The New Girl
By Nancy Boardman
This is my fantasy episode of Chicago Hope. It's what it would be like if Alan hadn't died
and Jeffrey hadn't left the hospital. Isn't that it how it should be? If there are medical
inconsistencies in this story, forgive me because I am not, or ever will be, a medical
student. Especially the type that is being featured in the following tale. Please send
comments to boardman@srnet.com and address your love note to NANCY. Thank
you. This story is rated R for possible violence.
DISCLAIMER: The following features characters that are the property of David E.
Kelley and William Goldman. No copyright infringement is intended in the use of these
characters, any similarity of whom to anyone living or dead is coincidental.
9:00 AM
Monday
Aaron had just gotten to his office door when one of the aides ran up to him with a note.
Apparently the student who applied to work with him that summer was waiting for him in
his office. He thanked the aide and sent her on her way. Before he went into his office he
went to see his co-worker and friend Jeffrey Geiger. Geiger was sitting below his desk
running his toy train set. He was also wearing his scrubs. Aaron shook his head. Alan
Birch had talked to Jeffrey about this before, and it hadn't sunk in. Jeffrey was always
bullheaded.
"You know that looks ridiculous, Jeffrey," he said. Jeffrey looked up at Aaron and pulled
the stop switch to his latest game.
"I know." Jeffrey nodded in agreement. He picked a car up and moved it forward. "I put
the JCL Penny car too close to the Cal-mart car. The ultural elite will have a fit. Thank
you, Aaron," he said sarcastically, patting him on the back after he rose. "So you have a
student nurse this year. What are you going to teach her?"
Aaron was taken aback. "I resent that innuendo, Jeffrey. Even you should know better.
These trains almost cost you your license!"
"Aaron, do you remember the student nurse who dropped the heart during surgery?"
Jeffrey said, swiftly changing the subject.
"Your mind is going, Jeffrey. It was Camille who dropped it."
"Oh. Good thing, she would have been gone. Is it a guy or a gal?" Jeffrey asked as they
walked out the office door.
"I'm not sure yet. I was on my way to see her when I decided to stop by and see you."
"You're such a good friend."
"I have to, you beeped me five times during my
breakfast this morning."
They stopped outside the door to his office. Jeffrey tried to peek in through the window
of the office door. "I don't see him, or her.Maybe it's the invisible man."
Aaron glared at him as he went in the door.
"Or woman," Jeffrey finished as the door closed in his face.
There was a young woman sitting at the front of his desk. She was blonde and wore
regular street clothes. Apparently she hadn't received an official uniform from Camille
yet. That was number one on the list. He cleared his throat loudly and she turned around,
startled.
"Hi," He said extending his hand. "I'm Dr. Aaron Shutt."
"Hi. I'm Amber Johnson," she said cheerfully as she shook his hand. Her palm was
sweaty even though she had a firm grip. Amber looked very intelligent in her
horn-rimmed glasses. He released her grip and he sat down on the other side of his
desk. Aaron picked up Amber's file off the desk.
"I hear you are interested in becoming a neurosurgeon; I don't mind telling you that this is
a very selective and challenging field you've chosen." He looked at her.
She nodded. "Yes, sir. I've always been interested in the mind but not in the way that a
psychologist is. I had an uncle who died from a brain aneurysm when I was fourteen.
Since then I've read everything I have found on the human brain. The local library only
had one book so my quemidated enough by the other doctors when she works here. I
would appreciate it if you are not one of them. When Kronk and Nyland find out about
her they'll be after her, along with every male intern in the hospital."
Jeffrey shrugged. "You're protecting her, Aaron. Tell me the real reason why you don't
want me to bug her in the way I have bugged everybody else. It's an integral part of
training here in the real world. "
Aaron started to say something but Jeffrey interrupted.
"I think you like her."
Aaron stared at Jeff. "No, it's not that way. I, unlike you, remember how tough it was for
me to work in a hospital for the first time. Dealing with real patients that could really die if
you don't watch out, or if you leave something in them like a clamp. This is the test for
her. "
"Okay," Jeffrey said, helping himself to a chair in the room. "Then how about I help her
stave off the vultures that'll come her way once she gets more well known. I'll tell them
she's my niece and they'll think she's just like me. It'll only go awry if someone bothered
to check out my background." Jeffrey offered. He smiled in Aaron's direction.
"All right. But remember. I'm also watching you too."Aaron checked his watch.
"Amber should be ready to go now. I'm just going to give her a glorified tour today.
She'll get to see what's normal. I'll see Alan today too, so that'll be a good thing."
Alan was shot by gang members months ago. Through the grace of God and Jeffrey's
knife he survived what should have been fatal shots. Alan had yet to recover. Against the
wishes of Jeffrey and Phillip he had started doing his work again in recovery. Aaron
opened the door and found Amber waiting for him in blue scrubs. She saluted both men.
"Ready to go, sir," she quipped, showing lots of energy. Amber could hardly wait to
start. Aaron detected this as a good sign. He said good-bye to Jeffrey and took her to
the first room.
It was later that night. Aaron was finishing up on some final reports he had to take care
of before he left for the night. He was headlong into them; Amber left hours ago for she
was not required to keep long hours. Aaron had profusely apologized to the girl because
he didn't have much prepared for her to do. He promised he would do better tomorrow.
Aaron heard a light knock at the door. He looked up and found Camille at the door.
"Are you busy?"
"No, come on in." Aaron cleared a seat so she could sit. "Is there something wrong?"
Camille sighed and considered her next thought. "I'm getting some very strange vibes off
of your new assistant." She admitted. "One of the nurses that was there when we were
talking said that when she saw here felt a chill go down her spine. She had to go to the
next room to recover. I'm not sure this student nurse thing is a very good idea."
"Camille, this is the very first day. Of course it's going to seem awkward."
"Aaron, we get tons of new people run through here everyday. If it happened that often,
the we wouldn't be a very effective hospital."Camille shook her head. "This is not
normal."
"Tell me what's normal. You go off and sleep with Nyland while we're separated. Alan,
the world's most considerate soul, is almost shot dead. I lost my father this year, Camille.
This is definitely not normal. Nothing is. So before you criticize who I choose to help,
take a look at yourself. Think about it."
Aaron left the room with a huff; Camille sat still in her seat, with her mouth agape. She
could not believe he talked to her in that manner. She should not be surprised though.
Such spats dotted the length of their marriage. Camille decided that there was something
not kosher with Amber. She will find out about her and do anything in her power to stop
whatever evil she had planned. Camille got up and locked Aaron's door behind her.
Aaron tapped on the door to Alan's room. Alan looked up from a legal brief and waved
him in. He set the document aside, then he adjusted the bed so he could sit straight up.
Aaron waited patiently as the bed slowly made its way up. When it did he took a seat
next to him.
Alan smiled at him. "So how was your day?"
Aaron shook his head and gave him a puzzled look. "The medical student I was assigned
came here today. Her name is Amber Johnson. I wasn't prepared, so I had to send her
home at five of twelve. I am so embarrassed."
Alan adjusted his seat. "It's not like you've done this before." He paused. "Actually it is
your first time, isn't it. How come you didn't talk to Jeffrey, or even Phillip for God's
sake?"
"Jeffrey obviously has different things in mind. I managed to nip that in the bud. He
offered to keep the vultures off her. That's goingto last a week."
"Nyland is out sick, believe it or not," Alan said, pointing to a note. "Some personal
problem. Personally I think he and Kronk have the mother of all hangovers, but I can't
say that."
"I didn't hear it." Aaron shifted gears. "How are you? I see you have picked up where
you left off."
"I have just finished Diane's defense for the lawsuit that kid's family sarted. Do you
believe it? They shoot me, and they are now suing me for how they were treated in the
ER by Diane." After Alan was shot, Diane Grad, the researcher of the hospital, took out
her pain on one of the kids that shot him. The kids were wounded in a police shoot-out.
"I have a great thing, it's a secret."
"I got to go. Camille came to my office tonight. She thinks something is amiss with this
student of mine. "
"What do you think?"
"I think she is letting her imagination get the better of her. You know she watched 'Fatal
Obsession' last night."
Alan nodded. "You should give her a chance before leaping to conclusions. Lately,
especially after the heart thing, she has begun getting very close-minded. A guard found
her going to the bathroom in the men's locker room."
"I'm not going to dismiss it as one of Camille's little quirks. Maybe she's right. Yeah, and
Jeffrey is going to win a Grammy award."
Aaron said good-bye to Alan and went out the door. On his way out of the hospital main
entrance he ran into Jeffrey. He seemed in a hurry.
"Hi, Jeff, I thought you were home."
"Aaron, I just heard that my nurse for tomorrow's angioplasty is pregnant."
"God, that must bite." Aaron said as sympathetically as he could. He knew what that was
like, losing a nurse to sickness or a personal trauma. As bad as he felt for Jeffrey, he
wanted to go home and just sleep.
"I needed to see you right away. I figured you were either here or at home. This is the
first place I came to."
"What do you need, Jeff? I'll see what I can do for you."
Jeffrey took a deep breath. "I need Nurse Jerkins for the procedure."
Aaron looked up alarmed. "What?"
"Aaron, both Jerkins and Rosemary were trained for this procedure. I know that you
have her for your aneurysm tomorrow too. I need her more than you."
"I'm not giving you my nurse."
"That's the way the cards fall, Aaron. Why don't you use that student you picked up
today? It'll be great experience and we'll see how fast she passes out after the brain is
revealed."
Aaron scratched his chin. He could never say no to Jeffrey. "All right."
Jeffrey thanked him and walked Aaron back to his car. "You could never say no to me,"
he said.
The next day Aaron called Amber to make sure she could come in extra early.
"I'm going to be doing that procedure earlier than planned. I hope you could come in
because I will need you to assist in this today."
"Great! I watched two of the operations yesterday. I think I have it down."
"Well, that's good. Whom did you watch?" He asked half expecting Jeffrey's name to
come up.
"I watched a couple done by Dr. Kate Austin," Amber told Aaron.
"Well, I'm glad. Kate is one of the best heart surgeons. Don't tell Jeffrey I said that or
he'll call me up at midnight and start singing to me."
Amber laughed. "I'll be there in ten minutes. This crosstown traffic is murder."
Aaron nodded. He thought of an idea, then quickly disposed of it. Kronk lived on that
side of town, but there was no way in hell he was going to let him drive his nurse to the
hospital. He might cut off her leg. "I'll meet you at my office. Then I'll talk the procedure
over with you when we scrub."
"Do you mind if I bring my tape player? I believe the OR you are using today has a
player that is broken."
How did she know that? Aaron wondered. No matter. The last time he used the player
in the OR was when they had the blackout and it was playing a Hank Williams album.
Just the thought of it chilled him. "Sure, anything but country."
"I'll bring something appropriate," Amber assured him.
"See you then."
Aaron said good-bye and hung up the phone. No sooner had he set it in the cradle than
it rang again. It was Camille. She sounded rushed.
"Hi, Aaron. I hear you are using your student today.Are you sure you want to do this?
She has only been here one day."
"Camille, if circumstances had been different I would have chosen one with more
experience. But since it happened the way it did, I have to use Amber."
"Are you sure? Maybe I could come in mid-way and relieve her."
"I'm sure she'll do as well as you would, if you were still here. Maybe better."
"Okay. " Camille abruptly hung up. Aaron held the phone in his hand questioningly, then
put it back in the cradle. What was with her lately?
Aaron met Amber in the lobby of the hospital. She was wearing her uniform, and her hair
was tied back into a bun.
"Morning, Dr. Shutt." She greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning," Aaron returned. "We'll talk on the way to the scrub room. The patient that
you saw first yesterday: we will be working on him today."
"I brought Harry Connick Jr." Amber said.
"Good, now do you know the proper way to scrub?"
"Sure. It's elementary."
Jeffrey came out of a room and patted Aaron on the back.
"Hello, Aaron, young lady," he said, greeting the two.
"Call me Amber. Everyone else does. Including that nice Billy Kronk."
Aaron looked at Jeffrey who just shrugged. "You talked to Kronk? When?"
"He's the one who showed me where your office was. I'm not sure about him though. Is
he gay? I just got that distinct impression. Like he's trying too hard."
Aaron nodded in agreement. Anything to keep her out of harm's way.
"Oh, yeah. He's gay. So is Dr. Nyland. They live together so that should speak
volumes." Jeffrey filled in for him. They turned the corner. "I got to go and start rounds.
Good luck on your first surgery."
"Thanks." Amber waved to him. Aaron led her into the scrub room. He was about to
show her how to start, but she was already half-way done. Where Aaron used the same
method since his own internship, Amber had a different way of doing it. She started in
the middle of her arm and worked down gradually adding more soap. Aaron was
impressed.
"Okay, let's go," Aaron said to Amber, who nodded as she put her mask on.
They entered the room and the doors closed behind them.
Later on Aaron encountered Amber coming out of the snack area. She smiled when he
saw him coming her way.
"You did a good job this morning," Aaron said to her. She sighed with relief.
"I'm glad to hear you say that. And I want to let you know how thankful I am that you let
me into this surgery this morning."
"It was no problem..." Aaron protested.
"I want to thank you, personally." Amber said. "Come over to my place tonight. I want
to cook you dinner." She poked at his stomach. "It looks like you need it, Aaron."
"Well, I guess there's no way I can turn you down, is there?" Aaron conceded.
"I live at 45 Bloomingdale drive, apartment five."Amber was almost giddy "I'll see you
there!" She turned to leave. Aaron grabbed her shoulder and halted her.
"You forgot your tape. If you left it there any longer Jeffrey would havememorized all the
songs," he said, giving her the tape. She smiled again before turning to leave. Aaron
watched Amber trot down the hallway and turn the corner. He looked nearby and saw
Camille sitting at her station. He walked over to the station and leaned on it. Camille
looked at him with a sense of worry. She shook her head and stood up.
"Aaron, you hardly know her," Camille said in astonishment.
Aaron picked up his papers and tucked them under one arm. "Since when are you so
interested in my life, Camille?"
"Ever since it stopped including me."
"I stopped including you years ago. Even now, you are only my co-worker. That's all."
Aaron started walking away.
"Do you know what you are getting into?" she yelled in desperation.
"No, but I'm sure you've done this hundreds of times," he replied.
Camille sat down as Aaron went into one of his patients' rooms.
Aaron visited Alan every day for at least half an hour after Aaron was done for the day.
Today he went to Alan's room a little early. He wanted some advice on Amber's dinner
invite. Alan was a great adviser. He always knew what to say to people. Alan was eating
lunch when Aaron walked into the room. Since Alan was already in an upright position,
Aaron sat down. Alan briefly stopped eating his mutant jello and regarded his friend. He
looked very exhausted for this time of day. Things must be trying his mind, Alan decided.
Better to wait for him to ask whatever he had in mind. Pushing him would only make him
more anxious.
"How's your day been going?" Alan cautiously asked him.
Aaron looked up at him. Beads of sweat had formed at his forehead.
"I had to substitute my student nurse for the nurse that is usually with me."
Aaron revealed. "So what's the problem?" Alan took the big leap after deciding Aaron
would need some help.
"She invited me to dinner. I guess it's some kind of reward." Aaron said to him. Alan's
eyebrows arched.
"Wow."
"That's what I said. Camille is completely suspicious. Jeffrey...well...you know..."
"Point taken," Alan assured him. "What did you say?"
"I said yes."
"Good," Alan said, pushing away his tray table.
"Good?" Aaron said, wiping off his forehead with the back of his hand.
"I say it is," Alan replied. "You haven't been out there ever since Camille divorced you
and I got shot. It's about time."
"This was NOT a DATE, Alan. I would never take advantage of a young girl like that.
And I don't think she is intending anything more than a thank-you."
"I'm just telling you what to think about. I mean, it will happen sooner or later," Alan said
defensively.
"Thanks, but it wasn't necessary. I know what I'm doing. I married Camille, remember."
"No comment." Alan whistled.
Aaron knocked on the door to Amber's apartment. He was dressed in a gray suit, the
same he wore to the office that day. He had arrived a couple minutes late because of the
crosstown traffic that she mentioned before. A turnip truck had collided with a cattle
truck. Even worse, the cows were eating the turnips. It took a couple of minutes to calm
down the pandemonium, but it did pass. Aaron calmly knocked again. He was quite
surprised when the door opened to reveal Amber in a Chicago University sweatshirt.
Her hair was down and she had taken off her makeup. A soup ladle was in one hand.
"I feel overdressed," Aaron admitted sheepishly.
"No, that's all right!" She put out her hand. "Come on." She took his hand and led him
through the kitchen to the living room. "I hope you like linguini."
"That's great." Aaron had to admit he was starving. If he'd had a chance he would have
grabbed one of the turnips that had spilled onto the highway. Amber went back in the
kitchen. Aaron looked at one of the magazines on the table. "You keep the New
England Journal of Medicine on your coffee table?"
"It's the only way to keep up on the new procedures. Now that I'm officially affiliated
with the hospital, I'll be more up to date than I ever dreamed."She returned to the living
room with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.She handed one to Aaron and popped
the cork.
"What's the occasion?" Aaron asked as she poured champagne into a wine glass.
"My first operation," she replied. "It's also the day I got accepted into medical school, so
it's a two-for-one deal." Amber and Aaron raised and clinked their glasses. Amber
finished her glass in one big gulp. "I hope you don't mind that it's non-alcoholic wine, I
don't hold my liquor very well."
She stood and brushed off her khakis. "I'll go check up on the linguini. Take a look
around. I have a spectacular textbook collection in that closet." She pointed to a door
near the entrance.
Aaron got up and looked around. There were various pictures and movie posters
scattered around the room. There was her diploma and a poster that advertised a movie
about a demented brain. It was definitely not an educational movie. He walked around
the room taking in more of the scenery. He felt a tapping on his shoulder, turned and
found Amber in back of him.
"Dinner is ready," she told him. Their faces were an inch apart.
Aaron pulled back and rubbed his hands. "Great. Where do we eat?" he said nervously.
Aaron hoped he was the only one who noticed the close call that had just occurred.
Amber led him out to the living room. There was a table set with a red tablecloth.
Candles were in the center of it, along with two plates with reasonableportions on them.
Amber moved to her seat. She was mildly surprised when Aaron pulled it out for her. It
was the kind of chivalrous manners that not many men possessed nowadays. Aaron took
his seat as she poured more wine into the glasses set before them.
"Now," she explained. "Here we are."
Aaron nodded. Apparently she didn't have a pre-dinner ritual like saying grace. He didn't
mind when she started eating before him. He soon started on his own plate. As soon as
they were finished, Aaron assumed it was time to leave. He got up and walkedaround.
As he paced around the room, he could see into the kitchen. Amber had mysteriously
disappeared. He picked up his coat and left. Aaron concluded that she had gone to the
bathroom, and had forgotten about him. What he didn't see, however, was her watching
him out the bedroom window. She was wearing a nightgown. Amber watched him until
he had gotten into his car. She finally left the window when Aaron's taillights were out of
her line of vision.
Aaron was in his office eating breakfast when Jeffrey knocked on his door.
"How did you do?" Jeffrey asked him. He sat in the chair opposite.
"What?" Aaron asked. He knew what he was asking. Apparently word had gotten
around about his dinner with Amber. Everyone was going to think he had slept with her,
which was absolutely not the case. It didn't happen.
"Your date..."
"Not a date." Aaron cut Jeffrey off.
"Kronk thinks so. Now he's going to try and score with her, whether you did or not."
"We told her he was gay."
"True. There goes his love life, what there is of it."
Aaron nodded. "It went okay. We talked a lot about the biz, as she calls it. She has a lot
more knowledge about the human brain than most people I know, including myself. I left
around ten."
"That's it? Kronk will be disappointed."
"Too bad for him. I am not going to allow him to live off my non-date." Aaron picked up
a file and opened it without looking at it. "I don't have much scheduled today; I'll give
Amber something substantial to do for the whole day. She'll file all the recent surgery
records by name and severity of the case. Amber will be up to her eyeballs." Aaron
smiled. "Meanwhile I have to go to another hearing."
"Another?" Jeffrey asked. Hearings and lawsuits were part of a hospital's vernacular
now.
"For Diane; I have to prove she's sane. That'll be easy. She works with monkeys."
"Good," Jeffrey said as he got up to leave. "Have you seen Camille lately? She's white as
a sheet..."
"No." Aaron spoke bluntly. "We haven't been getting along very well since I got my new
assistant. I've been basically avoiding her."
Amber sat in her car watching Aaron through her binoculars. He was talking to that
damn heart surgeon again. What a jerk! She lowered the lenses, then looked in her
rear-view mirror. She spotted Camille Shutt sneaking a cigarette in the no-smoking area
of the parking lot. Amber knew Camille didn't smoke. This was a sign that she was
getting to her.A look crossed her face, she knew she was being watched. Camille
quickly extinguished her cigarette and rushed back into the hospital. Amber returned her
focus to Aaron's office. It was empty, for she knew that he would be at a hearing.
Amber smiled and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Soon Aaron," she said to no
one in particular, "you will be all mine. My plan is in motion; it will not be long."
Aaron came out of the hearing room with Diane Grad. She had just won her case in the
hearing. Diane thanked Aaron and Jeffrey profusely before she went back down to the
research lab. The hearing took some of the time she needed to find a cure for AIDS.
"Where do you think Amber is?" Aaron said. "I thought she would come to the hearing."
"Maybe she's waiting for you in your office. After all, you left instructions with one of the
aides, right?"
"Right," Aaron agreed, while turning the corner towards his office.
"She's probably working her pretty head off," Jeffrey mused as they opened the door to
find Amber on the floor. She was working with a file.
"Morning, Aaron." Amber stood up and greeted him. "Hi Jeffrey, tell me, how is your
wife?"
Aaron looked at Jeffrey, who was positively shocked. He didn't know how she got that
information, but it certainly wasn't from Aaron. "She's great, I saw her and what's his
name last night," he replied. "I got to go." Jeffrey nudged Aaron. "I'll see you later."
Amber went back to her files as Aaron silently watched Jeffrey leave. He snapped out of
his trance and sat down at his desk.
"I see you are already on your way with those files," Aaron said. "I'm sorry I left without
saying good-bye last night. I thought you had forgotten about me."
"Aaron, I should be apologizing to you! I did forget I had a guest and just went about
like it was a normal weeknight. And it was not," Amber quickly replied.
"Nonetheless I had a great time. Those files should occupy you for the rest of the
morning, then we will take in a surgery. The chief of staff has been wanting to meet you
too, so we'll have a full day."
"Fab, I'm on it, boss." Amber said before diving into another file.
Aaron sensed she had tuned him out, he got up and headed for the cafeteria. His first
surgery was not for an hour.
Camille hated her long days and long nights. She should have gotten a safer job, like on
the Chicago Bomb Squad. It was around midnight and she still had a long way to go
before she could go home for the night. After she paid her visit to Alan she was in one of
the hospital's storage rooms. She was moving equipment out of her way in a old storage
closet. Camille was almost ready to leave when she hear a door squeak. The exit was
from across the room, and it was partially visible. Despite all these factors in her favor,
she didn't expect a thing when the shadowed figure appeared behind her. With a flash of
metal, the blade of a pocket knife smoothly made its way across her neck. It cut her
throat deeply, and thick, red blood spilled out instantly. Camille turned to see her
attacker. But all she could see as she fell to the ground was the feet of her assailant, and
the cruel, dark expression on their face. She immediately recognized the face. But it was
too late, the damage had already been done.
"Why?" She choked, blood streaming out of her mouth as the words were uttered.
The voice of her assailant was scratchy; she could barely hear it. "Because I can." The
figure left. Camille tried once to get on herfeet. She fell to the ground with a clatter.
Billy Kronk, Emergency Room doctor and resident wise-ass, heard the noise coming
from the storage closet. As much as he was late coming back from a hockey match, he
stopped to check the room. He found Camille sprawled out on the floor, a gleaming pool
of blood beside her. Camille's eyes fluttered shut, then opened. She croaked and a
bubble came out of her blood-soaked mouth. Camille was barely alive.
Billy ran out of the room. "I need a stretcher and some blood. Stat. Nurse Shutt is down
in storage room two."
They sprang into action upon Billy's orders and prepped a stretcher for Camille, ran it to
the storage room and gingerly placed Camille on it.
"We'll need an OR." Danny Nyland spoke quickly. "Otherwise she won't make it
through the night."
"I'll call Aaron," Billy said and headed for a phone.
"Call him for what?" a voice said behind him. Billy turned and saw that it was Amber.
"Camille was just brutally attacked in a storage room." Billy looked at a clock. "What are
you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come and watch you guys at work. I didn't know it
would be Camille you would be working on," Amber said to Billy. "Let me call Aaron. I
have his number, and I'll tell him about Camille," she offered.
"I don't know..." Billy said reluctantly.
"The faster you get Camille to an OR the better the odds that she'll live." Amber replied.
Billy ran off in the direction of the cart. Amber ran alongside it. Camille looked up at
Amber and her eyes shrank in horror. Billy noticed the change and looked at Amber
questioningly.
"She must think I'm the one that did this to her," Amber whined. "I better stay away, or
else I'll compromise her condition." Amber hung back. Then she went to a phone and
dialed Aaron's number.
Aaron had passed put in front of the TV when he got home. He realized that he had
fallen asleep there when he got the call on his private line. He picked up.
"Hello."
"Aaron!" It was Amber. Little miss sunlight. Why was she calling this late?"Camille was
attacked."
Aaron sat up straight, knocking the TV remote off his leg. "What?"
"Yeah, she was attacked in a storage room. She's in an OR now. You might want to
come down here."
Aaron could barely speak. He could not believe it, that something had happened to
Camille. Sure they had their problems, every couple does, but he never wished her dead.
"I'll be right there," Aaron said. He rose so fast he tripped over the coffee table on the
way to the bathroom. There he washed up enough to be presentable. It was
twelve-thirty when he left, the same time Camille Shutt died on Billy Kronk's operating
table.
Aaron arrived at the lobby to the hospital. Amber met him there. She was in tears.
Aaron walked over to her. She was crying loudly
"Where's Camille?" he asked softly. Amber started bawling hysterically.
"She's gone," she whimpered in between sobs.
Aaron grabbed her forcibly. "Where is Camille?"
Amber stiffened up. "She's dead, Aaron. Your ex-wife is dead." She started bawling
again. When she gained control she added, "It happened after I called you! I killed her,
Aaron! I should have been there to help her, but I was too worried about my own
feelings. I'm sorry Aaron, I ain't worth it."
Aaron hugged her tightly. He saw Jeffrey coming up behind her. She spun around and
saw him. She ran over and hugged him too. Apparently he received the news right after
Aaron did.
"I just talked to Kronk," Jeffrey declared stiffly, trying to retain his composure. "There
was nothing they could do for her."
"How?" Aaron said to Jeffrey.
"I don't think now is the time to..."
"How?? How did it happen?"
Jeffrey sighed and looked at Amber, who nodded. She know it was the right thing to do.
"She was attacked in a storage room. Heaven knows why she was there. Anyway,
someone snuck up from behind and cut her throat. She was already beyond the point of
rescue when Kronk found her."
Aaron said nothing. He ran up the stairs to his office, trying to ignore the faces that would
inevitably stare at him. He made it to his office and slammed, then locked the door. He
crept into a private sector of his office. Aaron sat down and began to cry softly. Amber
found him sleeping there the next morning. She draped a blanket over him and left the
office. She went to Phillip who gave her and Aaron the day off.
The weekend seemed like it would never end. Aaron walked through the entire process
of calling relatives, organizing the wake and the inevitable funeral on that Monday.
Amber didn't show her face at the wake. Her overwhelming guilt kept her at home.
Aaron was driving to the wake when he decided to stop over at Amber's. He pulled up
in the driveway of the apartment complex she lived in. He got out and looked at the tall
dark structure. All her lights were off.
"Maybe she's going to the wake after all," Aaron mused. Then he did a double take
when he saw one of the curtains move. He ran up the stairs to her apartment. Aaron
knocked and suddenly grew concerned when she didn't answer. He pounded even
harder. At that time she opened the door. Amber's eyes were swollen.
"Aaron." She gasped and pulled a towel over her face."You shouldn't see me like this.
You shouldn't even be here."
"I'm concerned about you. You haven't answered your phone since the incident,"Aaron
protested as he made his way in. "I think it is imperative that you go to this wake. Maybe
it will be some sort of closure for you and Camille."
"No!" she yelled. "I can't face those accusing eyes! The police, Aaron, they already
suspect me and Kronk for the murders. I know where I was last night! What reason
would I have to commit murder?"
Aaron remained silent through all of this. He had problems of his own. "I'll drive you
there," he offered. "Far be it from me to make you go to this, but it might be healthy if
you did."
Amber considered Aaron's suggestion. She knew he wasn't going to leave until she came
with him. Amber sighed and got her coat. "All right," she said as she went out the door.
"I'm doing this for you."
Aaron took a couple of days off. Phillip insisted he needed the rest and the time off to
think things over. He did the same for Amber, except in her case she decided to study
some more. Meanwhile the police hadn't found any more clues on Camille's murder.
There were no fingerprints, and there were no witnesses. Aaron was informed that they
might nevere close the case. There was nothing Aaron could do about it. When his days
off were over, both Aaron and Amber returned to the hospital. Aaron was distracted so
he couldn't give Amber anything to do. She volunteered to watch a few surgeries and
take notes. Aaron reluctantly agreed before he went off to perform a couple of
procedures himself. Aaron stopped in Alan's room before heading for the OR.Alan
wasn't there. He pulled aside one of the nurses.
"Where's Alan Birch?" he asked her. "He was released early this morning, Dr. Shutt. I'm
sorry, I thought you knew."
"Well, I didn't, but that's okay," he said as the nurse walked away. "Nowadays I'm the
last to know everything."
Aaron turned from the room and headed for Jeffrey's office. He knocked quietly on the
door. Jeffrey got up from him desk and opened the door for Aaron. Aaron sat down in a
chair across who Jeffrey, who had also taken a seat.
"What's up?" Jeffrey asked Aaron.
"I'm not sure. Every since Camille died I got this weird sense of something. I don't
know."
"It took me time to recover after my son died, Aaron. What you're experiencing is
completely normal," Jeffrey said. "Try to concentrate on some good things, Aaron."
Aaron nodded, got up and went back to work.
Amber went into the women's locker room and started to take off her uniform. She
looked in the mirror on her locker. She wanted to be sure no one was watching her. As
soon as she felt the coast was clear, she pulled out a black box. Inside it was the
incriminating knife that was used in Camille's death. She wrapped it in a cloth and slipped
it into the sewer drain in the shower floor. If her calculations were correct the knife
would reach the lake by the morning, and the perhaps the St. Lawrence Seaway by
noon if the tide was right. Amber removed a gray shopping bag. She changed into the
outfit that was inside. Amber was getting ready to go. She finished dressing and rushed
out the door before anyone could catch her.
Aaron opened the door to his place when he heard music playing. He quickly unlocked
the door and ran in. He looked around the living room, then his bedroom. He heard the
sound of the washing machine in the next room. He slowly walked around the corner to
look when he ran into Amber coming out of the laundry room. She was wearing a
university sweatshirt, probably the same one she wore weeks ago. Aaron was shocked,
but he had to admit he was pleasantly surprised to see her.
"Hi, Aaron," Amber greeted him.
"Hello, Amber," Aaron replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you looked so down and out at the hospital I decided to do you a favor and do
your laundry." Amber said pointing in the direction behind her. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, that's okay. It was just a surprise, that's all," Aaron said, walking over to the
washer. He found himself wondering if she put enough starch in or not. What a silly thing
to be thinking. "But if it's all right, I would like to be alone right now."
"Camille, huh?" Amber asked him. He turned to look at her and he slowly nodded.
"I've been seeing the hospital shrink ever since this happened. I asked him about you,
and he said that the last thing you need right now is to be alone. Alan Birch
recommended that I be here since I'm the only person who's close to you besides
Jeffrey." She heard the beep on the washer signaling that it was done. "And what has
Jeffrey done for you lately?"
She had a good point, Aaron realized. But this wasn't about what Jeffrey or Alan thought
he should be doing. "That's not what I mean, but thanks for the speech. Jeffrey is rubbing
off on you." Aaron pointed to a seat. "You better sit down."
Amber and Aaron sat down in the living room. Amber shut the music off as she entered
the room. Aaron sat back and thought for a minute. Then he spoke.
"The police are considering abandoning the case on Camille. It's the fact that someone
hurt her that's been bringing me down lately. No one is going to be caught. Not like
Alan's attacker."
Amber silently nodded. She got up and got her jacket."I understand." She headed
towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Aaron watched her leave. He waited a few minutes before getting up, then he headed for
the bedroom. Only sleep could console him now.
Amber watched Aaron through her binoculars. He walked into the room and turned on
the light. Then he pulled the shade halfway closed. Amber had the good sense to turn
away when he started undressing for bed. She looked at her radio clock. It was
nine-thirty, an unusual time for going to bed. But then, Amber thought, through the nights
she watched him, this was the same time he had been turning in. Ever since Camille died.
No, she thought, ever since she got Camille out of her way. If you want to make an
omelet, she believed, you have to crack a few eggs. There was one more egg to crack.
She started up the engine on her Pinto and headed out of the parking lot.
When Amber left, Aaron was going to bed. He couldn't sleep so he took a long hot
shower. Despite himself, he actually enjoyed it. The pelting water helped him do
something he hadn't been able to do in a while: forget about Camille. Aaron had just
gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. It was Jeffrey. He had managed to get
home at the same time as Aaron. He tied his robe and quickly dried his hair before he
answered.
"Hey, it's me," Jeffrey intoned.
"Hi." Aaron sighed. "How are you doing tonight?"
"To be honest, it could be better. I'm defrosting my refrigerator. So much for my big
night of sitting, right?"
Aaron laughed. "Amber was here. Doing my laundry of all things."
"I know something you don't."
"What else is new?"
"I think Amber likes you."
"No way," Aaron protested. What a silly thought. "Are you picking up something I'm
not?"
"Well, you're usually good at that. In this case it's a big yes."
"I consider her a friend. A quirky friend like someone else I know, but just a friend,"
Aaron said while sorting his mail.
"Think about it, Aaron. To her you may be her sincere amore."
"What?"
"The big love," Jeffrey answered before hanging up.
Aaron placed the phone back in its cradle. He sat there for a moment. Could Jeffrey be
right? Was he missing the signals? This is something that would happen to guys like
Kronk or Nyland. But not Aaron Shutt. He ran his hand through his spotted gray hair. It
was still wet, he discovered. He decided not to go to bed before it dried. He found the
TV remote, clicked and watched a medical mini-series.
Jeffrey worked at his desk. He was going over a list of things he had to do in the
morning. Jeffrey lived in a condo on the other side of Chicago. His condo featured the
nice extras that a doctor of his experience would have. Jeffrey got this one in particular
because it had a balcony with a fantastic view. Also it had a excellent view of the female
neighbors within eye-shot. Jeffrey got up and walked to the fridge. He had five beers in
the fridge, so cleaning it out wouldn't take much time. He was also worried about his
friend Aaron. Since Camille's death he had been surprisingly distant. Jeffrey thought
about this as he opened a beer. He was about to take a sip when he heard a noise. It
came from the area near the balcony. Jeffrey realized he didn't have lights on, but he
chose to found out what was disturbing his inner sanctum.
"Aaron?" he called; maybe he paid him a surprise visit.Maybe Kronk and Nyland were
coming out of the closet and he was the first person they would tell. Both these situations
were improbable. Jeffrey opened the balcony door. He heard a rustle from the curtain
and turned on his heel. He stared at the dark individual coming out from behind the
curtain. His eyes widened considerably. He knew who it was. This was the same person
who killed poor defenseless Camille. Jeffrey put up his hands.
"I'm not going down without a fight," Jeffrey declared as he backed up. He stopped
when he felt the cold metal railing that encircled the balcony. Jeffrey turned and looked
briefly over the edge. Just as Jeffrey pulled focus, just as he found out who his attacker
was, he was pushed over the railing. He clung frantically to the bottom rail. His hands
were in dangerous vicinity of the feet. The figure wore boots. He raised the left boot and
stomped on one hand.
"Sweet mother of God," Jeffrey weakly murmured as the other boot came down.Jeffrey
screamed a silent scream all the way
down. Five floors down. His fall stopped when he hit the empty parking space next to
his car. The last thing Jeffrey saw was an emerald green Pinto and the figure next to it. It
wore sweats and torn blue jeans.
Jeffrey croaked with his last breath. "Why me?"
The figure simply answered. "Because I can and it'swhat everyone wants."
Jeffrey blacked out. He was dead.
Amber stood above the now deceased Jeffrey. She had a look of satisfaction on her
face. "Sing me a song, Jeffrey," she cracked. "Make it short."
The next morning Aaron was waiting in Jeffrey's office. They had scheduled an early
breakfast so they could talk for a while. Before Aaron went home last night, Jeffrey
arranged for them to meet in his office before going to the cafeteria to eat. He was
supposed to be there by eight-thirty. It was now aquarter to ten. Aaron could not spend
any longer in the office. He had an operation in an hour and he wanted to talk to Amber
about last night. He was pretty hard on her last night. After all she only wanted to help
him get over the death of Camille. Aaron knew that even though they had divorced
earlier in the year, he still had some feelings for her. Aaron got up and left the office just
as a policeman knocked on Aaron's office door.
"May I help you, officer?" Aaron asked as the policeman was about to leave
"Yes, you can, Doctor..."
"Aaron Shutt," Aaron said to him.
"We regret to inform you that Dr. Jeffrey Geiger was found dead early this morning," the
officer informed him.
Aaron took a deep breath and paused for a minute. "Do you know what happened?
What caused his death?"
The officer took out his notepad. "He was found outside of his condominium. The body
was directly under the balcony. We can safely assume that he either jumped..."
Aaron looked up sharply. "Jeffrey wasn't suicidal."
"I was about to say it was more likely that he was pushed. There are fresh oil stains right
next to the body. Whoever owned the car that made that mess could also be the
murderer."
"Is there a possibility that whoever killed Jeffrey also killed Camille in the storage
closet?" Aaron suggested to the cop.
The cop nodded.
"I think the murderer is going after people who are deeply involved with you, Dr. Shutt."
Aaron sat down in a chair. He took another deep breath. Aaron was a step away from
hyperventilating and he knew it. He just hoped that the cop didn't know it.
"I would suggest putting a guard on you 24/7 but we don't have the manpower right
now. I would suggest that we have someone you know stay with you to be safe until we
can get that guard for you."
"What guard?" a voice behind him declared.
The officer and Aaron turned to see who had spoken. Amber was there with her bag
lunch and a load of files that she was working on. Aaron gestured Amber to sit down.
When she did Aaron took another deep breath. It was going to take a lot out of him to
say Jeffrey and dead in the same sentence.
"Jeffrey was found dead this morning."
Amber looked at the officer who confirmed Aaron's news.
She started crying immediately. "Oh God," she gasped, reaching the same state that
affected Aaron at that moment.
She stood up and walked around the hallway. She was visibly shaking. Then she sat
back down. "I'm so sorry for you, Aaron."
"Thank you." Aaron spoke softly.
"We were talking about having someone stay with Aaron until we can get someone to
guard him. Apparently whoever is doing this is targeting people that Aaron knows." The
officer said.
"I could be next," Amber said to the officer. "I can stay with him."
"Are you sure?" Aaron asked.
"Aaron, it would be the best thing to do. I can protect ou and you can do thesame for
me."
"Okay." Aaron finally agreed with Amber. "Is that okay, officer?" Aaron asked him.
"Sure, it's good," the officer decided. "I have to go get the paperwork done on this. We'll
file your statement with it, Dr. Shutt. As soon as you can give it to me, let me know."
The policeman walked away from the two. Aaron looked at Amber as she got up and
wiped her eyes."I hope you don't mind me staying with you. My place is a mess, so it's
better that we stay at your place."
"Yes." Aaron said. "You've already found your way in."He stood and collected his
papers from his desk in his office. "Why don't you head home and get a change of
clothes. Later on I could set up a place for you to sleep. I can take the couch, but there
of course is the guest bedroom Camille used." He trailed off. Amber put her hand up.
"I understand," she said. "I'll come back in time for the noon surgery." Amber ran down
the hall and almost mowed down Alan Birch in the process. Alan recovered from his
near fall and continued on his way to meet Aaron. Aaron brightened when he saw Alan
stumble toward him on a crutch.
"Sorry about that," Aaron said. "She's in a hurry. Typical female."
Amber sat in her usual spot outside Aaron's office. He was talking to the nice guy. Was
it Alan? She could never remember. Alan was the only person she genuinely liked beside
Aaron. She sighed and started the car. It was all coming together so perfectly. She
couldn't see any reason why she shouldn't launch into the last phase of her plan tonight.
Whether she would stay with him or not, she would have invited herself in anyway. He
knew she did that,but then he didn't think beyond that.
"Aaron," she said, enjoying the feeling that saying his name gave her. "Amber Shutt," she
said to herself. "It makes so much sense." She hoped the end justified the means. She
started the engine and drove away.
Aaron looked out of the window. Amber had just left after what looked like a long
period of just sitting in her parking space. He shook his head.
"Great," he thought. "Now I'm paranoid. Suspecting my own assistant. Amber couldn't
be capable of that." Aaron dismissed that thought and headed down the hall to Phillip
Watters' office.
The day had been long and hard. That night would be even longer, Aaron knew. First he
lost his ex-wife. But now Jeffrey was gone. His friend and closest confidant. Aaron
drove home quietly, even though the radio blared classical music in his ears. He found
himself thinking about leaving, but he changed his mind. His home was here. He would
have to get on with his life. And that didn't mean running from his current predicament.
At least Amber would be there. She had gotten rather close to him in the last couple of
weeks. After she had returned to the hospital, he informed her that the days' procedures
were canceled and had sent her back to the apartment. Amber offered to clean up but
he insisted otherwise. He enjoyed the feeling that someone that cared about him so much
would be at home. Aaron turned at the intersection leading to his home.
Aaron had no idea. Not even a hint of the emotions that Amber felt raging inside her.
Amber had cooked dinner, wild turkey with dumplings. She was in the process of
lighting candles at the table. He had limited amounts of food in the house, so she had to
go out and buy some things from the local market. She watched Aaron pull into the
driveway to the apartment building. Amber ran about fluffing pillows and checking on the
food in the kitchen. When she heard the key opening the door she plopped down on the
sofa. Aaron caught sight of her on the sofa. She was wearing a black strapless dress.
She had earrings on both ears, and her hair was tied back. He was surprised to see her
dressed like this. It was the first time she hadn't worn a sweatshirt. He suspected
something was up. He put his briefcase down and turned to take his coat off.
"Got a hot date tonight?" Aaron asked her. She stood and brushed off her dress.
"I got this two years ago. I thought it was about time to wear it. Use it or lose it, I say."
"Well, okay," Aaron said as he turned to meet her. The same thing happened that
happened the other day. Their faces were only so far away from each other. She smiled
and backed off.
"I'm going to check on dinner." She turned and walked to the kitchen. "Sit! Relax. That's
an order, Doctor."
Aaron looked around the living room. "You know you didn't have to go through the
trouble to do all this."
"It was no trouble," Amber said behind him. She placed the plates on the table.
"I want to ask you something," she said, her tone turning serious.
Aaron turned to meet her gaze. There was something suddenly very different about her.
He didn't know what. The last days had been so confusing he hadn't thought to look for
signs of anything unusual in her. He sat down on the couch.
"What?" he asked cautiously.
"How do you feel about me?" she said as she sat next to him, legs crossed.
"Me?"
"Yeah. You."
"I think you are a good student. Pretty, but I haven't seen you date anyone. And you are
kind and considerate."
"I haven't dated anyone because I have one particular doctor in mind."
"Really," Aaron said, surprised. "That's good to hear. Who is it?" Aaron automatically
eliminated Jeffrey because of the obvious. Beyond that was anybody's guess.
"The kind I guy you could say I could kill for," Amber continued.
Aaron stood up and paced. When he stopped, he sat back down on the couch.
"Allright. Who is it?"
Amber moved over an inch to Aaron. "It's you."
"Me?" he said. Aaron thought he should really stop acting like that. Otherwise people
would think he was an idiot. "Why me?" The phrase was deafeningly familiar to Amber.
"Because I want you." She stood and Aaron did. She walked toward him as he backed
up. Aaron nearly tripped over an end table. He stumbled around it as she came closer.
"And because I killed two other people to get to you." He backed into a wall. She was
eye to eye with him.
"You killed Jeffrey and Camille?" Aaron asked, horrified. She nodded. As she came in
closer he darted around her and ran out the room. He ran into the kitchen and looked for
a place to hide.
Amber came in slowly. She grabbed a butcher knife off the kitchen counter and wielded
it with fatal purposes. "Come on, Aaron. You're not making this easy for you or me."
She looked under the table. "You know I hate this as much as you do..."She opened the
closet.
Aaron came out spraying oven cleaner in her face. She recoiled as it went into her eyes.
She screamed in pain as Aaron ran back into the other room. He picked the phone up,
only to discover it had been disconnected. Aaron deftly dodged the knife blade as
Amber drove it into the table next to the phone. He got up and threw the disconnected
phone at Amber. It hit her on the forehead. She fell to the ground. Aaron sat in a seat
and caught his breath; he turned to leave. She popped up from the ground and aimed the
knife at Aaron. He backed up as Amber swung the knife at him. She was only stabbing
at the air between them when she suddenly hit paydirt. The knife cut Aaron in the leg and
he fell to the floor. She moaned as she sat on the floor next to Aaron. She stroked his
cheek. She absent-mindedly put the knife down. Amber bent over Aaron as she went in
to kiss him. When she got close enough to graze his cheek, Aaron opened his eyes. She
didn't move. Instead she went in closer. Aaron saw the knife now shimmering with his
blood. He picked it up and drove it deep into Amber's back. She reared up, screaming,
trying to get the knife out of the middle of her back. Aaron had reached the door on his
hands and knees. He reached up for the doorknob. Amber tackled him from the behind.
Apparently she had gotten the knife out. Aaron reached for the door. She pulled the
knife up. The door opened with a shove. Shots rang out and they all hit Amber. She
gurgled and fell back to the floor. Aaron looked up. It was Phillip and the police. The
cops had fired the fatal shots.
"Jesus. Aaron," Phillip whispered. "Are you all right?"
"I've been better," Aaron said as one of the cops helped him to his feet.
"How did you know it was Amber who killed Camille and Jeffrey?"
"Forensics found a strand of her hair and some fingerprints near both of the bodies,"
Phillip explained as he helped Aaron out to the car. "We were hoping to get to you
before you came home tonight. "Apparently I should have come to you with my doubts
before she volunteered to sleep at your place. That should have really tipped me off."
"It's good you got here at all," Aaron reasoned. "Is she dead?"
"Yes," Phillip answered. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe I'll think hard about this the next time the university offers me a student," Aaron
said to Phillip as the ambulance closed the doors. "I should get a guy next time."
"That's fine with me, Aaron." Phillip smiled. "Just hope he's not gay. Then everything
should go better."
Aaron smiled at his friend's comment and closed his eyes. Camille and Jeffrey. He
thought, I'm going to miss them. Aaron fell asleep as the ambulance wailed softly into the
night.
THE END
By Nancy Boardman
This is my fantasy episode of Chicago Hope. It's what it would be like if Alan hadn't died
and Jeffrey hadn't left the hospital. Isn't that it how it should be? If there are medical
inconsistencies in this story, forgive me because I am not, or ever will be, a medical
student. Especially the type that is being featured in the following tale. Please send
comments to boardman@srnet.com and address your love note to NANCY. Thank
you. This story is rated R for possible violence.
DISCLAIMER: The following features characters that are the property of David E.
Kelley and William Goldman. No copyright infringement is intended in the use of these
characters, any similarity of whom to anyone living or dead is coincidental.
9:00 AM
Monday
Aaron had just gotten to his office door when one of the aides ran up to him with a note.
Apparently the student who applied to work with him that summer was waiting for him in
his office. He thanked the aide and sent her on her way. Before he went into his office he
went to see his co-worker and friend Jeffrey Geiger. Geiger was sitting below his desk
running his toy train set. He was also wearing his scrubs. Aaron shook his head. Alan
Birch had talked to Jeffrey about this before, and it hadn't sunk in. Jeffrey was always
bullheaded.
"You know that looks ridiculous, Jeffrey," he said. Jeffrey looked up at Aaron and pulled
the stop switch to his latest game.
"I know." Jeffrey nodded in agreement. He picked a car up and moved it forward. "I put
the JCL Penny car too close to the Cal-mart car. The ultural elite will have a fit. Thank
you, Aaron," he said sarcastically, patting him on the back after he rose. "So you have a
student nurse this year. What are you going to teach her?"
Aaron was taken aback. "I resent that innuendo, Jeffrey. Even you should know better.
These trains almost cost you your license!"
"Aaron, do you remember the student nurse who dropped the heart during surgery?"
Jeffrey said, swiftly changing the subject.
"Your mind is going, Jeffrey. It was Camille who dropped it."
"Oh. Good thing, she would have been gone. Is it a guy or a gal?" Jeffrey asked as they
walked out the office door.
"I'm not sure yet. I was on my way to see her when I decided to stop by and see you."
"You're such a good friend."
"I have to, you beeped me five times during my
breakfast this morning."
They stopped outside the door to his office. Jeffrey tried to peek in through the window
of the office door. "I don't see him, or her.Maybe it's the invisible man."
Aaron glared at him as he went in the door.
"Or woman," Jeffrey finished as the door closed in his face.
There was a young woman sitting at the front of his desk. She was blonde and wore
regular street clothes. Apparently she hadn't received an official uniform from Camille
yet. That was number one on the list. He cleared his throat loudly and she turned around,
startled.
"Hi," He said extending his hand. "I'm Dr. Aaron Shutt."
"Hi. I'm Amber Johnson," she said cheerfully as she shook his hand. Her palm was
sweaty even though she had a firm grip. Amber looked very intelligent in her
horn-rimmed glasses. He released her grip and he sat down on the other side of his
desk. Aaron picked up Amber's file off the desk.
"I hear you are interested in becoming a neurosurgeon; I don't mind telling you that this is
a very selective and challenging field you've chosen." He looked at her.
She nodded. "Yes, sir. I've always been interested in the mind but not in the way that a
psychologist is. I had an uncle who died from a brain aneurysm when I was fourteen.
Since then I've read everything I have found on the human brain. The local library only
had one book so my quemidated enough by the other doctors when she works here. I
would appreciate it if you are not one of them. When Kronk and Nyland find out about
her they'll be after her, along with every male intern in the hospital."
Jeffrey shrugged. "You're protecting her, Aaron. Tell me the real reason why you don't
want me to bug her in the way I have bugged everybody else. It's an integral part of
training here in the real world. "
Aaron started to say something but Jeffrey interrupted.
"I think you like her."
Aaron stared at Jeff. "No, it's not that way. I, unlike you, remember how tough it was for
me to work in a hospital for the first time. Dealing with real patients that could really die if
you don't watch out, or if you leave something in them like a clamp. This is the test for
her. "
"Okay," Jeffrey said, helping himself to a chair in the room. "Then how about I help her
stave off the vultures that'll come her way once she gets more well known. I'll tell them
she's my niece and they'll think she's just like me. It'll only go awry if someone bothered
to check out my background." Jeffrey offered. He smiled in Aaron's direction.
"All right. But remember. I'm also watching you too."Aaron checked his watch.
"Amber should be ready to go now. I'm just going to give her a glorified tour today.
She'll get to see what's normal. I'll see Alan today too, so that'll be a good thing."
Alan was shot by gang members months ago. Through the grace of God and Jeffrey's
knife he survived what should have been fatal shots. Alan had yet to recover. Against the
wishes of Jeffrey and Phillip he had started doing his work again in recovery. Aaron
opened the door and found Amber waiting for him in blue scrubs. She saluted both men.
"Ready to go, sir," she quipped, showing lots of energy. Amber could hardly wait to
start. Aaron detected this as a good sign. He said good-bye to Jeffrey and took her to
the first room.
It was later that night. Aaron was finishing up on some final reports he had to take care
of before he left for the night. He was headlong into them; Amber left hours ago for she
was not required to keep long hours. Aaron had profusely apologized to the girl because
he didn't have much prepared for her to do. He promised he would do better tomorrow.
Aaron heard a light knock at the door. He looked up and found Camille at the door.
"Are you busy?"
"No, come on in." Aaron cleared a seat so she could sit. "Is there something wrong?"
Camille sighed and considered her next thought. "I'm getting some very strange vibes off
of your new assistant." She admitted. "One of the nurses that was there when we were
talking said that when she saw here felt a chill go down her spine. She had to go to the
next room to recover. I'm not sure this student nurse thing is a very good idea."
"Camille, this is the very first day. Of course it's going to seem awkward."
"Aaron, we get tons of new people run through here everyday. If it happened that often,
the we wouldn't be a very effective hospital."Camille shook her head. "This is not
normal."
"Tell me what's normal. You go off and sleep with Nyland while we're separated. Alan,
the world's most considerate soul, is almost shot dead. I lost my father this year, Camille.
This is definitely not normal. Nothing is. So before you criticize who I choose to help,
take a look at yourself. Think about it."
Aaron left the room with a huff; Camille sat still in her seat, with her mouth agape. She
could not believe he talked to her in that manner. She should not be surprised though.
Such spats dotted the length of their marriage. Camille decided that there was something
not kosher with Amber. She will find out about her and do anything in her power to stop
whatever evil she had planned. Camille got up and locked Aaron's door behind her.
Aaron tapped on the door to Alan's room. Alan looked up from a legal brief and waved
him in. He set the document aside, then he adjusted the bed so he could sit straight up.
Aaron waited patiently as the bed slowly made its way up. When it did he took a seat
next to him.
Alan smiled at him. "So how was your day?"
Aaron shook his head and gave him a puzzled look. "The medical student I was assigned
came here today. Her name is Amber Johnson. I wasn't prepared, so I had to send her
home at five of twelve. I am so embarrassed."
Alan adjusted his seat. "It's not like you've done this before." He paused. "Actually it is
your first time, isn't it. How come you didn't talk to Jeffrey, or even Phillip for God's
sake?"
"Jeffrey obviously has different things in mind. I managed to nip that in the bud. He
offered to keep the vultures off her. That's goingto last a week."
"Nyland is out sick, believe it or not," Alan said, pointing to a note. "Some personal
problem. Personally I think he and Kronk have the mother of all hangovers, but I can't
say that."
"I didn't hear it." Aaron shifted gears. "How are you? I see you have picked up where
you left off."
"I have just finished Diane's defense for the lawsuit that kid's family sarted. Do you
believe it? They shoot me, and they are now suing me for how they were treated in the
ER by Diane." After Alan was shot, Diane Grad, the researcher of the hospital, took out
her pain on one of the kids that shot him. The kids were wounded in a police shoot-out.
"I have a great thing, it's a secret."
"I got to go. Camille came to my office tonight. She thinks something is amiss with this
student of mine. "
"What do you think?"
"I think she is letting her imagination get the better of her. You know she watched 'Fatal
Obsession' last night."
Alan nodded. "You should give her a chance before leaping to conclusions. Lately,
especially after the heart thing, she has begun getting very close-minded. A guard found
her going to the bathroom in the men's locker room."
"I'm not going to dismiss it as one of Camille's little quirks. Maybe she's right. Yeah, and
Jeffrey is going to win a Grammy award."
Aaron said good-bye to Alan and went out the door. On his way out of the hospital main
entrance he ran into Jeffrey. He seemed in a hurry.
"Hi, Jeff, I thought you were home."
"Aaron, I just heard that my nurse for tomorrow's angioplasty is pregnant."
"God, that must bite." Aaron said as sympathetically as he could. He knew what that was
like, losing a nurse to sickness or a personal trauma. As bad as he felt for Jeffrey, he
wanted to go home and just sleep.
"I needed to see you right away. I figured you were either here or at home. This is the
first place I came to."
"What do you need, Jeff? I'll see what I can do for you."
Jeffrey took a deep breath. "I need Nurse Jerkins for the procedure."
Aaron looked up alarmed. "What?"
"Aaron, both Jerkins and Rosemary were trained for this procedure. I know that you
have her for your aneurysm tomorrow too. I need her more than you."
"I'm not giving you my nurse."
"That's the way the cards fall, Aaron. Why don't you use that student you picked up
today? It'll be great experience and we'll see how fast she passes out after the brain is
revealed."
Aaron scratched his chin. He could never say no to Jeffrey. "All right."
Jeffrey thanked him and walked Aaron back to his car. "You could never say no to me,"
he said.
The next day Aaron called Amber to make sure she could come in extra early.
"I'm going to be doing that procedure earlier than planned. I hope you could come in
because I will need you to assist in this today."
"Great! I watched two of the operations yesterday. I think I have it down."
"Well, that's good. Whom did you watch?" He asked half expecting Jeffrey's name to
come up.
"I watched a couple done by Dr. Kate Austin," Amber told Aaron.
"Well, I'm glad. Kate is one of the best heart surgeons. Don't tell Jeffrey I said that or
he'll call me up at midnight and start singing to me."
Amber laughed. "I'll be there in ten minutes. This crosstown traffic is murder."
Aaron nodded. He thought of an idea, then quickly disposed of it. Kronk lived on that
side of town, but there was no way in hell he was going to let him drive his nurse to the
hospital. He might cut off her leg. "I'll meet you at my office. Then I'll talk the procedure
over with you when we scrub."
"Do you mind if I bring my tape player? I believe the OR you are using today has a
player that is broken."
How did she know that? Aaron wondered. No matter. The last time he used the player
in the OR was when they had the blackout and it was playing a Hank Williams album.
Just the thought of it chilled him. "Sure, anything but country."
"I'll bring something appropriate," Amber assured him.
"See you then."
Aaron said good-bye and hung up the phone. No sooner had he set it in the cradle than
it rang again. It was Camille. She sounded rushed.
"Hi, Aaron. I hear you are using your student today.Are you sure you want to do this?
She has only been here one day."
"Camille, if circumstances had been different I would have chosen one with more
experience. But since it happened the way it did, I have to use Amber."
"Are you sure? Maybe I could come in mid-way and relieve her."
"I'm sure she'll do as well as you would, if you were still here. Maybe better."
"Okay. " Camille abruptly hung up. Aaron held the phone in his hand questioningly, then
put it back in the cradle. What was with her lately?
Aaron met Amber in the lobby of the hospital. She was wearing her uniform, and her hair
was tied back into a bun.
"Morning, Dr. Shutt." She greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning," Aaron returned. "We'll talk on the way to the scrub room. The patient that
you saw first yesterday: we will be working on him today."
"I brought Harry Connick Jr." Amber said.
"Good, now do you know the proper way to scrub?"
"Sure. It's elementary."
Jeffrey came out of a room and patted Aaron on the back.
"Hello, Aaron, young lady," he said, greeting the two.
"Call me Amber. Everyone else does. Including that nice Billy Kronk."
Aaron looked at Jeffrey who just shrugged. "You talked to Kronk? When?"
"He's the one who showed me where your office was. I'm not sure about him though. Is
he gay? I just got that distinct impression. Like he's trying too hard."
Aaron nodded in agreement. Anything to keep her out of harm's way.
"Oh, yeah. He's gay. So is Dr. Nyland. They live together so that should speak
volumes." Jeffrey filled in for him. They turned the corner. "I got to go and start rounds.
Good luck on your first surgery."
"Thanks." Amber waved to him. Aaron led her into the scrub room. He was about to
show her how to start, but she was already half-way done. Where Aaron used the same
method since his own internship, Amber had a different way of doing it. She started in
the middle of her arm and worked down gradually adding more soap. Aaron was
impressed.
"Okay, let's go," Aaron said to Amber, who nodded as she put her mask on.
They entered the room and the doors closed behind them.
Later on Aaron encountered Amber coming out of the snack area. She smiled when he
saw him coming her way.
"You did a good job this morning," Aaron said to her. She sighed with relief.
"I'm glad to hear you say that. And I want to let you know how thankful I am that you let
me into this surgery this morning."
"It was no problem..." Aaron protested.
"I want to thank you, personally." Amber said. "Come over to my place tonight. I want
to cook you dinner." She poked at his stomach. "It looks like you need it, Aaron."
"Well, I guess there's no way I can turn you down, is there?" Aaron conceded.
"I live at 45 Bloomingdale drive, apartment five."Amber was almost giddy "I'll see you
there!" She turned to leave. Aaron grabbed her shoulder and halted her.
"You forgot your tape. If you left it there any longer Jeffrey would havememorized all the
songs," he said, giving her the tape. She smiled again before turning to leave. Aaron
watched Amber trot down the hallway and turn the corner. He looked nearby and saw
Camille sitting at her station. He walked over to the station and leaned on it. Camille
looked at him with a sense of worry. She shook her head and stood up.
"Aaron, you hardly know her," Camille said in astonishment.
Aaron picked up his papers and tucked them under one arm. "Since when are you so
interested in my life, Camille?"
"Ever since it stopped including me."
"I stopped including you years ago. Even now, you are only my co-worker. That's all."
Aaron started walking away.
"Do you know what you are getting into?" she yelled in desperation.
"No, but I'm sure you've done this hundreds of times," he replied.
Camille sat down as Aaron went into one of his patients' rooms.
Aaron visited Alan every day for at least half an hour after Aaron was done for the day.
Today he went to Alan's room a little early. He wanted some advice on Amber's dinner
invite. Alan was a great adviser. He always knew what to say to people. Alan was eating
lunch when Aaron walked into the room. Since Alan was already in an upright position,
Aaron sat down. Alan briefly stopped eating his mutant jello and regarded his friend. He
looked very exhausted for this time of day. Things must be trying his mind, Alan decided.
Better to wait for him to ask whatever he had in mind. Pushing him would only make him
more anxious.
"How's your day been going?" Alan cautiously asked him.
Aaron looked up at him. Beads of sweat had formed at his forehead.
"I had to substitute my student nurse for the nurse that is usually with me."
Aaron revealed. "So what's the problem?" Alan took the big leap after deciding Aaron
would need some help.
"She invited me to dinner. I guess it's some kind of reward." Aaron said to him. Alan's
eyebrows arched.
"Wow."
"That's what I said. Camille is completely suspicious. Jeffrey...well...you know..."
"Point taken," Alan assured him. "What did you say?"
"I said yes."
"Good," Alan said, pushing away his tray table.
"Good?" Aaron said, wiping off his forehead with the back of his hand.
"I say it is," Alan replied. "You haven't been out there ever since Camille divorced you
and I got shot. It's about time."
"This was NOT a DATE, Alan. I would never take advantage of a young girl like that.
And I don't think she is intending anything more than a thank-you."
"I'm just telling you what to think about. I mean, it will happen sooner or later," Alan said
defensively.
"Thanks, but it wasn't necessary. I know what I'm doing. I married Camille, remember."
"No comment." Alan whistled.
Aaron knocked on the door to Amber's apartment. He was dressed in a gray suit, the
same he wore to the office that day. He had arrived a couple minutes late because of the
crosstown traffic that she mentioned before. A turnip truck had collided with a cattle
truck. Even worse, the cows were eating the turnips. It took a couple of minutes to calm
down the pandemonium, but it did pass. Aaron calmly knocked again. He was quite
surprised when the door opened to reveal Amber in a Chicago University sweatshirt.
Her hair was down and she had taken off her makeup. A soup ladle was in one hand.
"I feel overdressed," Aaron admitted sheepishly.
"No, that's all right!" She put out her hand. "Come on." She took his hand and led him
through the kitchen to the living room. "I hope you like linguini."
"That's great." Aaron had to admit he was starving. If he'd had a chance he would have
grabbed one of the turnips that had spilled onto the highway. Amber went back in the
kitchen. Aaron looked at one of the magazines on the table. "You keep the New
England Journal of Medicine on your coffee table?"
"It's the only way to keep up on the new procedures. Now that I'm officially affiliated
with the hospital, I'll be more up to date than I ever dreamed."She returned to the living
room with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.She handed one to Aaron and popped
the cork.
"What's the occasion?" Aaron asked as she poured champagne into a wine glass.
"My first operation," she replied. "It's also the day I got accepted into medical school, so
it's a two-for-one deal." Amber and Aaron raised and clinked their glasses. Amber
finished her glass in one big gulp. "I hope you don't mind that it's non-alcoholic wine, I
don't hold my liquor very well."
She stood and brushed off her khakis. "I'll go check up on the linguini. Take a look
around. I have a spectacular textbook collection in that closet." She pointed to a door
near the entrance.
Aaron got up and looked around. There were various pictures and movie posters
scattered around the room. There was her diploma and a poster that advertised a movie
about a demented brain. It was definitely not an educational movie. He walked around
the room taking in more of the scenery. He felt a tapping on his shoulder, turned and
found Amber in back of him.
"Dinner is ready," she told him. Their faces were an inch apart.
Aaron pulled back and rubbed his hands. "Great. Where do we eat?" he said nervously.
Aaron hoped he was the only one who noticed the close call that had just occurred.
Amber led him out to the living room. There was a table set with a red tablecloth.
Candles were in the center of it, along with two plates with reasonableportions on them.
Amber moved to her seat. She was mildly surprised when Aaron pulled it out for her. It
was the kind of chivalrous manners that not many men possessed nowadays. Aaron took
his seat as she poured more wine into the glasses set before them.
"Now," she explained. "Here we are."
Aaron nodded. Apparently she didn't have a pre-dinner ritual like saying grace. He didn't
mind when she started eating before him. He soon started on his own plate. As soon as
they were finished, Aaron assumed it was time to leave. He got up and walkedaround.
As he paced around the room, he could see into the kitchen. Amber had mysteriously
disappeared. He picked up his coat and left. Aaron concluded that she had gone to the
bathroom, and had forgotten about him. What he didn't see, however, was her watching
him out the bedroom window. She was wearing a nightgown. Amber watched him until
he had gotten into his car. She finally left the window when Aaron's taillights were out of
her line of vision.
Aaron was in his office eating breakfast when Jeffrey knocked on his door.
"How did you do?" Jeffrey asked him. He sat in the chair opposite.
"What?" Aaron asked. He knew what he was asking. Apparently word had gotten
around about his dinner with Amber. Everyone was going to think he had slept with her,
which was absolutely not the case. It didn't happen.
"Your date..."
"Not a date." Aaron cut Jeffrey off.
"Kronk thinks so. Now he's going to try and score with her, whether you did or not."
"We told her he was gay."
"True. There goes his love life, what there is of it."
Aaron nodded. "It went okay. We talked a lot about the biz, as she calls it. She has a lot
more knowledge about the human brain than most people I know, including myself. I left
around ten."
"That's it? Kronk will be disappointed."
"Too bad for him. I am not going to allow him to live off my non-date." Aaron picked up
a file and opened it without looking at it. "I don't have much scheduled today; I'll give
Amber something substantial to do for the whole day. She'll file all the recent surgery
records by name and severity of the case. Amber will be up to her eyeballs." Aaron
smiled. "Meanwhile I have to go to another hearing."
"Another?" Jeffrey asked. Hearings and lawsuits were part of a hospital's vernacular
now.
"For Diane; I have to prove she's sane. That'll be easy. She works with monkeys."
"Good," Jeffrey said as he got up to leave. "Have you seen Camille lately? She's white as
a sheet..."
"No." Aaron spoke bluntly. "We haven't been getting along very well since I got my new
assistant. I've been basically avoiding her."
Amber sat in her car watching Aaron through her binoculars. He was talking to that
damn heart surgeon again. What a jerk! She lowered the lenses, then looked in her
rear-view mirror. She spotted Camille Shutt sneaking a cigarette in the no-smoking area
of the parking lot. Amber knew Camille didn't smoke. This was a sign that she was
getting to her.A look crossed her face, she knew she was being watched. Camille
quickly extinguished her cigarette and rushed back into the hospital. Amber returned her
focus to Aaron's office. It was empty, for she knew that he would be at a hearing.
Amber smiled and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Soon Aaron," she said to no
one in particular, "you will be all mine. My plan is in motion; it will not be long."
Aaron came out of the hearing room with Diane Grad. She had just won her case in the
hearing. Diane thanked Aaron and Jeffrey profusely before she went back down to the
research lab. The hearing took some of the time she needed to find a cure for AIDS.
"Where do you think Amber is?" Aaron said. "I thought she would come to the hearing."
"Maybe she's waiting for you in your office. After all, you left instructions with one of the
aides, right?"
"Right," Aaron agreed, while turning the corner towards his office.
"She's probably working her pretty head off," Jeffrey mused as they opened the door to
find Amber on the floor. She was working with a file.
"Morning, Aaron." Amber stood up and greeted him. "Hi Jeffrey, tell me, how is your
wife?"
Aaron looked at Jeffrey, who was positively shocked. He didn't know how she got that
information, but it certainly wasn't from Aaron. "She's great, I saw her and what's his
name last night," he replied. "I got to go." Jeffrey nudged Aaron. "I'll see you later."
Amber went back to her files as Aaron silently watched Jeffrey leave. He snapped out of
his trance and sat down at his desk.
"I see you are already on your way with those files," Aaron said. "I'm sorry I left without
saying good-bye last night. I thought you had forgotten about me."
"Aaron, I should be apologizing to you! I did forget I had a guest and just went about
like it was a normal weeknight. And it was not," Amber quickly replied.
"Nonetheless I had a great time. Those files should occupy you for the rest of the
morning, then we will take in a surgery. The chief of staff has been wanting to meet you
too, so we'll have a full day."
"Fab, I'm on it, boss." Amber said before diving into another file.
Aaron sensed she had tuned him out, he got up and headed for the cafeteria. His first
surgery was not for an hour.
Camille hated her long days and long nights. She should have gotten a safer job, like on
the Chicago Bomb Squad. It was around midnight and she still had a long way to go
before she could go home for the night. After she paid her visit to Alan she was in one of
the hospital's storage rooms. She was moving equipment out of her way in a old storage
closet. Camille was almost ready to leave when she hear a door squeak. The exit was
from across the room, and it was partially visible. Despite all these factors in her favor,
she didn't expect a thing when the shadowed figure appeared behind her. With a flash of
metal, the blade of a pocket knife smoothly made its way across her neck. It cut her
throat deeply, and thick, red blood spilled out instantly. Camille turned to see her
attacker. But all she could see as she fell to the ground was the feet of her assailant, and
the cruel, dark expression on their face. She immediately recognized the face. But it was
too late, the damage had already been done.
"Why?" She choked, blood streaming out of her mouth as the words were uttered.
The voice of her assailant was scratchy; she could barely hear it. "Because I can." The
figure left. Camille tried once to get on herfeet. She fell to the ground with a clatter.
Billy Kronk, Emergency Room doctor and resident wise-ass, heard the noise coming
from the storage closet. As much as he was late coming back from a hockey match, he
stopped to check the room. He found Camille sprawled out on the floor, a gleaming pool
of blood beside her. Camille's eyes fluttered shut, then opened. She croaked and a
bubble came out of her blood-soaked mouth. Camille was barely alive.
Billy ran out of the room. "I need a stretcher and some blood. Stat. Nurse Shutt is down
in storage room two."
They sprang into action upon Billy's orders and prepped a stretcher for Camille, ran it to
the storage room and gingerly placed Camille on it.
"We'll need an OR." Danny Nyland spoke quickly. "Otherwise she won't make it
through the night."
"I'll call Aaron," Billy said and headed for a phone.
"Call him for what?" a voice said behind him. Billy turned and saw that it was Amber.
"Camille was just brutally attacked in a storage room." Billy looked at a clock. "What are
you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come and watch you guys at work. I didn't know it
would be Camille you would be working on," Amber said to Billy. "Let me call Aaron. I
have his number, and I'll tell him about Camille," she offered.
"I don't know..." Billy said reluctantly.
"The faster you get Camille to an OR the better the odds that she'll live." Amber replied.
Billy ran off in the direction of the cart. Amber ran alongside it. Camille looked up at
Amber and her eyes shrank in horror. Billy noticed the change and looked at Amber
questioningly.
"She must think I'm the one that did this to her," Amber whined. "I better stay away, or
else I'll compromise her condition." Amber hung back. Then she went to a phone and
dialed Aaron's number.
Aaron had passed put in front of the TV when he got home. He realized that he had
fallen asleep there when he got the call on his private line. He picked up.
"Hello."
"Aaron!" It was Amber. Little miss sunlight. Why was she calling this late?"Camille was
attacked."
Aaron sat up straight, knocking the TV remote off his leg. "What?"
"Yeah, she was attacked in a storage room. She's in an OR now. You might want to
come down here."
Aaron could barely speak. He could not believe it, that something had happened to
Camille. Sure they had their problems, every couple does, but he never wished her dead.
"I'll be right there," Aaron said. He rose so fast he tripped over the coffee table on the
way to the bathroom. There he washed up enough to be presentable. It was
twelve-thirty when he left, the same time Camille Shutt died on Billy Kronk's operating
table.
Aaron arrived at the lobby to the hospital. Amber met him there. She was in tears.
Aaron walked over to her. She was crying loudly
"Where's Camille?" he asked softly. Amber started bawling hysterically.
"She's gone," she whimpered in between sobs.
Aaron grabbed her forcibly. "Where is Camille?"
Amber stiffened up. "She's dead, Aaron. Your ex-wife is dead." She started bawling
again. When she gained control she added, "It happened after I called you! I killed her,
Aaron! I should have been there to help her, but I was too worried about my own
feelings. I'm sorry Aaron, I ain't worth it."
Aaron hugged her tightly. He saw Jeffrey coming up behind her. She spun around and
saw him. She ran over and hugged him too. Apparently he received the news right after
Aaron did.
"I just talked to Kronk," Jeffrey declared stiffly, trying to retain his composure. "There
was nothing they could do for her."
"How?" Aaron said to Jeffrey.
"I don't think now is the time to..."
"How?? How did it happen?"
Jeffrey sighed and looked at Amber, who nodded. She know it was the right thing to do.
"She was attacked in a storage room. Heaven knows why she was there. Anyway,
someone snuck up from behind and cut her throat. She was already beyond the point of
rescue when Kronk found her."
Aaron said nothing. He ran up the stairs to his office, trying to ignore the faces that would
inevitably stare at him. He made it to his office and slammed, then locked the door. He
crept into a private sector of his office. Aaron sat down and began to cry softly. Amber
found him sleeping there the next morning. She draped a blanket over him and left the
office. She went to Phillip who gave her and Aaron the day off.
The weekend seemed like it would never end. Aaron walked through the entire process
of calling relatives, organizing the wake and the inevitable funeral on that Monday.
Amber didn't show her face at the wake. Her overwhelming guilt kept her at home.
Aaron was driving to the wake when he decided to stop over at Amber's. He pulled up
in the driveway of the apartment complex she lived in. He got out and looked at the tall
dark structure. All her lights were off.
"Maybe she's going to the wake after all," Aaron mused. Then he did a double take
when he saw one of the curtains move. He ran up the stairs to her apartment. Aaron
knocked and suddenly grew concerned when she didn't answer. He pounded even
harder. At that time she opened the door. Amber's eyes were swollen.
"Aaron." She gasped and pulled a towel over her face."You shouldn't see me like this.
You shouldn't even be here."
"I'm concerned about you. You haven't answered your phone since the incident,"Aaron
protested as he made his way in. "I think it is imperative that you go to this wake. Maybe
it will be some sort of closure for you and Camille."
"No!" she yelled. "I can't face those accusing eyes! The police, Aaron, they already
suspect me and Kronk for the murders. I know where I was last night! What reason
would I have to commit murder?"
Aaron remained silent through all of this. He had problems of his own. "I'll drive you
there," he offered. "Far be it from me to make you go to this, but it might be healthy if
you did."
Amber considered Aaron's suggestion. She knew he wasn't going to leave until she came
with him. Amber sighed and got her coat. "All right," she said as she went out the door.
"I'm doing this for you."
Aaron took a couple of days off. Phillip insisted he needed the rest and the time off to
think things over. He did the same for Amber, except in her case she decided to study
some more. Meanwhile the police hadn't found any more clues on Camille's murder.
There were no fingerprints, and there were no witnesses. Aaron was informed that they
might nevere close the case. There was nothing Aaron could do about it. When his days
off were over, both Aaron and Amber returned to the hospital. Aaron was distracted so
he couldn't give Amber anything to do. She volunteered to watch a few surgeries and
take notes. Aaron reluctantly agreed before he went off to perform a couple of
procedures himself. Aaron stopped in Alan's room before heading for the OR.Alan
wasn't there. He pulled aside one of the nurses.
"Where's Alan Birch?" he asked her. "He was released early this morning, Dr. Shutt. I'm
sorry, I thought you knew."
"Well, I didn't, but that's okay," he said as the nurse walked away. "Nowadays I'm the
last to know everything."
Aaron turned from the room and headed for Jeffrey's office. He knocked quietly on the
door. Jeffrey got up from him desk and opened the door for Aaron. Aaron sat down in a
chair across who Jeffrey, who had also taken a seat.
"What's up?" Jeffrey asked Aaron.
"I'm not sure. Every since Camille died I got this weird sense of something. I don't
know."
"It took me time to recover after my son died, Aaron. What you're experiencing is
completely normal," Jeffrey said. "Try to concentrate on some good things, Aaron."
Aaron nodded, got up and went back to work.
Amber went into the women's locker room and started to take off her uniform. She
looked in the mirror on her locker. She wanted to be sure no one was watching her. As
soon as she felt the coast was clear, she pulled out a black box. Inside it was the
incriminating knife that was used in Camille's death. She wrapped it in a cloth and slipped
it into the sewer drain in the shower floor. If her calculations were correct the knife
would reach the lake by the morning, and the perhaps the St. Lawrence Seaway by
noon if the tide was right. Amber removed a gray shopping bag. She changed into the
outfit that was inside. Amber was getting ready to go. She finished dressing and rushed
out the door before anyone could catch her.
Aaron opened the door to his place when he heard music playing. He quickly unlocked
the door and ran in. He looked around the living room, then his bedroom. He heard the
sound of the washing machine in the next room. He slowly walked around the corner to
look when he ran into Amber coming out of the laundry room. She was wearing a
university sweatshirt, probably the same one she wore weeks ago. Aaron was shocked,
but he had to admit he was pleasantly surprised to see her.
"Hi, Aaron," Amber greeted him.
"Hello, Amber," Aaron replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you looked so down and out at the hospital I decided to do you a favor and do
your laundry." Amber said pointing in the direction behind her. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, that's okay. It was just a surprise, that's all," Aaron said, walking over to the
washer. He found himself wondering if she put enough starch in or not. What a silly thing
to be thinking. "But if it's all right, I would like to be alone right now."
"Camille, huh?" Amber asked him. He turned to look at her and he slowly nodded.
"I've been seeing the hospital shrink ever since this happened. I asked him about you,
and he said that the last thing you need right now is to be alone. Alan Birch
recommended that I be here since I'm the only person who's close to you besides
Jeffrey." She heard the beep on the washer signaling that it was done. "And what has
Jeffrey done for you lately?"
She had a good point, Aaron realized. But this wasn't about what Jeffrey or Alan thought
he should be doing. "That's not what I mean, but thanks for the speech. Jeffrey is rubbing
off on you." Aaron pointed to a seat. "You better sit down."
Amber and Aaron sat down in the living room. Amber shut the music off as she entered
the room. Aaron sat back and thought for a minute. Then he spoke.
"The police are considering abandoning the case on Camille. It's the fact that someone
hurt her that's been bringing me down lately. No one is going to be caught. Not like
Alan's attacker."
Amber silently nodded. She got up and got her jacket."I understand." She headed
towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Aaron watched her leave. He waited a few minutes before getting up, then he headed for
the bedroom. Only sleep could console him now.
Amber watched Aaron through her binoculars. He walked into the room and turned on
the light. Then he pulled the shade halfway closed. Amber had the good sense to turn
away when he started undressing for bed. She looked at her radio clock. It was
nine-thirty, an unusual time for going to bed. But then, Amber thought, through the nights
she watched him, this was the same time he had been turning in. Ever since Camille died.
No, she thought, ever since she got Camille out of her way. If you want to make an
omelet, she believed, you have to crack a few eggs. There was one more egg to crack.
She started up the engine on her Pinto and headed out of the parking lot.
When Amber left, Aaron was going to bed. He couldn't sleep so he took a long hot
shower. Despite himself, he actually enjoyed it. The pelting water helped him do
something he hadn't been able to do in a while: forget about Camille. Aaron had just
gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. It was Jeffrey. He had managed to get
home at the same time as Aaron. He tied his robe and quickly dried his hair before he
answered.
"Hey, it's me," Jeffrey intoned.
"Hi." Aaron sighed. "How are you doing tonight?"
"To be honest, it could be better. I'm defrosting my refrigerator. So much for my big
night of sitting, right?"
Aaron laughed. "Amber was here. Doing my laundry of all things."
"I know something you don't."
"What else is new?"
"I think Amber likes you."
"No way," Aaron protested. What a silly thought. "Are you picking up something I'm
not?"
"Well, you're usually good at that. In this case it's a big yes."
"I consider her a friend. A quirky friend like someone else I know, but just a friend,"
Aaron said while sorting his mail.
"Think about it, Aaron. To her you may be her sincere amore."
"What?"
"The big love," Jeffrey answered before hanging up.
Aaron placed the phone back in its cradle. He sat there for a moment. Could Jeffrey be
right? Was he missing the signals? This is something that would happen to guys like
Kronk or Nyland. But not Aaron Shutt. He ran his hand through his spotted gray hair. It
was still wet, he discovered. He decided not to go to bed before it dried. He found the
TV remote, clicked and watched a medical mini-series.
Jeffrey worked at his desk. He was going over a list of things he had to do in the
morning. Jeffrey lived in a condo on the other side of Chicago. His condo featured the
nice extras that a doctor of his experience would have. Jeffrey got this one in particular
because it had a balcony with a fantastic view. Also it had a excellent view of the female
neighbors within eye-shot. Jeffrey got up and walked to the fridge. He had five beers in
the fridge, so cleaning it out wouldn't take much time. He was also worried about his
friend Aaron. Since Camille's death he had been surprisingly distant. Jeffrey thought
about this as he opened a beer. He was about to take a sip when he heard a noise. It
came from the area near the balcony. Jeffrey realized he didn't have lights on, but he
chose to found out what was disturbing his inner sanctum.
"Aaron?" he called; maybe he paid him a surprise visit.Maybe Kronk and Nyland were
coming out of the closet and he was the first person they would tell. Both these situations
were improbable. Jeffrey opened the balcony door. He heard a rustle from the curtain
and turned on his heel. He stared at the dark individual coming out from behind the
curtain. His eyes widened considerably. He knew who it was. This was the same person
who killed poor defenseless Camille. Jeffrey put up his hands.
"I'm not going down without a fight," Jeffrey declared as he backed up. He stopped
when he felt the cold metal railing that encircled the balcony. Jeffrey turned and looked
briefly over the edge. Just as Jeffrey pulled focus, just as he found out who his attacker
was, he was pushed over the railing. He clung frantically to the bottom rail. His hands
were in dangerous vicinity of the feet. The figure wore boots. He raised the left boot and
stomped on one hand.
"Sweet mother of God," Jeffrey weakly murmured as the other boot came down.Jeffrey
screamed a silent scream all the way
down. Five floors down. His fall stopped when he hit the empty parking space next to
his car. The last thing Jeffrey saw was an emerald green Pinto and the figure next to it. It
wore sweats and torn blue jeans.
Jeffrey croaked with his last breath. "Why me?"
The figure simply answered. "Because I can and it'swhat everyone wants."
Jeffrey blacked out. He was dead.
Amber stood above the now deceased Jeffrey. She had a look of satisfaction on her
face. "Sing me a song, Jeffrey," she cracked. "Make it short."
The next morning Aaron was waiting in Jeffrey's office. They had scheduled an early
breakfast so they could talk for a while. Before Aaron went home last night, Jeffrey
arranged for them to meet in his office before going to the cafeteria to eat. He was
supposed to be there by eight-thirty. It was now aquarter to ten. Aaron could not spend
any longer in the office. He had an operation in an hour and he wanted to talk to Amber
about last night. He was pretty hard on her last night. After all she only wanted to help
him get over the death of Camille. Aaron knew that even though they had divorced
earlier in the year, he still had some feelings for her. Aaron got up and left the office just
as a policeman knocked on Aaron's office door.
"May I help you, officer?" Aaron asked as the policeman was about to leave
"Yes, you can, Doctor..."
"Aaron Shutt," Aaron said to him.
"We regret to inform you that Dr. Jeffrey Geiger was found dead early this morning," the
officer informed him.
Aaron took a deep breath and paused for a minute. "Do you know what happened?
What caused his death?"
The officer took out his notepad. "He was found outside of his condominium. The body
was directly under the balcony. We can safely assume that he either jumped..."
Aaron looked up sharply. "Jeffrey wasn't suicidal."
"I was about to say it was more likely that he was pushed. There are fresh oil stains right
next to the body. Whoever owned the car that made that mess could also be the
murderer."
"Is there a possibility that whoever killed Jeffrey also killed Camille in the storage
closet?" Aaron suggested to the cop.
The cop nodded.
"I think the murderer is going after people who are deeply involved with you, Dr. Shutt."
Aaron sat down in a chair. He took another deep breath. Aaron was a step away from
hyperventilating and he knew it. He just hoped that the cop didn't know it.
"I would suggest putting a guard on you 24/7 but we don't have the manpower right
now. I would suggest that we have someone you know stay with you to be safe until we
can get that guard for you."
"What guard?" a voice behind him declared.
The officer and Aaron turned to see who had spoken. Amber was there with her bag
lunch and a load of files that she was working on. Aaron gestured Amber to sit down.
When she did Aaron took another deep breath. It was going to take a lot out of him to
say Jeffrey and dead in the same sentence.
"Jeffrey was found dead this morning."
Amber looked at the officer who confirmed Aaron's news.
She started crying immediately. "Oh God," she gasped, reaching the same state that
affected Aaron at that moment.
She stood up and walked around the hallway. She was visibly shaking. Then she sat
back down. "I'm so sorry for you, Aaron."
"Thank you." Aaron spoke softly.
"We were talking about having someone stay with Aaron until we can get someone to
guard him. Apparently whoever is doing this is targeting people that Aaron knows." The
officer said.
"I could be next," Amber said to the officer. "I can stay with him."
"Are you sure?" Aaron asked.
"Aaron, it would be the best thing to do. I can protect ou and you can do thesame for
me."
"Okay." Aaron finally agreed with Amber. "Is that okay, officer?" Aaron asked him.
"Sure, it's good," the officer decided. "I have to go get the paperwork done on this. We'll
file your statement with it, Dr. Shutt. As soon as you can give it to me, let me know."
The policeman walked away from the two. Aaron looked at Amber as she got up and
wiped her eyes."I hope you don't mind me staying with you. My place is a mess, so it's
better that we stay at your place."
"Yes." Aaron said. "You've already found your way in."He stood and collected his
papers from his desk in his office. "Why don't you head home and get a change of
clothes. Later on I could set up a place for you to sleep. I can take the couch, but there
of course is the guest bedroom Camille used." He trailed off. Amber put her hand up.
"I understand," she said. "I'll come back in time for the noon surgery." Amber ran down
the hall and almost mowed down Alan Birch in the process. Alan recovered from his
near fall and continued on his way to meet Aaron. Aaron brightened when he saw Alan
stumble toward him on a crutch.
"Sorry about that," Aaron said. "She's in a hurry. Typical female."
Amber sat in her usual spot outside Aaron's office. He was talking to the nice guy. Was
it Alan? She could never remember. Alan was the only person she genuinely liked beside
Aaron. She sighed and started the car. It was all coming together so perfectly. She
couldn't see any reason why she shouldn't launch into the last phase of her plan tonight.
Whether she would stay with him or not, she would have invited herself in anyway. He
knew she did that,but then he didn't think beyond that.
"Aaron," she said, enjoying the feeling that saying his name gave her. "Amber Shutt," she
said to herself. "It makes so much sense." She hoped the end justified the means. She
started the engine and drove away.
Aaron looked out of the window. Amber had just left after what looked like a long
period of just sitting in her parking space. He shook his head.
"Great," he thought. "Now I'm paranoid. Suspecting my own assistant. Amber couldn't
be capable of that." Aaron dismissed that thought and headed down the hall to Phillip
Watters' office.
The day had been long and hard. That night would be even longer, Aaron knew. First he
lost his ex-wife. But now Jeffrey was gone. His friend and closest confidant. Aaron
drove home quietly, even though the radio blared classical music in his ears. He found
himself thinking about leaving, but he changed his mind. His home was here. He would
have to get on with his life. And that didn't mean running from his current predicament.
At least Amber would be there. She had gotten rather close to him in the last couple of
weeks. After she had returned to the hospital, he informed her that the days' procedures
were canceled and had sent her back to the apartment. Amber offered to clean up but
he insisted otherwise. He enjoyed the feeling that someone that cared about him so much
would be at home. Aaron turned at the intersection leading to his home.
Aaron had no idea. Not even a hint of the emotions that Amber felt raging inside her.
Amber had cooked dinner, wild turkey with dumplings. She was in the process of
lighting candles at the table. He had limited amounts of food in the house, so she had to
go out and buy some things from the local market. She watched Aaron pull into the
driveway to the apartment building. Amber ran about fluffing pillows and checking on the
food in the kitchen. When she heard the key opening the door she plopped down on the
sofa. Aaron caught sight of her on the sofa. She was wearing a black strapless dress.
She had earrings on both ears, and her hair was tied back. He was surprised to see her
dressed like this. It was the first time she hadn't worn a sweatshirt. He suspected
something was up. He put his briefcase down and turned to take his coat off.
"Got a hot date tonight?" Aaron asked her. She stood and brushed off her dress.
"I got this two years ago. I thought it was about time to wear it. Use it or lose it, I say."
"Well, okay," Aaron said as he turned to meet her. The same thing happened that
happened the other day. Their faces were only so far away from each other. She smiled
and backed off.
"I'm going to check on dinner." She turned and walked to the kitchen. "Sit! Relax. That's
an order, Doctor."
Aaron looked around the living room. "You know you didn't have to go through the
trouble to do all this."
"It was no trouble," Amber said behind him. She placed the plates on the table.
"I want to ask you something," she said, her tone turning serious.
Aaron turned to meet her gaze. There was something suddenly very different about her.
He didn't know what. The last days had been so confusing he hadn't thought to look for
signs of anything unusual in her. He sat down on the couch.
"What?" he asked cautiously.
"How do you feel about me?" she said as she sat next to him, legs crossed.
"Me?"
"Yeah. You."
"I think you are a good student. Pretty, but I haven't seen you date anyone. And you are
kind and considerate."
"I haven't dated anyone because I have one particular doctor in mind."
"Really," Aaron said, surprised. "That's good to hear. Who is it?" Aaron automatically
eliminated Jeffrey because of the obvious. Beyond that was anybody's guess.
"The kind I guy you could say I could kill for," Amber continued.
Aaron stood up and paced. When he stopped, he sat back down on the couch.
"Allright. Who is it?"
Amber moved over an inch to Aaron. "It's you."
"Me?" he said. Aaron thought he should really stop acting like that. Otherwise people
would think he was an idiot. "Why me?" The phrase was deafeningly familiar to Amber.
"Because I want you." She stood and Aaron did. She walked toward him as he backed
up. Aaron nearly tripped over an end table. He stumbled around it as she came closer.
"And because I killed two other people to get to you." He backed into a wall. She was
eye to eye with him.
"You killed Jeffrey and Camille?" Aaron asked, horrified. She nodded. As she came in
closer he darted around her and ran out the room. He ran into the kitchen and looked for
a place to hide.
Amber came in slowly. She grabbed a butcher knife off the kitchen counter and wielded
it with fatal purposes. "Come on, Aaron. You're not making this easy for you or me."
She looked under the table. "You know I hate this as much as you do..."She opened the
closet.
Aaron came out spraying oven cleaner in her face. She recoiled as it went into her eyes.
She screamed in pain as Aaron ran back into the other room. He picked the phone up,
only to discover it had been disconnected. Aaron deftly dodged the knife blade as
Amber drove it into the table next to the phone. He got up and threw the disconnected
phone at Amber. It hit her on the forehead. She fell to the ground. Aaron sat in a seat
and caught his breath; he turned to leave. She popped up from the ground and aimed the
knife at Aaron. He backed up as Amber swung the knife at him. She was only stabbing
at the air between them when she suddenly hit paydirt. The knife cut Aaron in the leg and
he fell to the floor. She moaned as she sat on the floor next to Aaron. She stroked his
cheek. She absent-mindedly put the knife down. Amber bent over Aaron as she went in
to kiss him. When she got close enough to graze his cheek, Aaron opened his eyes. She
didn't move. Instead she went in closer. Aaron saw the knife now shimmering with his
blood. He picked it up and drove it deep into Amber's back. She reared up, screaming,
trying to get the knife out of the middle of her back. Aaron had reached the door on his
hands and knees. He reached up for the doorknob. Amber tackled him from the behind.
Apparently she had gotten the knife out. Aaron reached for the door. She pulled the
knife up. The door opened with a shove. Shots rang out and they all hit Amber. She
gurgled and fell back to the floor. Aaron looked up. It was Phillip and the police. The
cops had fired the fatal shots.
"Jesus. Aaron," Phillip whispered. "Are you all right?"
"I've been better," Aaron said as one of the cops helped him to his feet.
"How did you know it was Amber who killed Camille and Jeffrey?"
"Forensics found a strand of her hair and some fingerprints near both of the bodies,"
Phillip explained as he helped Aaron out to the car. "We were hoping to get to you
before you came home tonight. "Apparently I should have come to you with my doubts
before she volunteered to sleep at your place. That should have really tipped me off."
"It's good you got here at all," Aaron reasoned. "Is she dead?"
"Yes," Phillip answered. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe I'll think hard about this the next time the university offers me a student," Aaron
said to Phillip as the ambulance closed the doors. "I should get a guy next time."
"That's fine with me, Aaron." Phillip smiled. "Just hope he's not gay. Then everything
should go better."
Aaron smiled at his friend's comment and closed his eyes. Camille and Jeffrey. He
thought, I'm going to miss them. Aaron fell asleep as the ambulance wailed softly into the
night.
THE END