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Chapter Two
"Doc?" Johnny gasped as he approached the cell Dr. Brackett was sitting in. He'd been stripped of his doctor's coat and looked incredibly tired. Officer Jim Reed unlocked the jail cell and let Roy and Johnny step inside.
"Ten minutes," Reed set regrettably before walking off.
The silence in the cell was unbearable and Roy couldn't stand the awkwardness.
"Aren't you going to ask me how the heck I got in here?" Dr. Brackett said, trying to smile humorously. Johnny pursed his lips and inhaled deeply.
"What did you do?" he asked. Roy winced at that question.
Brackett snapped his head up quickly and widened his eyes.
"Let's get one thing straight: I did nothing! Do you understand me? Nothing!"
Johnny was taken aback and put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Doc. I didn't mean-"
The young doctor sighed and sat back down on the cold bench in the cell. He shook his head shamefully and rubbed his temples.
"No, I'm sorry," he confessed, "I shouldn't have taken that tone with you."
He sat back before continuing. "I'm being held on malpractice regarding a knee injury, malpractice regarding an appendectomy, assault on a patient, and suspicion of homicide."
"On four different people, I'm assuming?" Roy inquired.
Dr. Brackett nodded. "Yes. And I remember treating all those patients. The malpractice suits aren't that big of a deal. It happens to doctors all the time. I know I'm not guilty of them and if I could talk to the patients, I could prove my innocence. The biggest charges they're holding me on are the assault charge and the suspicion of homicide."
Johnny frowned and let his jaw drop.
"Homicide? What?"
Dr. Brackett raised his hands in the air and then dropped them down in exasperation.
"I don't know. Apparently, one of my heart patients, Raphael Stewart, was found dead in his hospital bed this morning. He'd been bludgeoned to death with a bedpan. My fingerprints were found all over the place and I was the doctor in charge of treatment. Incidentally, my fingerprints were also found on the murder weapon. Isn't that dandy?"
Roy and Johnny were in complete horror; how could this be?
"You didn't kill him, though?" Johnny asked nervously.
"Johnny," Dr. Brackett said, standing up, "When I became a doctor, I took an oath to do everything I could for the health and welfare of my patients. You know I have a clean record. Do I look like a murderer to you? Besides, I didn't know he'd been killed until after I was arrested. Everybody here is under the impression that I'm playing dumb."
Roy frowned. "Doc, we know you're not a killer. On the assault charge…?"
Brackett rolled his eyes. "I treated a woman awhile back for a broken left fibula. I treated her then she stayed in the hospital for a few days before she was able to leave. She claims that I raped her everyday while she was there."
Roy frowned and shook his head while Johnny continued to look shocked.
"Why are all these patients coming forward with accusations all of a sudden?" the young paramedic echoed.
Roy crossed his arms; this case was most unusual. He'd known Dr. Brackett forever it seemed. Heck, he was the one that was in charge of the paramedic program! He was a respected doctor!
Dr. Brackett sighed. "I haven't the foggiest," he admitted, "Although I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a frame-up. There's got to be somebody behind all of this. The nurses that helped me treat those patients haven't come forward to prove me innocent."
"Do you know the names of the nurses who helped you?" Johnny asked.
Dr. Brackett closed his eyes in thought for a minute. "Betsy, Sharon, Anne…and…Rose," he listed. Johnny made a mental note of their names. He was pretty sure he knew all four of the nurses.
"Betsy helped me with the appendectomy patient, Rose with the knee injury patient, Anne with the broken leg patient, and Sharon with the heart patient." Brackett continued.
Roy cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have a lawyer?" he questioned.
"Yes," Brackett replied, "He's flying in from Seattle to defend me in court."
Roy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Don't worry doc," he assured, "Johnny and I will do everything we can to get to the bottom of this before your lawyer comes. We need to have some solid facts present when he arrives."
Johnny bolted his eyes wide open. "What?" he demanded, "Why don't we get a private detective for Brackett? There's this great guy named Rockford down-"
Roy interrupted his partner. "Naw," he said, "This is up to us. We know the inner-workings of the hospital and the paramedic program and…besides; we owe it to the doc to help him! If he wants to hire a private investigator, let him!"
That was a very bold move for the man Johnny knew as the calm, collected, let's-wait-till-the-cops-get-here kind of guy. He was actually suggesting that they stick their nose where it didn't belong? Johnny thought it was surprising at first, but he then nodded to himself, thinking that he himself must have had a good influence on Roy. Who knows, maybe he was learning to loosen up and not be such a stick in mud?
Dr. Brackett cringed and stood up at Roy's suggestion. "I'm still here, ya know!" he snapped.
Roy turned to him. "What do you want us to do?" he asked. A silence fell over the cell as the young doctor thought about his choices. He looked down for a few seconds and then looked Roy in the eyes; he knew that these two paramedics that stood before him were right for the job…well, Roy anyway.
"I want you and Johnny to get to the bottom of this. You guys have the perfect cover and no one will suspect you if you try to snoop. I trust you two," he said confidently. A sudden bang came on the grate to the cell.
"Hey," Officer Reed called, "Ten minutes is up!"
Roy turned towards the door and Johnny gave the doctor a reassuring pat on the back before exiting the cell.
"We'll do everything we can," he said. The door slammed shut again and Dr. Brackett was left alone in his cold cell. He huffed and lay down on the equally icy metal bench to get some shut eye.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
"What's the first order of business?" Johnny asked as he got into the passenger's seat of the squad car. Roy slammed his door shut and started the engine.
"I say we go to Rampart and question the nurses that helped Dr. Brackett treat the patients," he suggested. Johnny furrowed his brow. "I don't know if they'll all be working today," he warned. Roy narrowed his eyes.
"Then we'll be paying them a visit," he mumbled determinedly. A broad grin spread over Johnny's face. "Sounds like a plan," he chuckled.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Dixie pushed Officer Reed out of the way and stormed to the holding area. "I'm seeing him whether you like it or not!" she snapped. Reed rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders. Seriously? It was bad enough he got station duty because of his sprained ankle, but along with it, he had to deal with frantic people dying to see their arrested relatives.
"You have five minutes," he growled, unlocking the door to the cell and allowing the nurse inside. Reed didn't like her attitude and lowered the time limit on visiting; that'd show her, he thought smugly.
Dixie rushed into the cell and wrapped her arms around Dr. Brackett.
"How the heck did this happen?" she demanded, hugging him. Dr. Brackett pulled back and looked her in the eyes.
"I've been framed," he hissed. Dixie's eyes went wide. "What?"
Dr. Brackett scoffed. "You think I did those horrible things? A framing is the only way I consider this even remotely possible!"
Dixie frowned. "I don't know what the charges are," she replied. Dr. Brackett shook his head. "It's probably better that you don't know," he grumbled. Dixie looked in distress and Dr. Brackett had never seen her look so helpless before.
"Kelly," she murmured, "When Vince told me that you'd been arrested, I…I- I didn't know what to do. I knew whatever it was, you didn't do it. I just knew it had to be a mistake. Am I right?"
Dr. Brackett exhaled and looked down. "It's all a mistake Dix," he assured her, "Johnny and Roy are working now to prove me innocent."
A tear slid down Dixie's cheek when she heard her fiancé had been falsely accused.
"I just don't understand why anybody would frame you!" she wept, "You've never done anything to anyone to warrant something like this."
Dr. Brackett frowned. "Come on," he said gently, "Dry your eyes. You're not usually like this."
Dixie nodded. He was right; she'd completely broken down. Her emotions had just swept over her and overwhelmed her. It was so easy to keep your feelings in at the workplace, you had to. But when she walked out of the hospital and into the police station and saw Dr. Brackett sitting there in the jail cell, she completely lost it. It was like when you were a little kid and somebody hurt your feelings on the playground; you were fine around all your friends, but when you saw your mom, you broke down crying and confided in her.
"I just don't want anything to happen to you," Dixie said softly.
Dr. Brackett put his hand behind her head and pulled her in closer. "We'll sort this out, I know it."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Johnny and Roy entered the emergency room of Rampart General Hospital and headed straight for Rose, who was sitting at the admitting desk scanning through papers. Roy tapped the desk to get her attention and she looked up. Rose was tall, slender, and innocent looking, although Johnny knew different; he'd taken her on a date once and she turned out to be real drag. It was all business with her, no pleasure. Her green eyes saw Roy and they sparkled, but when she caught sight of Johnny, her eyes went dull.
"What can I do for you?" she asked in a nasally voice.
Roy frowned intensely before beginning, to let her know what he was about to say was serious.
"Where you on duty when Dr. Brackett treated a patient with a knee injury last Thursday?"
Rose thought for a moment. "Yes," she said curtly.
"He says you helped him treat the patient," Johnny added. Rose snorted.
"I did not. He doesn't let me help. I saw the patient come in and Dr. Brackett go into the treatment room with him, but that was it. I didn't help him out," she said flatly.
Roy screwed his nose up.
"You're lying," he growled. Rose narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. "I am not," she hissed, "Even if I had helped him with the patient, I wouldn't tell you two."
"Dr. Brackett told me you were the one who helped him. As a doctor, he's not one to spread misinformation." Roy said levelly. Rose cocked an eyebrow.
"He was arrested on criminal charges this morning. If he's capable of committing a crime, I'd say he's capable of lying to you." she said briskly, turning around to put some papers in a filing drawer. Roy waited for her to finish before continuing to harass her.
"I know he was arrested. You can help prove him innocent if you just come forward and testify in court that Dr. Brackett used the correct medical procedures in treating the patient! That's all!"
Rose huffed and slammed the palms of her hands down on her desk.
"But I didn't help him treat that patient! How am I supposed to know if he fouled up or not? Every doctor fouls up once in their life and this was probably his turn!" she argued.
"You're lying through your teeth and you know it," Johnny muttered. Roy dismissed his headstrong partner and leaned over the desk towards Rose.
"Please, you're one of the only people who can clear up Dr. Brackett's name!"
Rose was silent for a few moments and Roy thought he saw a flash of hesitation cross her eyes before she looked away. "I can't help you," she murmured.
"Have fun living with yourself," Roy said dryly before walking off. Johnny gave Rose a dirty look before following his partner. They knew they wouldn't get anything else out of the stubborn nurse. One thing was for sure: this was certainly a framing. Someone had to have paid Rose to lie about her whereabouts when the accusing patient was treated. Dr. Brackett specifically remembered which nurse had helped him treat which patient.
"You think the others will have the same story?" Johnny asked.
Roy shrugged. "I dunno," he said simply, "Let's find Anne."
The two paramedics asked around to see if she was on shift that day, and to their delight, she was. As they entered the break room, they caught sight of Anne. She was casually sipping a cup of coffee and reading the latest issue of People.
Leave it to Anne to engage in mindless gossip!
Roy thought as he approached the table she was seated at. He sat across from her as Johnny went to grab himself a cup of coffee.
"Hi Anne," Roy said in the friendliest tone he could find. Anne looked at him and blinked slowly, already annoyed with him. She sure wasn't the prettiest nurse Roy had ever seen; her nose was pointed and turned upwards as though she had run into a wall, her eyes were small and beady, her face was always pinched, and her bad attitude topped it all off.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked quietly. Anne closed her magazine and crossed her arms, leaning backwards in her chair.
"You're talking," she said coldly.
Johnny finished pouring his coffee and sat next to Roy, ready to back him up if he needed it.
"I'm sure you know that Dr. Brackett was arrested this morning on four different charges?" Roy started. Anne looked utterly bored and looked away.
"I'm quite aware," she mumbled.
"One of the charges was assault on a patient that had a broken fibula," Johnny put in. Anne turned to him and raised her eyebrows. "I think I remember a woman coming in with a broken leg last week. Dr. Brackett took care of her," she informed them. Roy was confident that they would get more information out of Anne than they would any of the other nurses. Anne just loved to spread rumors and gossip, even though she had been warned by Dixie on more than one occasion to stop.
"Now, Dr. Brackett said that you helped him set the leg and monitor the patient while she was on bed rest-" Anne cut Roy off.
"I most certainly did not help him with that patient. I only saw the patient, I did not have anything to do with her or the doctor treating her," she snapped.
Johnny was frustrated at this point; damn these nurses!
"You are a liar!" he barked, jumping from his seat and staring her down. Anne stood up as well and ran over to him, coming face to face with him.
"Don't you dare call me a liar!" she retorted.
Johnny cringed. "Well, if the boot fits!"
Anne's jaw dropped open. She raised her hand to strike the young paramedic, but Roy grabbed her arm before she could do any damage and backed her up away from Johnny.
"We're trying to clear Dr. Brackett's name, and we need your help! Now, were you with Dr. Brackett when he treated the patient?" Roy hounded.
Anne yanked her arm away from Roy and rubbed it. "I was not! But what glimpses I did get of the patient, seems Dr. Brackett had plenty of time to do what she says he did!"
Johnny was outraged. "How can you even say that?" he demanded, "He's not that kind of a person! He's a doctor for Christ's sake!"
Anne raised her chin defiantly and crossed her arms.
"All I know is that all the nurses here are scared of Dr. Brackett, and maybe with good reason, seeing why he was arrested!" she said haughtily. Johnny screwed up his nose at the arrogant nurse. Man, he wanted to scratch her eyes out so badly, but he knew that would just get him arrested too. How could she even suggest that Dr. Brackett would do such a thing to a patient, or anyone for that matter? If Anne wasn't talking, there must have been somebody telling her to keep her mouth shut; but whom?
Roy shook his head. "We're getting nowhere," he grumbled. With that, he walked out of the break room, Johnny in tow. Anne watched them leave and scowled at them. Hotshot paramedics! Always thought that they were better than everyone else!
As they exited the break room, Roy paused and stood akimbo while Johnny tossed the HT up and down. "Should we get back to the station?" Johnny sighed.
Roy thought for a moment. "No," he concluded, "We have two more nurses we need to talk to: Betsy and Sharon."
Johnny took in a deep breath and then let it out. He could tell that this was going to be so much fun. The two paramedics were able to find Betsy pretty easily, as she was ordering the other nurses around; it seemed Dixie wasn't present at her station.
"Betsy," Johnny called out. Betsy turned around and her face lit up when she saw Johnny and Roy. "What can I do for you boys?" she asked, her demeanor unusually happy. Granted, Betsy was a typically mild-mannered nurse, today she seemed almost too jovial.
Roy returned the smile she gave him.
"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."
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