Chapter 16 - The Doctor at the House
Dr. Celia Rusk had not gone to Doreen’s house voluntarily.
At least that was what she claimed.
According to the statement she later gave hospital investigators, Doreen had called her immediately after the internal review began.
Doreen told her the hospital intended to blame everything on her.
She offered an attorney.
She offered protection.
She offered money.
Dr. Rusk panicked.
She left Briar Glen and went to Doreen’s home.
By the time investigators located her, she was sitting in Doreen’s study beside boxes of records that should never have left medical custody.
The revelation reached the hearing room like an explosion.
Simone immediately requested that every relevant electronic record be preserved.
Elena contacted hospital compliance.
Rachel called her attorney.
Nathan simply sat down and stared at the floor.
Leah looked at him.
“How long has your mother been paying Dr. Rusk?”
Nathan shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Rachel answered.
“Years.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Rachel opened another section of her folder.
“After my case ended, I requested billing records.”
“There were consulting payments from one of Mom’s charitable foundations to a company owned by Dr. Rusk’s husband.”
Nathan stared at her.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Rachel laughed bitterly.
“You stopped answering my calls.”
Nathan looked away.
That evening, Dr. Rusk requested to speak with investigators.
By midnight, parts of her statement reached Simone through Leah’s newly retained attorney.
Dr. Rusk admitted Doreen had pressured her.
She admitted exaggerating Leah’s anxiety.
She admitted allowing unauthorized family discussions.
But she denied forging Leah’s signature.
Leah listened while Simone summarized.
“So who forged it?”
“That remains the interesting question.”
Nathan looked up.
“I know.”
Everyone turned.
He looked sick.
“My mother has an assistant.”
“Maribel Kent.”
“She handles documents.”
Rachel’s expression hardened.
“Maribel forged mine.”
Silence.
Nathan stared at his sister.
“You knew that too?”
“I recognized her handwriting.”
Simone stood.
“We need her.”
Nathan shook his head.
“She won’t talk.”
Rachel smiled without humor.
“She might.”
“Why?”
“Because Mom fired her six months ago.”
The next morning, Simone located Maribel.
She lived forty minutes outside Columbus.
She initially refused to speak.
Then Rachel sent her a photograph of the forged signature from eight years earlier beside Leah’s new form.
Twenty minutes later, Maribel called back.
Her voice shook.
“I didn’t sign Leah’s papers.”
Simone put the call on speaker.
“Who did?”
Maribel hesitated.
“I taught someone how.”
Leah felt cold.
“Who?”
A long silence followed.
Then Maribel said,
“Nathan.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Nathan’s face went white.
“No.”
Maribel continued.
“Doreen made him practice Leah’s signature months ago.”
“She said it was for financial documents in case Leah went into labor early.”
Nathan stood so quickly his chair fell backward.
“That’s not what happened.”
Leah stared at him.
“You practiced my signature?”
Nathan looked at her.
“I did.”
The room became painfully quiet.
Then he whispered,
May you like
“But I didn’t sign those forms.”
For the first time, Leah didn’t know whether she believed him.
