by V.K. Sykes
* * *
Holly hurried through the front entrance of the Cardiac Center and caught the elevator to the fourth floor. Canizaro, looking grim, was charting at the nurses’ station.
“What’s Arnold up to now?” Holly asked.
“He’s calmed down,” Canizaro said in a low voice, indicating with a nod that Arnold was in the room with Tyler, only a few feet away. “Two guys from security are down the hall. They’re watching, and they’ll be in the room in two seconds if we call out.”
Her resident bit her lower lip and glanced toward Tyler’s room. Holly felt a sick little jolt at the look of fear that flashed across Canizaro’s features.
“Dr. Bell,” she went on, “please be careful.”
Holly tried to inject confidence into her voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it from here.”
She turned on her heel and strode into Tyler’s room with Canizaro coming in behind her. Arnold slouched against the wall on the far side of Tyler’s bed. The boy, thank goodness, looked to be sound asleep.
“Mr. Arnold,” Holly began, “I’d like a moment with you. Let’s go up to my office so we can speak more privately.”
“Screw that,” Arnold snapped, fixing the women with a glare. “I ain’t going anywhere, so you can say what you’ve got to say right here. If there’s anything worth listening to, which I doubt.”
Holly didn’t argue. She had thought she should offer him privacy, but much preferred having security close by.
“All right, then,” she said with a curt nod. “Mr. Arnold, it’s understandable that you’re upset. I can sympathize with that. It’s very stressful for the parents in these circumstances, and we’re used to dealing with high emotions around here. But there’s a limit, sir. So, I would ask you to treat my resident and all the staff here with respect. They’re here to take care of Tyler and all the other patients, not to be abused or frightened by angry parents.”
“Abused?” Arnold said, sneering. “Aw, you poor little prima donnas. My heart bleeds for you.”
Holly matched him glare for glare. “Mr. Arnold—”
“Shut the hell up and listen to me.” Arnold didn’t shout, but his menacing, cold voice nailed Holly’s feet to the floor.
He nodded at Canizaro. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on this little girl here, since she’s obviously just your stand-in.” Then he jabbed a thick finger at Holly. “You’re the frigging problem, Bell.” He said her name as if he were spitting poison from his mouth. “You start blabbing again about doing that surgery on my boy, and you don’t even talk to me first? What the hell kind of doctor are you, anyway?”
Holly drew back her shoulders and practically stood on her toes. Arnold obviously thrived on his ability to intimidate people with his size and belligerence. She had to admit it worked pretty effectively, but she wouldn’t be cowed by a loudmouth bully.
“Those are not quite the accurate facts, Mr. Arnold.” She tried for a polite but stern tone. “No firm decisions regarding future surgery have been made. No decision will be made without a thorough discussion with you first.”
Arnold looked slightly mollified. He loosened his clenched fists and shifted his weight from his right side to his left.
“The good news is that Tyler’s condition is much improved,” Holly went on. “I’m sure you’ve seen the improvement yourself.”
While still desperately weak, Tyler had started to eat solid food again, and was carrying on short conversations with his nurses.
“No kidding,” Arnold said in a flat, emotionless tone.
Holly barely stopped herself from frowning at him. Did he really not care that his son was improving? She’d seen all kinds of emotional reactions from parents before, but Arnold’s behavior didn’t match any of them.
“He’s a tough little boy,” she continued. “And if things keep progressing as they should, we’ll be able to have that discussion about a long-term solution sooner rather than later.”
Arnold’s body went rigid. “That thing with the bionic valve?” He gave his head a violent shake. “Never going to happen.”
Holly’s heart sank clear to her toes. The last thing she wanted was a possible court battle with an irresponsible, even callous parent. But sometimes it happened, and if that’s what it took to save Tyler Arnold’s life, then that’s the way it would have to be. But there was no point in bringing that up now.
“There’s no need to have that discussion right now,” she said, projecting as much calm as she could. “Let’s see how it goes over the next few days. Then we’ll schedule a meeting with our Chief of Surgery, Dr. Rosen, as well as Dr. Morris. We’ll review all the options together and I’m sure we’ll come to the right decision”
Actually I’m not one bit sure of that.
Arnold gave his head a shake so emphatic that the spiked points of his hair actually quivered. “I’m not changing my mind. I’m not going to let you put the kid through more years of hell for nothing. He’s already suffered enough. So get that through your arrogant little head right now, Doctor.”
His low, mean voice sent a shiver down her spine. There was no point continuing to try to convince Arnold. At least not now, and not on her own. Anything she could say would only aggravate the man even more. She had to keep searching for a better strategy. For starters, she wanted to have a frank discussion with Mrs. Crump. She’d hoped the grandmother would have visited Tyler by now, but it hadn’t happened yet.
She hesitated to ask the question, but she needed to know. “Your mother-in-law has been very involved in Tyler’s care as well. How does she feel about the situation?”
Arnold’s eyes turned strangely flat, like a shark’s. “You leave her out of it. I’m the only one you need to talk to about my son.” His gaze slid away for a moment, before returning to Holly. “Besides, the old bag’s in bad shape these days. Hardly leaves the house anymore.”
Arnold sounded almost smug about his mother-in-law’s condition, and that was truly a disturbing thought. Holly couldn’t remember the last time she’d met someone who creeped her out as much as this guy.
“Yes, I understand she had a horrible accident,” she replied in a neutral voice. “She’s very close to Tyler?”
“That’s none of your damn business, either,” Arnold growled. “Now, unless you’ve got some medical reason to stay, would you two mind getting the hell out of my son’s room?”
She bit back the urge to refuse. Staying would only make things worse. She’d hoped that a future discussion, especially one involving Rosen, would succeed in convincing Arnold of the necessity of the surgical option. That now seemed pretty unlikely.
“As you wish,” she said, meeting his furious gaze. Holly would not let this bastard intimidate her. “But we will have that discussion. One way or the other.”
“Just get the hell out of here!” Arnold yelled. “I’m through talking to you idiots.”
Tyler flinched in his sleep, but then settled. Holly pulled Canizaro out into the hallway just as the two security guards rushed up. Holding up her hand, Holly motioned them to stay outside.
“It’s all right,” she told them. “He’ll calm down once we leave. Just hang out here and keep an eye on things, okay?” The guards nodded and drifted a little farther down the hall.
As Holly walked with her resident to the nurses’ station, a chill, ugly feeling hollowed out her stomach. She’d already gone a few preliminary rounds with Lance Arnold, but the fight was far from over.