by S. E. Law
“No, I’ve ever seen it before. What is it about?”
“Maybe we should give her some time to read it,” intercedes Ranger. “Go ahead Bethany. We’ll wait.”
Quickly, my eyes scan the story. Okay, it is a little relevant to us. After all, it discusses how doctors can cross the line and engage in romantic relationships with their patients. Most of it seems to focus on psychiatrists though. I can see why, giving that people are unburdening their souls to these counselors. I look up.
“Is there something I should be seeing?” I ask quizzically.
Both men continue looking grim.
“Keep reading,” says Ryder.
I scan more of the article, and then my breath catches. Oh no. Here’s a section where it discusses a Park Avenue practice with two plastic surgeons who allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a patient during their first consultation. Slowly, my hands close the magazine. I don’t need to read more.
“There was a part about you guys, wasn’t there?” I ask slowly. “And how we met.”
The two doctors nod.
“But does it matter?” I ask quickly. “There aren’t any names in the article, so it could be anyone. It’s all hearsay,”
“That’s the problem,” growls Ranger. “Hearsay. Where did they get this information from? How did they find out?”
I shake my head, troubled.
“I have no idea. I didn’t talk to any reporters.”
“Think, Bethany, think,” rumbles Ranger. “Did you talk to anyone who would have reported this to Plastic Times?”
Suddenly, it’s totally obvious to me.
“I talked with my friend Wanda,” is my meek reply. “I told Wanda about us, but I never thought she’d do something like this.”
The physicians stare, their blue eyes intense.
“Is Wanda a reporter?” asks Ryder.
“Well, actually yes,” I say weakly. “An investigative journalist. In fact, she’s the one who referred me to you guys when I first thought I might need a vaginoplasty. But I swear, she’s my best friend! She would never out us. Never in a million years.”
Suddenly, the men lose it.
“So, you’re telling us, you confided the circumstances under which we met to someone who’s a reporter,” grinds out Ranger.
I nod, swallowing uncomfortably.
“Again, she’s my best friend. I’ve known her for years, and she stayed by my side even after I got pregnant with Danny, and everything was so chaotic for a while. I know Wanda. She would never betray me.”
Ryder shakes his head.
“How did she get our names again?” he asks.
“Well, she was doing some puff piece of plastic surgery for a women’s magazine, I think Glamour or something. So she told me to check out Epinine.”
Ryder looks absolutely pissed.
“Did she set you up?” he rasps, the look on his face murderous. “Was this some kind of undercover sting?”
I literally jerk backwards, totally surprised.
“No! I had no idea! No, absolutely not! I’m not trying to frame you or anything, I swear. I’m not trying to get you to lose your medical license, or anything …”
But it’s too late because the men are standing up, their hulking forms taking almost all the space in my living room.
“Please don’t go,” I babble. “This is just a misunderstanding, I swear! I’ll call Wanda and we’ll figure this out.”
“You’ve been used,” states Ryder flatly. “That woman is out to get us, and you were a pawn in her scheme.”
“That’s giving you the benefit of the doubt,” adds Ranger in a cold voice. “She sent you to infiltrate our practice, and to show just how amoral we are. And you know what? It worked. Everyone’s going to figure out it was us, and we won’t even need to have our licenses revoked. Epinine is going to be over because of this.”
I gape at them, unable to draw oxygen in my lungs. What? Wanda did no such thing! I did no such thing. I open my mouth to protest, but Ranger and Ryder are already gone, the door closing behind them with a soft click.
I gasp once more, almost doubling over from the pain in my stomach. What just happened? Really? Do my boyfriends really think I betrayed them on purpose, just to get some material for an exposé? Even worse, is my relationship with the handsome physicians over because of this horrible tragedy?
21
Bethany
Thankfully, Danny’s still playing happily in his room. He has no idea what just happened because voices were never raised, nor was there any banging or slamming. Thanking god for the small miracles in the world, I stagger over to my handbag and retrieve my cell. With trembling fingers, I dial Wanda.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
On the third ring, she picks up.
“Hey girl,” comes her breezy voice. “What’s up?”
I’m barely able to form words because my throat’s so dry.
“Why’d you do it?” I ask. “Why did you set me up?”
Wanda pretends like she has no idea.
“I did no such thing!” she scolds. “What are you talking about?”
I swallow again, and my throat literally hurts from the pain.
“You set me up with Epinine all for a story,” I rasp. “For your job. You wanted to hurt Doctors Stephenson and Stevens. Why did you make me your pawn? What was the point anyways? What did they ever do to you?” I ask, my voice growing louder and louder until it’s practically a howl. From the other side of the hall, I hear a cry. My son’s heard and he’s begun bawling. Stalking over, I swoop into his room to pick him up while shushing his little form. After a bit of hiccupping, he settles and then scrambles off my lap to go play again. Go figure.
“What did they do to you?” I bite into the phone again, once the coast is clear. “Why, Wanda? What caused this?”
I half expect my red-headed friend to launch into another denial, but instead she owns it.
“It’s just not fair,” she hisses into the receiver. “You have everything, and I have nothing.”
Blinking, I jerk a bit. I’m taken aback because how can she say that? What is she talking about?”
“What do you mean, Wan? If anything, I’m struggling here. I’m a single mom who was working a dead-end job until a few months ago. I live in a rent-controlled apartment, and yes, I’m lucky that I have it, but this is no palace. You’ve been here many times, Wanda. I’m not exactly a princess living in her castle.”
Wanda’s voice goes teary for a moment for a moment, but then she clears her throat, and resumes her attack in a venomous voice.
“You never have trouble getting guys. I’ve been on that fucking site DatingNow for so fucking long, and it never goes anywhere. Hell, I’m not just on DatingNow. I’m also on Match, Coffee Meets Bagle, Bumble, HooksupsAnonymous, and Meet Me Thursday. None of it fucking works!” she screeches into the receiver. “It’s not fair!”
I squint, still trying to make sense of this.
“Yeah, but none of it worked for me either, remember? I was on that site DatingTime up until a couple months ago, and none of it worked for me either, remember? I mean, I went out with so many douches. So how can you say that I don’t have trouble meeting men? I have so much trouble.”
Wanda practically breaks down then, her voice cracking.
“Yeah, but you get guys to sleep with you. Remember that douchebag Rob? He wanted to fuck you, even though you have a loose pussy.”
I stop her there.
“He didn’t want to fuck me. In fact, he suggested that I had major anatomical problems. Why are you saying this? You’re twisting the truth because it’s the opposite of what you’re describing.”
But Wanda’s on a roll.
“And Rob’s not the only one who wanted to fuck you. They all wanted to hook up. All those boys. They took one look at your big brown eyes and sassy body, and wanted to line up at the door and take you on a date before jumping in bed.”
I squint, still utterly confused.
> “So? There are tons of douchebags like that on-line. Why does that make a difference? I mean, guys have low standards. They’ll date anything with two legs and a skirt! Why does it matter? It’s not like any of these dates worked out!”
Wanda starts screeching again.
“But see, I don’t have that because you take all the guys! No one even wants to meet with me! Do you know how many times I’ve been stood up in the last month? Five! Five guys canceled on me before we actually met in person! And you know why? It’s because of bitches like you. You’re taking all the good ones!”
Okay, Wanda’s really not making any sense now. This is a huge city, and there’s no way my erratic dating could possibly be depleting the pool.
“Wan, hold on,” I say, trying to calm her down. “Listen to yourself …”
But she cuts me off.
“No, you listen,” she hisses. “You have everything, Bethany, everything! And I have nothing! You have a beautiful baby boy, whereas no man will even come within ten feet of me. You got pregnant, whereas my ovaries are drying up as we speak. And now? Instead of getting a diagnosis of a loose pussy, you hook up with two hot doctors and are seeing them on a serious basis? What. The. FUCK!?!?” she screams into the phone. “I hate you!”
Then she hangs up, and I stare at my cell phone in shock. The silence rings around me, and I can’t believe what just happened. Clearly, this woman has issues. The person whom I thought was my best friend has literally been eaten up by jealousy this entire time. She thinks that I’m stealing all the men in the world, despite the fact that I’ve been on a string of bad dates just like everyone else. She’s envious because I got pregnant, whereas guys won’t even show up to meet her in person. Most of all, she hates my guts for being in a relationship with two handsome, successful men.
I want to scream “what the fuck?” right back at her. Is our friendship a complete lie? Has she been seething with envy for years now, watching as I made my way through life? Were all her platitudes and overtures of friendship fake? Have I been duped?
My heart hurts just thinking about it. After all, I truly thought Wanda was my best friend. I’ve thought that for years now. She always doted over Danny, and listened to my stories on repeat. She always seemed zany and wacky, but not so much so that it was clinically troubling. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I misjudged things.
After all, why isn’t she taking a look at herself? Why doesn’t she tone down the wild clothes and Pippi Longstocking hair if she wants to be more successful on the dating market? Even more, why doesn’t she look inside her soul, and do a hard assessment of her likability? Wanda could use some major toning down when it comes to her opinions. Guys don’t really want to argue about gun control, abortion, and women’s rights all on the first date. And even if they do, they don’t want it to end in a flaming fight with epithets being hurled at them by some crazy bitch they only just met.
So why can’t Wanda do that kind of self-assessment? I don’t have an answer, but my recommendation is that she needs therapy, bad. Clearly, this is beyond my purview, and she needs the assistance of a professional. My head hurts and my heart pounds with the drama that just went down. Wanda is, or rather was, a dear friend, and I’m shocked by the revelation that she’s hated me this entire time without reservation.
But even more, I’m concerned about my relationship with Ryder and Ranger. They think I was insanely stupid for talking with someone who’s an investigative journalist about the beginnings of our relationship. Was I foolish to do that? Did I over-share, even if at that time I thought Wanda was my best friend? I’m not sure, but all I know is that my heart’s breaking at the thought that our relationship might be over.
22
Ranger
It’s been a tough couple days. My stomach’s been roiling and my chest is tight at what’s happened. Bethany told her friend how she met us, and then that friend, who also happened to be a reporter, blabbed to the world. What the fuck? How did this happen?
The good part is that no one seems to have put two and two together quite yet. We thought that there would be reporters swarming our practice the next morning, demanding to know about this patient that we allegedly took advantage of. But instead, it’s been quiet. No one’s come by, and in fact, everything’s business as usual.
Of course, Bethany hasn’t come into work. She called in sick, and the staff accepted her excuse of a tummy bug. Ryder and I know better though. We were cruel to her about this entire situation, and she’s avoiding us.
Frankly, I feel sick about the way that we treated her. Sure, at first we were incensed when we found out that she’d shared our story with a someone who also happened to be an investigative reporter. Didn’t she realize the jeopardy she was putting us in? But thinking back, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Bethany never expected to be used as a pawn, and what happened was completely unexpected.
Besides, we broke off the doctor-patient relationship immediately after that first session. Ryder and I knew it was the right thing to do, and took corrective action asap. Hopefully, that mitigated the damage.
But still, my stomach’s roiling and I feel slightly nauseous about the entire situation with the beautiful brunette. Bethany’s coming over tonight to talk, and frankly, I’m not sure how it’s going to go. On the one hand, I want to drop to my knees and apologize. But on the other, what the hell? How did we end up here? God, it’s so fucking awful.
There’s a melodious chime, and Ryder strides to the front door. It swings open to reveal our gorgeous girl in all her glory, and Bethany’s never looked more attractive. She’s wearing a purple dress that comes her knees, the flowery material skimming her curves while highlighting those generous assets. Her brown hair streams down her back and those caramel eyes gaze at us hesitantly.
“May I come in?” she asks.
I nod, and gesture to the beige leather sofa.
“Please. Make yourself comfortable.”
She teeters over to the couch before sitting and crossing those creamy thighs. My mouth waters just looking at her, but I force my body to behave. I can’t be sporting a boner when ostensibly, we’re supposed to be talking about serious stuff.
“Hi,” she begins quietly. “I came by to say-,”
Ryder cuts her off.
“It’s okay, baby. None of this is your fault. It’s ours.”
I stare at him. What? I haven’t talked much with Ryder in the last couple days because I’ve been so depressed and morose over this entire shitshow. So what is he intimating at?
“No, it is my fault,” Bethie says softly, shaking her head as tears come to her eyes. “I was an idiot for trusting Wanda. I really thought she was my friend, but it turns out she’s been jealous of me for years now. For the silliest things too,” she says, swiping at her eyes.
I move over to her side, stroking her back.
“Hush, baby. It can’t be that bad.”
She sniffles and looks up at me with brimming eyes.
“No it is. I thought she was my best friend, but it turns out she’s been green with envy this whole time for ridiculous reasons. Because I have a baby, and she doesn’t. Because I’ve had boyfriends in the past, and she hasn’t really. Because men actually show up for dates with me, when they tend to ghost her.”
I crinkle my brow.
“Is your friend some kind of crazy witch or something? Why don’t people like her?”
Bethany nods a little.
“I think crazy would be putting it lightly,” she says with a hitch in her voice. “I think a better way to put is that Wanda’s bitter and really misguided. She hasn’t had an easy time dating in New York for ages now, and it’s warped her world view. She thought that I was stealing all the men in New York.”
Both Ryder and I stare at the beautiful girl.
“What? But how? This city has sixteen million people in it, and fully half of those people are men.”
Bethany wipes her eyes again and smiles a little ruefully.
“I know, right? But Wanda’s delusional, and I really mean that because she’s just off in La-La Land at this point. It’s not like I had a bunch of good dates when I was doing the on-line dating thing. In fact, the opposite: I had a bunch of bad dates. Horrible, awful, wish I could forget them bad dates. But you see, Wanda never even got that far because most guys never even replied to her emails.”
I shake my head.
“Wow. That’s really something.”
Bethie looks tearful again.
“I know, but it’s not just that. Wanda’s so clueless that she never looked inside. She never thought, hey, it could be me. Instead, she just throws everything out there. She’s caustic and difficult to get along with, to the point that men would cancel on her before even meeting her in person. You wouldn’t like her if you met her.”
I growl. I already hate this woman’s guts. There’s no reason to meet her.
But then Ryder steps in again, his tone smooth.
“There’s more to it than that, sweetheart. We have met Wanda, and in fact, she set you up.”
That makes Bethie and I turn to my business partner.
“What?” she gasps, eyes wide. “You’ve met her before?”
I’m just as shocked.
“When? How? I’d remember a bitch like that.”
Ryder merely shakes his head.
“Do you remember how almost a year ago, this crazy redheaded woman came by to interview us for some article on plastic surgery? It was for a women’s magazine, but I can’t even remember which one.”
Damn, how could I forget? That bitch was insane.
“You mean the one who waited for us with no panties on in the conference room? The one who tried to seduce us, and then threw a fit when we politely said no, and mentioned that we’d rather just keep things professional?”
“What?” gasps Bethany with a horrified look. “What are you talking about?”
It’s all coming back to me, and I smile grimly.
“Yeah, this happened way before we met you, sweetheart. This woman came in, saying that she was writing a story for Allure, I think it was. Something about new developments in injectables. You know that we give interviews all the time right? It’s part of our marketing strategy.”
