Trust Me - Sheryl Browne Page 0,39

insisted on seeing you. I told him you were back-to-back with appointments, but …’

Jake nodded, understanding. Seeing the mood Dean was in, he guessed she couldn’t have stopped him. He supposed the whole surgery had overheard what was going on, but that wasn’t his major concern right now. What was worrying him was that if Zoe hadn’t been honest with Dean – and judging by the state he was in, she hadn’t been – then how did he know? ‘I’ll come out to reception shortly,’ he said, scanning Emily’s eyes warily. The information had come from here, as had the information in the letter sent to Michael. It had to have done. The question was, who would leak it, and in God’s name, why? Lives were being destroyed here. He couldn’t believe that anyone would do that.

Making sure Joyce was well out of the fray, heading back to reception with Emily, he closed the door and turned to face Dean. The man’s eyes were shot through with a mixture of bewilderment and anger. He wasn’t going to leave until he had answers. And Jake simply couldn’t give him any.

‘Well?’ he demanded.

‘Sit down, Dean, please.’ Jake nodded again towards the chair.

Folding his arms across his chest, Dean didn’t budge.

Jake wondered where the hell to start. ‘I understand your frustration, Dean. I—’

‘Right,’ Dean sneered. ‘I doubt that, Jake. I doubt that very much. Are you going to tell me what I need to know, or not?’

Jake sighed inwardly. ‘I can’t, Dean,’ he said apologetically. ‘I can see you’re upset, and I sympathise, but I can’t disclose private patient information.’

‘Well someone can, obviously,’ Dean retaliated, his look now bordering on murderous. ‘Do you realise some bastard sent a bereavement card?’

Jake furrowed his brow in confusion. Had Zoe confided in a friend or her family? he wondered. If so, how had Dean learned what he obviously had, unless they’d mentioned—

‘“So sorry you had to have an abortion”, it said.’ Dean cut his thoughts short. ‘So are you going to stand there and tell me she didn’t?’

Jesus. Jake drew in a tight breath. ‘I’m not telling you anything, Dean. I can’t. It’s just not within my power to—’

‘I don’t give a flying fuck about your bureaucratic claptrap,’ Dean spat. ‘I have a right to know. We’re talking about my child. You can’t keep the information from me.’

‘I have no choice but to, Dean. You need to speak to Zoe. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you what you want to know.’

Tipping his head to one side, Dean eyed him narrowly. ‘You just did, though, didn’t you?’

Jake held his gaze for a second, and then looked away.

‘So was it on medical grounds?’ Dean pressed him.

Jake sighed heavily. ‘Dean, I can’t help you. You need to speak to Zoe.’

Dean spun around. ‘I intend to. And she’d better damn well have answers.’

Christ, what was he going to do? ‘Dean, wait.’ He followed the man as he charged out of the office, but Dean wasn’t about to stop. ‘Dean! You need to calm down,’ Jake yelled after him.

Dean kept going, striding through reception and straight out of the main door.

‘Shit!’ Jake cursed, causing patients’ gazes to swivel in his direction.

He needed to call Zoe. He shouldn’t, but he couldn’t just leave it. The man was consumed with rage. Ignoring the heated hushed whispers around him, he turned back to his office and straight into Tom, who presumably had been tied up with a patient while all this was going on.

‘I gather there’s a problem?’ Tom asked, his brow knitted curiously.

‘You might say that, yes,’ Jake answered curtly, making to move past him, desperate to alert Zoe. He also wanted to try to establish whether she’d confided in anyone. Because if she hadn’t, then his fears about the information coming from the practice would be proved right, and that could have dire consequences.

‘Not quite appropriate behaviour, though, is it?’ Tom commented, stopping him.

‘What?’ Jake wondered if he was hearing him right.

His father swept a disapproving gaze over him. ‘Yelling across reception. Not very seemly, might I suggest?’

Jake looked him over in disdainful disbelief. No you may bloody not. Anger rising inside him, he counselled himself to stay calm. ‘I have a call to make,’ he said.

Fourteen

Emily

Seeing Tom knock perfunctorily on Jake’s door a minute later and then walk straight in, Emily couldn’t help thinking he might be treading on dangerous ground. Jake had been upset when he’d come after Dean into reception, for his patient rather than himself. Judging by the