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Cross That Line

Page 81

by Barbara Freethy

"Maybe I can find out more tomorrow. I can ask Dr. Levitan if he has free rein over his medical program, or if the owner of the company is heavily involved in what gets funded."

"We need to talk about you going there, Rachel. After what happened to Megan tonight, I think you should skip it."

"I don't agree. Megan said things are moving fast. They're packing up the basement. Unless you're going to get a search warrant before four o'clock tomorrow, I'm your best bet to get into Levitan's office." She could see he didn't agree with her, and while she appreciated his concern, she was capable of making her own decision. "Let's discuss that later. I want to make these calls before it gets too late. I'll start with Mr. Kimoko." She put his number into her phone and then put the call on speaker. A moment later, a man answered, and she said, "Mr. Kimoko?"

"Yes. Who's calling?"

"This is Dr. Rachel Thorne."

Silence met her words.

"Are you there?" she asked.

"I'm here. I can't really talk, Dr. Thorne."

"This will just take a moment. It felt awkward the other day when we ran into each other at Waverly Health, and I wanted to let you know that I hope you're getting help for your issues, and there are no hard feelings. I'm sorry that you felt the need to change your care, but I only want the best for you."

"I appreciate that. I should have told you or your office that I was leaving the practice, but I didn't want you to feel bad. You are an excellent doctor."

"Are you doing better where you are now?" She was afraid to push too much, but she needed answers.

"My health is better, but I still have some of my symptoms. I had heard there was an advanced trial treatment program, but, apparently, I don't qualify for that."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I've heard about that program as well. I believe it's run by Dr. Neil Levitan. Did you meet with him?"

"I couldn't get in. I'm with Dr. Madeline Rosenwein."

She saw Tyler jot down that name. Then she said, "Did you receive an email from my practice about going to Waverly?"

"Yes, I was surprised. I was going to check with you about it, but then someone called me to follow up on the email and said you were supportive of people using other treatment options."

"Who did you talk to?"

"I don’t remember her name, but it was a woman."

So, there were not only emails going out, but also follow-up calls. That was even more disappointing. "And this person mentioned me by name?"

"I think so. Why? Is something wrong?"

"No. I just like to follow up with patients who have left in the middle of treatment. If there's something I did wrong, I'd like to learn from that so I can do better in the future."

"Maybe I should have stayed with you. I just wasn't sure I was going to get better fast enough. My nightmares have worsened. My wife sleeps in the other room now. I think sometimes she's afraid of me."

"If you ever want to come back, the door is always open."

"I will think about it. Goodbye."

"Bye," she murmured, ending the call. She lifted her gaze to Tyler's. "Sounds like he didn't make it to the basement."

"Nor is he getting any real relief from his nightmares."

"That could be more psychological than physiological. I'm not sure I could do much to affect those, either." An odd look moved through his gaze that she couldn't decipher. "What?"

"Most of the doctors I've met are not as self-aware as you are, Rachel. They act like they can fix anything."

"I've met some of those. But medicine has actually made me humble. There's a lot we can do, but also a lot we can't do. Sometimes, we need science to catch up with our desire to help. Anyway, Mr. Kimoko was a dead end. Shall I try the next one?"

"Sure."