Code Blue With Intent

by Marilyn Esper Kelsey

It was progress—a human voice. “What? No electronic voice? Why the change?”

  “It’s what you’ve been asking for, isn’t it? Listen up. we need you for an assignment today, before the patient goes home. She’s a nurse at Northwest General. Her name is Kate Ross.”

  “Oh, no. I know Kate Ross, and this wasn’t part of our deal. I was only going to eliminate noncompliant patients.” The nurse suddenly felt ill.

  “You do this, and then you can get out of your contract with us.”

  “No, I cannot do this!” the nurse yelled into the phone.

  “You will do this or pay the consequences.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes, I am, and you know damn well we’ll follow through. I’ll give you double the money on this case.”

  “You son of a bitch! It’s not the money. I know her, and I just can’t do this! Please don’t ask me to! I’ll go to the police!”

  “That would be a big mistake on your part. Just do the job. Then you will be free to live your life as you choose. By the way, how’s your mother doing?”

  The nurse was frantic. “I’m telling you—” But the phone went dead. Shit! What am I going to do? The nurse hurriedly dialed a number.

  “Hello?”

  “Pauline, is my mother awake?” the nurse asked.

  “Yes. The physical therapists have just taken your mother outside for her exercises. What a great idea.” There was silence. “Hello, are you still there?”

  The nurse had dropped her phone and slumped to the floor. Oh God, no! What have I done? It was not her mother’s day for physical therapy, and she knew they would never take her outside. Her mind raced for a moment, then she picked the phone up off the floor and made another call. “Hello, Pauline. It’s me again. Sorry I dropped the phone. The therapists have picked up my mom to meet me at the hospital. We are going on a vacation, so we will call you when we get back.”

  ***

  Kate was lying in her hospital bed recapping the events from the last twenty-four hours since she’d received the charts from Stacy. Stacy! I’m so sorry for dragging you into this nightmare! She closed her eyes, trying to shut the thought out of her mind.

  “Kate, how are you feeling? I’m your nurse today.”

  “Rita, what are you doing on the fifth floor?” Kate asked.

  “The census is down in the ICU, and they have some nurses out on the fifth, so it’s my turn to get pulled to the floor. Any pain? Do you need a shot? Can I get you anything?”

  “No, I’m ok, Rita. Thanks. I’m having a hard time staying awake.” Kate yawned.

  “Well, sleep, Kate. I’ll be back in later with your antibiotics. The girls from the unit and the OR are all calling to see how you are doing, and they send their love.”

  “Tell them I’m fine,” Kate said and drifted back to sleep.

  ***

  Kate opened her eyes to see a shadow looming over her. “Oh, hi. What time is it?” She looked down at her IV and saw a nurse pushing a syringe into her IV line. She suddenly felt very dizzy and lightheaded. “What . . . are . . . you . . . ?” Kate said, before floating off into darkness.

  The nurse withdrew the syringe from Kate’s IV port, capped the needle and put it back in her pocket. “Sleep tight, Kate.” She pulled the wheelchair up to the bedside and placed Kate’s limp body into the chair. She then checked the hallway to make sure it was empty and wheeled Kate into the elevator and out the side door of the hospital. She gently placed her into the back of her van then closed the van door and jumped into the driver’s side of the van. Starting the ignition, the passenger door opened.

  “I know what you are doing. Let me help.”

  The nurse looked around nervously. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m here to help you. What did you give Kate?”

  “A sedative just to knock her out. I’m trying to save her life,” the nurse said, fighting the urge to cry.

  “I’ll help. I want to save her life too.”

  She didn’t know if she should trust him, but she had always admired him. “Get in.”

  “Where are you taking her?”

  “I don’t know. I just had to get her out of the hospital before she died.”

  “I have a country horse ranch in Gladstone. I’ll take you there. It’s private, and no one knows about it. Let me off at my car in the doctor’s parking lot, and you can follow me. Please believe me, I care for Kate and don’t want her to die either. We can figure out our next move when we get there.”

  The nurse hesitated for a moment but realized she had no choice. She was going to trust him. “Ok, I’m going to follow you. How did you get mixed up in this mess?”

  “Same as you did. The money.”

  During the drive, as she followed the doctor, she marveled that he was involved in this nightmare as well. He was the last person she would have expected to get his hands dirty like this. But then, how had she gotten caught up in this?

  Forty-five minutes later, they pulled into a winding driveway surrounded by woods. Great, she thought. No one will be able to find us or hear us. But . . . will this be a good or bad thing?

  They stopped in front of a charming three-story farm house. Together, they carried Kate into the house and placed her in one of the six bedrooms.

  “What a beautiful house,” the nurse exclaimed. “This is what I want—a peaceful, quiet place to live with my family.” But reality struck her hard at that moment; she had crossed the line and had ruined her chances for a normal life now. The tears started.

  “Tell me what you are talking about,” the doctor said.

  They shared their stories with each other, of trying to provide for their families. The nurse told him she didn’t want to hurt anybody. She was a nurse, trained to help people, not kill them.

  The doctor told her of his deprived childhood, struggling to survive. He had worked three jobs at a time since he was twelve to help his family out. He wanted a better life for his kids. It had taken him years to pay off his college and med school loans.

  The doctor sighed. “We both want the same thing—a better life for us and our family.”

  “How’d you get mixed up with Premier Regional?” the nurse asked.

  “One of the directors was in my office years ago, and during the course of his visit, he accidentally knocked over my used microscope on the counter. I was so upset at him and told him I hadn’t even finished paying for that microscope yet. He apologized profusely and said he would replace the microscope. The very next day, a brand new microscope was delivered to my office, plus a contract for all employee physicals, which meant a big income for me. I started doing more and more work for them—like falsifying records in their favor—until they asked me to do away with a patient who was costing them an arm and a leg in medical bills. I vehemently refused at first. But they offered me so much money, and I rationalized the man was very non-compliant anyway, so I sold my soul to the devil. Since then I have been socking money away for a brighter future for me and my family. I never intended for my friends or family to get hurt.”

  “I feel the same way. I just wanted financial security for my family. What are we going to do?”

  The doctor frowned. “I don’t know. Go check on Kate, and I’ll think of something.”

  ***

  Lenny Cicone overheard their sappy, sad stories while crouched under the outside porch window of the farm house. What a crock of shit, he thought, listening to them bellyaching about their lives.

  He had gone to the hospital to finish off the bitch who’d kicked him in the balls and then whacked him over the head. She was not going to get away with that. Nobody makes a fool of Lenny Cicone, he vowed. Nobody! He had gone to the hospital to take her out.

  Upon entering the hospital earlier, he had passed a nurse wheeling a patient in a wheelchair. Upon c
loser look, he’d realized it was Kate Ross. So he’d followed the nurse and saw her put Kate into the van. He’d been about to jump in the van when the doctor stepped into the van. He waited to see what happened, saw the nurse drop the doctor off at the doctor’s parking lot, then followed the doctor. Lenny decided to follow both of them and was thrilled when they turned into a driveway surrounded by woods. He parked his SUV in the woods and ran up through the woods to the house. As they carried Kate into the house, he hid under the window. How perfect is this! he crowed. Deserted, private house with no nosey neighbors. I’ll knock off all three of them! He went back to his SUV, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Premier Regional.

  Premier Regional told him to hold off until they heard from the doctor. They were giving the doctor the benefit of the doubt that he was in control of the situation; it was probably his way of getting rid of both of the nurses. They told Lenny that they needed the doctor and that he would do what was necessary. He was their “liaison” at the hospital. They told Lenny they knew the doctor loved the money and would not risk losing out. Besides, he was responsible for knowing who they could recruit at both hospitals.

  Lenny was disappointed but grudgingly agreed to hold off for now and call them back later to keep them informed. He would be patient for now, but he was determined that he would be the one to settle the score with Kate Ross.

  Lenny rushed back to his position on the porch, planning his sweet revenge.

  Chapter 37

  The police had contacted Kate’s doctor and had received the okay to question her in the hospital. They met Dr. Sinclair on the fifth-floor nurses station at 2 p.m. Coincidentally, Detective Jason Pratt, who had handled Linda McCarthy’s hit-and-run, was now the lead detective on Kate’s case.

  Detective Pratt had gone over his notes on the way to the hospital, recalling Kate’s statement on the hit-and-run. He had instantly liked her and remembered she was very cooperative and had a sweet manner about her. He also remembered her boyfriend being a pain in the ass. He’d had another run-in with Dr. Fenelli last night. The doctor had vehemently said no to questioning Kate last night. And Dr. Sinclair, Kate’s doctor, had likewise vetoed a visit last night, so they’d had to wait till today to interview her.

  They did receive the nine millimeter bullet from Kate’s arm last night from her doctor and logged it as evidence. The detective was concerned for Kate. There had been too many deaths connected with this nine millimeter gun; it had been used with each of the Premier Regional deaths. Something was not right at that insurance company. People were dropping left and right.

  Dr. Sinclair was waiting for the detectives at the desk when they arrived. She made it clear to them that if Kate was not up to questioning, they would have to wait till later, or possibly tomorrow.

  They all walked down to Kate’s room. But upon entering, they discovered an empty bed. Dr. Sinclair knocked on the bathroom door. No response. So she opened the bathroom door, but no Kate. The doctor then turned to the detectives. “She should be in her room, but I did order an X-ray for her arm. That’s probably where she is. Let’s go back out to the desk and check with the nurses.”

  “Regina, where is Kate Ross? She’s not in her room. Did she go down to X-ray?”

  “She should be in her room. Her X-ray isn’t till 4 p.m.”

  “She’s not in her room. Could X-ray have picked her up early?” Dr. Sinclair asked.

  “No. The courier stops at the desk for the patient’s chart. Her chart is still here.”

  Dr. Sinclair was getting irritated at the nurse. “One more time. Where is Kate Ross? She is not in her room. Could you please check with X-ray and see if they maybe picked her up early and forgot her chart?”

  The nurse promptly called X-ray, spoke with the technician, and hung up. “She’s not in X-ray, Dr. Sinclair. The last time I checked with her, she was sleeping.”

  “I suggest you check the floor, the hospital cafeteria, coffee shop. Better yet, overhead page her.”

  Their search for Kate and overhead page went unanswered. There was no sign of Kate anywhere. Dr. Sinclair was getting worried. “Anyone call Jake?”

  The detective asked, “You mean Dr. Fenelli?”

  “Yes. He stayed overnight in her room. Maybe he knows where she is. Call him.”

  “Who are you looking for?” They turned to see Jake Fenelli coming down the hallway toward them.

  “Thank God you’re here, Jake,” Dr. Sinclair sighed. “Do you know where Kate is?”

  Noticing the detectives, Jake frowned. “She damn well better be in her hospital bed. What’s going on here?”

  Not waiting for an answer, Jake charged down to Kate’s room with the detectives, Dr. Sinclair, and Regina following him.

  Upon entering her room, he almost cried. “Where is she?” he called out.

  “That’s what we are trying to find out,” the detective said as he updated him on the search for Kate.

  “Oh, my God. I should never have left her this morning!”

  “All right, Dr. Fenelli, tell me what’s going on,” Detective Pratt said.

  Jake looked at the detective, clearly distressed. “Please find her. I don’t want to lose her.” He proceeded to tell the detectives what had transpired the past few days. When he finished, the room turned silent.

  Sergeant Pratt finally broke the silence. “That’s quite a story. Do you have any proof?”

  “No, damn it! That’s why we didn’t come forward sooner. We thought you’d think we were crazy.”

  “I have to admit, you’re right about that,” Sergeant Pratt said. “However, we need to investigate this and find Mrs. Ross. Come down to the station house with us and give us your complete statement.”

  “I have to find Kate first,” Jake stated, his eyes brimmed with sorrow.

  “You need to cooperate and let us do our job. Together we might be able to find her.”

  Jake nodded and agreed to go down to the station. His mind was spinning. I shouldn’t have left her this morning! he chastised himself. We should have gone straight to the police and told them even, if they thought we were insane. Please, let Kate be safe!

  At least he had left Megan at his house this afternoon. She had still been sleeping when he left, so he called his neighbor to come over to be there when she woke up. He had left her a note that he would be home later and that he would take her to the hospital or maybe bring her mom home with him. Now what was he going to tell her?

  ***

  “Doc, I’m glad you called in. I know you have both nurses with you. Good plan. You can get rid of both of them. We’ll be home free now. Eastern National is ready to sign the final papers. We did it! We’re rich.”

  “Wait a minute. Back up. How do you know I have Kate?” the doctor asked, irritated.

  “Lenny Cicone was at the hospital and saw our nurse put Kate Ross into her van. Then he followed you to Gladstone. I didn’t know you had a house there.”

  “Lenny is here now?” the doctor said with increased anger. “Tell him to get his skinny ass out of here. He’s going to ruin everything.”

  “That’s what I told him. I knew you’d take care of them.”

  “What’s he doing here anyway?”

  “We tried to get him to leave Jersey till the heat was off, but he is totally pissed off at Kate Ross for getting the upper hand on him. Apparently, she ruined his perfect record, so he has a score to settle.”

  “Listen, I have to go for now. I’ll call you later. Call your goon and tell him to get fucking lost. I will take care of everything!”

  Chapter 38

  Lenny’s cell phone vibrated in his pants pocket. He hurried toward the woods and returned the call to the number on his caller ID. It was Premier Regional.

  “Lenny?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. What’s up?”

  “Listen, the doc called
in. He’s going to take care of the situation. He wants you to leave.”

  “I bet he does. Well, he’s not going to have all the fun.” Lenny scowled.

  “Lenny, hear me carefully. Let the doc do his thing. We can’t afford to get him all riled up now.”

  “Fuck the doc! I’m finishing what I started.” Lenny disconnected the call. No one dictates to me! he ranted to himself. I run my own show! Enraged, he turned to go back up to the house. Suddenly, he slumped to the ground, feeling excruciating pain in his head before passing out.

  “Who’s fucked now, you bastard!” the doctor said as he smashed a log over Lenny’s head. Bending down, he grabbed Lenny by his collar and dragged him to the barn in the back of the house. He felt for a pulse. It was faint and weak. He tied Lenny’s hands and feet and placed him on the barn floor behind some bales of hay, then returned to the house.

  “Where were you?” the nurse asked. “For a second, I thought you’d left me here.”

  “No, just tying up loose ends.”

  “What are we going to do? Kate will be waking up soon. What should we tell her?” the nurse asked with apprehension growing.

  “I’m pretty sure she knows what’s going on. She just doesn’t know who’s involved.”

  The nurse wrung her hands nervously. “We’re not going to hurt her, right?”

  “No, we’re not. I have a plan.”

  ***

  Kate woke up feeling disoriented and lightheaded. Her mouth was dry, her head ached. Where am I? she wondered. In the hospital? She looked around the room. I must be dreaming. She was lying in a charming four-poster cherry-sleigh bed in a beautiful room. The quilt on top of her was a sunny yellow-and-white with tiny blue flowers. On the windows were sheer white curtains blowing lightly from the cool breeze outside. A chaise lounge rested by the window, with blue and yellow cushions and a blue throw on the back. Antique cherry furniture filled the rest of the room. This is certainly not my hospital room, she thought. She tried to sit up but was extremely weak and fell back on the pillow.

  When the dizziness subsided, Kate spotted a male figure in the doorway. “Jake?”