Foundation for Three by Vella Day Page B

brother.”
    “That sucks. Don’t recognize the name. He part of a gang?” Pete couldn’t keep track of which kids were good and which ones weren’t. Thad’s main job was to control them. Not that Rock Hard had a lot of gangs, but with any city close to fifty thousand, they had their share.
    “Nick Rodgers called me right before you stopped in. He’s taken over lead because I got laid up. Dench said robbing the store was part of an initiation into the Blood Rights gang.”
    “Shit. We didn’t have gangs back in our day.”
    Thad laughed. “You rich boys just didn’t know about them, that’s all.”
    Pete gave Thad the finger. His friend was going to be okay.
    *     *     *
    Zoey moved the tablet on her desk, fingers poised to take notes. “Kara, you said the tension in the operating room is getting worse? Can you be more specific?” This newest development worried her. If what her patient said were true, more than Kara would be affected.
    “Dr. Carson keeps checking me out during the procedures.”
    Dr. Avery Carson was the chief of cardiovascular surgery, and Kara was his assistant, so perhaps he was assessing her abilities, not her physical attributes. Each time Kara had come in for a session, her attention span had been getting shorter. The anxiety was slowly eating away at her. “Could it be that he wants to make sure you’re paying attention?”
    “No. It’s not that kind of look.” Her lips pressed together and her fingers clasped the armchair until the vein in her forearms throbbed. “He also seems to find ways to… touch me.” The disgust in her tone was raw and real.
    Zoey’s heart skipped a beat, but as she took notes she blanked her face. “Is he touching your arm to get your attention? Or is it more sexual?” She wanted to understand the true nature of the concern. As her therapist, she couldn’t merely take Kara’s interpretation of the events.
    “Arm mostly, but there’s also been a pat on the butt along with a squeeze to my shoulder.”
    Zoey noted the butt pat in her notes. “Do the other nurses or doctors comment about this behavior?” She wished she could speak with them to get their side, but that would be unethical.
    “No. Even if you asked Dr. Carson, he’d tell you he was trying to include me in the joking that goes on. They’re always talking about sex and who got laid last night.”
    Everyone? She couldn’t picture the females participating in this venture. “I thought many of the operations occurred in the operating theater.” LACE was a teaching hospital and students were always watching the top doctors perform their specialties.
    “Dr. Carson is good when others are there. It’s only when no one is looking that he acts up.”
    “Remember how we talked about not reacting when he touches you?” They’d tried many techniques, but none seemed to have worked. Zoey hoped that without a response, Dr. Carson would cease his aggressive behavior. Kara said she’d even confronted him but to no avail.
    Her chin trembled. “I tried laughing and all, but it’s hard. His jokes are cruel and his comments sick.”
    Kara didn’t seem to be in the right space to consider other behavioral modifications. “Have you asked for a transfer to a different discipline like we talked about?” That would end Kara’s need to interact with Dr. Carson.
    Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “I thought about it, but I love heart surgery.”
    Or did she love Dr. Carson? Kara’s time was up. “For the next session, I want you to write down your emotions before and after the next occurrence of any inappropriate behavior. Be honest with yourself. Are you sending him any signals?”
    Kara jumped up. “No. I hate him.”
    This wasn’t the reaction Zoey had hoped for. “Try to keep an open mind.” The sudden shift in behavior was troublesome, but Zoey’s sister, Courtney, had a similar situation. Unfortunately, hers had ended in heartache.
    “I’ll try.” Kara