answer.
He put the issue out of his mind as he knocked on the exam room door. “Mrs. Baughman? May I come in?” He raised his voice so that she would hear him even if she had once again left her hearing aid at home.
When he emerged from the exam room twenty-five minutes later, Lucy was loitering near the copy machine.
“Dr. Kayser, I was about to leave for my lunch break, but I wanted to tell you—”
“Ms. McCandless-Connelly called?”
“No. But Dr. Allstrom called again. I transferred her into your voicemail.” She winced slightly as she delivered the bad news. “Sorry.”
He stifled a sigh. “It’s okay. Thanks, Lucy. Go take your break.”
He stashed Mrs. Baughman’s chart in the slot designated for completed appointments and slipped into his office. He sat down at his desk and gnawed on his pen cap as he tried to decide what to do next. He hated to be a bother, but it occurred to him that he had no idea if Sasha had gotten his email. She could be in court or in a deposition or doing whatever it was lawyers did all day.
With that thought, he picked up the receiver on his desk phone and dialed the law firm’s main number.
“Good afternoon, you’ve reached McCandless and Volmer. How may I direct your call?” Carolina Masters asked in her smooth as silk voice.
“Hi, this is Al Kayser. I sent an email to Sasha this morning, but I haven’t heard back. I was wondering if she’s in today?”
After the briefest of pauses, the receptionist responded. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that she hasn’t gotten back to you, Dr. Kayser. She’s usually very good about returning emails quickly, but she is traveling today. She may not have seen it yet. Can someone else help you?”
“Is Naya in?”
“Yes, she is. I’ll transfer you to her line now, Dr. Kayser.”
“Thank you.” He settled back in his chair and listened to the hold music.
Less than a minute later, the music cut off and Naya’s voice was in his ear.
“Dr. Kayser, Caroline explained you have an email in to Sasha that she hasn’t had a chance to answer,” she said by way of greeting. “I haven’t read your email to Sasha, but could you tell me what it concerns?” Her tone was brisk and business-like.
He had to imagine with her boss out of the office, the junior associate was hopping busy. “Well, the short version is Greta Allstrom has called me twice today. She wants me to meet with her so she can, and I quote, ‘assuage my concerns about her research.’ I didn’t want to agree to talk to her without getting Sasha’s input.”
“Assuage your concerns,” Naya echoed.
He nodded to himself as he answered. “Yes, that’s what she said.”
He could hear a faint tapping sound as she thought, as if she were rapping her pen against her desk.
“Hmm … I would ordinarily say there’s no harm in hearing what the other side has to say. But this matter is so unusual, I don’t know if that’s the right course here.”
“Unusual in what way—if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I know you’re looking into this on behalf of your patients and their families, and Sasha’s convinced that Dr. Allstrom’s behavior is improper, but you have to bear in mind that we don’t actually have a live case yet. By which I mean, nothing’s been filed in court, no official demand’s been made of either the doctor or the university. Part of the reason for that is we don’t actually have a client.”
He could tell she was choosing her words with care, but it wasn’t clear what she was driving at. He took a stab, “Do you need me to sign a retainer agreement? I promise I’ll pay the fees, and I—”
She rushed to disabuse him of that idea. “No, no, this isn’t about money. It’s about the fact that we need a plaintiff who’s suffered the harm. You’re concerned about your patients, but you weren’t directly impacted when their brain tissue was taken without permission. In other words, you don’t have legal standing to bring
He put the issue out of his mind as he knocked on the exam room door. “Mrs. Baughman? May I come in?” He raised his voice so that she would hear him even if she had once again left her hearing aid at home.
When he emerged from the exam room twenty-five minutes later, Lucy was loitering near the copy machine.
“Dr. Kayser, I was about to leave for my lunch break, but I wanted to tell you—”
“Ms. McCandless-Connelly called?”
“No. But Dr. Allstrom called again. I transferred her into your voicemail.” She winced slightly as she delivered the bad news. “Sorry.”
He stifled a sigh. “It’s okay. Thanks, Lucy. Go take your break.”
He stashed Mrs. Baughman’s chart in the slot designated for completed appointments and slipped into his office. He sat down at his desk and gnawed on his pen cap as he tried to decide what to do next. He hated to be a bother, but it occurred to him that he had no idea if Sasha had gotten his email. She could be in court or in a deposition or doing whatever it was lawyers did all day.
With that thought, he picked up the receiver on his desk phone and dialed the law firm’s main number.
“Good afternoon, you’ve reached McCandless and Volmer. How may I direct your call?” Carolina Masters asked in her smooth as silk voice.
“Hi, this is Al Kayser. I sent an email to Sasha this morning, but I haven’t heard back. I was wondering if she’s in today?”
After the briefest of pauses, the receptionist responded. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that she hasn’t gotten back to you, Dr. Kayser. She’s usually very good about returning emails quickly, but she is traveling today. She may not have seen it yet. Can someone else help you?”
“Is Naya in?”
“Yes, she is. I’ll transfer you to her line now, Dr. Kayser.”
“Thank you.” He settled back in his chair and listened to the hold music.
Less than a minute later, the music cut off and Naya’s voice was in his ear.
“Dr. Kayser, Caroline explained you have an email in to Sasha that she hasn’t had a chance to answer,” she said by way of greeting. “I haven’t read your email to Sasha, but could you tell me what it concerns?” Her tone was brisk and business-like.
He had to imagine with her boss out of the office, the junior associate was hopping busy. “Well, the short version is Greta Allstrom has called me twice today. She wants me to meet with her so she can, and I quote, ‘assuage my concerns about her research.’ I didn’t want to agree to talk to her without getting Sasha’s input.”
“Assuage your concerns,” Naya echoed.
He nodded to himself as he answered. “Yes, that’s what she said.”
He could hear a faint tapping sound as she thought, as if she were rapping her pen against her desk.
“Hmm … I would ordinarily say there’s no harm in hearing what the other side has to say. But this matter is so unusual, I don’t know if that’s the right course here.”
“Unusual in what way—if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I know you’re looking into this on behalf of your patients and their families, and Sasha’s convinced that Dr. Allstrom’s behavior is improper, but you have to bear in mind that we don’t actually have a live case yet. By which I mean, nothing’s been filed in court, no official demand’s been made of either the doctor or the university. Part of the reason for that is we don’t actually have a client.”
He could tell she was choosing her words with care, but it wasn’t clear what she was driving at. He took a stab, “Do you need me to sign a retainer agreement? I promise I’ll pay the fees, and I—”
She rushed to disabuse him of that idea. “No, no, this isn’t about money. It’s about the fact that we need a plaintiff who’s suffered the harm. You’re concerned about your patients, but you weren’t directly impacted when their brain tissue was taken without permission. In other words, you don’t have legal standing to bring
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