The Dark Side - Danielle Steel Page 0,72
and I think it will stitch up cleanly. I sent them to a plastic surgeon, I’d feel better about having her do it, and I gave Jaime a tetanus booster. And the plastic surgeon is going to take out the stitches in her chin.”
“She’s been through the wars. Is she very upset?”
“She was at first. She’ll be okay.” She hesitated for a minute, and then decided to tell him the disturbing piece she had noticed when they were in her office. “I think I should tell you that Jaime says the dog was on a leash and Zoe said she could play with it, and then he snapped at her. Zoe says the dog was off leash and she told Jaime to stay away from him. We’ve got two very different stories. But there was an owner so he wasn’t a stray dog, which is good news. He’s probably had all his shots and is licensed. Let’s hope so.”
“What kind of dog was it? Did she say?” Austin sounded jangled and Cathy felt sorry for him. He had a lot to worry about.
“A German shepherd.”
“Oh my God, how can you let a three-and-a-half-year-old play with a dog that size? Did she get the owner’s name?”
“No, she didn’t,” Cathy said quietly. So they couldn’t corroborate the stories and see who was telling the truth, or even trace the dog and owner. Cathy had a sinking feeling that Jaime was being honest and Zoe was lying to her, which meant that she had encouraged Jaime to play with a dog that looked fierce and was on a leash. But even on a leash, a shepherd could be dangerous, and had been for her. Cathy didn’t like the story, and it made what Austin feared seem even more real.
As soon as she hung up, she called Paul Anders expecting to leave him a message, instead he picked up himself. He was between patients and was surprised to hear from her. They hadn’t spoken in about a year.
“I have a problem and I need some advice.” She got right to the point. They were both busy and her next patient was due in any minute, and his probably was too. “Can I come by and talk to you?”
“Is it serious? Are you in a rush?”
“Serious, yes. In a rush, not so sure. When do you have time?”
“Are you free tonight? I’m going to L.A. tomorrow for a psychiatric convention. I could do it after my last patient. Seven o’clock work for you?”
“Perfect.”
“Come to my office. We can have a glass of wine while we talk.”
“Sounds great. Thank you, Paul,” she said warmly, grateful for the quick response.
“Any time.” They had dated a few times, but she liked him better as a friend. He was smart and serious and direct to deal with. She knew she’d get the straight scoop from him about Munchausen by proxy and whether or not Zoe sounded like she fit the bill.
Her next patient was waiting for her by then, and she went to do a six-month checkup, and tried to put Austin, Zoe, and Jaime out of her mind for a few hours, at least until she met up with Paul that night. Until then, she had to be an efficient pediatrician and think about her other patients.
She hoped Jaime had done all right with Jane. She was in good hands.
She smiled at the young mother as she walked into the exam room and a six-month-old baby girl grinned at her, and reminded Cathy how much she loved her job. This was just what she needed today, she thought as she picked up the baby and smiled at the mom. Except for situations like Jaime’s, it was a happy line of work.
Chapter 14
Cathy’s last patient left at five-thirty, and she had an hour and a half to kill before she met with Paul Anders. She didn’t want to go to her apartment, and decided to stay at the office and read carefully through Jaime’s records, and see how they seemed objectively, knowing Austin’s concerns.
She started at the beginning, with all of Zoe’s nursing difficulties and fears about the baby, cracked nipples, Jaime falling asleep at the breast after a few minutes, her fear that Jaime wasn’t getting enough milk, that she was a picky eater, might have a gastric obstruction which she obviously didn’t, projectile vomiting which she didn’t have either, claims at every visit that she had colic, with no real evidence of it. The beginning