HARMED - Book 2: Seconds From Revenge Read online

  “It must have been scary for you,” said Claire in a whisper.

  “By then, it was awesome. I was alive. The last thing I could remember before that was when I was drugged.” Jack stopped to gather himself and swallow the choking knot in his throat. This was still exceedingly emotional for him. The physical wounds had long healed, but the psychological scars would not fade away. Not anytime soon.

  “I really thought I’d lose you that day,” said Claire.

  “So many people died. And for what? Money!” A pause. “I miss John,” said Jack after a long moment.

  “I miss him, too. He was a great friend,” said Claire.

  “Yes, he was.” Jack’s eyes moistened as tears appeared one by one. Silence again. Claire fished a tissue from her purse and gave it to Jack. She used another to wipe her own tears. They drove on wordlessly. Mournfully remembering those lost. The sacrifices. The wounds.

  “The bad guy, Simon Lagrange, escaped,” said Claire, a nervous twist in her words. “I’m sure he’s very pissed at us for unfolding his horrific scheme.” She swallowed. “Do you think he’ll come back for revenge?”

  CHAPTER 4

  The waiting room was full—standing room only. Matt Lauer discussed today’s news on the wall-mounted TV. It seemed like any other morning at the Newton Memorial Outpatient Cardiac Clinic. This portion of the building, attached to the main hospital, served as doctors’ offices. Beyond the waiting area, the cardiology and electrophysiology fellows worked as fast as their levels of expertise allowed. The young doctors in training would see patients in the small rooms and formulate an opinion as to what the problem was and what to do about it. They would then come out and confer with the attending physician assigned to the clinic that day. The attending physician, an older and more experienced doctor, would review the facts and enter the room with the trainee to visit briefly with the patient. Today, the task was allotted to the director of the department, Dr. Jack Norris. The situation would be discussed and plans made. The trainees would then dictate a note reflecting the conversations and order the appropriate tests and medications. A return appointment would be given the patient, and the doctors would move on to the next case.

  “I just saw Mrs. Ana Janheri, who is a forty-three-year-old woman with a history of rapid heartbeats. Here’s the EKG,” said Dr. Frank Hanes. Frank was an attractive, tall man in his late twenties in his first year of cardiology fellowship. He had completed three years in internal medicine but decided to continue his training to become a cardiologist. Today was his office day, and he had been assigned to Jack’s team.

  Jack looked at the EKG briefly and handed it back to Frank. “What do you think we should do?” asked Jack.

  “Mrs. Janheri has tried different medications, but she continues to be symptomatic with multiple recurrences. Should we offer an ablation?” said Frank.

  “Yes. Talk to her about an ablation procedure. Explain the potential risks, benefits, and alternatives, and see what she wants to do.”

  Frank disappeared back into room 7. When he emerged from the room a few minutes later, the patient accompanied him.

  “We’ll get the ball rolling. Call if you have any questions. Otherwise, we’ll see you on the day of your procedure,” said Frank.

  The patient moved on to scheduling, leaving the two doctors alone.

  “Frank,” said Jack, “I have one for you: You have a wolf, a rabbit, and a carrot on one side of a river, and you’re trying to get them to the other side. But you have to do it one by one. If you leave them alone, the wolf will eat the rabbit and the rabbit will eat the carrot. Wolves don’t eat carrots. How do you do it?”

  “First take the rabbit across,” said Frank.

  “Good. That works, since the wolf and carrot are left alone, and they’re safe together. What’s the next step?” asked Jack.

  “Hmm, which should I go get next?” he said, thinking of the possibilities. “Not sure.”

  “OK, think about it. Let me know the answer when you know it. Go finish the report. Hey, if you’d like, plan on assisting me with the ablation procedure.” Frank nodded and disappeared into the dictation room, a smile on his face.

  “Ready for another patient? I have a case to discuss with you, Dr. Norris,” said a young woman wearing a white coat, seeing Frank depart the director’s side.

  “Go for it, Maria.” Jack stood by the counter where Dr. Maria Butler, a second-year trainee, had set down her paperwork. She was a thin brunette wearing blue scrubs under her white coat. With her was Sundeep Singh, a third-year medical student. He was East Indian, intelligent, and driven to succeed. His cardiology rotation had begun a few days earlier.

  “This is Mr. William Stoops. He is doing extremely well. He’s a sixty-eight-year-old man with an ischemic cardiomyopathy.” Maria’s gaze turned from the paperwork to Jack.

  Sundeep continued the presentation. “He had two large heart attacks, the first two years ago and another more recently. His heart muscle became weakened.”

  “Is he on all the right medications?” asked Jack, looking back at Maria.

  “Coreg, Altace, Aldactone, Crestor, and aspirin. Excellent combination and dosages,” she said.

  “He says he feels much better,” said Sundeep. “He has more energy, can walk longer, and does things he enjoys doing. He wants to say hello to you.”

  Jack, Maria, and Sundeep entered room 9.

  “Dr. Norris, the man, the myth!” said Mr. Stoops. The two men shook hands. The patient then turned to Maria and Sundeep. “Dr. Norris saved my life. But even more importantly, he improved my golf game by several strokes.”

  “Good to hear it,” said Jack.

  “I’m a new man, Doc. I feel great. My wife says I’m back to being a pain in her ass. Oops! Sorry,” said Mr. Stoops, looking at Maria.

  “I’m familiar with the word. I’ve used it once or twice myself,” Maria said with a big grin.

  “Well, you get out of this office. This is for sick people, not for normal pains in the asses like you,” said Jack, smiling and shaking the patient’s hand again as he opened the door. The four walked out into the hall.

  “Thanks, Dr. Norris. I owe you my life. If you ever want to learn a real sport like golf and give up soccer, let me know. I’m your man; I can teach you how to play.”

  “Golf isn’t a sport. It’s hardly a pastime. Soccer is the only real sport.” The two men smiled.

  “Thanks,” said Mr. Stoops as he left the area.

  Maria took the chart and walked to the dictation room.

  “Dr. Norris, Mr. Kyle Johnson got here late. His appointment was two hours ago. He’s out in the waiting room yelling at everybody. I’ve called security,” said Shelley with a concerned look. “I’ve tried to reason with him, but he’s drunk and crazed.” Shelley Simms, the newest secretary and medical assistant, was thin, doe eyed, dark haired, and perky. She began working at the outpatient clinic only a few months earlier and, despite her vivacious demeanor, was the last person who should be dealing with good old Kyle, a frequent flyer at the office who often caused a ruckus.

  “Not again. Where is he?” asked Jack. Shelley walked to the waiting room with Jack in tow. She opened the door leading to the large room. Several people were sitting, witnessing the ongoing exchanges in disbelief. An older man was standing, arguing loudly with Kathryn Fanning, one of the seasoned, though young, nurses. Kate, as everyone called her, played a pivotal role in the outpatient clinic. She was a young woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes and, like most nurses in the clinic, sported pink scrubs with a white T-shirt underneath. The tipsy man’s balance was obviously suspect as his torso moved slightly to and fro. In the background near a broom closet, Jack spied the new janitor. Cesar Madera held a mop and water bucket and looked on in dismay.

  “Thanks, Dr. Norris,” said Kate in a whisper when Jack approached.

  “It
’s OK, Kate. What’s going on, Mr. Johnson?” Jack asked loudly to distract the patient from his persistent screaming at the young nurse. He stopped talking in midsentence and looked in Dr. Norris’s direction. The patient was in his sixties, unshaven, disheveled, and scruffy. As Jack approached him, it was quite apparent he had been drinking, as he reeked of alcohol.

  “I’m here to see my doctor. Hey, you’re my doctor, ain’t ya?” blurted out the intoxicated man.

  “Yes, I am. You’re disrupting the office,” said Jack.

  “This bitch says I’m too late, and you won’t see me,” he said, pointing at Kate.

  “We don’t allow that kind of language around here. You need to apologize to Nurse Kate.”

  The man looked at Jack with some intimidation. He stumbled side to side. His words were slurred and unclear. “I just want to see the doctor for my heart. I don’t want no trouble,” he said.

  It was then that security stormed into the room. There were three men dressed in blue, one of whom Jack recognized.

  “Good morning, gentlemen. Mr. Trepur, how are you? Good to see you this fine morning.” Jack said.

  “Bonjour, Dr. Norris. We will take care of thees,” said Nai Trepur with a thick French accent. The two guards held the inebriated patient under the armpits and gently escorted him out of the area. All other patients in the waiting room sat in their chairs quietly, mesmerized by the activities.

  “Is everyone fine heere?” asked Nai Trepur.

  “Yes, we’re OK. I have never experienced a security team respond so fast. Thank you, Nai,” said Jack. “Will you take him to the emergency department? I’ll call there. We’ll try again to see if Mr. Johnson will agree to inpatient detox. He really needs help, if he’d only accept it.”

  “You and thee nurses are for takeeng care of pationts who want your help, not drunks,” Nai said with a smile. “We’ll take him to eemerguncee room now. Call if you need soometheng.” Nai left the waiting room. The ongoing discussions on TV could be heard again, but no one was paying attention to the wall-hung unit as Matt Lauer went on and on about something or other. Jack and the nurses returned to the back office.

  “Thank you, Dr. Norris,” said Kate. “Thank you for getting Dr. Norris for me, Shelley.”

  “No problem,” said Shelley, her previously frowning face now relaxed and smiling.

  “I wish we could help Mr. Johnson with his alcohol addiction. When he’s sober, he’s actually a pleasant and kind man,” said Jack somberly. “Unfortunately, he’s almost always drunk.”

  “Is there nothing that will help him?” asked Kate.

  “Not until he’s ready. There’s a drug called Antabuse that could help him, but he has to want to quit,” said Jack.

  “What’s the drug do?” asked Kate.

  “It helps people quit booze by making them vomit if they consume alcohol. It’s used in conjunction with regular counseling. We’ll try again this time, and see if he’ll agree to restart the process of drying out and staying sober. First, he’ll need to cool off and sober up a bit. I’ll have the addiction people talk to him in the emergency department. Hopefully he’ll agree to get help this time.”

  “Will you please sign this incident report?” asked Shelley. “I have to fax it to security ASAP.” Jack took the paper and scanned it.

  “Don’t forget to practice safe fax,” he said, signing the document. Jack called the emergency-department doctor on duty and explained the situation. He hung up.

  “Does this sort of thing happen a lot around here?” asked Shelley, reviewing the incident report she had prepared. “This could be a dangerous place to work.”

  “No, not really. Security is so much quicker and efficient these days,” said Jack.

  “Yes, I agree. I was here before all the murders,” said Kate. “I had my car broken into. It took almost an hour to get someone to report to the parking lot just to write up the incident.”

  “Do you think the murders wouldn’t have happened if we had had a better security force?” asked Shelley.

  “No. Not even Superman could have prevented those murders.” With these words, Jack vividly recalled the events of three years earlier, the events that led to the assassination of his best friend, John Connor. Jack’s demeanor changed. He became quiet, fighting back tears.

  “How horrible it must have been,” said Kate.

  “What happened exactly?” said Shelley.

  “Don’t make Dr. Norris relive that brutal ordeal all over again,” said Kate. By then, Frank and Maria had approached the team. They stood and listened.

  “That’s OK, Kate,” said Jack. “It actually helps to talk about it. It certainly still is a source of deep sadness. But it’s getting better and better as time goes on.” He noticed his heartbeat and breathing pattern involuntarily quickening. The sinking feeling in his chest and abdomen had begun to materialize. “There was a doctor here who was a brilliant researcher. He discovered a drug for heart-failure patients. During the initial investigations, he discovered that the drug induced intense paranoia, confusion, and combative behavior. He was experimenting with rats. The rats treated with the drug mutilated the other rats in the cage to death and then self-destroyed. Many rats perished, and the project and the drug became known as Rat Poison.”

  Jack smirked and took a deep breath. “They also invented a drug-delivery system involving tiny bubbles. The bubbles were filled with a medication, any drug—chemotherapeutic agents, cardiovascular medications, and so on. The subjects breathed the bubbles into their lungs, but nothing happened until the bubbles were destroyed by a remote ultrasound device.” Jack felt a huge lump that choked him deep in the throat. He spoke slowly and softly when he could speak again. “Please forgive me. I need to take a moment.” He retreated to a bathroom nearby.

  “When Dr. Norris was poisoned with Rat Poison, it almost killed him,” said Kate, breaking the long moment of silence when Jack was out of earshot. “Dr. Norris was one of the people who stopped the bad guys from continuing their research and killing more people.”

  The group stood there, still, wordless. Somberly and quietly, one by one, the doctors, nurses, and secretary disbanded and went back to work.

  CHAPTER 5

  Jack tried to put it all behind him. Again. It surprised him how much healing he still required, even though the incident had occurred three years before. When he awoke, Claire was already up and about. The intense emotional turmoil inside Jack from the discussion at the office the day before had dissipated almost completely. By now, he could fake complete normalcy. Jack had been on call the night before. This morning, he took the opportunity to sleep late.

  “I slept like a baby,” said Jack, slumber still covering part of his face. He stretched his arms wide and then sat up in bed.

  “OK. Let me change your diaper now,” said Claire. “No time to dillydally. We’re going to be late. It’s almost eleven o’clock. We’re supposed to be there by noon. I need your help gathering Nick’s toys. Put them in that basket, and then stick it in the van. Jack, get in the shower. Hurry up.” Claire was going over last-minute details in her head. The Norris family was going to a barbecue picnic at Newton Memorial Hospital to welcome the new cardiology trainees.

  “Are we taking Trinity, Claire?” asked Jack as he arrived in the kitchen half dressed, postshower.

  “Please, Mom?” said Nick.

  “Did they invite dogs?” she asked. The boys looked at one another. In silence, and simultaneously, they shrugged their shoulders.

  “Yes,” Jack lied, buttoning up his shirt.

  “OK. She can come along.”

  The boys smiled.

  “Come on, girl. Get your leash,” said Jack to the overly excited dog. She obliged and showed up moments later with a leash in her mouth. “Good girl, Trinity.” He hooked up the leash to her collar.

  The four got into the van.
When they arrived at the hospital, the parking area was full. Beyond it, many people gathered around several large outdoor grills as smoke and appetizing aromas emanated from the area. Farther back, several people were playing volleyball, basketball, and soccer. Jack and Claire gathered their stuff and walked to the party area. It was a beautiful sunny day with a slight cool breeze.

  “Hey, you party animals!” said Jack loudly as he approached one of the groups. Several people nodded and waved, welcoming the newly arrived.

  “Hi, Dr. and Dr. Norris,” said Lori. Lori Hughes was a heavyset nurse in her forties and wore a yellow summer dress. “Did you hear the news?”

  “No, what is it?” asked Claire.

  “Frank, Kate, come here, please,” yelled Lori, gesturing at a couple to approach. Shelley was with them and came, too. As the group was drawing nearer, Kate raised her ring finger, displaying a sparkling engagement ring.

  Claire took her hand and gawked at the diamond. “Wow. This is beautiful. Good job, Frank. I assume you picked the ring?” asked Claire, eyes on the young man.

  “Yes. He surprised me this morning,” said Kate, beaming. Frank nodded, wearing a million-dollar happy face.

  “Did you say yes, Kate?” asked Jack.

  “No, but I thought I’d keep the ring anyway.” Kate smirked. “Yes, I said yes!” She smiled brightly and then kissed Frank.

  “Can we borrow Nick and Trinity, Dr. Norris?” asked Peggy Snyder excitedly. “I brought my dog.” She pointed to a playful black Lab in the distance.

  “Sure. Go have fun, Nick,” said Claire.

  “Let’s play. Come on, Nick,” said Peggy. “Come here, Trinity.” Peggy, Nick, and Trinity ran off.

  “I’m very happy for both of you,” said Jack.

  “You make a lovely couple. Picture time,” said Claire, fishing her camera out of her purse. Frank and Kate kissed for the picture.

  “Dr. and Dr. Norris, I’d like you two to meet my family,” said Kate, waving to a group of people who were just arriving. She ran to them and hugged each of them.