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Date: 29 June.
Time: 10.30 a.m.
My eyes burn, reading the email again. How did I land in this mess? My entire career is at stake. I spent the last few days going over the events at the conference. Could I have avoided kissing Jon at the conference? Perhaps, but I had to protect Jon from that fight.
The orders to appear before the medical association and the state board came on my mail. The hearings are on the same date separated by a few hours, giving us time to consider all possible angles to respond. I rescheduled all my appointments, keeping them at a bare minimum.
My phone keeps buzzing. I stopped picking up any calls from unknown numbers and logged off from my social media accounts. Except for a few, the rest of the medical community was supportive.
My friend Abbey calls. She was the conference chair where the entire incident unfolded. She was upset at what Noah tried to do. She informed me she had filed a complaint against him the same evening and had got few witnesses to sign. The association was investigating him.
"Sharon, I hope Noah doesn't cause more trouble."
"The damage is done, Abbey. At this moment, I can't imagine a way out."
"I understand, but what if Noah tries to harass you again or hurt you?" Abbey voices her concerns.
"Don't worry. Jon made me file a restraining order the day Noah ranted on Twitter. Hope he keeps himself away." I can only sigh and hope.
"Sharon, call me if you need any help. I am with you on this." Abbey's words are comforting, but they will not help in solving this issue. All my efforts to distance myself from Jon failed, for various reasons. Despite letting my heart guide me, I have zero regrets about my relationship with Jon.
I glance at the clock. Time to meet Richard and Tom. They are waiting for me. I do not dare to face Richard. My actions have caused so much damage to the group. He is taking a lot of heat from the other members. He does not show it when we meet.
"How are you coping, Sharon? Have you eaten anything? Did you sleep?"
"Richard, I am sorry about all this." My voice breaks. I can never forgive myself for letting my people down.
He walks over and rubs my shoulder. His soft voice soothes my frayed nerves.
"Hey, you are not alone. Jon called and connected our lawyer to Kevin. We will take care of this. Our lawyer is joining us and we will go over the strategy once again and prepare for the hearings."
Both Richard and Tom try to pep me up. It is of little help. My mind is in a constant loop of thoughts, comprising only the worst consequences.
Later in the day, Jon insists on having dinner together. You can't let them get to you, he says. He is firm in his decision to be my side through all this. I protest, but he doesn't take no for an answer. We end up going to his home to avoid being seen together in public.
The place is quaint. The house is more like a mansion, built on a slight elevation. There is a low boundary that allows anyone on the outside to get a good view of the garden. The cobblestone driveway leads from the gate to a foyer. In front of the foyer is a fountain with two angels reaching for the sky, their wings spread outwards. There are yellow and red lily blossoms placed on the sides of the staircase in white ceramic pots. We climb the three steps to the front door.
"Do they teach you to walk like that in football?" Jon is walking backward, facing me as I take each step up the stairs.
He holds my hands as we reach the front door. "No, I want to cherish each moment as you walk into my home." He turns and then opens the door.
I gasp when I enter a massive lobby. There is a white sofa on the side of a central staircase that leads to the first floor. On the landing on the first floor, is an exquisite arrangement of purple orchids. Above it is a huge landscape of forests and mountains. Whoever decorated the place has not cluttered it. A soft lavender fragrance permeates the air.
My eyes land on a wall, textured and painted in bright colors, like a canvas. The pattern makes little sense until I step back and focus to notice the player mid-air with a ball in his arms.
There is a lamp on a side table. It has a glass base that reflects the light from the bulb above. The lampshade must have a reflective surface as there are multiple bulbs reflected on the base. Light scatters across the roof. The light and dark shades create a cascade of patterns. Below the lamp, is a picture of Jon holding Nate cuddled in his arms. Nate peers back with shimmering blue eyes and a toothy smile, his first incisors peeking between his lips.
"This is so out of the world, Jon. You never told me your house is so beautiful." I turn to Jon. I am sure my eyes are the size of saucers.
Jon rubs the back of his neck, sheepish and embarrassed. "Eh, I hope you won't judge me for this extravagance."
I close the gap between us and hold his head in my hands. "No, why should I? You work hard for this. You deserve it and I know deep down you have an honest and kind heart."
He rubs his lips against mine. Before he can kiss him, I am pushed towards him by a force. I stumble but he catches me.
Jon sits on his haunches and pets the dog. "Sharon, meet Notty."
I bend and rub the huge dog that licks my hands. "Does he like me?"
"Oh boy, does anyone in my life, not like you? My family and friends are your biggest fans." Jon joins me as we pet Notty together.
"Forgive me for my ignorance, but what breed is he?" I have little knowledge about dogs.
"Notty is a Bernese mountain dog." Nate joins us, extending his small arms around me, Jon and Notty. We end up in a group hug and fall on the rug. Jon tackles Nate and a tickling match starts. Notty takes turns licking all three of us. We spend some time wrapped in each other until I get exhausted and raise my hands. "Hey, please stop. Please, I give up."
Things settle down and we lie on the floor. Jon and Nate on either side of me. Notty spread across our legs. Nate starts narrating his stories and we end up teasing and laughing at each other. I listen to Jon talk to Nate and my heart melts. Can I have this, like forever?
Before I tear up at these thoughts, I get up. "Anyone of you hungry? I sure could eat a whole chicken."
Jon jumps up and extends his hand to pull me up. "We better hurry Nate, otherwise this Tigress might eat us."
He and Nate race me to the kitchen. All three of us get things ready for dinner. Jon and I heat the food. Nate sets up the plates and cutlery. We carry on with the light banter. God, this kid is a non-stop radio station. I hope he never changes and stays full of life.
After dinner, Jon drops me home. He walks me to my apartment. I rest my head on his shoulder and squeeze his arm, "Never imagined I would be in this place. Walking under a starlit sky with my boyfriend."
Oops, I did it again. My mouth has an uncanny ability to vocalize my thoughts without taking my mind's permission. When I look up to see Jon's face, his eyes are shining in delight.
"Tigress, did you call me. . ." Jon's lips twist into a glorious, adorable smile.
I roll my lips inward to hide my smile. Am I ready to do this? Have a real relationship? I gulp down my doubts but I want to tease Jon. I put on my best pout, "What did your ears pick up, Po?"
Jon nods his head, but I sense something is cooking in his devilish mind. He picks me up from the ground, lifts me over his shoulder like a sack and swirls around.
"What are you doing?" I slam my fists on his back. "Put me down, Po!"
He doesn't stop, "Not happening, Tigress, until you repeat that word and do it every day going forward."
"Okay". I can't stop laughing. I raise my head to his ear, "Boyfriend, please put me back on the floor."
Jon smacks my butt and slips me down, squeezing me on the way. He brings his lips to my ear, "That is more like it, girlfriend."
I push him away and point him to his truck, "You better get going. I have a long day tomorrow."
Jon salutes me and jogs to his car, waving goodbye as he drives away. Jon's support means a lot. Despite my reservations about meeting him, this evening helped me relax.
Three days later, he accompanies me and Richard. Kevin and our lawyer are waiting for us outside the state board office. The head of the investigating committee reads out the charges and the clauses under which the issue is being investigated. The questions are difficult and personal. Richard takes the ones related to medical records and group practice.
Jon and Kevin make it clear to the committee that we met well before the injury happened. Kevin emphasizes the fact that I had only done the surgery. Tom did the entire post-op care.
"Dr. Sharon, did you have any feelings for Mr. Hayes while he was under your care?" a state board official wants to know.
The question catches me off guard. I regard the official who asked and respond as best I can. "The sole focus was on ensuring he got the best medical care. The relationship was professional. I did the surgery together with Dr. Thomas and Dr. Bradford, the neurosurgeon."
"Why did you hand over the care to Dr. Thomas?" This time, it is a lady member of the committee.
I hold her gaze as I respond, "Dr. Thomas is a specialist in sports and rehabilitation medicine with extensive experience in the area. Mr. Hayes is a well-known football player. The medical team needed to ensure he could continue to play. At the time, we discussed this as a team and decided Dr. Thomas should take over."
"But you continued to meet Mr. Hayes. Did you make any efforts to warn him that this relationship was unacceptable?" the lady is trying to dig deeper.
I weigh every word of my response, "After Dr. Thomas took over, we did not meet for six to eight weeks. Around that time, the physiotherapist informed me about the issues with his gait. The medical team again discussed the case, and we changed his physiotherapy. We met during this time. I met him to motivate him to continue with physiotherapy. Mr. Hayes was a difficult patient."
"Will you say these meetings led you two to develop a romantic relationship? At what point did you decide that you wanted a relationship with him?" She will not give me an easy way out of this situation.
The question makes me sweat. "I am not sure I can call the meetings romantic. They helped both of us to get to know each other better. I am not sure where we are in our relationship at this moment."
"But you kissed him in full public view?" A man in his sixties, wearing a grey coat, raises the next question.
I explain to them it was a spur-of-the-moment decision because of the circumstances with Noah. I had feared there would be a fight, and it would injure someone. The committee asks no further questions. Our lawyer submits all the medical records and paperwork to the officials, including billing records and appointments for Tom and Betsy.
By the time the medical association hearing happens, the board has taken its decision and absolved me of the charges. They let me off with a warning.
But what now? There are decisions to make and risks to consider. Was the boyfriend banter his way of distracting my mind from the tension of the last few days? Are we both ready to make this long term? A relationship with Jon means being under constant public scrutiny. Our privacy at the mercy of everyone around us, which can end up exploding on our faces at some stage. Will our relationship survive the cameras and gossip columns? The prospect scares me.