"How can she be expected to do that? She's a patient, a mental patient?" Jackie Lee interrupted.
How could I tell her that Grace had been hiding her pregnancy with my blessings all this time?
"Maybe it's not true." I said softly.
The possibility stopped them cold. Jackie Lee, who had been leaning toward me, froze. Then she looked at Mr. Madison.
"You mean, you think Grace Montgomery might be hallucinating this?" he asked.
"It's possible," I offered. I felt very low doing this, Willow, but I also felt so cornered that I had little choice and I was searching desperately for some temporary solution.
Jackie Lee relaxed.
"'Well. I will want her examined immediately to determine that," she said.
I nodded. "Absolutely," I said. "Immediately."
"And," she continued, revving up her aggressive demeanor again, "I want to know exactly what you will do should it be true."
"What I will do?"
"What Mrs. Montgomery means is what we will expect you to do." Mr. Madison said with a cold, wry smile on his thin lips. He opened his briefcase and reached in to produce some papers. "First, we want you to take full responsibility for this event. You will have to have a full investigation of your staff, of course, not only for Miss Montgomery's benefit but for the protection of your other patients."
"Oh, without doubt," I said.
"You will do this all in such as way as to protect Miss Montgomery."
"What he means." Jackie Lee added. "is you won't permit any of this to become public. Should you do so, we will sue you for damages that will turn you into a pauper." she threatened,
"Which brings us to the disposition of the child." Mr. Madison said.
"Child." Jackie Lee said, practically spitting the word on my desk.
"Should the pregnancy continue, of course," her attorney added,
"I see no reason for that to happen." Jackie Lee said. "Who would want such a child anyway?"
"Why don't we wait on that. Mrs. Montgomery? There are medical issues if this pregnancy is as late as you believe it is and--"
"I certainly don't see why Grace would want to give birth to such an thing," she insisted,
"As I said. I need to do a full investigation and--"
"Okay," Mr. Madison said. "Let's look at every contingency here. Should a fetus came to term, you will be responsible for it in every way."
"Absolutely," I said.
'1 couldn't imagine bringing such a child back to Palm Beach!" Jackie Lee cried. "No one, no one should ever know about this," she emphasized. "I'm warning you." she continued, pointing her finger at me. "You will be one sorry person should that happen."
Mr. Madison put the documents in front of me on my desk.
"We'll be at the Grand Hotel overnight." he said. "We expect that you gill make a full
determination of the actuality of the situation, and you will agree and sign to all that we have stipulated here."
"I could sue you and this clinic for thousands and thousands of dollars," Jackie Lee said, her eyes dark and fixed on me. "but that would only bring terrible notoriety to my daughter and to me. I'm sure it would end this .., this place. You're just lucky about that."
"I'm sorry. Mrs, Montgomery. I will look into it all and get back to you as soon as possible."