Richard Mabry - Code Blue

Cathy couldn't believe that Marcus would have anything good to say. She'd talk with the insurance companies first. An hour later, her coat and psyche both a bit wrinkled, she hung up and tossed the last of the charts into her "out" box. She'd received promises to review all the claims and possibly-just possibly-issue supplemental checks for the balances due. Ah, the romance of medicine.

"Let's see what Marcus wants," Cathy murmured. She dialed the number and leaned back, wishing she could put her feet on the desk as she'd seen so many male colleagues do. But she was determined to project a professional image, even when alone in her office.

She endured a full two minutes of music on hold before she heard Marcus say, "Thanks for calling back."

"No problem. What's up?"

"I wanted to give you a heads-up and remind you to be at the Morbidity and Mortality Conference tomorrow at noon."

Warning bells clanged in Cathy's head. "You mean to discuss the Nix case? Can't do it, Marcus. Milton Nix has filed a malpractice suit."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but we still have to review it. That's hospital policy. When the inspectors come around for our accreditation visit, they look at all those records. I don't want them to find that we didn't discuss that one. It would look like we're making an attempt to hide our mistakes."

"Discussing that case in front of the medical staffwould guarantee that the details would be all over town by sundown. If the malpractice action goes to trial, there's no way we could get a fair jury pool." Cathy thought for a moment."Tell you what. You and I and Dr. Baker have talked about it. Why don't you write up a memo and put it in the M amp;M records with the gist of our discussion and a note that the case is under litigation."

Marcus cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I can do that."

"Look, I really need your help here. I'm not asking you to sweep anything under the rug. Just keep the records sealed until this action is settled. Will you do that for me?"

There was silence for a long moment, and Cathy wondered if Marcus had hung up. Then he said, "Okay, I'll do it."He paused. "I realize you're having a tough time right now. How about having dinner with me tonight? Relax a bit. Cry on my shoulder if you want to."

She needed Marcus's support, and dinner with a colleague would be a nice change. But she hesitated once again. Was it still because she was wary of getting close to a man? Or had Marcus's behavior at the credentials committee meeting tipped her offthat he might not always be the ally he purported to be? She wondered if he wasn't really in the camp of the doctors who wanted her gone. And there was also her relationship with Will, though she wasn't sure where that was going.

"Thanks, but I have plans." Of course, those plans were Lean Cuisine in front of the TV, maybe a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream, and a hot bath, but she figured she didn't owe Marcus a detailed explanation. Let him think what he wanted.

The yellow legal pad was filled with almost undecipherable scrawls. In contrast to the careful printing of her prescriptions, Cathy's notes to herself were hastily scribbled words and symbols, marching helter-skelter in all directions, sometimes connected to other thoughts by lines that gave the whole thing the appearance of a drunken spider's web. She'd eaten her microwaved dinner, at least some of it, although she couldn't recall what it had been. Now she sat cross-legged on the sofa with a pint of ice cream slowly melting on the coffee table in front of her. She couldn't make sense of the who and why and how of the prescription that nearly killed Milton Nix.

Cathy looked up as she heard footsteps climbing the stairs outside, followed by a rapping on the door. She detoured to the mirror to check her appearance. Comfortable old sweats, bare feet, blonde hair pulled back and held by an elastic band, face scrubbed free of all makeup. Unless it was the UPS deliveryman, she was in trouble.

It wasn't the deliveryman. It was Will Kennedy, a bouquet of fresh flowers in one hand, a briefcase in the other.

He stepped through the door. "I take it that this evening is informal."

What a total idiot she was. Of course, this was supposed to be the first of the working dinners for her and Will. A dinner she was responsible for cooking.

"I… That is, you have to… I'm so sorry. I completely forgot."

Will smiled the same smile that had melted her heart when she was younger-a smile that touched her as she never thought a man could do again. "I sort of figured that. And I'll bet you've eaten." He didn't wait for an answer. "No problem. I'll just order pizza. Shall we set up on the kitchen table?"

An hour later, Will looked at Cathy across the remnants of a pepperoni pizza and said, "I've enjoyed my dinner with you even if Pizza Hut did the catering, but I guess it's time to go to work. First, I need you to sign these forms. I'll send one copy to your malpractice insurer so they'll know I'm on board as your personal attorney. Since the suit's already been filed, I can schedule discovery depositions."

"You'll have to educate me," Cathy said. "Discovery?"

"We have the opportunity to subpoena witnesses and ask them questions under oath. Not just Nix and his wife, but anybody who might have knowledge pertaining to our case. So who should that be?"

"I guess the first people we need to subpoena are the ones who might have had access to the prescription." Cathy flipped several pages and found the chart she'd made. "Here's the list."

Will came around and read aloud over her shoulder."Milton and Gail Nix. The two pharmacists: Jacob Collins and Lloyd Allen. Anyone else?"

"Not really. And I don't see Mr. Nix playing fast and loose with his own heart medicine."

"We're working on the premise that it was done to hurt you. Who in this group doesn't like you?"

"How about asking if there's anybody in town who does like me?" Cathy heard the self-pity in her voice and hated it."I thought Milton Nix wanted me to do well enough in my practice to pay offmy note at the bank." She gave a sarcastic laugh. "But now he's suing me."

"Any problems with Gail Nix?"

"Not that I know of."

"Lloyd?"

"No."

"Jacob?"

Cathy recalled her last conversation with the pharmacy owner. He'd seemed a bit too pleased when he had said, "I suspect it will be an important piece of evidence in the near future."

The hairs on the back of her neck bristled. "Yes, I think Jacob has to be a suspect."

Cathy watched Jane escort the morning's last patient to the front and begin the checkout process. Ten o'clock and she was through for the morning. At this rate, she wondered how much longer she could maintain her practice.

She slumped down behind her desk and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Might as well tackle some more of the paper-work that never seemed to end. Cathy had just added her signature to the last insurance form when Jane tiptoed in with a bulging manila folder.

"Here are the checks for you to sign." Jane's sad eyes conveyed a message that was confirmed when Cathy opened the folder.

She thumbed through the checks: withholding tax, answering service, cell phone, office phone, supplies, rent, Jane's salary. The check on the bottom of the stack was the monthly salary Cathy had allotted herself-not much- just enough to cover her living expenses. Then she looked at the adding machine tape clipped to the front of the folder and compared it with her bank balance. She shoved the last check across the desk. "Here, rewrite this check for half that amount."

Jane shook her head. "This is the second month in a row that you've reduced your salary check."

"I knew going in that it would take some time to get the practice on a good financial footing. Eventually my practice will grow. Someday those insurance claim checks will start coming in. In the meantime, the boss is the last person to get paid. That's simply the way it is."