Treating Murder: Book One of the Veronica Lane, M.D. series (medical thriller)

by Gabrielle Black

  TREATING MURDER

  GABRIELLE BLACK

  TREATING MURDER

  Chapter 1

  Things would have been so much easier if I had known that the condition I was treating was in fact, murder. The outcome for the patient, well, — all involved, but especially the patient — could have been so much better. I don’t blame myself for this…anymore.

  Unaccustomed to the bright sunlight, I started sneezing as I walked out of the medical school library, and cursed under my breath at the hypersensitivity of my pale, blue eyes. A med student strolling up the stairs in his short, white intern’s coat glanced up, saying, ‘God bless’ as he passed.

  I had just spent the last several hours searching the stacks for information on different treatments for multiple sclerosis. In fact, I had spent the last few months researching online, and in all of my medical journals, and had found nothing that would help me treat Sarah Summers.

  This morning, I had driven down to my alma mater to see what else I could learn. Now, having failed in the library, I had one last resort, my friend and mentor Ellen Krauss.

  I walked across the grassy quadrangle toward her office, reminiscing about my days in school. I missed being a carefree student, and only wished I still looked like one. Not that I look too bad now at thirty-two, but my cheekbones are certainly more prominent, and several brunette hairs have defected to gray around my temples.

  At the entrance to the old stone building, I paused to let another student pass. He held the door open for me. “Thanks,” I said as I maneuvered past him to climb the four flights of stairs. At the landing, I stopped again, gulping air and letting the burn in my calves subside. My daily jogging should have made that climb so much easier. As I glanced down the hall, an amused “Ha!” escaped my lips before I could stop it. There were several disheveled stacks of journals piled outside the door. Dr. Ellen Krauss’ papers had finally succeeded in overtaking her office, and were on their way to conquering the fourth floor. I always knew they would. The woman was an incurable packrat, if not quite a hoarder.

  “Nic? Is that you?” called a disembodied voice.

  “Yes,” I answered, smiling and hurrying the rest of the way to her door, and then picking my way carefully around the stacks as I crossed the threshold. “Foof!” I blew out an upwards breath that lifted my slightly damp bangs off my forehead. “Yes, it’s me. How’d you know?”

  “Why would I no’?” She smiled and gestured at an overflowing chair. There was a hint of a lilting burr in her voice that identified her as a Scotswoman. “I never forget a laugh, and I’m sure no one could ever forget yours; ye sound like a goose choking when you laugh. It’s been a while since I last heard it, though. Your practice must be keeping you busy.” Krauss stood as she spoke, and took a couple of chilled cans of Coke from a tiny refrigerator in the corner —a corner which was nearly hidden beneath its own stack of journals. She handed me one, then popped hers open with a hiss, a ritual of ours that had become automatic over the years. “So what brings you nearly a hundred miles to see me? Not a social visit, I suppose?”

  Before replying, I took a long sip of the icy Coke, taking a moment to savor the unique pleasure of that first sip. Then I scooped a pile of files off an old wooden school chair she gestured to, and stacked them on another pile nearby.

  “No. I wish.” Plopping down in the seat the way I had a thousand times, first as a student, then as a resident, I said, “I came here to do some research. When I finished in the library, I thought I’d drop by.”

  Krauss sat down and chuckled, “Alright, my wee information hound. What kind of research would bring ye all the way down here?”

  I smiled. Our friendship had grown out of our mutual thirst for answers. The kind of thirst that slakes itself on stacks of journals, and then not yet satisfied, saves them all in case it might later discover a missed drop of knowledge. For the record, however, my journal collection is actually filed and organized on my laptop.

  I said, “The kind of research I was hoping you could help me with.”

  Dr. Krauss smiled and raised an eyebrow.

  “I have a patient with multiple sclerosis. For years she’s been stable, with only infrequent mild attacks that we controlled well. Now, for the past several months, she has had a completely downhill course— no remissions, no rebounds. Everything has stopped working, and I’ve tried everything out there. I was looking for something else to try. Something that may not have hit the mainstream yet. I don’t know what to do, and frankly we’ve run out of options.”

  Krauss nodded and leaned forward in her desk, pushing her reading glasses up on her nose. “So what did you find out?”

  The window behind her head needed washing. I stared past the grime as I considered what to say. Same grime, same streaks. It felt like home here, but this was not the same old school debate on another interesting academic conundrum. A life depended on the answers, so my tension did not lift, and the pleasure of our meeting was not what it could have been. “Well, nothing helpful. Everything I saw was old news. I’ve tried my ABC’s, then the rest of the alphabet.” I smiled wryly. “Tysabri worked best, but lately, nothing helps. Rebif helped some… for a while.”

  I took another drink of my Coke. “Sometime back, I saw a Newsweek article that mentioned someone doing bone marrow transplants with some success, but I can’t find anything on it in my journals. I don’t know who did the research, but I’ve got to find it, to see what they did, and if it really worked. I feel like it could be her last chance.”

  Krauss wrinkled her nose and nodded slowly. “Aye. I’ve seen something about that. Wait a minute, let me think.” She got up and turned slowly around the room, not really focused on anything, looking for all the world like she was listening to someone I could not see. “Let’s see.” She continued to spin. “Here.” She stabbed a pile of journals with a finger like a divining rod. I shook my head although I had seen the strange ritual before. Housekeeping was absolutely banned from the office. Years ago, she’d nearly gotten one poor girl fired for coming in and cleaning off her desk. “Here it is.” She pulled a journal from somewhere near the bottom of a stack and handed it to me. “They didn’t do it here at Emory, but it looked like a good study. I think the general conclusion was that it was effective in survivors, but too risky for the average MS patient because the mortality was rather high.”

  I slouched in my chair and flipped through the journal. “I guessed as much, but she is dying. It’s hardly increasing her risk.”

  Suddenly, all I could see, was Sarah Summer’s wasted body at her last visit. She had vision in only one eye; the other was blinded by a plaque on the optic nerve. Her crumpled posture in the wheelchair spoke volumes, accusing me of failure. Even her graying skin haunted me.

  Sarah had been my patient for years, beginning before I finished residency. Then she followed me to my new practice, after she wound up in Rome herself. Her loyalty gave my professional pride a boost in my first year of practice, but the price of that boost was the crushing sense of responsibility I felt now. Her life and mine were linked; her decline felt like mine as well.

  Sarah was twenty-four, and had a job at a mill, Ness Inc., where she loaded plastic rolls into a machine that meted them out into squares for packaging. When her legs became too unsteady to walk a straight line, much less stand for eight hours a day, she moved to a sorting table where she could remain seated. But with her hands so unsteady, she managed next to nothing.

  Ellen cleared her throat, startling me. I looked around and re
membered where I was.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I said, what have the rheumatologists said?”

  “She quit seeing the one I sent her to, and refuses to go back. I’ve kept him in the loop though. He says he’s baffled by the acceleration of her symptoms too.” I shrugged. “He doesn’t really have much to add.”

  Krauss frowned, contemplating for a long moment, and then clasped her hands under her chin and propped her elbows on the desk. “Nic, is this the same MS patient ye were treating when you were here?”

  “Yes.”

  Krauss nodded. “She was a pretty young girl. That was a good catch ye made, picking up her diagnosis so quickly. Remarkable really. So, she followed you into private practice? Wise of her.” Krauss paused again. “Harder for you though, hmm?”

  I nodded, willing myself not to picture the healthy, vibrant girl she’d been when I met her.

  “Nic, ye spent a lot of time on her while she was here. She was a fairly needy case as far as I can recall.”

  I nodded.

  “I assume that she remained so?”

  “Yes.” I said.

  Krauss bit her lip considering what to say next. “Ye have a tendency to get too wrapped up in your cases, aye? This one in particular you had trouble with before. Ye need to distance yourself a bit.”

  I ducked my head slightly, abashed. “I know. You’ve told me before. I try to stay detached. I just feel such a responsibility.”

  “Yes, but ye’ll burn yourself out. To quote Hippocrates, ‘Life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult.’ Be careful, my dear.”

  I got up and nodded again, leaving the unspoken possibility of Sarah's death hanging in the air. “Thanks, Ellen.” I smiled at her warmly. “I appreciate everything.”

  ***

  Sarah’s visit came a week later. I’d been rehearsing what I had to say all morning, and forgot it all the moment she arrived. I took her into my private office, where my old medical textbooks are lined up in a glass-front bookcase across from the desk.

  I enjoy my office. It’s the place where I feel most happy and comfortable, and consequently, I guess paradoxically, where I deliver the most bad news to my patients. There are two mahogany framed chairs of teal, slubby cotton in front of my desk for patients and family members. Beside the desk there is a large picture window that lets plenty of light into the room as well as a view of the Appalachian Mountains. I hope it is tranquil and different enough from the sterile, white exam rooms to put patients at ease, and make it easier for them to hear whatever news I might have for them.

  I’d brought Sarah into my office multiple times to discuss her condition, and so I hoped that she was comfortable in there by now. What I was going to say was going to require her complete attention and comprehension.

  Sarah rolled her wheelchair up beside my desk, and I took a seat by her in one of the teal chairs. I leaned in toward her, searching for something to say. She regarded me dully. “Sarah, you know that I went down to Atlanta looking for help.”

  A nod.

  “I didn’t find much.”

  Another nod.

  Sarah picked at her sweater with her better hand. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. I twisted slightly in my seat. The sunlight seemed too strong now. Too blatantly optimistic. “We’ve, uh, run out of options.” My throat felt like a rubber band was wrapped around it. I swallowed hard, put on my confident face, and went on. “We have to make some decisions about how to proceed.”

  Sarah looked up to meet my eyes. “I don’t want to die.” She leaned on one hand to shift her weight in the wheelchair, grunting with the effort.

  I cleared my throat looking away first this time. Inhaling deeply, I went on. “There has been some work done with bone marrow transplant in multiple sclerosis cases. The actual transplant protocol is well established. The centers that tried transplant in MS did see good results...in the survivors.” I could feel Sarah’s eyes on me. “It's extremely risky. We have to kill all of your bone marrow first. The theory is that it is your own misdirected white blood cells that cause the damage to your neurological system. Once those are eradicated, new, normal cells are introduced, and there are no more attacks on your nerves.” I clamped my lips together before going on. “The catch is that during the period while the new cells are taking over, your immune system will be practically nonexistent. If you were to catch a cold or get an infection during that time, or if the transplant failed, you could die.”

  Sarah looked over at my bookshelf and squinted with her good eye trying to read the title on the spine of the book nearest her. “Like one of those cancer patients?”

  I nodded.

  “And if I don’t do it?”

  I tilted my head slightly, “Your condition will probably continue to worsen. It is possible that it could remit and you could return to your former baseline, but I think that’s unlikely considering your recent history.”

  Sarah swallowed hard, but managed a brave smile. “Then I really don’t have a choice, do I? Every day I lose another piece of me.” She paused for a breath. Her face was ashy, with a sickly grayish tinge to it. “And you say my memory will go too? Then what? A nursing home? I can’t do that, I’m not even twenty-five years old!”

  I straightened up in my seat. “So you want to try the transplant?”

  She nodded.

  “Then we’ll plan to do it.” I put on my brightest smile, and headed over to page Vickie, my office manager.

  Sarah looked up at me. “Dr. Lane?”

  “Yes?” I paused.

  Sarah’s eyes wavered. She started to speak, stopped, started again. “Thank you, Dr. Lane, for taking care of me. I just, I mean, you mean so much to me. Nobody’s ever cared for me so much. You’re everything to me. Thanks.”

  I flushed slightly, flabbergasted. “Thank you, Sarah. That means a lot to me.” I sat back down and held her hand. “I’ll do the best I can for you.”

  “I know. You always do.”

  I closed my eyes for a long moment to prevent the tears I felt forming, and called Vickie, quickly resuming my composed facade. Then I walked around behind Sarah to push the wheelchair. My hands shook slightly on the handles as I took her back to the nurse’s station and assured her that we would start setting up her admission to the hospital and would let her know in a few days. Oh Lord, this had better go well. I mumbled a prayer, hoping there was someone out there to hear it.

  Chapter 2

  Vickie called the insurance company for pre-approval, and got turned down immediately by Kinder Benefit Health Care. They refused consent because it was, as they said, ‘experimental therapy’. As soon as Vickie reported back, I called them myself. This was going to take some serious pushing.

  “KBHC. This is Fiona Crawford. How can I help you?”

  “This is Dr. Lane. We just called to pre-authorize hospitalization for Sarah Summers. She’s being scheduled for bone marrow transplant.” I drummed my fingers on the desk while the woman tapped on her computer. At least she didn’t put me on hold. I glanced up. Damn, there’s a new stain on the ceiling. The roof’s gotta be fixed again.

  “I have your request in the computer. Again, we will not be able to approve that because of the experimental nature of the therapy.”

  I snorted. “Bone marrow transplant is expensive, not experimental. It’s been an approved technique for a number of years now. Maybe you should update your computers.” Okay, that was a little snarky. “We’ve looked at Ms. Summers’ policy. There is no exclusion.” I toyed with the coil on the handset.

  “Dr. Lane, it is not linked with multiple sclerosis. The approval is for cancer.”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes at the phone. “You and I both know that new uses for meds don’t go back through the FDA. It’s too expensive. And we both know that off-label uses are covered by insurance so long as the medication itself is approved. Bone marrow transplant has been shown to be beneficial in multiple sclerosis. It
destroys the white blood cells that are attacking the nervous system in the same way that it destroys the cancerous white blood cells in leukemia. I will be happy to fax you copies of the journal articles if you would like.”

  I paused, then added, “We’re talking about the life of a young woman.”

  I’d played the insurance game often enough to know how to get approval. Kinder Benefit was one of the major carriers in the area, so I’d had discussions with Crawford many times, not just over Sarah. I’d dealt with one of her co-workers too. He was my ex-husband Steve’s buddy, and not on my nice list.

  “I’m not going to be able to approve it,” said Crawford. “It’s not on my list.” She sounded impatient. She was probably tired of these battles too.

  I took a deep breath and held it. I didn’t have time to argue my way up the chain of command at the moment. “Okay, thank you.” I hung up. Sometimes it helped to pressure the company with the possibility of legal action, particularly if they were making a call in what might be considered a gray area like this. I would get some advice from my friend Jacqueline, a lawyer, before I called back.

  After the last patient of the day finally left, I collapsed into my desk chair and leaned back to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I dialed Jacqueline’s number by rote, and spoke with her for a few minutes before calling Kinder Benefit back. Out the window, the sunset reflected shades of purple off the surrounding foothills. I enjoyed the view as I dialed the number for KBHC again. I got Fiona Crawford on the phone again—a surprise given how late in the day it was—but again she denied her ability to approve the claim.

  “If you can’t approve it, then find me someone with the authority to approve it. Legally this treatment should be covered under her benefits.” I all but growled into the telephone receiver. “I’ve spoken to my attorney about it.”

  “Okay, Dr. Lane.” Crawford sounded irritated. “I’ll speak to my department head and get back to you.”

  “I’ll have her in the hospital two weeks from Monday to start treatment,” I said, giving them a time limit for their decision. Otherwise they would try to wait me out, attempting a filibuster with all the gravity of congress. I hung up the phone and sighed, more annoyed than I had expected to be. Sometimes trying to explain the medical side of a decision to business people required more patience than I had.