Chapter 62 — Want a List?

_November 16, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

{psc} "Bill Schmidt is pissed," Kellie said quietly when she arrived in the ED on Thursday morning.

"Well, he should have thought about what might happen _before_ he slept with a medical student. I assume Mrs. Doctor Schmidt is nonplussed?"

"Supposedly demanded a divorce."

"Well, he made his bed…" I replied.

Kellie laughed, "I really hope she was worth it."

"Nobody, including you, could possibly be good enough to risk divorce and the loss of my medical license!"

"Are you _sure_ about that?" Kellie asked with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Positive! And neither of us will put ourselves in a position to test that theory."

"True," Kellie agreed.

"How was your deposition?" I asked.

"Other than having to name names, no big deal. I hate being a snitch, but Mr. Crowe said I couldn't refuse to answer."

"Which is the same thing my attorney said."

"Will you tell me why you hired your own attorney?"

"I'd prefer not to," I replied. "But as I said to Mr. Crowe, it wasn't because I was doing anything wrong, nor because I'd had an inappropriate relationship, nor because I was aware of any illegal behavior beyond what was being alleged."

"Didn't want to let the cat out of the bag?" Kellie asked with a smirk. "Or something to do with a cat, anyway!"

I laughed, "No comment. Don't you have work?"

"I'm all yours!"

"Uh huh," I said flatly. "Let's find Nicole and Sophia and see some patients!"

The morning was busy and went smoothly until just before 10:00am when Doctor Gibbs called me into her office.

"A complaint was filed against you with the Residency board," she said.

"For what?"

"Unethical behavior and defaming other physicians in your deposition."

"Bullshit. Who filed the complaint?"

"The individual asked to be anonymous."

"Of course they did. I told the truth, in compelled testimony. I need to contact my attorney."

"I wouldn't do that," Doctor Gibbs advised. "Let the Residency Board proceed."

"Not a fucking chance," I replied. "First of all, the _last_ thing they want is to start an adversarial action against me, because the hospital will be in deep shit. You know it, I know it, and Northrup knows it. You'll excuse me, but I have to make a phone call."

"Mike…"

"What? I won't stand for a WORD of this being in any permanent record in any way, so, unless you can, in writing, guarantee the complaint will both be rejected as unfounded AND all mention of it deleted, I'm calling my attorney."

"Shit," Doctor Gibbs sighed.

"What did you expect, Loretta? I didn't start this. In fact, if you and Doctor Northrup had followed my plan, we wouldn't be here! Yes, Krista Sandberg likely slept with a doctor to get a better grade, but what caused it to blow up was assigning her pure scut and ensuring I couldn't teach her. She would have _failed_ legitimately, being given full opportunity. And _none_ of this shit would have happened."

"So Mark King would get away with it?"

"Maybe, but we'd all be in better shape. I suggested changing the ethics code years ago, when we expelled Gerald Kirby for missing the page because he was screwing. If Northrup had supported a rules change months ago, we might have avoided this entire mess. But, in the end, refusing to follow my advice made the entire situation worse. Hell, it nearly wrecked our relationship. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Go," Doctor Gibbs sighed.

The consultation room was in use, so I let Ellie know I'd be out of the ED for a few minutes, and went up to the surgical floor to use the Resident's office. Fortunately, Mary Wilson, who was sitting on the couch, wasn't busy, and allowed me to use the office. I called Melody, and thankfully, she was available.

"What's up, Mike?" she asked when she came on the line.

"An anonymous complaint of unethical behavior and defamation was filed against me with the Residency Board."

"Anonymous?"

"Yes. I wasn't aware that was possible, but is apparently is."

"Do you have a copy of the complaint?"

"Not yet. Doctor Gibbs informed me of the complaint about ten minutes ago."

"Generally, sworn compelled testimony in a deposition or trial, so long as it's truthful, cannot be used against you. It's tricky with private organizations, but you work for a public hospital, which means there are Constitutional claims, though there is some latitude given in employer-employee relationships. Let me call Mr. Crowe and see what he says."

"It's vital that nothing appear in my file with regard to this."

"I understand. Do you have any idea who might have filed it?"

"The list of possibilities is long, but I'd say, in order of likelihood — Bill Schmidt, the ED Attending, Seth Rosenbaum, a Pediatrics Attending, and Mark King."

"Why Doctor Rosenbaum?"

"He's had it in for me since he saw me in my clerical robes during my first two years in med school."

"If I recall correctly, you didn't name Bill Schmidt except to say that's who the nurse identified, correct?"

"Yes. And Mark King is obviously named in Miss Sandberg's complaint."

"How can I reach you?"

"Call the ED and ask for me. I'll figure out a way to take the call in private."

"OK. Give me a few hours in case Mr. Crowe isn't available right away."

"OK."

We said 'goodbye', I hung up, left the office, thanked Mary, and headed back to the ED. My students and I treated four patients before Nate let me know I had a call. Fortunately, the consultation room was free, so I took it there.

"Mike Loucks."

"Mike, it's Melody. Mr. Crowe is very upset, and said, and I'm quoting here, 'Do not do anything. I will quash it. Immediately.'"

"So long as nothing ends up in my file, that's fine."

"He promised it would not. He was more than a little upset, and I suspect that's because pissing you off would likely help Miss Sandberg's case even more."

"He's not wrong."

"Just sit tight, allow him to deal with it, and if you hear anything at all from anyone, call me _before_ you say anything. Do not even discuss this with Clarissa. If _you_ spread the information, that could be used against you."

"My lips are sealed. Even with Clarissa."

"Good. Keep it that way, Mike. I believe you'll come out of the situation just fine. The last thing the hospital wants is bad PR. That's why I think they'll work out a deal with Mark King to resign, admit having sex, deny changing her grade, and paying her off. He keeps his medical license, and the hospital and medical school pay a small amount to her."

"That does seem to be the best outcome, even if he ought to be punished further."

"And if she hadn't panicked and made her false claim against you, she'd still be a medical student and basically untouchable if she'd simply made a complaint about him. Imagine what would happen if she failed a rotation after making the claim."

"Nothing good, that's for sure."

"And the pressure would have been on to pass her, even if it meant fudging a bit, to avoid the easily winnable case that she was retaliated against. That might even lead to a writ restoring her position, which, if I understand correctly, would be a first in Ohio."

"And a nightmare for the medical profession, if the courts were in charge of medical training and licensing."

"They are, of course," Melody replied. "But precedent doesn't allow them to intervene. Until that one egregious case arises, and they do. That opens the floodgates."

"Libby Zion," I said.

"You say that as if I should know who that is."

"A case in New York where a pair of overworked Residents had a patient die on them, that has caused a major uproar. Fortunately, so far, it's all medical review and a civil case for damages. I bet the Residents survive this because everyone wants to avoid inviting the courts into medical training."

"I suspect you're right. I'll look up the case. Anyway, I need to go, I have to finish a brief that's due tomorrow. Sit tight and wait to hear from me or Mr. Crowe."

"Thanks, Melody! I owe you!"

"You'll receive my invoice, as I can't ethically collect any other way!"

We said 'goodbye' and I hung up, then returned to work. I had lunch, and we saw patients until 2:45pm, when Mr. Crowe called and asked me to come to his office. I confirmed with Doctor Gibbs that it was OK to leave the ED, then went up to Mr. Crowe's office.

"Mike, I'm sorry that this happened. I've spoken to Doctor Rhodes, and he's directed the Resident Board to reject the complaint. There will be no further action taken."

"Do you know who filed the complaint?"

"No, I don't. There will be no investigation, and any complaints made against you, or other staff, with regard to this situation, will be referred to my office before any action is taken."

"I'm going to guess from your comment I wasn't singled out."

"You were not. There were seven separate complaints lodged, all anonymous, against every Resident who gave a deposition. All of them have been quashed."

"In a way, it's good to hear it wasn't just me."

Mr. Crowe nodded, "Yours was the first received, because you gave the first deposition, and so far as I can determine, you were the only one notified. Please, for both your sake and the sake of the hospital, do not discuss this with anyone. I spoke to Doctor Gibbs immediately before I called you and made it clear she's not to discuss it with anyone under any circumstances."

"Thank you, Mr. Crowe."

"You're welcome. I'm hoping we can dispose of this entire mess before it goes any further."

"Melody suspected you would make some kind of deal to, in effect, make it go away."

"She's very smart, and a very good lawyer. I know about the deposition testimony rule for doctors because it's my job. Her take was unique, and it put Mr. Braun on his back foot. That's tough to do."

"I've tangled with him a few times," I replied. "He takes what appear to be obvious losing cases and finds a way to at least make them competitive."

"He's one of the best litigators in the state, and has been looking for a chink in the armor of the medical profession for a decade. If he finds it, he'll be our worst nightmare."

"Wonderful. Nobody is perfect, and we've seen from this fiasco just how imperfect we are."

"Indeed. If you hear anything from anyone, please speak only to me or your attorney. I'd prefer you spoke to me first, but I completely understand if you want to go through Miss Coates."

"Thanks, Leland."

"You're welcome."

We shook hands, I left his office, and returned to the ED. I wanted to be able to discuss everything with Clarissa, but I couldn't do that. I could, on the other hand, discuss it with Kris, as she had nothing to do with Moore Memorial Hospital, and as my wife, would never say anything to anyone else.

"Mike, EMS, three minutes out with a gunshot victim," Ellie said. "Doctor Gibbs needs you in the ambulance bay."

"On it!" I declared.

I gathered Sophia, Marv, and Kellie and we gowned and gloved and joined Doctor Gibbs.

"Two in the chest," she said.

"LEOs or altercation?"

"No idea. Why?"

"LEOs are all using 9mm or .357 rounds which do a heck of a lot more damage than a .22 or a .38 we typically see in altercations. Ask Perry about that if you want gory details of gunshot wounds."

"There's a reason I'm not in an ED in New York, Chicago, or LA!" Doctor Gibbs declared.

"Same here!" I agreed.

"Are those really that bad?" Marv asked.

"Speak to Perry Nielson," I said. "He worked at Cook County, which is the worst of the worst. Multiple gunshot victims per day, and often multiple at the same time. And stabbings, too."

"According to Bobby," Doctor Gibbs said, "there was a time when paramedics in Chicago would only go into certain areas accompanied by the equivalent of a SWAT team."

"That's nuts!" Sophia declared.

"Any questions as to why he's here?" I asked as the EMS squad turned into the driveway.

The squad pulled up and Roy jumped out of the cab.

"Earl Grimes, forty-two; GSW times two right chest; BP 80/50; pulse 114; PO₂ 92% on five liters; GCS 6; unit of plasma in."

"Trauma 2!" Doctor Gibbs ordered. "Mike, chest tube!"

She gave other assignments, and we rushed Mr. Grimes to the trauma room. Sophia and Kellie assisted me with the chest tube and Thora-Seal, and once it was in, I called up for emergency surgery. Given the scheduled surgeries for the day had been completed, I didn't have a chance to scrub in, so Sophia, Marv, and I treated seven walk-ins before I took my usual dinner break with Shelly Lindsay and Leila Javadi.

"How did the GSW victim fare?" I asked.

"It was tricky, because both bullets were lodged in his lung, but we got it. Any idea what happened?"

"Deputy Sommers said the husband shot the wife's lover after catching them 'in the act'."

"The number one reason we receive GSWs here," Shelly said, shaking her head.

"We still see more farm accidents than gunshots," I countered. "And let's hope it stays that way."

"I doubt it will," Leila said. "Drugs."

"When it was mostly pot with some coke and ecstasy, it wasn't too bad," I said. "But the LEOs are all talking about turf wars over distribution of opioids and methamphetamine. That's going to get ugly. We're already seeing problems related to drug labs and how volatile and toxic the chemicals are with regard to methamphetamine. We're seeing an increase in overdoses as well, but it's not as if anyone could OD on pot."

"Not for lack of trying by some guys when I was in college!" Doctor Lindsay exclaimed.

"Where?" I asked.

"Kent State."

"You missed the shootings by five or six years?"

"Six. But pot was ubiquitous. There was a group that smoked opium, too, and some who dropped acid, but it was mostly pot by the time I graduated in 1980."

"Same with my high school," I said.

"Opium and hashish in Iran," Leila interjected. "The Opium came from Afghanistan."

"I think most of the world's opium does," I observed. "And that speaks volumes about the nature of the demand if it's cultivated in Afghanistan and makes it to Hayes County!"

"With synthetic opioids and meth, I can't see that lasting much longer, at least here," Shelly observed.

"And if it's manufacturing, not just distribution," I said, "that's going to increase violence, and the lack of need to transport it long distance is going to make it cheaper."

"Bad news," Shelly said.

"I agree," I said.

We finished our meal, and I headed back to the ED to finish my shift.

_November 16, 1989, Circleville, Ohio_

"Did you have a good day?" Kris asked when I arrived home on Thursday evening.

"We can discuss it after evening prayers, OK?"

"Yes."

I scooped up Rachel, kissed her forehead, and received a kiss on the cheek in return. The three of us went to the icon corner and said our evening prayers. When we finished, I read to Rachel, then we put her to bed. Once she was tucked in, Kris and I went downstairs where she got a glass of wine, then came into the great room and sat next to me on the couch.

"So, work?"

"Medically, it was fine. The excitement was a cheating neighbor shot by an upset husband. I put in the chest tube, but didn't get to scrub in. On the non-medical side, it had a very good chance of sucking, but things worked out."

"What?"

"Someone made an anonymous complaint to the Residency Board based on what I said in the deposition."

"Oh no! What happened?"

"I called Melody, she spoke to Mr. Crowe, and he spoke to the Medical Director who quashed the complaint. I found out later that six other complaints had been filed. All of them were quashed."

"Do you have any idea who did it?"

"My strong belief is Mark King, though I wouldn't put it past Rosenbaum."

"And all this because you told the truth?"

"Yes. As I said to Doctor Gibbs, we could have avoided the entire mess if she and Doctor Northrup had listened to me. Krista most likely would have failed, legitimately, and then she would have no actual recourse. Because they didn't treat her fairly, everything went to hell. Sure, I had my part in it by confronting her about her lies, but none of that would have happened if they'd just assigned her to me and let me teach her."

"What will happen to you?"

"Nothing. The one in real trouble is Mark King, though Bill Schmidt is in serious trouble because his wife now knows about the affair he had with Krista."

"I simply don't understand why a woman would prostitute herself that way!" Kris declared. "From everything you said, she was very smart. It's not the sex, it's the reason for the sex."

"I still wonder about that," I said. "Not that she slept with any Attendings, but that her grade was changed. It's almost impossible to fail an Internal Medicine rotation, and she had an average grade. That part just doesn't make any sense. If anything, it was the other way around — that he used the threat of failure to get her to sleep with him. In the end, though, it doesn't matter which way it happened, because both of them will pay a heavy price."

"You don't think there's a difference?"

"There is, but it doesn't matter. He'll lose his job, and possibly his medical license, and she won't be a doctor. The policy has changed, and further policy changes are coming."

"What could have happened if the complaint hadn't been quashed?"

"The Residency Board would conduct an investigation and determine the punishment, which could range from finding no fault to dismissal."

"This won't hurt you?"

"I don't think so," I replied. "I'm sure Bill Schmidt is pissed at me, but I wasn't the one who actually named him. And he has bigger problems with his wife."

"As he should! Will anything happen at work?"

"It's doubtful, because no claims were made against him. At worst, I think he'll receive a lecture, but his real problem is the divorce."

"That would be _your_ real problem!"

"No kidding! And you know there is zero risk, right?"

"Actually, there is always a risk, but I believe it's so small that there is no need to worry about it."

"Many things are possible, even if they are improbable, and I can't think of much that is less probable than that."

"You and Clarissa having a falling out."

"I'd put both of those things in the 'nigh-on-impossible' realm. But you know what's not impossible?"

"What?"

"Me making love to my wife!"

_November 17, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

"What do we have this morning?" I asked Paul Lincoln when I arrived in the ED on Friday morning.

"Just one waiting on admission to neuro — suspected brain tumor. Forty-seven-year-old male in Exam 5, resting comfortably."

"Symptoms?"

"Blurred vision, ringing in his ears, memory loss, slurred speech; EtOH zero, tox screen negative, no trauma. Neuro will run the CAT scan."

"OK. Go home and get some sleep."

"Thanks."

He left, I checked on the patient who was sleeping, and there were no charts in the walk-in rack, so I went to the lounge where Nicole and Sophia were both reading medical journals. I sat down and had just opened my journal when Kellie let us know EMS was on their way with three MVA victims.

"Let's go!" I said to my students.

We left the lounge, and Kellie joined us as we headed to the ambulance bay, grabbing gloves and gowns on the way. Doctor Gibbs and Doctor Foulks were already there with their students and two nurses.

"Mike, you take the first patient, Nick, you take the second, I'll take the third."

"OK," I agreed.

Nick acknowledged her instructions as well.

"Sophia," I said, "you've completed six weeks of your Sub-I. What do we do?"

"Primary assessment; intubation, if necessary; draw blood for type and cross-match and a trauma panel; EKG and monitor."

"How do we deal with extremity injuries?"

"They're secondary unless there is significant bleeding or a compound femur fracture."

"Do you feel you could run the trauma?" I asked.

"With you to backstop me, yes."

"Then you run it."

A minute later, the first of three EMS squads pulled up in front of us, and Bobby hopped out.

"Nancy McClure, twenty-five; restrained driver in a t-bone MVA; GCS 5; BP 80/50; pulse 120 and thready; PO₂ 92% on five liters by mask; crush injuries to chest and left extremities; probable collapsed lung; contusion and laceration left temple."

Nancy McClure née Landers, a young woman I'd dated when I was first at Taft.

"Trauma 1" I declared, but didn't move with the gurney.

"Doctor Gibbs, I dated this patient seven years ago," I said.

"I'll take her with your students; you, Mark, and Billie take the third patient."

She hurried inside as the second squad unloaded a male patient who had been driving the other car for Doctor Foulks. The third squad pulled up, and Ken hopped out.

"Eileen Landers, forty-seven; restrained passenger; GCS 12; multiple contusions; laceration on right temple; BP 110/70; pulse 90; PO₂ 99% on nasal canula; no obvious injuries."

"Trauma 3," I said, and we started moving. "Mark, monitor, no EKG; Billie, oxygen and trauma panel."

They acknowledged my instructions.

"Hi, Eileen," I said.

"Mike?"

"Yes."

"How is Nancy?"

"She's with the Chief Attending. Let's get you checked out. Do you know what happened?"

"Nancy and I were going out for breakfast before work and a car ran a light and ran right into us."

In the trauma room, the five of us moved Eileen to the treatment table. About thirty seconds later, Nicole came into the room.

"Mike, Doctor Gibbs needs you. Is your patient stable?"

"Yes. No obvious injuries except a lac. Mark, call me if the EKG shows anything other than normal sinus rhythm or her BP drops. Eileen, I'll be right back."

I left the room and went to Trauma 1.

"What do you need, Lor?"

"Chest tube, stat! I can't wait for someone to come down. Are you OK with doing it?"

"Absolutely!" I confirmed. "Nicole, chest tube tray!"

I looked at the monitor and saw an irregular heartbeat.

"She might need a pericardiocentesis as well," I said. "But let me get the chest tube in and see if that resolves it."

Nancy's shirt had been cut away, so I had the access I needed and began the procedure.

"500ccs on the floor!" I announced as the alarm blared as Nancy's blood pressure dropped.

"Hang another unit!" Doctor Gibbs ordered.

I worked quickly and two minutes later Nancy's BP was coming back up, but she was still showing arrhythmia.

"No time for fluoroscopy," I said. "Nicole, syringe with cardiac needle and alligator clip with lead for blind pericardiocentesis!"

I performed the procedure and Nancy's arrhythmia resolved.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"No. We called for a neuro consult and she'll obviously need ortho."

"OK. I'm going to check on her mom."

"You're OK working on her?"

"Yes. I would have been OK taking Nancy, but I was following the guidelines."

"OK. Go check on your patient."

I left the room and returned to Trauma 3.

"How is she?" Eileen asked.

"They're still evaluating her injuries," I said. "She has a strong heartbeat, and she's breathing on her own. How are you feeling?"

"Achy, but I don't think anything is broken."

"Billie, would you clean and dress that lac, please?" I requested.

"Right away, Mike!" Nurse Billie exclaimed.

"When did you graduate?" Eileen asked.

"At the end of May," I replied. "I started working on July 1st. How have you been?"

"Happy to have a grandson!"

"Congratulations. How old?"

"He'll be one next month. Your daughter is two, right?"

"Yes."

"And you remarried, right?"

"I did."

"You'll need to lie still, please," Billie said to Eileen.

"While Billie does that, I'll go check on Nancy," I said. "Mark, you can disconnect the monitor."

I left the room and returned to Trauma 1.

"How is she doing?" I asked Doctor Gibbs.

"No arrhythmia; BP is stable; no obvious internal bleeding; good muscle tone and reflexes; obvious severe concussion; left humerus fracture; left tib-fib fracture; left III, IV, and V ribs fractured."

"I'm going to see if her husband is here," I said.

"Do you know him?" Doctor Gibbs asked.

"No. I've never met him; I only knew she married about sixteen months ago. She has a three-month-old."

"You can fill him in. Neuro should be here shortly, then Ortho. He can see her after the consults."

"OK. Sophia, with me, please."

The two of us left the room, took off our masks and gloves, and went to the door to the waiting area.

"Matt McClure?" I called out, certain he was the tall blond man with the baby in his arms.

"I'm Matt," he said, getting up and coming over to us. "How are my wife and mother-in-law?'

"I'm Doctor Mike and this is my student Sophia. If you'll come with us, we'll fill you in."

Matt, carrying his son, followed us to the consultation room.

"First, your mother-in-law has only a minor laceration on her right temple; otherwise, she's fine, just feeling achy. Your wife was more severely injured and needed emergency procedures to help her breathe and correct an irregular heartbeat. She has a concussion, which needs to be evaluated by a neurologist, and a broken left leg and left arm, which need to be evaluated by an orthopedic specialist."

"Is she awake?"

"No, which is likely a result of the concussion. Her heart and breathing are fine, and she's not on a ventilator. The procedures I performed were to re-inflate her lung and to drain fluid from around her heart."

"Can I see her?"

"Doctor Gibbs, the senior physician on duty, is with her, and is waiting for the neurologist to arrive, which should be any minute now. Once the neurologist has seen your wife, you can see her. I can take you to see your mother-in-law, if you like."

"Yes, please. Is it OK to bring Matty?"

"Technically, it's against the rules, but fortunately for you, I'm a rule breaker!"

He laughed, which I felt was a good sign. We got up, and I walked with him to Trauma 3, where Mark and Billie were just completing the dressing of the minor laceration.

"Hi, Mom," Matt said.

"How is Nancy?" she asked.

"Still being evaluated," I said. "Her breathing, pulse, and blood pressure are all in a normal range."

"What happened, Mom?" Matt asked. "The police said the car was t-boned."

"Another car ran a red light and plowed right into us. Our light was clearly green, and Nancy was going the speed limit. Mike, do you know when she'll wake up?"

"No," I replied. "My specialty is trauma surgery. The neurologist will be able to give us a better answer."

"Do you know him, Mom?" Matt asked.

Eileen laughed softly, "He was Nancy's boyfriend when she was a Senior in High School and he was a Freshman at Taft."

"Mike?" Nicole said from the door. "Doctor Gibbs would like to see you."

"Excuse me," I said to Eileen and Matt. "Sophia, with me, please."

Sophia and I left Trauma 3 and went to Trauma 1, each grabbing a fresh mask from the box in the rack on the wall.

"What's up, Doc?" I asked with a smirk Doctor Gibbs couldn't see because of my mask.

"I'd say Daffy more than Bugs," Doctor Gibbs said. "Some rigidness in the belly. Neuro says severe concussion and wants a CAT scan."

"Sophia, ultrasound, please," I requested.

She retrieved the machine, I put on fresh gloves, and unsurprisingly found free fluid in Nancy's belly.

"Surgical belly," I announced. "Let me make the call."

I went to the phone and placed the call to the scheduling nurse. She checked on an available OR and surgeon and then came back on the line.

"Doctor Roth wants you to scrub in," she said.

"This is a former girlfriend. We dated six or seven years ago."

"Hang on, let me check."

About thirty seconds later she came back on.

"Doctor Roth says if you're comfortable, he's comfortable."

"OK. We'll bring her right up."

I hung up, then said, "She's going up. Sophia, Nicole, we're scrubbing in. Please prepare for transport. I'll go speak to her husband and mom and be right back."

I left, dropped my mask, and went into Trauma 3.

"Nancy needs surgery to stop internal bleeding," I said. "We're taking her upstairs right now."

"Oh, my gosh!" Eileen exclaimed.

"Are you doing the surgery?" Matt asked.

"I'll assist," I replied. "You can come up to the surgical waiting room if you like."

"Me, too?" Eileen asked.

"You still need to be observed for another thirty minutes due to your head injury. Doctor Gibbs will check on you and discharge you, and then you can come upstairs. Matt, you can come with us now, and it's OK to bring Matty. Mark, would you escort them upstairs, please?"

"Yes, Doctor," he replied, then turned to Matt, "Mr. McClure, if you'd follow me, please."

They left, and I returned to Trauma 1 where an orderly was assisting the others in moving Nancy to a gurney. I discussed Eileen with Doctor Gibbs, then Sophia, Nicole, and I accompanied Nancy to the OR where the three of us went into the locker room.

"Nicole, do you know the scrub procedure?" I asked.

"I remember from during my Preceptorship."

"Tell me," I said.

"Remove all jewelry of any kind, including anything under our scrubs. Put on clean scrubs, wash our hands and arms up to our elbows using a brush, and touch nothing with our hands."

"Let the nurse know your glove size and cap size, please."

We changed scrubs, and I put my baptismal cross and watch into the locker, along with my procedure books, turned the combination lock, then my students and I went into the scrub room. Five minutes later, we were in the OR waiting for Doctor Edmonds to finish scrubbing in. He came in and I assisted on an open laparotomy to repair a minor liver lac and a pair of leaking blood vessels, but unfortunately, wasn't allowed to close. Nancy came through the surgery with flying colors, and after we'd scrubbed out, my students and I accompanied Doctor Edmonds to talk to Matt and Eileen.

"She came through with flying colors," Doctor Edmonds said. "She's going to recovery, and from there, she'll go to the ICU where neuro will monitor her."

"What about her arm and leg?" Matt asked.

"Mike?" Doctor Edmonds prompted.

"Both appear to be fairly clean breaks, so the splints will stay on until later today, or perhaps tomorrow morning, then they'll be set. She'll likely have new splints, rather than casts, until she's in a regular room."

"When will that be?" Eileen asked.

"It's hard to say right now," Doctor Edmonds interjected. "Neurology could tell you more. Mike, do you know who consulted?"

"Rebekah Cohen," I replied.

"I'll have a nurse call her and have her come up to talk to you."

"Thanks, Doctor."

"You're welcome," Doctor Edmonds replied, then left the waiting room.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked.

"Not right now," Eileen said. "Thanks so much, Mike."

"You're welcome."

Sophia, Nicole, and I left and headed back to the ED to resume our duties. We saw four walk-in patients, and just before noon, Detective Kleist came into the ED.

"Doc, do you have a moment?"

"What's up?" I asked.

"I wanted to speak to you about Leslie Corbin."

"Do you mind if I get my lunch?" I asked. "We can talk then."

"No problem, Doc; I know you're busy."

I let Doctor Gibbs and my students know I was taking a lunch break and Detective Kleist and I went to the cafeteria. I got my food, she got a Coke, and we sat down at a table away from other Residents.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Did you do a complete exam?" Detective Kleist asked.

"No. The standard exam for birth control pills includes auscultation, pulse, and blood pressure."

"Auscul-what?"

"Sorry, listening to heart and lungs. We'd only do a physical exam if requested, and we wouldn't do a gynecological exam on a girl who claimed to never have had sex."

"She denied it?"

"Yes. And was extremely nervous, to the point where I felt she was being pressured, which is why I called Family Services."

"You did the right thing, Doc. The 'boyfriend' is in his late twenties, and even though they both deny it, both Nancy Maitland and I think he's lying and she's covering for him."

"You realize that a gynecological exam provides no indication of sexual intercourse unless there is semen present, or bruising or bleeding indicative of forcible penetration, right?"

"Yes. It was simply a question of whether you'd done the exam. If you had, I'd have asked about any indication. Do you believe she was telling the truth?"

"It's tough to judge given how nervous she was. My nurse and I both agreed she was acting as if she was being pressured, and it was my impression that she wasn't ready for sex."

"Based on?"

"The entire encounter. I'll give you the counter example. A college student told me, and I'm quoting here 'I want the Pill because I want to fuck!'"

Detective Kleist laughed, "That was me in college, too, and I suspect you, as well!"

"Minus having a script for the Pill," I chuckled. "And the student was someone I knew, which is why she was so forward."

"I was wondering,. I told the clinic doctor at UC I had bad cramps during my period and he wrote me the prescription. I'm positive he knew what I wanted, but didn't press it."

"When was that, if you don't mind my asking?"

"A sneaky way to find out how old I am!" she said with a smile. "1976."

"So what are you going to do?"

"It's tough because they both deny it, and birth control pills aren't sufficient evidence. Even if we put you on the stand and you said she intended to have sex and that the boyfriend was pressuring her, a decent defense attorney would get an acquittal if they both denied it. All we can do is file the report, for now. Family Services may check in on her."

"What about her parents?"

"Family Services policy is not to tell the parents about birth control, and they believe it's innocent."

"Given my experience, I'd say that's highly unlikely."

"Oh?"

"My sister was involved with a guy who was twenty-four when she was fourteen. He did two years in prison for that. My parents adopted a teenage girl who was fourteen when she had sex with her forty-year-old neighbor. She got pregnant, and he received twenty years ."

Not to mention my dad and Holly, but she was legal, I was sure, though I suspected she was only sixteen or seventeen when they began their affair.

"Bastards can't even wait until they turn sixteen!" Detective Kleist growled. "Ohio is lenient in that regard. California it's eighteen. And here, we would never bust an eighteen-year-old for being with a fifteen-year-old. In California, they might."

"I have to figure if they're in High School together, and the girl is at least fifteen, nobody should care."

"Including her dad?"

"No implications, but could your dad have stopped YOU?"

Detective Kleist laughed, "No."

"Exactly. Need anything else?"

"Want a list?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Still married," I said in a friendly voice.

"Still interested!" she declared. "Anyway, I'll let you finish your lunch. I still owe you a beer on that raincheck."

"I remember. My schedule leaves literally no window for any alcohol consumption."

"Then a root beer! Just think about it, Doc! See you later!"

"See you later, Detective."

"Jill, please."

I smiled, she left, and I finished my lunch.