Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) (8 page)

“It would be nice.” Mulligan brought her SUV to a screeching halt, blocking the Stern’s driveway. “After you. I think we’ve already established that Mrs. Stern doesn’t like me.”

A high-pitched wail cut through the air. “Then again, I think we have probable cause,” CC blurted as the duo raced towards the house. Without bothering to knock and with their guns drawn, they huddled in the doorway. CC thanked their good fortune when she saw that the front door was ajar.

“Police!” she announced as they burst into the home. “Whoa!” It was the only thing the seasoned policewoman could think to say.

The scene they discovered was the last thing either expected to find. They held their guns steady aimed directly at Mrs. Stern. Mr. Stern was on his back on the floor in the foyer, his face beet red, his body trembling with pain. Above him stood his loving wife, holding a recently fired taser gun. She had hit her target perfectly and seemed to be preparing to send another jolt to Mr. Stern’s groin. The poor man couldn’t speak.

“Drop it!” CC’s body tensed when she spied the maniacal look in the soccer mom’s eyes. “Now!”

Mrs. Stern growled. The thirty-second delay kicked in and sent another painful jolt to her husband’s manhood. CC shuddered when he released a painful wail.

“I said drop it, lady! Or I’ll have DSS here in two minutes to take your kids!” It was the only threat CC could think of, but it seemed to work. Natalie Stern’s head spun around.

“You can’t!” she screamed, waving the taser around.

“Really?” CC became aware that Mulligan was already on her cell requesting backup and an ambulance.

“You’re tasering your husband’s nuts,” CC said, wondering why this woman couldn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

Chapter 6

Jamie’s sullen mood had lifted by the time she arrived at work. She loved her job at Boylston General. Working in the ER with the constant rhythm made her feel alive. One thing clouded her mood. It was time to take on a new team of residents. Boylston, like most hospitals in the Boston area, was first and foremost a teaching hospital.

Jamie used to love teaching, watching a bunch of clumsy know-it-all youngsters turn into some of the best caregivers she had ever seen. A decade ago everything changed. Simon Fisher came along. He murdered one of his classmates and began stalking Jamie. She no longer felt at ease around her students. She wanted to teach them the value of doing no harm and how to fight the good fight even when the pencil pushers for insurance companies tried to tie their hands. She wanted to give these kids a chance to make the world a better place. She just couldn’t allow herself to get close to them.

Over the passing years, she constantly questioned why she had never seen the darkness in Simon. If he hadn’t tried to kill her, she would have gone on thinking he was a nice, sweet young man. Her wife and her boss kept reminding her that it wasn’t her fault. Whackos rarely wear a label announcing their defects. Simon had been killing young women for years with almost no one suspecting that he was deranged.

She took a calming breath before entering her boss’s office. She loved working with Jack. Although lately his attention seemed to be divided. After almost thirty years of marriage, his wife decided she was tired of being ignored. Jack assumed that his move to a one-bedroom condo along Revere beach was temporary.

“Ready for your new students?”

“Of course.” She relaxed into a chair and sipped her coffee. “The best and the brightest just like always.”

“Doesn’t make them good doctors,” he shrewdly noted with a yawn.

“That’s why they need us.”

“Hmm.”

Jamie couldn’t help but notice how tired Jack looked. Despite his insistence that the separation was temporary, she could tell it was taking its toll on him.

“How are things going?” she finally asked.

“Paperwork is dragging me down. Nothing new there.”

“Not what I was asking about.”

“Oh, you mean the separation? Ah, it won’t be much longer. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my bachelor digs. I always wanted to live at the beach, but Joyce didn’t like the school system. Newton was a much better choice for the kids and us.”

“Now that the boys are grown, maybe you could think about moving somewhere closer to the water,” Jamie suggested. “Once you and Joyce patch things up.”

Jamie felt a twinge of guilt by making the suggestion. She had run into Joyce a couple weeks ago and got the distinct impression the separation was anything but temporary. Joyce was tired of waiting. Tired of taking second place in Jack’s life. They had worked hard, built a home, and raised two wonderful sons. Joyce wanted to enjoy their life together. Jack didn’t want to ease back at work or change the status quo.

“I don’t know,” Jack casually answered, confirming Joyce’s accusations that the man was comfortable with his life as it was. “The house is paid for. No sense pulling up stakes when I just got everything right.”

“Change can be good.”

“You sound like my wife.”

“Wouldn’t want her for a boss.” She laughed it off. “I’ve got one of those to answer to myself. Okay, let’s go over the list of new residents.”

Jamie and Jack went over the files on the new residents before tackling a stack of paperwork from various insurance companies. Jamie loved working in emergency medicine. The paperwork, on the other hand, sucked the life out of her.

“I know what the rules say, but we saved the guy’s life.” Jamie felt a familiar frustration. “Sometimes I think insurance companies would be just as happy if the patient died rather than run a simple test.”

“Preaching to the choir,” Jack said with a groan. “It might be nice if all these suits didn’t get involved and just let us practice medicine. Speaking of which, if we’re done I’m due upstairs for the weekly ball busting about the budget.”

“Are they considering cuts?”

“Not yet.” Jack sighed heavily. “Don’t worry.”

“The economy has everyone worried.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons the ER is so busy. Nothing has been mentioned about scaling back. So you can tell the nurses and everyone else that for the moment we’re good.”

“Thanks.”

“Jamie, I’m going to do everything I can to keep our team together.”

Jamie said her goodbyes, gathered her notes, and went off to meet her new class of students. The eager group of freshly scrubbed faces was gathered around the nurses’ station. Jamie allowed herself a small smile before she prepared to start playing the role of “Mean old Dr. Jameson.” Secretly, she hated having to put the fear of God in them from the get-go

“Rule one, don’t get in the nurse’s way,” Jamie said, snickering at the stunned looks on their faces. “Blocking the nurses’ station isn’t helping them do their job. Over here, people, we have rounds.”

Again Jamie silently laughed at the stunned expressions. Every time she began a rotation, she couldn’t help wondering if she was equally clueless when she first began her medical career.

“We seem to be short.” She noted the absence of at least one student.

“Just so we’re clear, I don’t care. I don’t care if your girlfriend just dumped you. I don’t care that you’re tired. I don’t care how much money mommy and daddy paid to get you here. I care about the patients. If you do your job right, you change someone’s life. Make a mistake and people die. If you don’t know something, for the love of whatever God you worship, ask.” Jamie’s eyes narrowed when she spied a late arrival trying to sneak into the back of the group. “Rounds begin at exactly seven-fifteen a.m. That means you are here and prepared at seven-fourteen. Am I clear Dr. Tierney?”              The young woman hiding in the back seemed surprised that the formidable Dr. Jameson knew her name. She nervously shifted from one foot to another before making eye contact with Jamie.

“What? I was here.” She made the mistake of trying to argue.  “I was in the lounge.”

“Here is here,” Jamie said with a cold smile. “Dressed, fed, watered, and whatever else needs tending to before you get here. Not being here means you’re absent. I know most of you think you’re ready. You’ve finished school, and we call you doctor. You’re not ready. Again, screw up and people die. I don’t care about whatever excuse keeps you from being here on time. What I do care about is the health and welfare of our patients. You should also know that I hate repeating myself. Let’s begin.”

Jamie’s head was throbbing by the time she finished rounds with the residents. It was always the same: too many of them were trying to earn a place of grace or show off. A couple showed promise, asking questions instead of trying to show Jamie how smart they were. She hated that she had to shame most of them into humility. But as she said when she first greeted them, make mistakes and people die.

*   *  *

                  Jamie watched her young charges carefully. Tierney and Alvarez were doing their best to keep their tempers in check. Raymond Windsor was one of the patients that proved some people just shouldn’t leave their homes. Jamie had caught snippets of his triage where he insisted that the nurse give him a brand new pen and clipboard. He also insisted that she sanitize her hands every two seconds.

Germ phobia wasn’t uncommon in this day and age. He insisted that the young doctors sanitize their stethoscopes three times, use a brand new blood pressure cuff, and change their rubber gloves every time they moved. After four agonizing hours, Mr. Windsor was still suffering from a common cold.

“Put the fear of God in them?” Stella, the charge nurse, grinned as she handed Jamie a cup of coffee.

“Thanks.” Jamie wearily accepted the coffee. “‘First do no harm’ sounds simple doesn’t it?”

“You would think.” Stella snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m certain they hate you by now.”

“I did warm and fuzzy once. Didn’t really work out.”

“So long as they fear you and respect my people, they’ll be okay,” Stella said. “As for warm and fuzzy, it’s highly overrated. CC get home all right?”

“Yes. And no, he didn’t get out.”

“Wasn’t going to ask. If that weasel squirmed out of his trap, I doubt tall, dark, and deadly would let you out of her sight.”

“Tall, dark, and what?” Jamie laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like my wife. Oh, here comes one of my kids.”

“She was the quiet one.”

“Don’t let that fool you. She was studying everything.”

“Really?”

“Is it true that the nurses have a pool going on who’s going to wash out first?”

“Now, Dr. Jameson, would I allow such a thing?”

“Uh-huh. Put twenty on Tierney for me.”

“You got it.”

“Dr. Alvarez, can I help you?”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” the petite young brunette said. “I just had a question about the schedule.”

“Yes?” Jamie’s response was cool and controlled.

“I have a daughter, and I know that doesn’t matter, but—”

“It does matter.” Jamie was pleased that her time wasn’t being wasted with a ridiculous request. One year she had a new resident request starting his rotation a little late so he could go skiing in Aspen with his girlfriend. He was shocked when Jamie denied his request. “Let’s go to my office and see what we can work out.”

Before they reached her office, each of the residents sought her out. Most of them wanted to stroke her ego, which for Jamie was a huge mistake. A couple had legitimate comments or questions, and Jamie took extra time with them.

“Was I ever that young?” She dropped a stack of files on Jack’s desk.

“I don’t know. I got you fully formed.”

“I’ve got one kid who hasn’t been on time for anything,” Jamie began to rant. “She thinks that if she is on hospital property that qualifies. How in the hell did this kid get to this level in life without being able to tell time? Oh, and there is another one who compliments everything I say. He does it again, and I’m setting him on fire. They reach this point and think they’ve made it. And the world should kiss their ass because they’re a doctor. Oh, don’t give me that look.”

“Same look I give you every year.” Jack laughed. “The names change, but the kids are all the same on the first day. Don’t forget they’re scared. Has anyone thrown up yet?”

“Did I miss a pool? Oh, man, if these poor kids only knew that we bet on them screwing up…”

“It’s all in good fun. Besides, I was the first in my class to upchuck.”

“And now look at you, three steps below God at this fine hospital.”

“Four steps, and will you let me know how Murphy does?”

“Hasn’t thrown up, yet.” Jamie’s pager vibrated, alerting her that she was needed back in the ER. “Time to get back to it. I’ll catch up with you later.”

When she had left the treatment area to go to Jack’s office, all was quiet in the ER, nothing more than the usual bumps and bruises. Now it was a flurry of activity. She wasn’t surprised to see the new residents standing around looking very frightened and confused.

“Morgan, Hennessey, and Jacqui,” she said and beckoned her colleagues. “Take two and put them to work.” She pointed towards the youngsters. “Tierney, Alvarez, and Murphy,” she called out just as the ambulance bay doors burst open. “You three are with me.” She snapped on a pair of rubber gloves. “Talk to me,” she said to the EMT in a softer tone.

“Thirty-three-year-old, adult male, vitals are good.”

“And you’re smirking because?” Jamie asked as they wheeled the man, who on paper should be the picture of health, towards a treatment room. “What seems to be wrong with Mister…?”

“Stern.” The EMT kept smirking. “Electrical shock to his genitals.”

“Excuse me?”

“His wife tasered his nuts,” a feminine voice from behind them informed her.

“Whoa.” She winced along with everyone else in the room. “On three,” she told her residents, who fumbled slightly before successfully loading the weeping man onto a new gurney. Jamie checked his vitals while glancing over at the blonde who had been following them. The woman politely held up a badge. Jamie simply nodded and set about instructing her students on what to do. Young Dr. Murphy seemed to be the most uncomfortable. Jamie wasn’t surprised, since he was the only man in the room.