“There’s more?” he said weakly.
“You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to contact your patients, caregivers, or any of our staff. You are not to step foot inside either clinic, and the health department already knows you’re taking a break.”
This was micromanaging on steroids. “Is there anything Icando?”
“Yes.” Lawrence grinned. “Rest and relax.” He glanced at Kingston’s messy office. “You can tackle this when you get back.”
Kingston didn’t have a choice. Now that he saw the problem clearly, he was grateful he hadn’t been outright fired. “Yes, sir.”
As Lawrence closed the door, Kingston moved to shut down the laptop. He spied a familiar name. Sylvia Strickland.
Don’t read it... Don’t read it...
He read it.
“Avoid Dr.Bedford at all costs! He’s not only rude, he’s also incompetent. My daughter had a serious issue, and he blew it off. She ended up in the ER that night.”
He froze. Sailor was in the ER? He reached for the phone to call Sylvia, then drew back. Even if she picked up, as of two minutes ago he wasn’t supposed to contact any of his patients. But he couldn’t go on his sabbatical without knowing how Sailor was doing. He grabbed the phone and called.
“Hello?”
Sailor? Why was she answering her mother’s phone? “Hi, Sailor. It’s Dr.Bedford.”
“Hey, Doc.”
She sounded okay. Typical Sailor, actually. “I heard you were in the ER last week.”
“Yeah.”
Kingston visualized her scanning her phone as she talked into Sylvia’s. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why were you in the ER—”
“Sailor, who are you talking to?” Sylvia’s shrill voice blared in the background. “I told you not to answer my phone.”
“But you were in the bathroom—”
“Hello?” Sylvia said. “Who is this?”
He grimaced. “Dr.Bedford. I was checking up on Sailor—”
“You have some nerve. I had to take my daughter to the ER because of you.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs.Strickland. That’s why I’m calling—”
“She was in so much pain.” Sylvia sounded like she was choking back tears. “Fortunately, the ER took us seriously. They gave us a list of things to do to help her. They didn’t ignore us, like you did.”
He tensed. “What was the diagnosis?”
“Menstrual cramps. But that’s the last thing I’m telling you about my daughter. We’ve found another pediatrician.”Click.
Kingston stared at the receiver, then hung up. Guilt washed over him. Despite knowing Sylvia was exaggerating Sailor’s pain, he should have taken time to reassure her when they were in his office. That’s what he’d always done before. He’d been Sailor’s pediatrician since the child was six, and he knew Sylvia needed extra attention. But he’d bungled his schedule and had indeed blown them off.
His personal phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and groaned.Mother.This was her third call this week, and it was only Tuesday. He hadn’t had time to return the other two, even though he’d promised when she’d made an appointmentwith Janine that he would be more communicative. Well, he had two unscheduled months to communicate with her now. No reason to keep putting her off.
He slid his thumb across the screen and brought the phone to his ear. “Hello, Mom.”
