H&K: Path of Knowledge

Chapter 1

Tess sat across the table in the hospital cafeteria as the breakfast rush began, staring in disbelief into the face of Doctor Jim Martin, a doctor associated with the hospital she worked as a nurse. She went rigid as he reached across the table to place his hands over hers. He smiled as he continued to speak. She pulled her hands from under his and put them at the edge of the table. His eyes dropped to her breasts. His toothy smirk jolted her into movement. In a flash, she sprang to her feet, hastily pushing the chair back. She grabbed her purse and leaned forward.

“Listen and listen good,” Tess whispered with venom in her voice. “I love my husband, and I would never cheat on him ever, especially not with you. If you ever touch me again or speak to me inappropriately again, I will file a sexual harassment charge with Human Resources. Do I make myself clear?” She turned around and stormed off.

“Think about it,” Doctor Martin called after her.

She was fuming as she walked stiffly to the elevator that would take her back to her assigned floor. His words continued to ring in her ears. “You know you want me as much as I want you. No one will ever know. We can have fun here in the hospital and we can still have family outings, but no one would be the wiser. Samantha and Bob would never suspect a thing.”

She was horrified that she had once thought of this man, this doctor, as an impressive, compassionate, family-oriented person. Now all she saw was a womanizing two-faced cheater who would proposition her. Their families had been getting together for holidays, barbeques, birthday parties, and the occasional weekend for years. His wife was a good friend. Their children went to school together. And he, this so-called man, was propositioning to have an affair with him? What audacity. What arrogance. What a scumbag!

By the time she had arrived on her floor, the staff was whispering and staring at her. Another nurse on the floor was nowhere in sight. She was known to be the biggest gossip and had caused quite a few issues with other staff members by exaggerating or outright making up things about them. Tess’s cell phone buzzed as she walked down the hall to the nurses’ station. Pulling the cell out of her pocket, she saw two messages waiting. She checked to see that the first was from Doctor Martin and the other was from Rose.

“You know you want to,” Doctor Martin’s text read. She fumed. That was it, she had warned him. He was continuing to harass her. Her next stop would be the Human Resource office to file a sexual harassment complaint as she stormed down the hall to the elevators. She glanced at the second text as she walked.

“You won’t believe that Tess and Doctor Martin are having an affair,” Rose’s text read with an attached photo of them in the cafeteria when he had placed his hands over Tess’s. It had been a mass text. Rose was probably unaware she had sent it to Tess. Tess exploded inside.

She spun on her heels, heading for the elevator. She still had twenty minutes left of her lunch. The elevator door slid open, and there stood Rose. Before Rose could step out, Tess shoved her back into the elevator, pushed the basement button, and slammed Rose back against the far wall.

Rose stood four feet six inches, a sixty-year-old woman past her prime, with shoulder-length gray hair, brown eyes, a turkey waddle neck, and a devious personality but tried to come off as a sweet, caring person. Tess, on the other hand, stood five feet eight inches tall, one-hundred-and-twenty-five pounds, forty years old, with long brown hair that reached her waistband, bright blue eyes, and a chest that drew men’s and some women’s attention right off. Being a mother of two, she had made it a point to try to work out at least three times a week with their home gym to stay in good shape. She had just recently begun taking karate and kickboxing classes with her two children and husband.

Tess held her left-hand flat against Rose’s chest, her thumb on her left clavicle and index finger on her right collarbone. Fury burned in her eyes as she glared at the smaller older woman as the elevator doors closed and shot downward.

“Bitch, stop spreading your lies about me. I swear to God if your lies harm my family or me, I will make your life a living hell,” Tess told the older woman.

Rose started to say something as she grabbed Tess’s left forearm and tried to push her back. Tess didn’t move but tightened her grip on the woman’s clavicles. Rose winced in pain.

“Screw with me one more time,” she hissed as she brought her face close to Rose’s right ear.

Tess released her and turned her back to the gossiping coworker. Rose struck out at Tess’s back, a brutal double-fisted blow to her shoulder blades. Tess fell forward against the elevator doors. Then the doors opened. Tess fell into the basement hallway, face first, bloodying her nose as she fell. Rose was on her back pulling her hair back with one hand, raining blows on Tess’s back with the other.

“Rose, what are you doing?” Tess screamed back at the woman. Tess knew where most of the security cameras were in the hospital and knew that the elevator, they had been on did not have one but that the basement hallway did.

Suddenly, two hospital police appeared out of the security office in the basement to quickly haul Rose off Tess’s back.

“I’ll kill you!” Rose screamed. “I’ll have your job!”

Tess struggled to her feet, the look of pain on her face, wincing as she tried to stand straight. Tears ran down her bloody face. She held her left arm where she had landed when she had fallen to the floor. As one officer handcuffed Rose, the other went to Tess. He helped her to the security office.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I need to get your statement while it’s fresh,” he said.

“I understand. My husband is a police officer as well,” She responded through gritted teeth.

The director of nursing and hospital administrator along with the HR manager came to the security office with lightning speed. An ER doctor and nurse were already attending to Tess’s injuries. They listened to Tess’s explanation of how she had confronted Rose about spreading unwanted gossip through the staff and showed them the text and video. They read the text from Doctor Martin as well. Security footage of the cafeteria told the real story of how Tess had sat down for lunch. It showed how Doctor Martin had been shadowing her until she had sat down. He had then approached her table and sat down shortly after. The look on Tess’s face was one of anger and frustration as Doctor Martin could be seen speaking to her. He then reached across the table to place his hands on hers. It showed how Tess stood up and leaned forward with disgust on her face as she spoke. Fortunately, due to security reasons and new state laws, audio surveillance was part of the security system. The background noise of the cafeteria was tuned out, allowing the entire conversation to be heard clearly between Doctor Martin and Tess. The elevator, on the other hand, did not have security monitoring, but the basement hallway had security cameras that had recorded the assault on Tess. Tess filed a formal complaint with the hospital HR department as well as the Philadelphia Police Department against Doctor Martin for sexual harassment and assault charges against Rose.

Rose was arrested on assault charges by the police and suspended without pay pending an investigation by the hospital. To add to Rose’s woes were the numerous complaints by staff members that flooded after the altercation stating that Rose was causing a hostile environment with all her rumors and gossiping.

Doctor Martin found himself facing sexual harassment charges as he was arrested, collaborated by the hospital security cameras and audio. He was placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation by the hospital as well.

Tess’s husband Bob had been called and was on his way to the hospital. Tess underwent x-rays and further examination in the emergency room as per hospital policy. She smiled as her husband rushed into the emergency room, taking her into his arms and smothering her with kisses as she assured him that she was okay.

Once Tess was released by the emergency room staff, Bob escorted her to his Hyundai SUV. This morning, Tess had taken the train to work. Bob tried once to ask Tess what happened, but she merely shushed him and shook her head.

“We’ll talk about it when we get home. I just need to process things for a while,” Tess said.

Once they arrived home, Bob stopped outside the carport gate. He got out and opened the gate while Tess remained in the SUV. Once the gate was open, Bob pulled the SUV into the carport and shut the SUV off. He got out of the SUV to close the gate, but Tess remained in the vehicle, staring off into space. Bob walked to the passenger door and opened it, pulling Tess out of her contemplations. He took her hand, drawing her out of the vehicle. She was shaking with frustration and anger.

As they entered their two-story home, Bob closed the door behind them, letting Tess’s hand go. She turned toward him, her face distorted in anger and frustration. He reached out to take her into his arms, but she halted him by holding up her right hand as her jaw and fists clenched in response to the anger and frustration that was building inside of her. Slowly, her jaw softened. However, her fists remained clenched. She then recounted all that had happened. She left nothing out, even her participation in the elevator with Rose but quickly assured him that there were no cameras on the elevator to show that she had initiated the physical confrontation with Rose.

“How are you feeling?” Bob asked, wanting to take her into his arms knowing something more was churning inside her.

“I’m a little sore, but otherwise I’m fine. Physically anyway,” she said. “What has me so angry is Doctor Martin.”

Bob put his arms around her, but she suddenly pulled away, shocking them both. She was fuming over Doctor Martin propositioning her to have an affair with him. She began to pace like a caged lioness, venting her anger. She screamed out of frustration and anger. Her face was flushed. Her hands continued to clench and unclench. Anger welled up in Bob’s chest and mind as he watched his beautiful wife who was sexually harassed by this asshole and the fact, that he was supposed to be a close family friend. Worst of all was that Bob felt he had failed Tess as a husband.

“Tess, what can I do to help?” he pleaded with her, not moving toward her, allowing her to pace.

That seemed to calm her down somewhat as she turned to her loving husband. She took his hands and crushed herself against his chest. Tears of frustration began to flow. Thankfully, their children were still in school this time of day as Tess tried to come to terms with what had happened.

“Baby, you are doing all you can do by being here with me and loving me,” Tess told him as she looked into her husband’s eyes, seeing a murderous look burning within Bob’s eyes. “Bob, you’re a cop. You know he’ll get his. There is nothing that you can do to him. I have already filed sexual harassment charges with the hospital and the police. Everything that can be done has been done so far. I am only concerned with how Samantha will take the news.”

Tess led Bob to the living room sofa where they sat holding each other tight. Bob crushed her to him, his frustration welling up. They lost track of time as they sat there. Nothing else seemed to exist in their little bubble world. She began to wonder if she had done something that had provoked Doctor Martin. She went over every moment she could remember, every touch, every word, but nothing stood out. Had she led the man on, sent him mixed signals, and he reacted as any horny man would have?

No! she screamed at herself. No real man would have reacted in the way he had even if a woman had come on to him or had sent mixed signals. No, he had been the aggressor. He had harassed her without provocation.

Suddenly, a knock at the carport door shocked them out of their depression and hysteria. Bob quickly stood. Tess grabbed his arm, afraid to be alone. The two walked toward the door. Tess stood back as Bob opened the door to find Hank Logan and Katharine O’Reilly-Logan standing with the storm door held open, smiling. Katharine was a five-foot-six-inch, forty-nine-year-old woman with long blond hair that hung to the middle of her back. Like most of the females in her family, she always had to remind men, “My eyes are up here.” Even though she didn’t work out regularly, she could have passed as a model. Katharine’s piercing green eyes sparkled with her smile.

“Why are you two here, Hank? When did you get back in town?” Bob responded to the shock of seeing his wife’s cousin and her husband standing at their door.

“Bob, don’t you remember?” Katharine began. “We planned on going out tonight since Hank got back from Denver this morning.” Katharine pushed past Bob, into the house as she spied Tess.

She stepped toward Tess with outstretched arms. Katharine’s smile faded as she saw the look on Tess’s face. Concern replaced the joy on Katharine’s face.

“Hey, cuz, everything okay?” she said, freezing in her tracks.

“Everything is fine. Trouble at work is all. We completely forgot about tonight.” Tess’s face changed and her smile reappeared. But she could not entirely mask the turbulent thoughts below the surface.

“That’s right. The kids are at Tess’s parents for the weekend since school ended today. That’s why they haven’t made it home yet.” Bob finally remembered as he shook Hank’s hand.

Bob was attempting to play the frustration of the day off as well. Tess and Katharine sat down at the kitchen table just inside the carport door. Katharine took Tess’s proffered right hand and held it in both of hers.

“What’s going on?” Katharine asked. “You’re really agitated and frustrated.”

“It’s nothing important, just work-related stuff.”

“I forgot something in the car,” Hank said as he quietly backed out the door, shutting it behind him. Bob took a seat at the table next to Tess.

As Hank and Katharine had pulled up to the curb near Tess and Bob’s home, Hank had noticed four young men walking down the street carrying what appeared to be red gasoline jugs. The four men stopped as Hank shut the Mercedes SUV off. As he and Katharine exited the vehicle, the four men turned around to retrace their steps away from the house.

Now Hank wanted to know why they were acting so suspiciously. He hadn’t even opened the carport gate when he heard a noise from the side yard that just happened to be on the side of the house the four men had been approaching. Hank quietly walked around the house through the backyard and heard splashing on the outside of the eight-foot privacy fence that surrounded the side and backyard. He eased through the back-alley entry gate and approached the area where he had heard the splashing. Hank took note that the streetlights in this area were not working and glass shards lay on the ground at the base of the light poles. He peered around the corner of the fence to see the four men splashing gasoline on the fence and the side of the house. One of the would-be arsonists spied him as he stepped around the corner and stopped.

“Hey, look at the jerk over here!” he called to his three compatriots.

“Looking for trouble, mister?” he asked Hank.

Hank stood five feet eleven inches tall with short brown hair. At fifty, he wore baggy dress slacks, a white T-shirt, and an oversized dress shirt to hide the extra weight he had acquired over the years from his sanitary employment. In the near darkness, he appeared to be just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Trouble seems to find me,” Hank said as stepped farther into the yard away from the fence.

The four men dropped the gasoline jugs. They each pulled a knife and began to surround Hank like a pack of hyenas. The thing about hyenas is that once you take down one or two, the rest scatter. The man behind Hank took the opportunity with Hank’s back to him to make a lunge toward his back. As he did, the one to Hank’s right also lunged forward. The four felt as if they had found the perfect prey. What they did find was a calm, calculating adversary.

Even though Hank was older, slower, and slightly out of shape, his muscles remembered years of training and action. Hank’s mind flashed back to his earlier life and training as he pivoted, allowing the man to his right to thrust his knife harmlessly through midair as he captured the right arm holding the blade of the man behind him. With a quick wrench, he snapped the man’s wrist causing the knife to fall to the ground, and the man screamed out in pain. The man to his right had regained his balance and brought his knife hand back toward Hank. Hank released the first assailant, grabbed the second’s right arm, shoved it skyward, spun his shoulder under the man’s arm, and jerked quickly down, dislocating his right shoulder and breaking the radius bone to the point it protruded through the skin.

The remaining two would-be arsonists grabbed their friend and took off running down the street. At that moment, Bob came running around the front of the house with his service pistol at the ready.

“What happened?” he asked, watching the fleeing group, seeing the gasoline jugs, and smelling the gasoline that dripped off his fence and home.

“I heard a noise before I got to the car. I came to investigate. Four thugs were dousing your fence and house with gas,” Hank told him. “They got scared when they saw me, dropped the jugs, and ran for it.”

“Who was it that screamed?”

“I guess I scared one of them so bad, he screamed like a girl before running off.”

“I’ll call the district. I know the captain there,” Bob said as he pulled his cell phone out. He quickly told the ladies what was going on and to stay inside.

An hour later, four patrol cars had searched the neighborhood but had not found anyone. The arson squad had collected the gasoline containers for fingerprinting as well as the two knives they located on the ground. One of the officers questioned regarding the blood on the ground and down the sidewalk in the direction the would-be arsonists fled.

“I have no idea,” Hank responded.