It was nearly 6:30 in the morning when Elise heard the door opening. She looked over at the figure on the bed, and it for all intents and purposes appeared to be sleeping. Seeing that everything appeared normal, she sat back in the chair and waited to see who was coming in.
Doctor Adams crept to the foot of the bed, then turned to the chair. He seemed genuinely surprised to find Elise staring at him.
"Miss Riggs! I hope I didn't disturb you. I was coming in to check on our miracle boy here. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I've already reprimanded the staff for not notifying me of something of this importance."
Elise smiled. "No, you didn't disturb me. But I'm afraid I'm the one you need to be upset with. I specifically told the staff not to notify you. I've asked that another doctor be assigned to Brodi's case. For that reason, I need to ask you to step away from Brodi's bed, please."
Doctor Adams stared at her blankly for a moment. Elise thought she saw a flash of anger, but if it was there he calmed it immediately. "Of course, Miss Riggs. But you do understand that Mr. Ford's recovery was completely unexpected. Given his injuries…"
"He should've been out of the hospital weeks ago, not comatose for nearly a month."
"Perhaps his brain was a little more damaged than what we could see on the scans. At any rate, surely you don't…what exactly are you saying, Miss Riggs?"
Elise stood and moved closer to the head of the bed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Miss Riggs, I understand that you're upset and feel the need to blame someone. However, if it is your intention to bring legal action against me, then we should not be talking."
Elise shook her head. "Has nothing to do with blame. Has everything to do with responsibility. And don't worry, I'm not going to bring a lawsuit against you. I am, however, going to have you arrested."
The doctor blinked in surprise. "Beg pardon?"
"Exactly how many cities have you worked in over the past 10 years, Doctor Adams? You must have to move frequently; after all, no one wants a doctor with a high fatality rate."
"Miss Riggs, I'm afraid this conversation is over. You may not wish to bring a lawsuit, but I may bring action against you for slander."
"Hardly slander when I have proof, my dear doctor. Five hospitals over the past ten years? That's hardly time to get a name anywhere. But maybe that was the point. I did some research."
The doctor stiffened. "I am a doctor bound to heal. I go where I'm needed most."
"You go where there's the biggest chance you can harvest some healthy organs. How much do you get paid?"
"Have you been reading too much Robin Cook?"
"You tried to induce a heart attack. I'm not sure yet what you put in the syringe that was fed through his IV, but it wasn't what the nurse on duty thought it was. He survived in spite of you…maybe because a senior surgeon was on duty and you were only seconding? Then you DRUGGED Brodi to keep him unconscious. You blackmailed a mentally unstable nurse to help you. You kept trying to convince me to turn off life support. How were you going to kill him to make it look like a natural coma-related death? He is a perfectly healthy 29 year old male in excellent shape…and he's a registered organ donor. That must have seemed like one hell of a payday to you."
Doctor Adams tried to keep a detached expression, but one of his eyes was twitching fiercely, and even in the dim light of the room Elise could see the blood vessels standing out on his neck. He took a step forward, and out of the corner of her eyes Elise saw the blanket on the bed move slightly.
"How dare you?" he spat through clenched teeth. "There are people out there who are dying every day because they need transplants and there aren't enough healthy organs to go around. So I make a decision every once in a while to make it sound hopeless to a patient's family when it might not be so clear cut. What has he done with his life anyway? He's a SNOWBOARDER, for the love of God. He makes money doing child's play. It's a waste of a healthy body. And as far as that nurse…she's not so innocent, you know. She's a mental case whose abusive father turned her into a religious nut, and she would withhold medicine from people who weren't Christian, who who weren't Christian ENOUGH in her eyes. Inject saline instead of whatever was prescribed. I found out what she was doing, and she was more than willing to help me with a donation or two as long as I kept my mouth shut. And as far as your friend here, all I really needed to do to get her cooperation on that was to point out that he's a Zen Buddhist."
"You BASTARD." Elise raised her voice to almost a yell, then quieted herself down again. "How dare you play God?"
Doctor Adams just looked at her blankly again, then tilted his head and shrugged. "Oh, that part was practically giftwrapped for me." He shoved his hand in his pocket, then came out with a syringe. "I prepared this for him, but I suppose it would work just as well for you, too. Probably better, actually, since I calibrated the dose for someone of Mr. Ford's weight. Tell me, Miss Riggs…are you an organ donor?"
Elise took a step back, bumping into the wall, as Doctor Adams started moving forward. At the same instant, the blanket moved again, and Nate sat up and leveled a .357 at the doctor.
"I really wouldn't if I were you, doc. Honestly, I'm a pretty good shot even at a distance. This close? I couldn't miss."
Dr. Adams froze, then turned to bolt for the door. The door opened before he got there and he was greeted by several armed police officers.
"Officers!" he said, trying to sound relieved. "I'm glad you're here. These people have done something with the patient that was in this room, and that one drew a weapon on me."
"Save it, Doc." Nate said, coming up behind him. "They've heard everything. We set up a wireless microphone and video system in the room, and we did an emergency evac of the rooms on either side. They've been in both rooms listening to this entire conversation."
Finally, the arrogance seemed to have left the doctor. He looked practically deflated, and as the officers turned the doctor around and started to handcuff him, Elise walked up to him and slapped him. Nate grabbed her quickly before either the doctor or the officers could respond.
"That was for Brodi." She seethed, struggling against Nate's grip on her arms. "Yours is the wasted life, doctor. Let me tell you a little about the man whose life you tried to end. Last year, he logged an average of 15 hours a month volunteering at a crisis hotline. He volunteers with Big Brother, Big Sister, and he teaches yoga classes at the battered women's shelter. He's also an environmental activist and uses the publicity he gets to bring attention to environmental issues. Now, you THINK about that the next time you look at someone and decide that they're a waste of a healthy body."
Finally Elise sagged back into Nate's arms, and the officers led the disgraced doctor out. Nate turned Elise around and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. She wasn't crying, exactly, though there were tears in her eyes and her body was quaking almost violently.
"Hey," Nate said quietly in her ear, "I think there's someone here who's going to want to see you."
Elise turned around to see Brodi slowly making his way into the room, supported on both sides by Jennie and Eddie. Elise wiped her tears and smiled as she ran to him, Eddie barely moving out of the way in time to prevent being pushed aside.
"I was wrong. He's not as stubborn as Nate. He's more stubborn. Refused a wheelchair, but he can barely stand up on his own." Jennie said, smirking at Nate.
"Hey, I've been away for three weeks. Let me get used to using my own muscles again."
Elise grinned and kissed his cheek as she and Jennie helped him back to his bed. As they got him settled in, Nate and Eddie teased him mercilessly about his futile attempts to fend off the two women.
"Most men would be thrilled to be in your position, my man," Eddie exclaimed.
"He is, Eddie," Nate answered. "You think he's REALLY trying to get them to leave him alone. I doubt he's still THAT weak."
"Eddie, stuff it and open the shades, please, so we can let some light in here. And Nate, you just stuff it."
Elise left Brodi's side for a moment and walked over to Nate to give him a big hug. "Thank you," she said softly.
"It's all right," he said. "Everything's OK now, and it's all worth it."
Elise looked over at Brodi enduring another impromptu neurological exam, a patient resignation on his face. His eyes, though, were gleaming, and he seemed to be reveling in the fact that he was alive and awake.
Yes, she thought. Everything is OK now. Everything is more than OK.
