to imagine her sweating that. I’ll hit up the lawyer tomorrow.”
While I ponder other options, the waiter clears our plates and leaves dessert menus. Since Jason hardly touched his dinner, they box it up for him.
I order fried ice cream to buy myself time to think about a strategy that might work to change the board’s mind about him. I have one idea that’s been floating around since earlier.
“How would you feel about doing some pro bono work while you wait to meet with the board?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“There’s a free clinic in Little Havana that does amazing work in the community. The doctor who works there was recently in a serious car accident and will be out of work for quite some time. The nurses are doing their best to keep up, but they could use some help.”
“I’d have to check with my insurance