Sophie's Path

Jack didn’t like loose ends. He was the kind of person who would dig through dozens of insurance products to find the best policy for his clients. Even Barry said he took his responsibilities too seriously, but Jack didn’t care. He was a serious guy.

The Indian Lake Hospital was Jack and Katia’s top pick for clients. Katia had signed Austin McCreary and his new antique car museum six months ago, and that sale had stabilized Jack’s company in Indian Lake. Two months back, Jack had put together the package for Katia to present to the hospital, which would cover the buildings themselves. However, the high-tech equipment that Nate and Roger Caldwell used was insured by another provider. Jack had studied their current coverage and discovered that he could save the hospital thousands of dollars a year. Jack was here to discuss a comprehensive equipment insurance policy with Emory. What he had not proposed yet was a new malpractice policy, which would bring the entire hospital into Jack’s sphere of responsibility.

The hospital was an enormously important coup for Jack. With a bit of persuasion, Emory might be agreeable to recommending Jack’s company to other hospitals and medical clinics throughout the region, possibly the entire state of Indiana.

Jack and Katia had spent over a hundred hours on their presentation for a package that Emory would be negligent, at the very least, to turn down.

“As you know, Emory, my company already covers the building and campus. I’ve talked to you about the equipment policy, which is what we sent over to you a few weeks ago. So I’m here to address all your concerns.”

Emory tapped the file folder that bore the Carter and Associates logo against his desk. “I’m impressed, Jack. As I was with the policy you put together for us last winter for the campus. Your meticulousness is commendable, and I like the fact that you look out for my dollars as much as I do.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jack replied, feeling the warm glow he always did when a sale was going well. He’d get that hot rush of excitement once he heard Emory’s pen scratch his signature on the last page, but not before. Emory’s pause was longer than Jack liked. Was he rethinking the proposal already? Just how many objections was he going to raise? Jack’s heart was in his throat, pounding out anxiety-riddled thumps. Jack had been too close to the finish line on deals just like this one and walked away empty-handed. Small town. Big city. The deals were virtually the same. It all came down to a few dollars and cents in the end.

“Jack,” Emory said in a tone that put Jack’s instincts on alert. The other shoe was about to drop. No deal could be made without bumps. He just hoped it wouldn’t be a rut.

“Yes?” Jack waited. He reminded himself to make sure his smile wasn’t overly wide.

“There are a couple provisions that I’ve highlighted here.” Emory turned a group of pages toward Jack for him to peruse. “If you’ll note, you broke out Dr. Caldwell’s lab and surgical unit from the rest of the hospital. Why is that?”

Jack nodded. He had this one. “The ablation unit is brand-new and most of the insurance companies were asking for a very high premium. I was looking for something more...” Jack drew out his pause. “Affordable for you.”

“Excellent,” Emory replied. “Then the second point is the timing of the first premium. We can’t do this.”

Jack gulped but hoped no one noticed. “Sir?”

“The board is prepared to switch over from our current carrier at the end of this year but not before. I realize that if we went with you right now, we’d save over twenty grand. However, there were some, er, allegiances from the board—that is to say, one of our members—”

“Is a very old friend of your present insurance agent. I know that, sir,” Jack finished for him, hopefully alleviating any embarrassment on Emory’s part.

Nate and Roger exhaled with relief. Just as he’d thought. They’d known about this complication. It was a good thing Jack believed in background research. He was prepared for this delay. He didn’t like it, but he would have to accept it if he wanted the business.

Jack continued, “I can prepare the paperwork to be executed for a December thirty-first date. How would that be?”

Emory’s bushy gray eyebrows shot up as he grinned widely. “That would be just fine, Jack.”

Jack picked up his leather briefcase and put it on his lap. “Now that we’re agreed on this first order of business, I wonder if I might make another proposal to you, Emory.”

Emory glanced at Nate and Roger, then back at Jack. “Do they need to leave?”

“Not at all.” Jack withdrew a thick, three-ring binder with his company logo. “Though I don’t have access to your current policy, I took the liberty of preparing a proposal for you because I believe that no matter what you are paying now, I can save the hospital more money.”

Jack handed the binder to Emory, who flipped open the cover and gasped. “This is malpractice insurance.”

“That’s correct. It’s my guess that your current agent also provides this service for you. All I ask is that you review my product and see for yourself if I can’t provide a larger umbrella at a lower cost.”

Emory had already been rifling through the pages and checking out the tabs as Jack spoke. He pinned Jack with his eyes. “I will look at it, but that’s all I can promise.”

“I totally understand, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

Emory rose from his chair, signaling the end of the meeting. He held out his hand. “I’ll be in touch, Jack.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jack replied before leaving the room with the two doctors.

* * *

SOPHIE STOOD IN the middle of the reception area dressed in her street clothes. It was the first time Jack had seen her since the accident. Her hair had been pulled back that night, but now it just skimmed her shoulders in dark, luminous waves and she’d pinned a piece of it over her right ear with a massive coral and rhinestone barrette. There were coral hoops in her ears that matched her cotton sundress. On her feet were beige espadrilles. She was tanned and her skin glowed.

Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Sophie hadn’t noticed him at all. She went straight to Nate.

“Dr. Barzonni,” she said, handing him a group of faxed papers. “The office just got a call from the reservation clinic. There’s been an emergency. Here’s the patient’s information for you to review. They said you’ve treated him before.”

Nate peeled back the top sheet. “Tom Running Bear.” He started speed walking toward the elevators with Sophie right at his side.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Call the clinic. Tell them I’m on my way. I’ll call my wife and tell her where I am. Could you call my mother and tell her I won’t be coming out to the farm for dinner?”

“Absolutely. What else?”

“My cell?” He patted his pockets.

Sophie handed him an iPhone. “You left it on your desk. I also filled up your Hummer.”

“How did you do that?”

“You left your car keys on your desk, too.” She sank her hand into her straw purse and flipped the keys to him. “Good luck.”

The elevator doors opened and Nate jumped in.

Roger Caldwell said his goodbye to Jack, then he excused himself and took the stairs, telling Jack it was part of his cardio routine.

Sophie turned and spied Jack for the first time. “You, er, look good. I mean, well.”

He walked toward her.

“No problem with the ankle, I see.” She smiled slightly, but it slid off her face as her eyes met his.

Jack saw trepidation and question in her face. Rightly so. He still wanted answers, but he knew her explanation wouldn’t have changed from what she’d delivered to him before.

“Ankle is good.” He tapped his head. “So is the noggin’. No more checkups for a couple months, I’m told.”

“Good. So, you’re fine. Well, I gotta go,” she said but didn’t move. Her eyes tracked over to the president’s door.

Jack thought she’d stopped breathing. Her back went rigid and her eyes were wide. “Why are you here, Jack?”

“Business,” he replied icily. “My business.”

Not a muscle on Sophie’s body flinched. It was as if she’d turned to stone. She didn’t blink or breathe. “Business with the president?”

“Yes, and now we’re finished for the day,” he said, moving around her and pressing the elevator button.

He let his eyes slide to Sophie’s sleek, tanned legs. When she pirouetted to face him, her calves flexed just like a ballerina. He wondered if she had taken ballet when she was a little girl. He remembered going to his sister’s recitals and making fun of her pink tutu and feather headdresses. He didn’t think he’d make fun of Sophie.

“Jack,” Sophie said his name just as the elevator arrived and the doors whooshed open.

He got in and shook his head. “Don’t.”

The door closed, leaving a stunned and enticingly beautiful Sophie on the other side.

Jack stared at the ceiling. Though it was the first time he’d been with Sophie since Aleah’s death, he hadn’t thought of his assistant at all.

CHAPTER SEVEN

SEEING JACK SHOT Sophie back to the night of Aleah’s death in the ER. Since then, she’d learned from the police report that the driver’s name was Greg Fulton. He was from Chicago. Never married, though he was from a large family of five brothers. He’d lost his job in the steel mills as an engineer a year and a half ago and had fallen headlong into the drug scene.

Knowing only those few facts about Greg amped up Sophie’s empathy.

Sophie believed the hospital should do more to help addicts like Greg. Sophie booked a meeting with Tanya Stewart, the Indian Lake Hospital administrator who headed up four different hospital-related community health projects. Each project had a three-letter acronym and each was impossible to remember without looking at her notes, which exemplified the ineffectiveness of all the hospital’s outreach programs.

“Thanks for seeing me,” Sophie said, standing as Tanya entered the windowless office in a rush of air, her long paisley-print silk jacket trailing behind her. Tanya plopped into her chair, carrot-red hair bouncing around her face like coils.

“What can I do for you, Nurse Ma...”

“Mattuchi. Sophie Mattuchi.”

Tanya shuffled papers and peered at phone memos. She dug her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and glanced at it, acting as if Sophie were an intrusion in her extraordinarily busy day.

“Right.” She checked her messages again. Then rolled her eyes. “When I was in Chicago I had two assistants and they had secretaries.” She shook her head. “There aren’t enough hours in the day—or enough of me.” She flipped her hand in the air, turning her fingers around like she was whipping cream. “So what is it?”

Clearly, the woman was overwhelmed. Sophie dove in. “I’m here to talk about the hospital’s drug addiction program.”

“I feel a criticism coming on here,” Tanya replied with a bit of a nervous squeak to her voice.

“Well, given the problems Indian Lake is having with drugs and now gangs moving in, I feel there is more we can do.”

“More? The hospital offers seven-day drying-out periods. That’s almost double the four days the law gives addicts when they’re arrested.”

“The cops think an addict can go straight after four days? Who are they kidding?”

“That’s the law. We do better.”

Sophie could tell she was going to need to take a different tack. “That might be true, but in the ER we see an overdose nearly every weekend. The numbers are rising and our programs don’t touch the surface. Is there any way that we can hire suitable, licensed professionals to help us?”

Tanya shook her head vigorously. “Our budget is set for the year. We’re tightening our belts more every day.”

“But there’s a need...” Sophie placed her hands on the edge of Tanya’s desk, imploring. Sophie had wanted to be convincing and she was losing the battle before she’d drawn a single sword.

Sophie had researched as much as she could about the disease. She remembered a colleague from Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Phillip Jessup, who now worked at Renewal Rehabilitation Center in Chicago and called him up. Not only had they spent several hours discussing the Indian Lake Hospital’s approach to drug addiction, but Phillip had also sent her research papers, surveys and the materials they used in his program at Renewal. Educating the parents, family, close friends and concerned associates of an addict was key to their recovery. Renewal conducted a “family week” several times a year for the families of the addiction patients. The interaction between counselors, doctors and patients’ families was crucial.

“My hands are tied,” Tanya said.

“But I want to do something,” Sophie said, hating the whine she heard in her voice.

“I think you should know, Sophie, that this hospital has a very strict policy that its staff members participate in only those programs that the hospital supports.”

“What if the hospital conducts a seminar for the families of addicts?” she tried. “I could put it together. On my free time.”

“No,” Tanya rebutted before Sophie could go on. “In the end, I would have to staff up, find funds. Just thinking of the kind of organization it would take gives me a headache. And the hours of work—oy!”

The woman was shutting her down. Sophie pressed harder. “But the family programs are working at other facilities,” Sophie countered.

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