“I see.”

“Are you going to hire a lawyer for this ethics hearing?” Pete asked.

“No,” I said.

“The chief clerk already logged it,” Pete said.

“If you don’t file a formal response by noon on Wednesday, they’ll mark your record as terminated for cause.”

“Thank you for showing me the copy, Pete,” I said, handing the paper back to him.

I carried my cardboard box of legal reference books down to my car and drove straight to the medical center.

By one o’clock, I was standing outside the orthopedic physical therapy office on the second floor of St.