Chapter Sixty-Nine

“Help me out of his damned bed!” Trapper pushed the over bed table so hard it rolled up against Leah’s bed, then threw the blanket off.

“Trapper, listen to me,” said Gonzo angrily. “You can’t afford to tear those sutures. Leah’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”

“Then find me a wheelchair. The way she flew out of here, someone’s liable to get hurt, and it will probably be her.”

Leah had read the papers, cursed at Doug Manning, and then stormed out of the room without answering the calls from Trapper. She went straight to the elevator and went up to her office, slamming the door. It was probably a good thing Arnold’s staff had already left for the day. They might have been shocked by the venom spewing from her mouth. She picked up the phone and dialed, and when it was answered she yelled, “That sorry excuse for a human being is SUING ME!”

“For what?” Albert asked calmly.

“Breach of contract and a demand for the turnover of intellectual property.”

“Leah, calm down. You already know he has no basis for a breach of contract suit. He’s just trying to incite you into making a mistake. Intellectual property is another entirely different thing.”

“Albert, I’m sorry I yelled. I’m just…he’s knows he won’t win. He’s just trying to intimidate me.”

With her back to the door of her office, Leah didn’t hear it open.

“Looks like he’s doing a pretty good job, if you ask me,” said Trapper, sitting in his wheelchair with his hands crossed in his lap. “Calm down. No one is going to benefit from you yelling; especially not you.”

Overhearing Trapper’s voice, Albert added, “He’s right. You should listen to him.”

She hit the speaker button. “Albert, you’re on speakerphone.”

“Well, first thing I need to know…is there intellectual property?”

“Yes. I’m sure he thinks I’ve already started planning the upgrade of the hospital’s computer system, but with everything that’s happened in the last year, I haven’t had time to think about an upgrade. Besides that I’m not just going to come in with the standard upgrade I did under Manning. I’ve sent memos to all the departments asking for their input which is something I never did with Manning. He’s going to argue that I had to have started, I’m sure, because that’s what I’ve always done. The second thing is my encryption program, and he’s correct. I created that and used it while I worked for Manning Consulting. But I have no problem telling him what that is. I’m sure it will be recreated in the next year by someone else anyway.”

“Alright then. I’ll come by tomorrow and pick up the papers you were served and read through them just to make sure there’s nothing else there. If that’s all it is, I’ll get us scheduled for a discovery hearing. That should take the wind out of his sails.”

“What’s a discovery hearing?” asked Trapper.

“Both parties sit with a judge and discuss the merits of the lawsuit. The judge decides if the suit can continue on into a court action. Based on what you’re telling me, Leah, I don’t see how it can go any further. As far as the upgrade, it’s your word against his. He’s got no proof there were ever any plans for an upgrade. And if you give him the information for the encryption program at the hearing, that will take care of that claim. Is your program written down?”

“Not anymore. I wrote it while Ms. Frank was here, but once Dr. McIntyre decided to move her, I uninstalled it and destroyed the listings. It’s all in my head. Should I write it down?”

“No, don’t do that. We may be able to give him a taste of his own medicine with this, and we may get my fees out of him as well.”

Chuckling, she said, “I’d love to see that, Albert.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow morning in your office.”

Hitting the speaker button to end the call, she sat back on the edge of the desk and shamefully looked at her feet.

“Feel better?”

With her lips pinched, she nodded. “Sorry.”

“Albert’s a good man. He’s been taking care of you for a long time.”

“Yes, he has. I don’t want to become a nuisance to him, though. He’s just doing it because he promised John he would.”

Rolling his chair in front of her, he took her hands in his. “I don’t think so. He seems to care. Now, I’d like you to forget about work and Doug for the evening and push me out to the Titanic. Gonzo’s picking up pizza for dinner, and he has one of the best selections of wine around,” said Trapper, winking.

As Leah pushed him off the elevator on the main floor and headed for the front doors of the hospital, Trapper asked, “Would you mind if I join you when you meet with Albert tomorrow? I have a question I’d like to ask him.”

“Why don’t you ask me, and then I’ll ask him?”

“Because I don’t think you’ll ask. But…if you’d rather me not be there…”

She stopped pushing and leaned forward over his shoulder, and with a teasing smile, she said, “Apparently, I haven’t made myself absolutely clear,” before she planted a long, deep kiss on his mouth.

“Have you ever wondered if…” Trapper whispered in her ear. “…in a wheelchair?”

She threw her head back in laughter. “I do believe you have earned the rank of dirty old man, Dr. McIntyre.” Stepping back behind the chair wearing a wide grin, she began to push it across the fog-draped parking lot toward the Titanic. “Exactly how would that work?” His boisterous laugh echoed through the parking lot and off the front of the building.

***

Albert knocked on the door of room 408, a room which had become infamous in the hospital corridors and invoked snickers when spoken of. Of course, nothing untoward ever occurred there. After all Dr. McIntyre had been shot and was in no shape for shenanigans. It was just that the two occupants had been known to have racy conversations that sometimes erupted into loud fits of laughter; sounds that inevitably wafted into the halls.

“Come in,” called a deeply masculine voice.

“Dr. McIntyre, you’re looking much better,” said Albert, as he entered the room and went to Trapper’s bedside, offering his hand. In the last few days, Albert had come to appreciate this man’s sense of responsibility and loyalty to his practice, and even more importantly, to Leah. He wasn’t stuffy, rather he was easy going; something he admired that Trapper had been able to retain in his position at the hospital. “Leah, are you there?” he said to the curtained wall surrounding the second bed.

“I’m here. Just getting dressed for work. Don’t let that stop you, though. I know you didn’t finish what you had to say yesterday morning.”

“Well, in order to answer Trapper’s question, I wanted to go over the files once more, and now that I have the full complaint, to see if there’s anything hidden that wasn’t summarized in the papers you were served. With you giving Manning the information for the encryption program, he hasn’t really got a complaint, so if we go to discovery, I’m confident the judge will through the lawsuit out.” He motioned to the chair, silently asking Trapper for permission to sit, and once Trapper nodded, he continued as he sat in the chair and crossed his legs. “I deposed Mark yesterday.” He waited to see what reaction he would get. Trapper slowly turned his head toward Albert with a look of surprise. Activity on the other side of the curtain suddenly ceased for a moment until Leah stepped around the curtain in her slacks, but with her robe on, without makeup, and with her hair carelessly corralled on top of her head.

“I realize you weren’t expecting that, but we were missing a crucial piece of information if you decide to go through with Trapper’s idea. All we have as proof that Doug surveilled you is the detailed list from the detective and the pictures of Mark. That doesn’t necessarily incriminate Doug. He could argue that Mark was acting on his own, and considering Mark’s feelings for you, it’s entirely plausible. Mark spilled his guts. He told me everything in the deposition. He has even provided copies of emails from Doug asking him to find out certain things.” He turned to Trapper. “Some of those things deal with you and your activities with Leah.” Trapper sighed and scratched his ear while Leah remained near the curtain with a folded hand over her mouth, her eyes giving Albert an anxious look as she remembered her casual attitude regarding clothing while at Lake Tahoe.

“If we countersue Manning and take this to trial, I think Manning will settle to prevent the bad press that will surely result. He won’t want himself or his company seen in a way that could only hurt his business and his reputation. Because we have illegal surveillance, and that coupled with a frivolous lawsuit; one having no merit designed only to antagonize you, you have a very solid harassment complaint.”

Leah made her way to Trapper’s side of the room and sat down heavily on the foot of his bed. “I would sincerely love for all this to just go away so I…” She glanced over at Trapper and smiled weakly, “…so we can move forward. But there’s part of me that wants to teach Doug a lesson. If I don’t do this he’s likely going to pick someone else to groom in his twisted ways. I don’t need the money. I don’t want the money, but I could donate the money to a worthy cause.” Looking up at Albert, she asked, “How much money are we talking about?”

“We’ll ask for a million. If he settles, and he probably will, it will likely be for half that.”

She whistled. “Half a million dollars could do a lot of good somewhere. Won’t he realize the risk in suing me?”

“He doesn’t think you have the guts to come after him,” said Trapper. “Think about it, Leah. The man carries his arrogance on his sleeve. He doesn’t think anyone can touch him.”

“With him being so conceited, what makes you think he’ll agree to a settlement if I push back? Even if his attorneys advise it, it’s his choice. What if he just wants to see me squirm?”

“Well,” said Albert as he stroked his chin. “He’d be destroying his company. If he doesn’t offer a settlement, we’ll up the ante. I don’t think he’s stupid. He’ll have his limits.”

Turning away, Leah asked, “Do I have to give you an answer today?”

“Yes. You have to give me an answer right now. If you don’t, you’ll mull it over until it’s mush,” he said, smiling sympathetically. “Seriously, we have to be quick and decisive. It sends the message that you’re serious; that you’re not going to be bullied.”

She turned to Trapper with big, round eyes to which Trapper responded with an apologetic frown. “I can’t tell you what to do. You have to decide, kiddo.”

“That’s not fair. You’re the one who brought this up. If I hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation,” she snapped.

Leaning forward, he looked lovingly into her eyes, holding her gaze until she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry I bit. You wouldn’t have brought it up if… Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Albert. “Do it.”