Furious by Jeffrey Higgins (top 10 novels to read TXT) 📕

the seal population to surge, and that brought the sharks. A great white killed a swimmer a few years ago.”

A school of fish jumped into the air, twenty yards away. Long boney fish broke the surface as if they were trying to fly.

“What are those fish doing?” I asked.

“They’re fleeing from a predator. The shark is somewhere behind them and headed their way. They’re flying out of the water to avoid getting eaten.”

The gray fin broke the surface ten yards off our port side. It slowed and matched our speed again.

“What the hell is it doing?”

“No clue.”

“It makes me nervous.”

“Just stay in the boat.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I manned the helm while Brad picked at his food in the cockpit. His appetite had diminished, and he had lost weight since Bali.

 “So far, we’ve had a pirate scare, a monsoon, and a great white shark,” I said. “You chose a unique way to draw me out of my depression.”

Brad rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. He seemed weaker and more agitated every day, but he would not let me examine him.

“I doubt those were pirates, and you performed well in the storm,” Brad said. “The shark isn’t a danger to us either. I hoped this trip would help you. I—”

“It is helping. I know you did this to snap me out of my funk and bring me back to life. Getting away from Boston, getting away from everything, has given me some perspective. I’m thankful.”

“Good. I’m sorry, I haven’t been as supportive as I could have been. This has been stressful for both of us. Losing Emma crushed me too.”

My eyes widened with surprise. Brad never apologized for anything. He had been trying to be nicer to me on this trip. He had serious flaws, but at least he made an effort. I needed to try harder too—for him.

“I’m sure this year has been hell for you too. This trip was a clever idea, and I know you did it to help me recover.”

Brad tried to smile but grimaced instead. “There’s, uh, something . . .” He broke eye contact and stared at the horizon.

“What is it? I thought you’d be happy I came around to your plan.”

Brad faced me. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

That did not sound good.

“What is it?”

“I didn’t plan this trip just to help you. I wanted to leave Boston because the hospital suspended me.”

“What?”

“I told you about the malpractice lawsuit, but it’s worse than that. I’m suspended, pending an internal investigation.”

“You only told me about the malpractice suit after I heard about it from a friend. Would you have told me if I hadn’t found out on my own?”

“Of course, I—”

“Why didn’t you mention the suspension then?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.”

“You should be more embarrassed about hiding it from me.”

“I know. I—”

“You what, Brad?”

“It’s hard to . . . it’s not good. I think they’re planning to fire me.”

“I’m sorry you’re going through this, but I could have supported you if I’d known.”

“Why are you mad?”

I stuck my hands on my hips, indignation building inside me, like steam inside a teapot. “You lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie, I just didn’t tell you. It’s not—”

“It’s a lie by omission. We’re supposed to be in this together. What else are you omitting?” I asked.

“What does that mean?”

“You know what it means. What else aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing else?” he said.

“Nothing else? No one else?”

“What do you mean ‘no one else?’ What are you saying?”

I pinched my lips. I could not accuse him of having an affair without a shred of evidence, but I sensed it. I knew it.

“Now’s the time to come clean. I want to hear all of it.”

Brad sat on the couch. “Okay, there’s more.”

I held my breath.

“I’m not having an affair, if that’s what you’re implying, but I didn’t tell you about something else.” He closed his eyes for a moment then looked away. “A patient sued me for malpractice in my previous position at Suffolk County Hospital. It’s the reason I left and went to New England General Hospital. They, uh, they asked me to resign.”

“When?”

“Right before General Hospital hired me.”

A knot tightened in my stomach. The practice of medicine had become a litigious endeavor, and being sued for malpractice had grown more common, but if Suffolk County Hospital had asked Brad to resign, they must have found him at fault in the earlier lawsuit. Forcing him to leave was almost an admission of wrongdoing.

“Did Suffolk County lose the suit?

“They settled to make it go away.”

I realized I was biting my nails and pulled my finger out of my mouth. “I’m surprised General Hospital hired you with a recent malpractice lawsuit on your record.”

“This is hard for me to talk about,” Brad said.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Obviously.”

“General Hospital hired me because of my parents.”

Brad had not told me his family sat on the board of directors at New England General Hospital until after we were married. I had known they were wealthy and occupied many boards, but their interests ran to finance, not medicine. I never connected Brad’s coming to New England General Hospital with his parents’ influence, but I had not known about his spotty record.

“They asked the hospital administrator to hire you?”

Brad stared down the companionway and would not meet my eyes. “Yes.”

I felt nothing but contempt for him. Committing malpractice was bad enough, but worse, he had used his parent’s influence to secure a new position. His insecurity, his competition with me, his need to prove he was better—it all made sense now. Maybe I could forgive him for his weakness, but I would not tolerate his lies.

“This trip, this last minute getaway, was about you fleeing an unpleasant situation. It wasn’t for me at all, was it? You wanted to escape—”

“That’s not true. I thought this trip would help you.”

“You should have told me about your suspension.”

“I’m telling you now,” Brad yelled. “I don’t feel well, and I don’t need