“Well, there you have it,” Terese said after the last storyboard was explained and withdrawn. “What do you men think?”
“They’re cute,” Jack admitted. “And probably effective. But they are hardly worth the money that’s going to be spent on them.”
“But they deal with something associated with the quality of care,” Terese said defensively.
“Barely,” Jack said. “The National Health subscribers would be better off if the millions spent on this were put into actual health care.”
“Well, I love them,” Chet said. “They’re so fresh and delightfully humorous. I think they’re great.”
“I assume the ‘other’ hospital refers to the competition,” Jack said.
“Most assuredly,” Terese said. “We feel it would be in bad taste to mention the General by name, especially in light of the problems it’s been having.”
“Their problems are getting worse,” Jack said. “They’ve had an outbreak of another serious disease. This makes three in three days.”
“Good God!” Terese exclaimed. “That’s awful. I certainly hope this gets to the media, or is this one going to be a secret?”
“I don’t know why you keep making this an issue,” Jack snapped. “There’s no way it can be kept a secret.”
“It would be if AmeriCare had its way,” Terese said heatedly.
“Hey, are you guys at it again?” Chet said.
“It’s an ongoing argument,” Terese said. “I just can’t get over the fact that Jack does not feel it is his job as a public servant to let the media and hence the public know about these awful diseases.”
“I told you I’ve been specifically informed it is not my job,” Jack shot back.
“Wait! Time out,” Chet called out. “Listen, Terese, Jack is right. We can’t go to the media ourselves. That’s the chiefs domain via the PR office. But Jack is no slouch in all this. Today he went flying over to the General and implied right to their faces that these recent outbreaks aren’t natural.”
“What do you mean, not ‘natural’?” Terese asked.
“Exactly that,” Chet said. “If they are not natural, then they are deliberate. Somebody is causing them.”
“Is that true?” Terese asked Jack. She was shocked.
“It’s gone through my mind,” Jack admitted. “I’m having trouble explaining scientifically everything that has been going on over there.”
“Why would someone do that?” Terese wondered. “It’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Jack asked.
“Could it be the work of some crazy person?” Colleen offered.
“That I’d doubt,” Jack said. “There is too much expertise involved.
And these bugs are dangerous to handle. One of the current victims is a lab technician.”
“What about a disgruntled employee?” Chet suggested. “Someone with the knowledge and a grudge who’s snapped.”
“That I think is more likely than some madman,” Jack said. “In fact, the director of the hospital lab is unhappy with the management of the hospital. He told me so himself. He’s had to lay off twenty percent of his workforce.”
“Oh my God,” Colleen exclaimed. “Do you think it could be him?”
“Actually I don’t,” Jack said. “Frankly, too many arrows would point to the director of the lab. He’d be the first suspect. He’s been acting defensive, but he’s not stupid. I think that if this series of diseases has been spread deliberately it has to be for a more venal reason.”
“Like what?” Terese said. “I think we’re all jumping off the deep end here.”
“Maybe so,” Jack said. “But we have to remember that AmeriCare is first and foremost a business. I even know something about their philosophy. Believe me, it is bottom-line oriented all the way.”
“You’re suggesting that AmeriCare might be spreading disease in its own facility?” Terese asked incredulously. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m just thinking out loud,” Jack explained. “For the sake of argument let’s assume these illnesses have been deliberately spread. Now, let’s look at the index case in each incidence. First, there was Nodelman, who had diabetes. Second, there was Hard, who had a chronic orthopedic problem, and lastly there was Lagenthorpe, who suffered from chronic asthma.”
“I see what you’re suggesting,” Chet said. “All of the index cases were the type of patient prepaid plans hate because they lose money on them. They simply use too much medical care.”