Sacred Trust (16 page)

“I've caught him clutching his chest, but he won't admit to chest pains. He's been sweating a lot. He's having trouble breathing and he's admitted that his stomach hurts badly.”

“Has he been urinating normally?”

“More than usual, but I don't think he's…you know…done anything else in about a week. His legs are swollen and he's really thirsty.”

“How is his breath?”

There was a pause. “Awful. How did you know?”

Lukas shook his head, awake in spite of his fatigue. The man was in trouble, and a house call wouldn't take care of it.

“Darlene, does diabetes run in your family?”

“Yes, our uncle had it. He was heavy, too.”

“I want you to call an ambulance, tell them they need a double crew, explain why and get your brother to the emergency room any way you can. It'll take some manpower, but they can get him there. He needs much more help than—”

“He won't.” Her voice held a note of despair. “You don't know how hard I've tried. He's given up. You're my
only hope, Dr. Bower.” Her voice faltered. “I can't just let him die, Doctor, and I think that's what he wants to do. Please help me.”

Lukas took a slow, deep breath. “Okay, let me see what I can do.”

“H
ere you go, Doc. Guess you know you're running thirty minutes behind.” Josie Collins tossed the chart on Mercy's cluttered desk and stood with her arms crossed.

Mercy looked up at her black-haired, disgustingly cheerful nurse. “Yeah. So?”

Josie grinned. “Feels good, huh? You're in demand. You've received your third transfer patient of the morning.”

“Flu epidemic is good for business, especially when the other docs are in Hawaii for a conference.”

“Being female and having a gentle touch has something to do with it. It's all I've heard this morning from all those patients eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

Mercy scowled at Josie. “Don't nag.”

Josie made a face at her and turned to leave, her short hair shining beneath the fluorescent lights. “I've got patients to placate.”

Josie was Mercy's most avid cheerleader. She was a newlywed who had been gloriously happy and in love for five long, boring years. In spite of that serious failing, Mercy kept her on. She was good with the patients, and
not everyone gagged when they heard her lapse into sighs of ecstasy at the mention of her husband's name.

To Mercy's surprise, Josie poked her head back in a few moments later. “Phone call, line three. It's your mom, or I wouldn't have bothered you.”

Mercy picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom. I hope you're calling to say you've canceled your trip.”

“You know better,” Ivy said. “I'm calling about Tedi. Have you heard from her?”

“Since when? I saw her at my regular visitation time last weekend, and—”

“She didn't call you last night?”

“No, why?” Mercy frowned. “What's wrong? Did she call you?”

“Yes, and she was crying. It was getting dark, and her father wasn't home yet. He'd called to tell her he'd be late, and he was drinking.”

“Why didn't you tell me last night?”

“You know how Theo reacts to you, and I didn't want him to take it out on Tedi later. I told her to call me again if he didn't come home, but you know how reluctant—”

“Are you telling me she might have stayed at home alone all night long?”

“It's possible. I can't prove it, and Theo would never admit to it.”

“Of course not.”

“Now don't you think it's time you did something to get Tedi back?”

“Yes.”

There was a moment of surprised silence.

“Took the wind out of your sails, huh, Mom?”

“It's a nice surprise.”

“There'll be nothing nice about it. It'll be a dirty court
battle.” Mercy grimaced at the very thought of it. The whole idea scared her. “I just don't want Tedi hurt any more than she has been. But if I find out she stayed home alone last night…”

“Do you need the name of a good attorney?”

“I'll use Bailey Little. He's president of the hospital board.”

“He plays dirty,” Ivy warned.

“He works for his clients.”

“He's dishonest, and you won't stand for it, and you know it.”

“I'll do what it takes to get Tedi back. I have to go, Mom.”

“Hang in there, babe. I'll be praying for you both.”

“Yeah, sure.” No sooner had Mercy replaced the receiver than the intercom buzzed.

“Dr. Mercy, we've got another call for you on two,” came Josie's voice over the speaker. “You may want to take this one, too.”

“Another one? Josie, you know I'm busy.” It was well understood throughout the office that Mercy took only emergency calls when busy with patients.

“It's Dr. Bower.”

“What does he want?”

“He wants to discuss a patient with you. I figured since you were between patients at the moment—”

“And thirty minutes behind, as you have reminded me twice—”

“Thirty-five minutes now. But since he sounds almost desperate—”

“And he has yet to learn our office rules around here—”

“And he's single and eligible, and from what I hear, he's really nice—”

“About which you will hold your tongue if you want to keep your job.”

“Come on, Dr. Mercy. This sounds serious.”

Against her better judgment, Mercy switched off the intercom button and picked up the phone. “Dr. Bower, may I help you?”

“Yes, I've got a problem.”

He sounded relieved that she'd actually answered. He also sounded groggy, not that she cared.

“Do you ever make house calls?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, house calls, where the doctor actually visits the home to—”

“I don't ordinarily make them, no.” Mercy tapped her fingers on her desk impatiently. “Is this an emergency, Doctor? I'm behind with my patient load, and I don't usually take calls when I'm working.”

“I think it's urgent. We have a morbidly obese patient with possibly advanced type-two diabetes, heart failure, a probable intestinal blockage—”

“Get him to the emergency room. What are they waiting for?”

“He won't go. His sister has tried to get him to go, and he apparently is also suffering from severe depression. They have no money, no way to pay, and he doesn't want to be a burden on his sister. They come from a welfare background and have sworn never to go back. I treated his sister in the E.R. and he has agreed to see me, but they want me to go there. The problem is that I'm only credentialed to work in the Knolls emergency room. I have no professional liability coverage for any other setting. So what are you doing for lunch?”

Mercy looked up as Josie came in and dropped another chart on her desk. “For lunch?”

Josie froze, and her eyes widened. She nodded wildly.

Mercy shook her head. “I'll be working through lunch at this rate.”

“Which means you're dedicated to your patients. You were the only one dedicated enough to show up for the drill last night. You care about patients.”

“What if I don't take this house call?”

“I'll go by myself and risk losing my job, everything I've worked for my whole life.”

“Oh.” If it weren't this one particular man—“I thought you told me this guy agreed to see you, not me.” She glared at Josie, waving her out of the room.

“I'll go with you,” Dr. Bower said. “Curb your tongue more than you did with Jarvis last night and you might be able to cajole this patient into letting you examine him.”

“If what you say about him is true, he'll need much more than a house call to save him.”

“I'm hoping we can convince him to go to the hospital once we've spoken to him in person. Remember that this guy doesn't have a job, no insurance, no Medicaid. We won't be reimbursed for our time or any expense we incur.”

“Sounds like a sweet deal to me,” Mercy said drily.

“So you'll bail me out?”

“Let me get this straight. I'll miss my lunch, I'll risk losing patients and I won't be reimbursed a dime for my trouble. I'd say that's a great incentive plan.”

“What if you save this guy's life?”

She sighed. “What's the address?”

“If you'll give me a lift, I'll show you. Oh, and would you please bring some supplies with you?”

“Who do you think I am, the Salvation Army?”

“The sister was wheezing when I talked to her this morning. She's already been hit with an E.R. bill, and I don't think she can afford her medicine. I think she needs a treatment.”

“Fine. I'll meet you outside the emergency room at about twelve-thirty.”

When Mercy said goodbye she looked up to find Josie standing in the doorway, beaming at her.

“You're fired.”

Josie walked out of the room sporting a stupid grin.

 

Lukas sat on the bed in his call room for a long moment, relieved that Mercy had agreed to go with him to see Clarence Knight and wishing he could go back to bed. He stood up, pulled the covers up over the pillows to lessen temptation, then walked into the bathroom and splashed his face with water. He took his street clothes out of his designated locker and changed. They weren't quite as wrinkled as the scrubs he'd worn and slept in for the past twenty-four hours, but he still needed to find some hangers and start using them. He also needed to find some gum or something before he opened his mouth and committed involuntary manslaughter.

Just as he was about to leave the bathroom, he heard the call room door squeak open. He hesitated with a frown, expecting to see a representative from housekeeping coming in to clean the room and change the bed. He should have locked the door. What if he'd been undressed? They should at least knock. Of course, they probably didn't realize he was still here.

To his surprise, he saw the short, gray hair and army-straight shoulders of Dr. Jarvis George as the older doctor
crossed his field of vision and approached the beside desk. The man pressed his knuckles against his upper right temple, and Lukas could see a grimace of pain from a side view of his face. He also saw a shaking hand reach up to a shelf above the desk and take down a box of prescription drug samples. Ultram. Lukas watched as Jarvis ripped the sample packet open and turned toward the bathroom. He then stopped, obviously shocked to see Lukas standing there.

“Morning, Dr. George.”

Jarvis jerked as if guilty. “Morning.”

“Don't mind me, I'm just getting ready to leave.” Lukas stepped across the small space and checked the desk, picked up his bag and turned back to Jarvis.

Jarvis stared at him, his face grimacing with irritation and probably pain. He flexed his left hand, then looked down at it.

“Are you feeling okay, Dr. George?” Lukas asked.

“I'm fine,” Jarvis snapped.

“Isn't that the hand—”

“Don't you have to be somewhere?”

Lukas raised his brows and shrugged. “I'll be leaving shortly. Are you sure you're okay? I saw you holding your head. If you need—”

“Why do you have to hang around here after hours?”

Lukas controlled his irritation. The man was obviously in distress. His hands clenched as if in a sudden spasm, and perspiration moistened his lined forehead. He was on duty today and would be until seven tonight.

Lukas turned to leave.

“News about your lack of cooperation has certainly made the rounds.”

Lukas stopped and turned back. “Excuse me?”

“You think you're too good to take part in our disaster drill?”

“Of course not. I cooperated fully with the drill right after I saw to my patients.”

Jarvis shook his head and winced. “Don't forget you're in your trial period here.”

“Really? I didn't realize the hospital had a policy about probationary time.” And he also hadn't realized just how irritable he could be after a long shift.

Jarvis took a step toward him. “You blatantly wrote me up about that stupid needlestick. That's strike one against you in my opinion, Bower.”

Lukas spread his hands. “I followed hospital protocol, as was required of me. I had no ulterior motive, I assure you.”

“You have also managed to offend and incur the suspicion of Mrs. Ivy Richmond by your poor handling of her mother's case. Mrs. Richmond just happens to be one of the sweetest and most generous benefactors of our hospital, at least until now. She has her doubts about a hospital that will hire someone who so easily disregards human life. That's strike two.”

Lukas felt his spirits plummet as his temper rose. So that was how it was going to be. More politics. He had hoped to leave this behind in Kansas City. “I have a high regard for human life.”

“We are awaiting info from Cunningham in Kansas City about a certain incomplete residency of a certain Dr. Lukas Bower. When we receive that info, it could be strike three for you, Bower.”

Lukas had never been able to conceal his emotions, but he tried to keep his expression blank as he met and held Jarvis's hard stare. “May I remind you, Dr. George, that
administration is aware of your ambivalence to my presence here.” He kept his voice calm, even gentle, as if handling a testy patient. “I was even warned to expect it. The needlestick protocol is a good hospital practice. I reported the incident in obedience to the rule which states that anyone who refuses to follow proper protocol is to be written up. This is to protect the victim of the needlestick from incurring any lasting effects from the incident, and also to protect the hospital in the case of possible contagion or litigation.”

“That woman was suffering from Alzheimer's! She wasn't contagious!”