Tuesday, November 30:

Dr. Brackett's Office

Craig Brice stood outside the door to Dr. Brackett's office and knocked.

Dr. Brackett opened the door. "Brice! Come on in. What can I do for you?" He was a little surprised to see Brice so early in the day, but the visit wasn't totally unexpected. This particular paramedic had a reputation for being very meticulous and thorough.

"I'd like to talk with you about my exam if I may." Brice stood stiffly, his face impassive.

"Sure. Sure. Have a seat." Brackett smiled and motioned to the chair in front of his desk as he made his way to his own.

"May I see the questions that I missed?"

Dr. Brackett thought a moment. "I don't see why not." He crossed to the cabinet where the exams had been filed. After retrieving Brice's exam, he handed it to him and watched for a moment as Brice studied the document. "Do you mind if I keep working while you read that?"

Brice shook his head no without looking up. His teeth worried his bottom lip as he read. After some time, he put the exam paper in his lap and cleared his throat. Dr. Brackett looked up at the sound, eyebrows raised in an unasked question.

"I'd like to discuss some of these with you if I may."

Dr. Brackett put his pen down and sat back in his chair. "Okay. Go ahead."

Brice scooted his chair closer to the desk and laid the exam down between them. "I interpreted question number 47 to mean…" He launched into a technical explanation of the question and the reasoning behind his answer.

Nodding his head, a thoughtful expression on his face, Dr. Brackett slowly said, "Yes. Yes, I can see how it might be interpreted that way. Go on."

Brice reviewed a few more questions and concluded, "So you can see that these are not really in error due to the ambiguity of the questions."

"Hmmm." Dr. Brackett rubbed his chin. "You know I can't make a judgment call like this on my own. But you have raised some very valid points. I'd like you to present this to the testing board. One of the other doctors is out of town until the second week of December. I'll set up a meeting for when he gets back and give you a call when we're ready."

Brice nodded. The light reflecting off his glasses made his eyes unreadable. The two men rose from their chairs and Dr. Brackett escorted the paramedic to the door.