Robin Cook - Fatal Cure

Angela acknowledged David's arrival with a nod but continued her conversation with Nikki. David and Angela avoided each other's eyes.

"Will I be able to see Caroline when I leave the ICU?" Nikki asked.

David and Angela looked at each other briefly. It was clear neither knew what to say.

"Is she gone?" Nikki asked.

"She's gone," Angela said.

"She's already been discharged," Nikki cried. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She'd been looking forward to seeing her as soon as she got into a regular room.

"Maybe Arni will want to come in and visit," David suggested.

Nikki's disappointment made her moody and disagreeable. David and Angela knew that the ICU was taking its toll. They were afraid to tell her the truth about Caroline.

After David and Angela did what they could for Nikki's spirits, they left the ICU. They were chary with each other as they exited the hospital. Their conversation focused on Nikki and how pleased they were her clinical course was so smooth. Both of them were certain her emotional state would improve as soon as she was transferred out of the unit.

On the route home, Angela drove slowly to keep David in sight as he pedaled his bicycle. They arrived home at the same time. It wasn't until they were seated in the family room, ostensibly to watch the evening news, that David nervously cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid I have some rather bad news," he said. "I'm embarrassed to tell you I was fired this afternoon." David saw the shock registered in Angela's face. He averted his eyes. "I'm sorry. I know it'll be difficult for us. I don't know what to say. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a doctor."

"David," Angela said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "I was fired, too."

David looked at Angela. "You were?" he asked.

She nodded.

He reached out and pulled her close. When they leaned back to look at each other again, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"What a mess," David said at last.

"What a coincidence," Angela added.

They each shared the sorry details of their last acts at Bartlet. In the process, Angela also filled David in on Walt's latest discovery and her impromptu meeting with Calhoun.

"He thinks the tattoo will help find the murderer," Angela said.

"That's nice," David said. He still didn't share Angela's enthusiasm for the case, especially with the new turmoil in their lives.

"Calhoun had some intriguing news as well," Angela said. She explained Calhoun's theory that the hospital rapist and Hodges' killer were one and the same.

"Interesting idea," David said. But his thoughts were already elsewhere. He was wondering what he and Angela would do to support themselves in the immediate future.

"And remember those admission summaries Hodges was waving around? Calhoun figured out how they're related," Angela said. "They'd all died, and apparently all the deaths came as a surprise to Hodges."

"What do you mean a surprise?" David asked, suddenly becoming interested.

"I guess he didn't expect them to die," Angela said. "He had treated them before they transferred to CMV. Calhoun was told that Hodges blamed both CMV and the hospital for their deaths."

"Do you have any of the histories on these patients?" David asked.

"Just their admission diagnoses," Angela said. "Why?"

"Having patients die unexpectedly is something I can relate to," David said.

There was a pause in the conversation while David and Angela marveled at the day's events.

"What are we going to do?" Angela asked finally.

"I don't know," David said. "I'm sure we'll have to move, but what happens to the mortgages? I wonder if we'll have to declare bankruptcy. We'll have to talk to a lawyer. There's also the question of whether we'll want to sue our respective employers."

"There's no question in my mind," Angela said. "I'll sue for sexual harassment if not wrongful dismissal. There's no way I'll let that slime Wadley get off scot free."

"I don't know if suing is our style," David said. "Maybe we should just get on with our lives. I don't want to get bogged down in a legal morass."

"Let's not decide now," Angela said.

Later they called the ICU. Nikki was continuing to do well. She was still without a fever.

"We might have lost our jobs," David said, "but as long as Nikki is okay we'll manage."

Once again neither David nor Angela slept well. As was becoming his habit, David woke well before dawn. Although he was exhausted, he didn't feel ill like he had the previous morning.

Without waking Angela he went down to the family room to ponder their financial situation. He began to make a list of things to do and people to call, ranking them according to priority. He firmly believed their current plight required calm, rational thinking.

Angela appeared at the doorway in her robe. In her hand was a tissue; she'd been crying. She asked David what he was doing. He explained but she wasn't impressed.

"What are we going to do?" she cried. New tears spilled from her eyes. "We've made such a mess of everything."

David tried to console her by showing her his lists, but she shoved them away, accusing David of being out of touch with his feelings.

"Your stupid lists aren't going to solve anything," she said.

"And I suppose your hysterical tears will," David shot back.

Fortunately, they didn't let their argument go any further. They both knew they were overwrought. They also knew they each had their own way of dealing with a crisis.

"So what are we going to do?" Angela asked again.

"First, let's go to the hospital and check on Nikki," David said.

"Fine," Angela said. "It will give me a chance to talk with Helen Beaton."

"It will be futile," David warned. "Are you sure you want to expend the emotional effort?"

"I want to be sure she's aware of my complaint about sexual harassment," Angela said.

They had a quick breakfast before starting out. It felt strange for both of them to be going to the hospital yet not to work. They parked and went directly to the ICU.

Nikki was fine and antsy to get out of the unit. Although she'd found the bustle engrossing during the day, the night shift wasn't so pleasant. She'd gotten little sleep.

When Dr. Pilsner arrived he confirmed that Nikki was going to a regular room as soon as the floor sent someone to transport her.

"When do you think she'll be coming home?" Angela asked.

"As well as she's doing, she'll be home in just a few days," Dr. Pilsner said. "I want to make certain she doesn't suffer a relapse."

While David stayed with Nikki, Angela headed for Helen Beaton's office.

"Would you call Caroline and have her get my schoolbooks?" Nikki asked David.

"I'll take care of it," David promised. He was purposefully evasive. He was still reluctant to tell his daughter about Caroline's death.

David couldn't help but notice that Sandra's bed in the ICU was now occupied by an elderly man. It was half an hour before David mustered the courage to go to the unit clerk and ask about her.

"Sandra Hascher died this morning about three," the clerk said. He spoke as if he were giving a weather report; as accustomed to death as he was, he was unmoved.

David wasn't so unmoved. He'd been fond of Sandra, and his heart went out to her family, particularly her motherless children. Now he'd lost six patients in two weeks. He wondered if that was a record at Bartlet Community Hospital. Maybe CMV had been wise to fire him.

Promising Nikki that he and her mother would be back to see her later after she'd been moved to a regular room, David walked over to administration to wait for Angela.

Hardly had David sat down when Angela came storming out of the hospital president's office. She was livid. Her dark eyes shone with intensity, and her lips were clamped shut. She walked past David without slowing. He had to run to catch up with her.