Richard Mabry - Code Blue

"No, this is bank business. I need to talk with Mr. Nix."

Cathy took perverse pleasure in watching the drama unfold. The teller went to the desk of Nix's secretary and held a whispered consultation. Then the two of them looked back at Cathy, quickly turning away when she returned their stare. After a few more words, the secretary scuttled to the door of Nix's office and tapped lightly. In a moment she eased the door open and ducked inside like someone slipping into an air-conditioned room without letting the cool air escape. The teller waited nervously outside the office, obviously unsure whether she should return to her station or stay put. Finally, the door to the inner sanctum opened, and Nix appeared.

Milton Nix was dressed as a bank president should be-or, more likely, as the wife of a bank president thought he should be. The way his three-piece gray pinstripe suit hung on him demonstrated that, no matter how much you spend on the clothes, the final image depends on the person wearing them.

He beckoned to Cathy, who chose to ignore the gesture. Let him come to her. Finally, he ambled over to her. "How can I help you?"

"May we speak in private?"

"Of course." He gestured toward his office.

Once they were seated, Nix said, "I'm not sure of the protocol of the situation, but should we be talking like this? With the suit pending and all? Shouldn't our lawyers be handling all the communication?"

Cathy smiled as she recalled Will's comments to Sam Lawton. "The malpractice suit? Yes, my lawyer is handling that, including preparing the countersuit against you."

Apparently, Sam Lawton hadn't shared this message with his client. Nix's face flushed. He tugged at his collar, and Cathy feared he would go into cardiac arrest again.

"This is about the note I have with this bank. The note, I might add, that you assured me could be handled by paying only the interest when it came up for renewal, giving me a chance to establish my practice." She reached into her purse and pulled out the bank's letter. "May I ask what caused this change of heart?"

"I… well, that is… the loan committee decided that recent developments called into question your ability to repay the money in a timely fashion. They thought that a five thousand dollar reduction in principal would serve as a good faith measure, allowing us to continue the loan."

"If I pay that amount, will you draft a new note, maturing two years from now?"

"I'm not sure the committee-"

Cathy had a flash of insight. This wasn't about making her close her practice. This was all about Nix saving his own skin.

"You know as well as I do," she said, "that you make these decisions, and the committee rubber-stamps your recommendations. I'll tell you what's going on. You figured the malpractice suit was the last straw for my practice, and you decided to pull the plug on the note to avoid criticism for making it. You could claim you saw how the situation had changed, so you acted to protect the bank's interest. Isn't that right?"

"Well… uh," Nix stuttered. "We expect the bank examiners here next month, and we have some notes that aren't well-secured. I was afraid of what they'd say. Requiring you to reduce the principal would show that we were aware of the risk and had acted to lessen it." He pulled the tiny blue silk handkerchief from his suit breast pocket and wiped his brow. "Actually, we've done the same thing with several other notes. It's not just you, Dr. Sewell."

Cathy leaned forward and thought she saw Nix shrink back in his chair. "I'll make you a deal. You renew the note for two years-at one point below prime this time-and I'll pay down the principal by five thousand dollars."

"Why would I do that?"

She smiled. "Because the other half of the deal is this. In exchange for a two-year note at interest one percent below the prime rate, I'll instruct my attorney not to file that countersuit against you and your wife."

"Leave my wife out of this."

"Why? As I understand it, and as we'll prove at trial, she's the reason behind this whole malpractice suit in the first place. It will be interesting when Will gets her on the stand, and it all comes out in open court."

Nix looked as though he'd swallowed a bad oyster. "What comes out?"

Cathy decided to sink the hook. "Mainly, how she tried to kill you. Actually, she would have succeeded if I hadn't saved your life."

"I don't-"

"She and her brother changed your dosage, then altered the prescription to cover it up so she could inherit everything you've got."

"That's not true."

"Maybe not. Or maybe it is. We'll just have to investigate and see, won't we?"

Nix seemed to collapse inward on himself like a balloon with a slow leak. "I can't do what you're asking, but how about one year at prime plus one percent?"

"Eighteen months at prime," Cathy said.

Nix ran his hand around his collar. "All right. I suppose I could agree to those terms. But you'll still need to reduce the principal by-"

"I know." Cathy brandished the cashier's check. "I believe you'll find that this covers that amount plus current interest, with a few dollars left over. Now I'll wait right here while you have your secretary prepare a receipt and the new note."

"Where did this money come from?"

"Now, Mr. Nix," Cathy said. "You of all people should know better than to ever ask that question. Money is anonymous. All that cash you have in your vault has no history, no scruples, and no identity. Just add this to your little pile, revise my loan, and I'll be on my way."

Cathy thought the day would never end. It was nearly dark when she opened the front door of the Kennedy house. As soon as she stepped inside, she slipped out of her shoes. Holding them in one hand, with her briefcase in the other, she padded into the living room. The shades were drawn, and the lights were off. She reached for the light switch when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I remember that about you. Not fond of wearing shoes."Will flipped on the lamp beside the couch where he sat.

Cathy recoiled. "Will, you scared me to death." She took a couple of deep breaths. "Where are your folks?"

He eased offthe couch and greeted her with a hug and kiss.

"Mom and Dad have already left for a meeting at church. They've eaten, but they left some supper in the oven. Join me?"

When they were settled at the kitchen table, Cathy said, "I went by the bank today. I used the check from Ella Mae to pay what they demanded."

"So you're square with the bank? You renewed the note?" Will helped himself to another of his mother's biscuits."What did Nix say?"

"Not much, after I brought up the possibility of a countersuit and a trial where his wife's history would come out."

Will almost choked. "You know when I mentioned that to Sam I wasn't serious."

Cathy smiled. "I'm not a lawyer, so I guess I can be excused for not understanding that. Anyway, Nix agreed to give me a new note at prime, renewable in eighteen months by paying the interest only."

"What happened to the woman who wanted my help because she didn't know where to turn?"

"You know, I think she's learning that she's pretty capable. That doesn't mean she can't use some help from time to time, like a white knight riding by in his pickup to rescue her when her trusty steed crashes."

"I was thinking more in terms of legal help," Will said."But I'm glad you look at me that way. I'd like to make the arrangement more permanent. Have you thought about it?"

"Not… really." Cathy's heart pounded, and she took a moment to calm down. "We were awfully close a few years ago, and I'll admit that I had a vision that we'd eventually marry. But that was then. A lot has changed."

Will shook his head. "Nothing could have happened that would make me stop loving you. There, I've said it. I love you."