XANDER'S POV
I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed that little piece of electronic shit before. Why the fuck would someone plant it on my ultrasound machine of all places?
I hope that whoever the fuck that was did it recently or else...
I want to smash something right now, but I have to get a grip. While repeatedly tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I'm thinking about the possible person who could do such a thing and what his or her motive is.
It's early in the cloudy morning and I'm driving my way to the hospital in a slightly disheveled appearance to have a talk with my boss.
I tried to contact Natalie for the nth time but she's not answering my calls.
Dude...What if it was her and she installed it during her visit?
That's favorable to me because I didn't do anything recently.
Why would she do that anyway? It doesn't make any sense. Goddamn it. This is a fucking nightmare.
I left Emily a note along with her milk and pancakes this morning, informing her that I have to attend an emergency hysterectomy for one of my patients who has a large myoma. Her name is Mrs. Powell, a mother of three, and she's scheduled to come at the end of the month. I advised her to go for the surgery as soon as she can because her symptoms are greatly affecting her quality of life.
Seeing women suffering from these gynecological diseases hits me differently. It reminds me of mom, and I get depressed whenever I think about it. If she's still alive, I'm pretty sure she'll love Emily too...
I whisk these painful memories away and focus on the road instead. I don't have any other choice but to move on anyway. We don't have the power to bring back the past and change everything according to our desires, but we sure have the chance to have a favorable future.
A rousing smile emerges from my lips when I realize that I'm being sentimental again. Emily, being a Psychology major, has been helping me and influencing my sick and fucked-up mind a lot.
Yeah right. Enough with the drama and sentimental thoughts, Dude. Let's stick with your current problem.
If this news reaches her, I'm dead. She'd definitely take it the wrong way and overthink it all night. I have to find a way to fix this as soon as possible.
I immediately headed to Dr. Morrison's office as soon as I reached the hospital. Before knocking on his fancy mahogany door, I momentarily closed my eyes to compose myself and fix the bedraggled sleeve of my polo shirt.
"Come in!" he calls from the inside.
I finally open the door and the first thing my eyes landed on is the huge painting of a weird-looking black flower on a white background resting on the wall behind him. It looks like a wilted black rose or something.
"Dr. Alexander Greene... Please, have a seat." He rests his chin on his intertwined fingers and gazes at me with a blank expression on his face.
Dr. Frank Morrison is the former chief of surgery of this hospital and has been the administrator for several years now. He has gay rumors that have been circulating around for a long time now and he's also known to be really uptight, so I have to wish myself luck.
"I have called you today because you are subjected to disciplinary action."
Pretty direct. He could have at least thrown some pleasant introductions.
I leaned back on my chair with a sigh. "And this is about...?"
"Alexander... you see, someone sent me an email yesterday, with a video attachment..."
Alright. Here we go.
Whoever sent that to him is totally fucked-up and indeed has plans to ruin my life.
He types something on his laptop first before turning it to face me. The slightly blurred copy of familiar grayscale footage made my heartbeat race.
The angle of the camera is focused on my desk, but the examination table is also visible on the left side.
My sight dims as I realize what the date was. It was a year ago.
Please don't show Emily. Please don't show Emily...
My world starts crashing down at the next second. A woman jumped in and sat on the desk and I instantly knew who it was—Emily.
Okay. It's official. I'm doomed and I'm literally shaking right now.
She had her back to the camera and her legs were wrapped around me and we were... obviously making out.
Fuck. It was that time before we went to the amusement park.
If she finds out about this, then good luck to me. It's almost equal to having a leaked scandalous video that has been roaming around the social media and porn sites, prompting the victim to take her own life because of absolute shame and depression.
I feel like passing out as I continue to watch the goddamn video. I'm now carrying Emily towards the exam table and...I push her down, making her lay on her back with the top of her head directly in front of the hidden cam. The video angle has only captured the left side of her body, but my fucking horny head getting wild on top of her was all out for the world to see.
My eyes grow wider as I slip her panties off of her legs and pull the hem of her shirt up to her neck, exposing her bra.
I can't watch this. I can't fucking watch this.
I finally hit the Stop button to start explaining myself to Dr. Morrison.
"That woman is Emily Maxwell and she's my fiance'. During that time, she came to my office as a significant other and not as a patient."
Frank narrows his eyes at me. "We have gone through some records and it showed that on November 23, 2017, at around two in the afternoon, patient Emily Maxwell came to your clinic for her second follow-up appointment."
My eyebrows meet in frustration. "It was entirely consensual, Dr. Morrison. As you can see, I have never had any complaints from this hospital before. I have never done any kind of sexual misconduct towards my patients. I do my job professionally and I'm competent with all my treatments. I'm sure that you're aware of all the positive feedback."
Dr. Morrison shrugs his shoulders dismissively and, based on how he's looking at me right now, his decision is definitely going to be unfavorable.
"Who knows, Alexander? Your room didn't have any kind of surveillance before."
Did he just fucking insult me?
I admit I had taken an interest and met up with at most three patients outside the hospital's premises: Kimberly, Nina's sister, and Emily. Other than them, I don't remember doing any sexual misconduct, even though some patients were painfully forward and were basically throwing themselves at me.
Why don't you try to seduce Frank? Maybe he'll change his mind...
I'm planning to try it but the picture frame resting on top of a drawer behind him immediately stops me. It was a picture of him looking very happy with his wife and teenage son.
Attention! Code 69: Mission abort. He is actually straight, and you're actually doomed.
"I'm sorry for this unfortunate situation, Dr. Greene, but rules are rules, and it's our duty to follow them."
No. I can't let this happen.
"It's not right to have any surveillance camera in an examination room where a patient expects full privacy. I don't think it's fair to my part if you would completely ignore that angle of this issue. We need to find the person who planted it."
"That's not the main point, Alexander. You clearly did a serious violation. I'm pretty sure that you're completely aware of the working ethics in the medical field."
My hands slowly turn into fists. Damn it, I really didn't expect this to happen. Looks like bad karma has some sort of unfinished business with me.
"May I know the email address of the sender?"
"It was from an anonymous person." He adjusts his glasses along his nose bridge.
"But at least, can you give me the email address?" I'm thinking of tracing the address of that sender right after this conversation.
He leans back and rakes his fingers through his bleached hair as he meets my eyes.
"Look, Dr. Greene. Let's get straight to the point. What you did is clearly sexual misconduct and is against our hospital's policy. In fact, we could have fired you right away."
My jaw tightens as I try to contain my emotions.
"I'm utterly troubled that I didn't give the consequences a thought, Dr. Morrison. But you have to consider the fact that whoever did that clearly had the motive of ruining my career. This is something personal, and please. I cannot afford to lose my job." The hint of desperation in my voice annoys the hell out of me. I'm not used to begging.
"Dr. Greene, you're one of our best doctors, and evidently, the most popular one, but sad to say that you ought to undergo disciplinary action."
"What kind of action is that?"
"I will pass this case to our board members for review and I'll be informing you of the extent of your suspension as soon as the final decision is made. As of now, you're not allowed to go on duty until further notice."
After a few more talks and insisting on my part, I breathe a sigh of frustration before finally leaving his office. At least, I was able to persuade him to give me the email address of the sender.
I headed down to the nurse's station where everyone greeted me with a surprised look on their faces.
"Dr. Greene! Such a surprise to see you this early." Nichola asks, her curious eyes raking my body. I'm not in my usual semi-formal polo shirt and slacks today. Instead, I just wore a black shirt and pants.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, honey!" she replies rather enthusiastically.
I led her towards Jenny's desk, our medical secretary.
"Do any one of you have any idea about a hidden camera in my office?"
Both of them seemed genuinely surprised at my question.
"What do you mean?" Nichola asks back.
"Apparently, someone has put it there to secretly watch my every move."
"I don't remember the hospital installing one inside the examination rooms, doctor." Jenny shares her part.
"Do you have, by any means, contact with Nina?"
"Well, all I know is that she moved to another state. Do you want me to find her through social media and ask for her number?"
"Please do, Jenny."
I gaze at each of them, subtly assessing the kind of relationship they have with me and if they have a possible reason to do such a thing against me.
Jenny has never been inside my office. She's responsible for the coordination of surgery schedules and appointments, while Nichola has only worked here for a year as my main assistant.
I have to talk to the other nurses as well, and the head nurse herself.
No need to waste your energy on every person in the hospital, Alexander. Nina was your nurse at that time, so she had all the time and means to go in and out of your office. She even assaulted you before she disappeared for good, so obviously, it's her.
Right. I should listen to my gut feelings but...
Could it really be her?
****
I need to talk to someone about my problem. I called Emily and told her that I would be coming home late tonight. It sucks to miss her and want to avoid her at the same time.
It was lunchtime and I found myself standing in front of my best friend Jace's tattoo shop located at 169 Street on Frankfort Avenue.
The Tats Machine is a two-man operation run by Jace himself and his cousin Alex. The two are dedicated to providing a premium custom tattoo experience to satisfy their customer's requests. This is where I usually hang out, aside from the gym where Jace works as a freelance fitness instructor.
Their space is a 1500-square foot converted warehouse with a sterile, dimly lit, and cozy ambiance inside. It's not your usual tattoo shop that reeks of cigarettes, ink, and marijuana with beer cans lying around, and hardcore rock music plaguing your ears. Their tattoo artists were also professional and well-trained.
The decorations are cool and modern with black and white motifs, with some of their best portfolios displayed on the walls in frames with LED lights. White walls, black granite tiles, shiny black couches, cool posters—my man's place is lit.
As I enter the shop, Jace's receptionist Lizzie gives me a surprised look. She has ash-dyed hair and nose piercings, and her black lipstick and eyeliner go along really well with her outfit. She's sitting behind the L-shaped gray metal counter on the right side, attending to a seemingly nosy customer with the body of a bodybuilder that's fully covered with tribal tattoos. Two customers are flipping some albums for designs as they wait for their turn on the couch.
I stand there patiently behind the obviously steroid-addicted guy until he leaves the shop.
"What's up, homie? It's been a while. What do you have in mind?" Lizzie greets me as soon as he turns to leave. I find the way she chews her gum annoying. It reminds me of a gothic goat.
"Is Jace busy? I just want to talk to him."
"He's down the hall playing billiards." she turns her head in the direction and resumes typing something on the computer.
I walk down the hall where the rooms for the tattoo sessions are located. At the end of it is an open room with a medium-sized pool table where I find my guy playing alone in his usual gray beanie and fitted shirt.
I lean on the wall and cross my arms in front of my chest as I wait for him to notice me.
This guy is a beast in billiards. His dexterity with balls made him even more attractive than he already is. No wonder he has a lot of female customers here.
He finally glanced in my direction.
"Greene! What's up? Wanna have new tats?" There's a playful smirk on his face, but I don't have the mood to retort.
I walk around the pool table and grab another cue stick before facing him. "Nah, I'm good."
"You look like some nasty bird took a shit on your head. Is everything good with Em?"
I bend down the pool table, extend my arm with my aiming hand gripping the loose end of the stick. I move my arm smoothly back, then forward in a pendulum manner before finally hitting the cue ball squarely in the center.
He pauses as both of us watch the ball roll towards my target...
Fuck, I missed it!
Jace chuckles as he approaches me. "You seem very distracted. Do you have any plans to open your mouth and talk it out?"
I lean my palm on the stick and finally start talking.
"Someone threatened my career."
He raises an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean by that?"
I start telling him all the details as I continue to hit the other balls and keep missing them for some reason.
"Damn. That's so fucked up. Maybe it was your crazy nurse who beat you up in the parking garage,"
"I thought about that too, but I have no idea where she is now."
"Someone emailed the video to your boss right after you found out about the camera, right? How convenient. Maybe that actress has something to do about this too," he concludes as he expertly shoots three balls in one hit.
"Well, she has been ignoring my calls, but I don't think it's her. She just visited my office recently. That camera was able to capture the events from the past year."
He straightens up and turns to me with a curious look. "Then who is it?"
"This is giving me a serious migraine." I scratch the back of my head in frustration. "I actually have the email address of the sender. I want you to trace the location for me. You can do that, right?"
"Oh come on, man. Is there anything that I can't do?"
"Shut up and get your fucking laptop now. I can't afford to lose my job and mess up my credentials. I also have some pending surgeries for important patients. I don't want to leave it just like that."
"Alright, alright, big boss. Chill."
Jace disappears down the hall and comes back with his iPad. "What's the email ad?"
I answer him with a straight face, "youreadick_69@gmail.com."
He throws a "WTF" look my way and before he could curse something out, I immediately cut in,
"I know."
He starts to get the header of the email so he can get the IP address.
"This email is obviously nonsense so there's no way we could find this person's real social media account if he or she has one," he says.
When he finally gets the IP address, he starts to trace the location.
I begin to feel a tingling sensation in my lower gums as I anticipate the answer.
"Okay, here we go." He presses ENTER and the results finally come in.
"So our homie is someone from Los Angeles, California..."
"If Nina's in L.A, then I'm 90% sure that it's her."
"Seems like your little rose tattoos are starting to haunt you again, huh." He gives me a teasing grin.
"Man, if only I could turn back time...I was a fucking asshole."
He digs around in his pocket for a minute before dragging out a cigarette and lighter. I raise an eyebrow as he lifts it and takes a long drag.
"You should have stuck to one girl." He releases the cloud of smoke into the air, and continues, "Like me."
"Fuck you. You cheated on Amber." I snap at him.
His face dims. "Can we...just not talk about her?"
I turn to him with interest. Jace and Amber had a really complicated relationship. I'm not actually delving into my best guy's personal life, but ever since I met Emily, who happened to be Amber's close friend, I have got the chance to know more about his relationships.
"You good?" I ask as I watch him smoke. I find it really inviting so I grab a stick from him.
"She likes girls, so then be it."
Yes, Amber is actually a lesbian. A gorgeous lesbian and she has been seeing another girl for the past months.
"I thought you loved girl-on-girl actions and lesbian porno." It was my turn to tease him.
"I don't know. They actually suck," he growls at me.
"Of course they do."
He didn't react to my joke so I got serious this time. "Maybe it was her way to get back at you."
"No. My ex set everything up and ruined us." His voice takes on a hard edge. "Wait, speaking of a crazy ex. I suddenly remembered yours. How's Lara by the way?"
Lara? Oh shit.
"She's in L.A..." I suddenly blurted out. We then exchange realizing glances.
"But how about Natalie? Or Nina? Your ex might be crazy, but do you think she has any access to your office or something? Not unless your exes are working together..." There's excitement on his face. "How cool is that?!"
I ignore his insensitive remark and ponder about all these bullshit theories.
So who the actual fuck did it?
This is more confusing and messed up than I had ever expected.
*****To be continued*****
A/N:
Thanks for reading!
Vomments ( Votes + Comments ) are greatly appreciated especially to those who loved the first book and my writing!
Thank you!♥️