“Yes.Other cases too.Patients I lost.I worked at a very large teaching hospital, so it’s not surprising I had a higher-than-normal number of patients succumbing, especially in my field of expertise.Now this anonymous caller is threatening to go to the press, to turn the town against me.”Gabe paused.“And they’re threatening Nica.”
Rafe sat forward, all business now.“How?What exactly did they say?”
“They know about her.About us.”Gabe met Rafe’s eyes.“About the fact that we’re married.”
For a long moment, the only sound in the office was the ticking of the clock on the wall.Rafe’s expression didn’t change, but something dark and dangerous flashed in his eyes.
“Run that by me again, Doc.”
“Nica and I got married three months ago.Eloped to the courthouse in Brazos County.”Gabe held Rafe’s gaze.“We were waiting for the right time to tell everyone.But your momma went missing, then there was the whole thing with Nick coming back from Australia, your dad’s health, and there just hasn’t seemed to be the right time.”
Rafe stood slowly, his palms flat on the desk.“My sister married you.In secret.Three months ago.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re telling me now because…?”
“Because whoever’s coming after me is now a threat to her too.”Gabe’s voice hardened.“If anything happens to me, she’ll need you.All of you.And you should know the truth.”
Rafe came around the desk, stopping inches from Gabe.Despite being the same height, the sheriff somehow seemed to loom over him.
“Let me get this straight.You married my sister without a word to her father or her mother.Didn’t say a word to the rest of the family.You brought some vendetta from your past to our doorstep.And now you want my help?”
Put that way, it sounded bad.But Gabe stood his ground.
“I want your help protecting your sister.My wife.Whatever this person wants, they’re willing to hurt her to get to me.I can handle myself, but if anything happens to her…”
Something in his voice must have reached Rafe, because the sheriff’s expression shifted slightly.
“You love her,” he said, not a question.
“More than anything in the whole world.”
Rafe stared at him for a long moment, then nodded once.“Tell me everything.Start at the beginning.”
So Gabe did.The calls.The threats.The names from his past being dragged into the light.By the time he finished, Rafe was pacing the small office.
“We need to tell Nica,” Rafe said finally.
“She knows everything already.There are no secrets between us.”
Not anymore.
“Gotta tell the rest of the family.”
Gabe winced.“All at once?”
“Rip the band-aid off, Doc.”There was the ghost of a smile on Rafe’s face.“Tomorrow.Sunday dinner.You get to explain to Momma why she missed her daughter’s wedding.”
The prospect drove a shaft of terror at the thought, and Gabe swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat and nodded.“Fair enough.”
“Meanwhile, we need to head over to the clinic, see the damage, and try to figure out who from your past might want to expose all your secrets.What they’ll accomplish besides embarrassing you publicly.I’ll have deputies drive by your place regularly.Look into these calls.Need to pull phone records, check security cameras around town.”Rafe paused.“And I want copies of all the documentation from the Carpenter case.Everything from the hospital investigation, the medical board.All the stuff they sent to Nica.Everything.No surprises.”
“You’ll have it.”
Rafe studied him.“One more thing.You’re sure there’s nothing to these accusations?No cases where you made mistakes, where patients died who shouldn’t have?”
The question stung, but Gabe understood it.“Absolutely.I’ve lost patients.Every doctor has.I’ve made calls I second-guessed later.But I’ve never been negligent or knowingly put a patient at risk.”
