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“Hey.” The voice sounded familiar. “Is this Bruce?”
“Yeah, it's Bruce. Who am I speaking to?” I asked.
“It's your good friend, Liam,” his response gave me an image to visualize.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I just wanted to know if you were still in Richmond; I heard Tabitha wasn't around,” he responded.
“I thought I told you not to monitor her?” My blood started to boil.
“Relax, I was just worried.”
“You weren't worried. You're just making sure I'm not around in Richmond,” I said.
“That would be the case,” he replied. “For your best interest, I will advise you not to participate in anything that happens tomorrow. No matter the news you hear, stay out of it. Tabitha should be your major concern while I focus on my own woman.”
His voice was calm but very sinister. Something big was going on back in Richmond.
“That will be all,” he said and hung up.
I felt very cold.
“Bruce…” Tabitha called for me in her sleep. “I'm in charge this time.”
I couldn't help but smile, caressing her hair gently, hoping she didn't wake up.
“Just what have I gotten you involved with?” I asked.
Chapter twenty
Strange Things are Happening
Tabitha
Strange things were happening. I noticed it when we returned to Richmond. Bruce, for instance, felt distant. He wasn't trying to be dominant, and he wasn't trying to avoid me either. I could tell that there was something wrong. He only seemed to cheer up during hospital time.
I tried not to get upset about it, but most of the staff and my patients seemed to prefer him over me. We talked about it the last time, and he assured me nothing was going on. This time, I wasn't as bothered, but the feeling of being neglected was still there.
“Why the long face?” Alex asked. “Did your trip to Maryland not go well?”
“It did, actually. I saw my sister and got a few notes on how to handle Zurich’s presentation,” I answered.
“If that's the case, why are you upset?” he asked. “Or perhaps you are displeased by something?”
I let out an exhausted sigh. “Alex, be honest. Do you think Bruce might be better at this than me?”
“The staff speaks highly of him,” he replied without hesitation. “I might be a little partial toward you because I have known you for a long time. Bruce seems like a natural leader. Just as one will refer to you as a naturally successful woman.”
As he made that statement, I recalled my visit to Maryland. Bruce was a good leader. You could see it in how everyone who worked for him and those who worked for me looked up to him. I guess I was still a little jealous of it. As Alex and I were speaking, our eyes were trained on the subject of our discussion: who was attending to the family member of a patient.
Now that I think about it, Bruce was highly talented. He was a surgeon at my hospital and a pediatrician at his own. If he had the kind of opportunities or connections I had, he would have been a force to be reckoned with.
“Pardon me, doctor,” Alex called to my attention. “I thought the main reason we had Bruce was to have him help you manage this hospital.”
“That was the plan, wasn't it?” I sighed.
“So, has the plan changed?” he asked.
