Chapter 17: Gabby

GABBY

Iknocked on the wooden door and waited.

"Come in."

I took in a deep breath and opened the door. "Hi, Dr. Harmon. Thank you for meeting with me today."

She gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "Have a seat," she said with a kind smile. "What can I do for you today, Gabriella?"

I clasped my hands together tightly, hoping to hide my nerves. "First, I want to make sure that everything said during this meeting will remain confidential."

She peered at me over her glasses. "I'm sure you know there are some things I can't keep confidential, such as allegations against a teacher or student."

"It's nothing like that. This only involves me," I said.

"If it's something I can legally keep confidential, I assure you I will," she promised.

I nodded and swallowed thickly. "I'm dealing with a rather personal situation. My house has been broken into twice, and I'm being threatened and harassed. After some investigation, it appears the person doing this to me is a woman who has been posing as a student at this university. I met her at the library and have been studying with her every other week for quite some time, but I recently learned she's not a student here. The reason I'm telling you this is because I would like to change my clinical location. I understand we're in the middle of the semester, but this is for my safety."

"Well, this is definitely an unusual request," she said. "I'd like to help you, but I'm not sure if we can find someone for you to work with on such short notice," she said.

"I've already found someone who's willing to let me start right away," I said. "The only issue is that his practice is located in Croftridge, not Cedar Valley."

"I'm sorry, Gabby. I'd love to help you, but we can only approve facilities located in this county," she said as her phone began to ring. She pressed a button to silence the phone and returned her attention to me, but her phone started ringing again. "Excuse me for just a moment. This appears to be urgent."

While she took her phone call, I tried to think of anything I could say to change her mind. I hadn't told her that Lauren worked at Dr. Gordon's practice, but I didn't want to share that information unless I had to.

Dr. Harmon cleared her throat and gave me a tight smile. "That was Dean Winston. I've been authorized to grant you special permission to finish your clinical hours at your desired location in Croftridge."

I couldn't mask the surprise on my face. "How is that possible? I haven't spoken to the dean. I didn't go above your head," I blurted.

Her face softened. "It's okay, Gabriella. I didn't want to deny your request, and now I don't have to."

The amount of relief I felt was overwhelming. "Thank you," I said in a shaky voice. "The past few weeks have been difficult to say the least."

"I hope this change will make things better for you."

"It definitely will," I said, and took a moment to choose my next words carefully. "This is what I was referring to when I asked for confidentiality. I don't want anyone other than you and the dean to know where I'm finishing out my hours."

"You have my word," she promised. "I won't change anything in the computer system. Email your completed hours and sign-off sheets to me at the end of each week, and I'll manually enter them into the system."

"Thank you," I said. "I really appreciate your help."

"I'm glad this worked out for you," she said with a smile.

With that, I left her office and hurried back to Byte's truck. Being on campus made me feel uneasy, and I didn't want to be there any longer than I had to.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It was kind of weird. She initially denied the transfer, but the dean called in the middle of her explanation and told her to approve my request."

"Really? So, you were approved?"

"Yes, but I don't understand why. How would the dean know about my situation?" I asked.

"Come on, Gabby," Byte laughed. "This has Jacquelyn written all over it."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. Do you think I should call and thank her, or pretend like I don't know?"

He shrugged. "You should probably ask Shaker about that one."

"I'll just send her a vague text," I said and reached for my phone.

Gabby: I'm not sure, but I think my fairy grandmother may have waved her magic wand in my direction today.

Gigi: She might have…

Gabby: Thank you.

Gigi: You're welcome. I love you, sweet girl.

Gabby: I love you, too.

"Oh yeah, it was her," I said. "And I'm totally okay with that, but I wonder who told her."

Byte shifted in his seat. "Shaker did, because I asked him to."

"You did?"

"Yes," he nodded. "When you mentioned they might not let you transfer locations, I had to do something. You're safer in Croftridge, and I knew if anyone could make that happen, it was Jacquelyn."

"Thank you," I said. "I didn't know what I was going to do if they denied my request."

"I'm glad it didn't come to that," he said.

"Me, too," I agreed.

He glanced at the clock. "Do you think we have enough time to get our stuff out of Luca's guest house before our next appointment?"

"Yes, but that means Shadow will have to come with us."

"If they won't let him come in, I can stay outside with him."

"But you have a part in this as well. And I really want you there with me," I admitted. It was hard enough to face Dr. Harmon by myself. I didn't want to talk to the lawyer alone if I didn't have to.

"Then we'll just have to convince them to let Shadow join us for the meeting."

As luck would have it, the lawyer was an animal lover and was happy to allow Shadow to accompany us. And Shadow soaked up all the attention he got from everyone in the office.

"He's such a ham," I said to Byte.

"He is, but it seems to be working in your favor."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think he was doing it on purpose."

Byte chuckled. "He probably is."

We followed Tina into her office and took a seat while she closed the door.

"Before we begin, let me formally introduce myself," she said, while she extended her hand to me. "I'm Tina Rivera. I've worked with the Blackwings MC, both chapters, for many years. Anything you say to me falls under attorney-client privilege, so please, speak freely."

"Thank you. I'm Gabriella Marks, and this is Byte. I mean Michael Fuller."

"Please call me Byte," he said and shook her hand. "And she goes by Gabby."

"It's nice to meet you both. So, what brings you in today?"

"I'm a registered nurse, and I'm in school to become a nurse practitioner. I was recently fired from my job at the hospital because I tested positive for THC on a urine drug screen. Since I don't use any products with THC, I assumed the test was wrong. As it turns out, an acquaintance from school has been giving me baked goods laced with THC. I'm not interested in trying to get my job back, but I don't want this to have a negative effect on my nursing license or my ability to become a nurse practitioner. I also don't want her to get away with this."

"How do you know the THC came from the baked goods?" Tina asked.

I removed the container of brownies from my bag as well as one of the test kits. "May I show you?"

"Please do," she said eagerly.

"This is a kit to test food and other substances for the presence of THC. We obtained the kit from a friend who's a physician," I explained and rubbed the swab on the brownie. "When I rub the sample on the test card, it will turn red within ten seconds if it's positive for THC."

We all watched as the result turned red almost immediately.

"Can you prove the brownies were given to you?" she asked.

"Yes, we can," I said and gestured to Byte.

"I have video evidence. Can I email it to you?"

"Absolutely," Tina said and handed him a business card with her email address on it. After Byte emailed the videos, Tina pulled them up on her computer.

"The first video shows Lauren walking into the diner carrying the container of brownies. The second video shows Gabby joining her at the table where Lauren hands the brownies to her," Byte explained.

"I'm impressed. You two have really done your homework," Tina said.

"I've worked my butt off for the last five years, and I'm so close to being finished. I'm not going to let her ruin everything I've worked for."

"I completely understand," Tina said sincerely. "So, we have a couple of things to do. First, we need to file an official report with the police and submit the evidence. She'll likely be arrested and charged. Assuming she doesn't admit to the crime, it'll come down to her word against yours. She'll most likely claim you knew the brownies contained THC and consumed them anyway. But that'll be later down the line. What we're after is the police report and proof of her arrest to present to the Board of Nursing. We'll also ask for a restraining order against her. It will also be helpful to have some negative urine drug screens to present to the Board. Wait two weeks and have a test done. It can be at your doctor's office or a third-party lab. Have the results sent to me. If you can afford to do so, continue having tests done every two weeks. We want to show the Board that your tests were consistently negative after you reported Lauren and cut ties with her."

"I can afford to have multiple tests done. I'll have them done every week if you think that'd be better."

"Every two weeks will be more than sufficient," she assured me. "In the meantime, we'll wait for the Board of Nursing to contact you. You'll receive a letter in the mail. It usually takes a month or two from the time the complaint was filed. When you receive the letter, give me a call, and we'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Do you think I'll be able to keep my license?" I asked.

"Absolutely," she said confidently. "Even if you admitted to being guilty, you'd be able to keep your license."

"That's good to hear," I said and exhaled in relief.

"I don't foresee any issues regarding your licensure. At most, they might want you to agree to random drug screens for the next year, but I honestly think they'll drop the case once they hear your story and review the evidence."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "Are you ready to make the police report?"

"Yes, I suppose so. How do we go about doing that?" I asked.

"Normally, you'd go down to the station, but I have a friend on the force who agreed to stop by and take the report."

I covered my face with my hands and sighed. "Did my grandmother call you?"

"No," Tina laughed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but I do know who your grandmother is. You can thank Phoenix's grandfather for this favor."

"Pop," I smiled. "I adore that man."

"Me, too," Tina agreed and opened the door to her office. "Detective Hayes, we're ready for you."

Detective Hayes came in and shook hands with us as we introduced ourselves. Then he reached down and rubbed Shadow's head before taking a seat. "Tina gave me a brief overview of what happened, but I'd like to hear it from you," he said.

I told him the same story I told Tina. Then we showed him the brownies, the test results, and the surveillance videos.

He opened the container of brownies and inhaled deeply. "These don't smell like marijuana."

"I have another test kit if you'd like to see for yourself." I must have sounded defensive, because his response was almost apologetic.

"Oh, I believe you. I just meant I can understand how you didn't know. There's no distinct smell. I'm assuming there was no distinct taste as well?"

"That's right. Nothing seemed off about the brownies. I can also say I didn't notice any impairment after eating them. They may have made me sleepy, but between my work and school schedule, I'm sleepy by nine or ten o'clock regardless."

"All right, I think I have everything I need. If not, I'll give you a call," he said and got to his feet. "I'll get these down to the lab for testing, and we'll go from there."

"I'll be submitting a request for a restraining order. I'm hoping the timing will work out so that Lauren can be notified of the order during her arrest," Tina added.

"Let me know when it's approved. I'll see if I can coordinate with you," he said.

"Thank you, Detective Hayes," Tina said.

"Yes, thank you for coming to meet with us," I added.

"Thank you for doing the leg work for me," he said and raised the container of brownies. "It's not very often that I get a case handed to me with the evidence already collected."

With that, he left the office, and we said our goodbyes to Tina. I thanked her profusely for her help. I likely would have continued thanking her if Byte hadn't ushered me out of her office.

"I can't believe how well everything went today. I know it's not over yet, but I feel so much better after getting my transfer approved and talking to Tina," I said once we were on our way to Croftridge.

"I'm sure you do," he said. "It's a relief to know they approved your transfer. I'll feel better knowing you're with Patch all day."

"I think I'll enjoy working with him," I said.

"I'm sure you will. Everyone I've met who's worked with him seems to love him."

"Let's hope he feels the same way about me."

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't say that."

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You know as well as I do that everybody loves you. You're cute and sweet and kind. You're the kind of person that even people who want to hate you can't."

"So, I'm annoyingly sweet?"

"Nice try. I'm not falling into your trap."

"You will," I teased.