Kelly clucked her tongue. “What do you mean, bother?” She led him, still holding his hand, through the dining room and into the kitchen. Extending off the back of the house and open to the kitchen was a comfortable family room. It seemed to, be part
of an addition. There was a garden outside the broad bow window. The garden appeared as if it could use a little attention. Inside, the house was spotless.
Kelly sat Jeffrey on a gingham couch. Jeffrey put down his briefcase. –
“What’s with the briefcase?” Kelly asked as she went over to put some water on to boil. “I thought doctors carried little black bags when they made house calls. It makes you look more like an insurance salesman.” She laughed a crystalline laugh as she went to the refrigerator and pulled a cheesecake from the freezer.
“If I showed you what was in this briefcase you wouldn’t believe it,”
Jeffrey said.
“What makes you say that?”
Jeffrey didn’t answer, but she graciously let it pass. She pulled a knife from a rack above the sink and cut two pieces of cheesecake.
“I’m glad you decided to come over,” she said, licking the knife. “I only bring out the cheesecake when I have company.” She put a large tea bag in the teapot and got out cups.
The kettle began to whistle fiercely. Kelly pulled it off the range and poured the boiling water into the teapot. She put everything on a tray and carried it to a coffee table in front of the family room couch.
“There!” she said, setting it down. “Did I forget anything?” Kelly surveyed the tray. “Napkins!” she cried, and returned to the kitchen area. When she returned, she sat down. She smiled at Jeffrey. “Really,” she said, pouring the tea. “I’m glad you came over, and not just because of the cheesecake.”
Jeffrey realized he’d not eaten since the shredded wheat that morning. The cheesecake was a delight.
“Was there something in particular that you wanted to talk about?” Kelly asked, setting her teacup down.
Jeffrey admired her frankness. It made it easier for him.
“For starters, I guess I want to apologize for not having been much of a friend to Chris,” Jeffrey said. “After what I’ve been through in the past few months, I have an appreciation of what Chris went through. At the time,
I had no idea.”
“I guess no one did,” Kelly said sadly. “Even I didn’t.”
“I don’t mean to dredge up painful memories for you,” Jeffrey said when he saw the change in Kelly’s expression.
“Don’t worry. I’ve finally come to terms with it,” she said.
“But that’s all the more reason I should have called you. How are you holding up?”
Jeffrey hadn’t expected the conversation to shift to his troubles so quickly. How was he holding up? In the last twenty-four hours he’d attempted suicide and, failing that, had tried to leave the country. “It’s been difficult,” was all he managed.
Kelly reached over and squeezed his hand. “I don’t think people have any idea of the toll malpractice takes and I’m not talking about money.”
“You know better than most,” Jeffrey said. “You and Chris paid the highest price.”
“Is it true you are going to prison?” Kelly asked.
Jeffrey sighed. “It looks that way.”
“That’s absurd!” Kelly said with a vehemence that surprised Jeffrey.
“We’re filing an appeal,” he said, “but I don’t have much faith in the process. Not anymore.”
“How did you become the scapegoat?” Kelly asked. “What happened to the other doctors and the hospital? Weren’t they sued?”
“They were all dropped from the case,” Jeffrey explained. “I had a brief problem with morphine a few years back. Standard story: it was prescribed for a back injury I suffered in a bike accident. During the trial, they suggested that I’d mainlined some morphine shortly before I came on the case. Then someone found an empty via] of.75% Marcaine in the disposal of the anesthesia machine I was using-.75% Marcaine is contraindicated for obstetric anesthesia. No one found the.5% vial.”
“But you didn’t use.75%, did you?” Kelly asked.
“I always check the label of any medication,” Jeffrey said. “But it’s that type of reflex behavior that’s hard to specifically remember. I can’t believe I used.75%. But what can I say? They found what they found.”