Fertile Ground by Rochelle Krich Read Free Book Online Page A

going to check on Cora Alien. She’s had two failed IVFs, poor woman, and thinks someone stole her eggs and gave them to someone else. One more thing—if you can, get rid of the media.” The reporters were still there, approaching patient after patient in search of a story.
    “Easier to find a cure for cancer.”
    Three hours later she was exhausted. Selena had sent her from examining room to examining room, providing her with updates, folders, encouraging smiles, Dixie cups with water, a granola bar, and two rest-room breaks. Lisa had passed Sam and Ted Cantrell several times in the hall—they’d looked equally tired. Sam had managed to retain his good humor. Ted hadn’t.
    “Where the hell is your fiance?” Cantrell barked at her now. “At the racetrack?”
    They were in the middle of the hall, and patients were within earshot. Lisa clenched her hands. “I don’t know.” She didn’t like the handsome, divorced forty-four-year old doctor—she found him arrogant and difficult—but told herself he had a right to be annoyed. She was annoyed, too, and worried. Matthew was always punctual. She was surprised he hadn’t called in.
    “Nice of him to leave us to deal with this crap. I’m sick of fending off the press and trying to calm hysterical women.” His black eyes were smoldering coals.
    Sam rested his hand on Cantrell’s shoulder. “Hey, we’re all tired, Ted. Lighten up. You’ll live longer.”
    Cantrell scowled and shrugged off the hand. He faced Lisa. “I’ve seen twenty patients in the past three hours. How many have you seen? Or are you just administratin g:’
    “Get off her case, Ted,” Sam said quietly.
    “What are you, her white knight?” Cantrell glared at him, then stomped down the hall, the coattails of his gray medical coat flapping behind him.
    “Nice guy,” Sam said, watching Cantrell. “He’s been awfully tense lately, have you noticed?” He turned to Lisa. “Any word from Matt?”
    She shook her head. “He told Grace something important came up.” I’m going to play detective. Had he discovered something? Even so, why hadn’t he phoned?
    “It’s not like him to be late,” the petite, blond nurse had told Lisa. “He phoned at seven and said he’d be home for about half an hour, that he had to take care of something important. I’ve been paging him all morning, and he still hasn’t called back. I hope nothing’s wrong, Dr. Brockman.” Grace had been clutching a stack of folders against her chest. The skin around her pale blue eyes had been creased with worry, and she’d seemed on the verge of tears.
    “He’ll probably phone soon,” Sam said. He kneaded the back of his neck, then rotated his head several times. “I wonder what’s number three.”
    Lisa frowned. “Number three?”
    “You know—bad things come in threes? That’s what my sister says. First this clinic patient is murdered. Now some nut’s accusing us of egg switching. What’s next? They’ll find out we’re doing illegal human cloning?”
    “Didn’t your sister also tell you not to borrow trouble?” Lisa said lightly, but she was a little uneasy, and annoyed with Sam for making her feel that way.
    From her office she phoned Matthew’s home and left a message on his machine. She left a message on his pager, too, and tried reaching him on his cellular phone.
    On an impulse she punched her own number and waited for her answering machine to go on. She heard a message from a company trying to interest her in winning a trip to Hawaii, then Matthew’s voice against a background of static and street noise.
    “It’s six forty-five…. thought I might catch you at home … didn’t want to phone you at the clinic in case … listening in on the line … may be onto something … not
    to worry. I’m stopping at my condo, then checking out some things. Don’t say anything to anyone. Talk to you later. Love you.”
    He sounded excited, pumped up. That had been early this morning.
    She wondered