Chapter 6 - The Brother in the White Coat
Simon Halloway had delivered Christmas gifts to our house for three years.
He had sat beside me at Thanksgiving.
He had asked about my pregnancy.
He had recommended my obstetrician.
And according to the hospital access logs, his credentials had opened my medical file twelve times without being part of my care team.
I remembered every casual question differently now.
How tired are you?
Any dizziness?
Sleeping okay?
Bennett worried you seem anxious lately.
I had mistaken surveillance for concern.
Gabriel arranged an emergency compliance meeting.
Rachel insisted I stay home.
I refused.
At seven that evening, I walked back into St. Jude’s through a private administrative entrance.
Gabriel.
Rachel.
The hospital’s chief compliance officer.
Outside counsel.
And Simon.
He looked furious.
“What is this?”
Gabriel closed the conference room door.
“This is your opportunity to explain why you accessed a patient chart without authorization.”
Simon looked at me.
“Tessa?”
“Answer him.”
His face changed.
“It was family.”
The compliance officer spoke.
“That is not an authorization.”
Simon leaned back.
“Bennett was worried.”
“About what?”
“Her mental state.”
My hands became cold again.
Rachel intervened.
“What specifically made you question Mrs. Halloway’s mental state?”
Simon glanced at me.
“She was emotional.”
“Examples?”
“She argued with Bennett.”
Rachel waited.
Simon realized how ridiculous that sounded.
“She became suspicious.”
“About his affair?”
Silence.
Rachel continued.
“Suspicion that proved accurate.”
Simon’s jaw tightened.
“I was not aware of the affair.”
I stared at him.
“That’s a lie.”
He looked at me.
“Excuse me?”
“Margot attended your birthday dinner in May.”
“She attended with friends.”
“She sat beside Bennett.”
“There were thirty people there.”
“She stayed at your Scottsdale property that weekend.”
Simon stopped.
I had not known that until yesterday.
Rachel’s investigator found it.
I continued.
“And your company reimbursed the catering for a private dinner Bennett hosted for her.”
Simon looked toward Rachel.
“This is absurd.”
Gabriel spoke.
“No.”
His voice was low.
“What’s absurd is a physician using medical credentials to help his brother build an argument that his pregnant wife is unstable.”
Simon stood.
“I did no such thing.”
Gabriel pushed a printed email across the table.
Simon looked down.
His face drained.
I could read the subject line.
TESSA - SUPPORTING MEDICAL NOTES.
Gabriel folded his arms.
“You used information from her chart to write a private summary for Bennett.”
Simon’s lips moved.
No sound came out.
The compliance officer spoke.
“You are suspended from clinical access effective immediately.”
Simon stared at her.
“You cannot do that.”
“I already did.”
“My family endowed the cardiology wing.”
Gabriel leaned forward.
“And now your family gets to learn that donations do not purchase patient privacy.”
Simon looked at me.
“You’re destroying this family over a misunderstanding.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Your family tried to convince me I couldn’t trust my own mind.”
“That isn’t what happened.”
“Then explain the Sedona plan.”
His eyes flickered.
There.
He knew.
“What plan?”
“Don’t.”
I leaned forward.
“I’m tired of listening to Halloway men lie badly.”
Simon’s face hardened.
“Bennett wanted you somewhere quiet until the birth.”
“Why?”
“Because your behavior was becoming unpredictable.”
“What behavior?”
He said nothing.
Rachel placed another document on the table.
“Mrs. Halloway’s independent psychiatrist has provided a statement confirming there is no history of psychiatric instability, psychosis, or cognitive impairment.”
Simon looked startled.
I had made the appointment that afternoon.
Rachel continued.
“Her obstetrician also confirms a healthy pregnancy with no medical indication for isolation or restricted decision-making.”
Simon sat down.
The room became quiet.
Then Gabriel asked the question that changed everything.
“Were you planning to support a petition for temporary medical guardianship?”
Simon’s eyes moved.
Just once.
Toward the door.
But I saw it.
So did Rachel.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Simon’s voice cracked.
“It was never finalized.”
Gabriel stood so suddenly his chair hit the wall.
“You were going to declare her incompetent?”
“No.”
“You were preparing to.”
“It was a precaution.”
“For what?”
Simon looked at me.
“For the baby.”
Everything inside me stopped.
Rachel’s voice became very controlled.
“What about the baby?”
Simon rubbed both hands over his face.
“Bennett was afraid Tessa might leave Phoenix before the delivery.”
I stared at him.
“And?”
“He wanted assurances.”
“What assurances?”
“That his daughter would remain here.”
My heart pounded.
Rachel leaned forward.
“Were those financial restrictions part of an effort to prevent Mrs. Halloway from leaving?”
Simon said nothing.
That was answer enough.
I stood.
The room tilted slightly.
Gabriel reached for me.
I waved him off.
“What happens after the baby is born?”
Simon looked away.
“Ask Bennett.”
“No.”
I walked around the table.
“You knew enough to read my medical records.”
“You knew enough to help him control my money.”
“You knew enough about Sedona.”
“So tell me.”
“What happens after my daughter is born?”
Simon finally looked at me.
And I saw shame.
Real shame.
That frightened me.
“Tessa.”
“Tell me.”
May you like
His voice was barely audible.
“Bennett planned to file for emergency custody.”
