“Based on how much it costs to be treated here? I sure hope so,” I replied, dismissing any further tentative conversation with her.
I grabbed the child and looked down at him again with a frown. “I never hear him cry. Is he defective?”
She scowled at me, pursing her lips. “No, he is not defective. He’s just a very quiet baby and his heart condition makes him more tired, hence why he’s sleeping more.” She sighed. “Unbelievable.” She shook her head, took a deep breath, and then a step back. “Lead the way.”
I nodded, walking ahead of her. She was showing more self-control than I’d thought she would.
We took the elevator to the pediatric floor and passed the empty reception desk to the already open door of Jeremy’s office.
“Ah, Dean, right on time.” He smiled, looking up from his computer as I walked in, closely followed by Opal.
His eyes collided with Opal and his eyebrows raised slightly. Ah, he liked what he saw. I turned toward her and saw the same. She liked what she saw too and for some reason that didn’t settle well with me.
Jeremy had always been a hit with the girls, even back at school. His mixed features of a Chinese mother and American father had given him striking and exotic features -crow black hair, golden skin, and slightly slanted blue eyes.
I was not a witch doctor like my sister was, but I could read people. These two found each other attractive, but they were never going to happen. I couldn’t have Jeremy meddling in my plans - no matter how good he was.
Jeremy stood up and walked to Opal, extending his hand to her. “You must be Opal.”
She smiled brightly at him - not a smile she would give me, that was sure. Maybe because she knew she could not fool me, that I knew how rotten she was, and how she’d pulled my brother under one too many times.
Jeremy looked down at the detachable car seat that I still held. My hand was in a tight fist, my knuckles white.
“This is Timmy,” she offered gently.
“Timothy,” I corrected her coldly. “His name is Timothy, not Timmy. He is an heir.”
She sighed but didn't comment.
Jeremy nodded. “Very well. I want to discuss a few things before we send Timothy for any tests, okay?”
She nodded as I grunted. I should not let that woman get on my nerves and yet, that seemed to be an impossible task.
She sat down, opened her bag, and extended a beat-up green binder to Jeremy. “These are all of the results of Timmy’s - sorry, Timothy’s tests since he was born. There’s also some research I've made based on his condition, some potential treatments I thought we could explore, and also some of the feedback from the free pediatrician clinic we’ve been going to.”
Jeremy nodded, taking the binder from her and looking through the pages, visibly impressed.
I scowled. Didn’t he know what she was? I snorted. “No offense, but what do you know about treatment plans? Were you multitasking? Surgeon by day, low-grade prostitute by night? That sounds like a terrible plot if you want my opinion.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly under the jab, but she straightened her back and looked straight into my eyes. “If you wanted to make it clear to your friend what I did for a living before having Timmy, I think you made that clear,” she enunciated coolly, so coolly it was unnerving. She turned toward Jeremy, holding herself proudly. “In case you didn't understand, I was not a surgeon in my downtime, but a prostitute.”
I was almost impressed by her composure and calm; I could have been if I didn't hate her so much.
Jeremy nodded at her with a little teasing smile. What the flying fuck was this? She was the mother of a patient, not an easy lay - not today.
“Thanks for clarifying because based on all of this research, I was not sure. It’s very thorough and cleverly done.”
She straightened on her seat, beaming at the compliment. Pathetic.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my legs, resting my ankle on my knee. “Can we move on now? I believe you have a packed day and I have a job too.”
“Right.” Jeremy rested the file on his desk.
“Plus, bringing the file was unnecessary.” I pointed at Jeremy. “Jeremy will do all the tests. You are in front of one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country. Whatever your files have to say, is useless.”
She looked away, focusing on Timothy. “Sorry. I thought it would help.” Jeremy threw me a look that unsettled me. It was the kind of look that Lea threw my way sometimes - part disappointment, part shame. I could accept it from her, but not from him. We might be friends, but he needed to learn to keep his place in life and society. I met his look with the cold stare I used in boardrooms.
He shook his head and looked back at Opal, resting his hand on the folder. “Actually Ms. Collins, this is invaluable. You kept all the test results and all the potential treatment plans. It will help greatly to see how this little man's condition is progressing. May I ask what pushed you to do that?”
“Oh, you know, the free clinic is a nightmare to get through -” she waved her hand dismissively - “and I had to fight like crazy to get on the list. The doctor has to see so many patients that you get an allotted fifteen minutes. This binder allowed me to maximize every minute.”
I almost asked if ‘fighting like crazy’ meant taking it up the ass, but I held my tongue as my dark thoughts were now intrigued about her ass and her willingness to please.
I stood up briskly and walked to the window, urging my cock to behave. It was not allowed to react without my consent and certainly not for this trainwreck of a woman.
“Okay, so I won’t be examining Timothy right now,” Jeremy started, but I kept my back to them. "His coloring seems okay now but I want to see how it all progressed. I’m more concerned about the hole in his heart and artery at this stage. We need to ensure it is not increasing in size.”
“I've been counting his heartbeats at random times while he sleeps and I’ve logged them at the back of the folder.”
I closed my eyes - a hole in his heart so small and yet so life-threatening. It was quite an ironic thought. In my family, I was the cold logical brain, Edward had been the over-sensitive heart, and Lea was blessed with the mix of both - making her the unicorn of our family. How ironic was it that the heart of the family had created a child with a heart defect?
“Dean?”
I turned around briskly, meeting their questioning eyes.
“What?”
“I said the tests will take about two to three hours. We need to send Timmy -”
“Timothy,” I corrected him coldly. It was enough that Opal called him that ridiculous nickname. I certainly wasn’t going to allow someone else to call him something unworthy of the heir of the Beaumont dynasty.
Jeremy’s eyes flashed with annoyance. Ah, he was not the bottomless well of calm and patience he was pretending to be.
“Very well. Timothy needs to get blood work, a pulse oximetry test, an echocardiogram, and an electrocardiogram. Depending on the result of the blood work, we may need some further tests.”
I nodded. “Do what you need to do. I’ll go to the business center to do some work.”
“What kind of hospital has a business center?” Opal asked, neatly folding Timothy's coat and outer layer of clothes before placing them in her bag.