Code Blue With Intent

by Marilyn Esper Kelsey

  She had searched through the charts for hours. The clock read 1 am. I must be tired; that’s it. I just need some sleep, and I’ll tackle the charts again tomorrow and make some sense of all of this. She decided she would call Jake later and talk to him about the charts. He’ll think I’ve lost it. Hell, I think I’ve lost it.

  After a restless, sleepless night, Kate pulled herself out of bed at eight o’clock. She was thankful it was Saturday and she didn’t have to go to work. She headed for the kitchen to brew some coffee and was surprised her daughter was up, dressed, and eating breakfast. Megan glimpsed up at her. “Mom, you look awful! Are you sick?”

  “No, I’m not sick. I didn’t sleep well last night. Why are you up and dressed so early?”

  “I’m going to the mall—school shopping with Ava and her mom, remember? I asked you last week,” Megan said.

  “Yes, I remember. Do you need any money?”

  “You gave me money last week, but if you want to give me more, I won’t say no,” Megan grinned.

  The doorbell rang, and Megan bolted off her chair and kissed her mom. “That’s Ava’s mom. Bye. Go back to bed, take two aspirin, and I’ll call you later.”

  “Yes, Dr. Megan.” Kate sneered at her daughter.

  Megan tossed the newspaper in from the front porch, waved goodbye and darted down the walkway with Ava.

  ***

  Kate started the coffee brewing then took a shower in hopes of feeling human again. She put on a comfortable pair of jeans and a navy T-shirt and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Returning to the kitchen, she grabbed a cup of coffee, toasted a cinnamon-raisin bagel, picked up the newspaper, and headed to the screened-in porch to enjoy the fresh air.

  The porch was filled with white wicker furniture and bright, colorful cushions that made it feel cheerful and inviting. Kate and her daughter spent a lot of time on their porch enjoying meals, reading books, or just relaxing.

  Kate stretched out on the chaise lounge, munched on her bagel, sipped her coffee, and opened the newspaper. The headlines read “NURSE DIES IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT, ELECTROCUTED IN HER BATHTUB!” What a wonderful way to start the morning, Kate thought. She put the paper aside. Too depressing; I’ll read it later. She went back to her coffee and eventually dozed off, awakened by her phone ringing. She was going to let it ring but changed her mind and hurried to the kitchen where she had left her cell phone. When Jake’s name appeared on the caller ID, she picked up. “Jake, I’m here.”

  “Kate, are you all right? You sound out of breath.”

  “I was napping on the porch when the phone rang. Can you come over today? I really need to talk to you.”

  “That’s why I am calling. I wanted to see you. You sound upset. Is this about the nurse who died last night?” Jake commented.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Have you read the paper this morning?” Jake asked.

  “I read the headlines and put the paper down for later. Too depressing. It was about a nurse dying in her bathtub or something like that. Why? Is it someone we know?” Kate had an immediate rush of anxiety.

  “No, it was a nurse from St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

  Kate felt ill. It couldn’t be! Not again! Her head spun, her heart pounded.

  “Kate, are you still there?” Jake asked.

  Her voice was barely audible. “Jake, can you come over right now?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Kate hung up the phone and ran straight to the porch, picked up the paper, and read the headlines again. “NURSE DIES IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT, ELECTROCUTED IN HER BATHTUB!” She scanned down the column searching for a name, praying it would not be who she thought it might be. As her eyes zoomed in on the name, she dropped the paper and sat down before she fainted. The nurse was Stacy Hurley. This can’t be happening! It must be a mistake. Kate ran to the bathroom and threw up her breakfast. She rinsed her mouth and splashed cold water on her face, then held a cold washcloth on her forehead and stumbled into the living room to wait for Jake. Please hurry, Jake!

  When the doorbell rang, and Kate rushed to door, pulled Jake in, and hugged him tightly.

  “What a greeting! I’m glad to see you too.” He pulled her away, shocked at how pale and shaken she was with eyes wide in shock, terror, and tears. “What’s wrong? Something happen with Megan? Where is she?”

  Kate started rambling. “First Linda, now Stacy! It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

  “Slow down. What’s all your fault?”

  “It’s because of me they’re dead. I’m to blame, and I don’t even know why. No, I do know why. It just doesn’t make sense. It’s crazy!”

  “I’m not following you. Look, calm down. Let’s sit down and tell me what’s going on.” Jake led her to the living room sofa, sat her down, and took her hands in his. “Take a deep breath and tell me why you’re so upset. Did you know that nurse from St. Joseph’s?”

  “Yes. I was with her yesterday,” Kate said, trying to hold herself together. She told Jake about her visit with Stacy, the charts, and the lists she’d made from the charts.

  “Do you have the charts here?” Jake asked.

  “Yes. I’ve been going through them all night.”

  “Let’s go over them together and see what we come up with. Are you up to it?”

  “I appreciate you not locking me up in the psych ward. What I’m thinking of is crazy!”

  “The day is young.” Jake remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

  Kate felt a little calmer now that Jake was there and didn’t seem to think she was insane. Yet!

  For the next few hours, they drank coffee and poured over the charts. Jake made his own lists then compared them with Kate’s. When he put his pen down, he was frowning. The lists were identical. Jake rubbed his hands though his hair and replied. “I can see where you would be worried, but we know all these people at Northwest General, and I know all the people at St. Joseph’s. And just because the same names came up at both hospitals doesn’t prove anything. All of us have privileges at both hospitals. For God’s sake, Kate, I’m on both of those lists!”

  Kate sighed. “Believe me, I’m not saying anyone on the lists has anything to do with these deaths. Especially not you. It’s just not sitting well with me. Something is not right. What keeps hitting me is, one, all the patients have Premier Regional Insurance. Two, all have multiple admissions. Three, Linda and I were joking about knocking off her patients with multiple admissions because she let it slip that the insurance company was going under and some big company was interested in buying them out if their numbers were right. I kidded with Linda that one way to meet their numbers was to kill off all their multiple admissions. We laughed at the scenario. Then Linda took a leave of absence and called me, terrified and saying she’s in a shitload of trouble and wants to warn me about God knows what. She said I knew too much and that I needed to be careful. Only I never knew what she was going to tell me because some fucking psychopath ran her over. Four, one of my co-workers knows a case manager, Stacy Hurley, at St. Joseph’s, who happened to mention she’d stumbled on the fact that some dying patients in their ICU were from Premier Regional. I called her and made up some bullshit lie about why I needed all the charts—some quality improvement reason because I didn’t want her to think I’m some lunatic. I jeopardized her job, and more important, I probably caused her death, because she was electrocuted in her tub that very night. How am I supposed to feel?” Kate caught her breath and stared at Jake. Her terror had turned to anger.

  “I hear what you’re saying, but what you’re suggesting is that someone—the insurance company—is deliberately killing their patients to make their numbers look better. Who would do that? Someone we know? That list includes me.”

  “I don’t know what I am saying. I feel in my gut that something is wrong. Don’t you find this whole situation suspicious?” Kat
e asked.

  Jake hesitated for a moment. “I can certainly see where you are coming from, but can’t this all be a coincidence?”

  “I pray to God it is and that I am just being a crazy woman. But again, I don’t think I can ignore all that’s happened,” Kate said with tears in her eyes.

  Jake hugged her. “What do you want to do, Kate?”

  “I don’t have a clue. Do you think I should go to the police?”

  “With what proof?”

  “I have no proof! Should I just wait for someone else to be killed?” Kate blurted out, crying.

  “Look, I know you’re upset. Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out. Sit tight. Try and relax. Why don’t you get some rest, and we’ll touch base later.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I know some people at Premier Regional. Let me feel them out. I also want to look at some charts at the hospital.”

  “Do you want me to come with you? I can help.”

  “No, I think you need some rest. I’ll call you later.”

  “Jake, do you think I’m crazy?”

  He rose from the sofa, pulled her up into his arms, and hugged her tightly. Kate felt safe and melted into his arms. He said, “Kate, my sweetness, I could never think you’re crazy. However, I am crazy about you.”

  Kate pulled away from his embrace and kissed him, gently at first, then with more urgency. She removed his shirt over his head, moving her hands slowly up his bare chest. Jake returned the kiss with a fierce hunger for more.

  Kate grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. For the next few hours, they forgot about insurance companies, about death, about everything but pleasing each other over and over again. It felt so good to be lost in the passion.

  After he left, Kate stretched out in her bed, thinking of her beautiful man. Rich, warm brown hair, his eyes were a shade of raw umber and caramel mix, dotted with bits of milk chocolate. They glowed with humor and playfulness that wraps you in a warm embrace and melts your heart. His muscular lean body pressed against hers. She felt a tremor of pleasure just thinking about him. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 30

  “Call our man; it’s time to get rid of Kate Ross.”

  “What about our doc? He’ll be pissed. I thought you gave him twenty-four hours to talk to her and figure out what she knows.”

  “Screw him! The merger is ready to go. I don’t want any loose cannons at this stage.”

  “What about our ICU nurse?”

  “She’s next, along with our nosey Dr. Sonya Raditz and her lover girl, Dr. Larissa Markov. And then all ends will be tied up. We’ll be home free.”

  ***

  Lenny Cicone was thrilled when he received the call from Premier Regional to knock off another nurse and two female doctors. This would be the sixth bitch in the past few weeks. First one was Stella Lampert—one bullet through the head; she never knew what hit her. Second was Linda McCarthy, who he ran over with a “borrowed” SUV. The third victim was Stacy Hurley. He had just pushed the radio into the tub while she enjoyed some wild fantasy. The best part was that it was deemed a tragic accident. Now Lenny had a fourth nurse in his sights, and the topper was two more doctors.

  Sweet, fucking deal, he thought revealing an amused expression. Not only for the money, which was of course very lucrative; it beat flipping burgers or washing cars. But he especially loved the hunt and kill. It gave him total power and control.

  His first assignment started four years ago when he was in Atlantic City. One of his friends had connections, and they were invited to a strip club. During the course of the evening, he watched a great show and was hired for his first hit. He found he had a knack for the kill, and his reputation spread, which caused him to be in high demand. He was ruthless and a climber who would kill anyone, including his family members, to be a made man.

  ***

  Larissa Markov’s fingers rippled softly over the keys of her mahogany Steinway & Sons D Victorian Grand. She was playing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Eighteenth Variation of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” with her eyes closed deep in concentration. She was the happiest when playing her music.

  Sonya was in their big blue-and-white country kitchen preparing a Russian dish—Pelmeni, dumplings stuffed with minced meat. Sonya liked to experiment with different dishes, while Larissa preferred hamburgers and French fries.

  During dinner, the two discussed their day and returned to the subject of what they were going to do about talking with Kate Ross. In view of the deaths of Stella Lambert and Linda McCarthy, they knew it was time to reach out to Kate to share their fears with her. Larissa agreed to meet with Kate in the hospital the following day.

  After dinner, Larissa returned to her piano, and Sonya paid some bills and watched TV. She was addicted to the CSI series. At eleven o’clock, Larissa went upstairs, showered, lit some candles around the bed, and waited for Sonya to finish her shower and come to bed.

  ***

  The lights went out in the downstairs of the house. About fucking time, Lenny Cicone griped, sitting in his car outside Larissa and Sonya’s house. He’d wanted to wait till the lights were out to make his move. This is going to be fun! he thought to himself. He proceeded around the back of the house, cut the screen on the porch, and picked the back door lock with ease. Removing his nine millimeter, he attached the silencer from his waistband and walked quietly up the stairs. Strains of music floated out from the dim bedroom. Some Russian crap, he frowned. He peeked into the room and saw one of them sitting in bed reading a magazine. The shower was running in the bathroom. He had hoped he would find them getting it on. Pity. Oh well, time’s a wasting. He stepped boldly into the room, aimed his gun, and fired, hitting Larissa between the eyes. She slumped over in the bed. One down, one to go! He stepped into the steamy bathroom and roughly pulled down the shower curtain.

  Sonya rubbed the water out of eyes, thinking Larissa had come into the shower to join her. “What a nice surprise,” she said, opening her eyes, then gasped. “What the—”

  “Bye-bye.” Lenny shot her twice in the chest. Sonya slipped down, clutching her chest, till her body landed on the floor of the shower in a pool of blood.

  My work is done. God, I love my job! Lenny glared a sly smirk, turned off the shower, and left through the back door.

  Chapter 31

  The front doorbell rang. Kate jumped up expecting Jake’s return. She’d been anxiously awaiting his call about what he had uncovered. She was glad he’d decided to come over instead. She opened the door to see a man with a large pizza box in his hands.

  “Excuse me, miss. I’m looking for three-fifty-seven Orchard Drive.”

  “That’s up the next block,” Kate said, but the man pushed his way into the door and pulled a gun out from under the pizza box. Kate was so startled, she was unable to speak.

  “Back up and keep your mouth shut,” Lenny said, waving his gun at her.

  Kate stumbled back, and Lenny dropped the pizza box and kicked the door shut.

  “What the hell do you want? Get out of my house!” She sounded braver than she felt. She backed up and held onto the back of a chair for support before her legs gave way.

  Lenny leered, checking her out from top to bottom. What a looker. Too bad I have to waste her.

  Kate’s mind raced, her heart pounded like a freight train, her palms broke into a sweat. What should I do? Think Kate, think!

  Lenny stood over her, liking the stark look of fear and helplessness in her eyes, loving the power and domination he was feeling over her.

  He stood too long. Kate kicked her foot up between his legs as hard as she could, inflicting as much pain as possible.

  Lenny’s eyes widened in surprise, and he let out a scream. The excruciating pain in his groin stunned him and took him off balance. He fell to the floor and
the gun went off, slamming into Kate’s upper arm.

  “You fucking bitch!” Lenny cried out, holding his groin. The gun had dropped to the floor.

  Move it, Kate! she said to herself. Despite the searing pain in her arm, she managed to grab the crystal vase from the end table and strike it over the man’s head as he reached for his gun. He fell back on the floor, out cold.

  Instinctively Kate reached for his pulse but then pulled her hand back. Her mind shouted, Get the hell out of the house, NOW! She raced out of the house and flew to her neighbors. She pounded on the door and pressed the doorbell several times before her neighbor finally opened the door.

  “Oh my God Kate, what happened?” the neighbor asked, staring at the blood-soaked sleeve on Kate’s left arm.

  “Help me, Mrs. Kramer. There’s a man in my house. He shot me. Call the police.”

  Mrs. Kramer pulled her into her house, locked the door, helped Kate to the sofa, and hurried to the kitchen for the phone. By the time she came back into the living room, Kate was slumped over, passed out.

  Chapter 32

  “Wake up Kate. You’re safe now.” Distant voices drifted in and out of her consciousness. She was floating on a cloud; she couldn’t feel her body.

  “Open your eyes, Kate!”

  Jake! I can hear his voice. Why can’t I open my eyes? Kate struggled to wake up.

  “Why isn’t she awake? It’s been several hours,” Jake stated with an edge to his voice.

  Richard Timmers patted him on the shoulder. “Jake, she’s doing fine. Her surgery went well, her vitals are stable. She’s having eye movements now, which means she’s coming out of the anesthesia.”

  “Her daughter, Megan, is in the waiting room,” Richard said. “Do you think we should let her in or wait for Kate to wake up?”

  “Let’s wait a little longer, till she wakes up.” Jake said.