Bone of Contention: A Medical Thriller With Heart (The Gina Mazzio Series Book 4)

by Bette Golden Lamb

  It also satisfied him that over the past two years since the organization started, the neighbors finally had stopped asking about all the parked cars in their upscale neighborhood once a month. A few had even wanted to join The Holy Eye. Amory was more than welcoming, but he didn’t want people who lived next to him being in the group. Sooner or later they would get in his way. He simply told the neighbors that each member was required to contribute $5,000 to be a part of the organization. It was a lie, of course, but effective. All those requests disappeared and so did the parking complaints.

  The group had grown to almost fifty members since The Holy Eye’s inception. The relatively small number was a disappointment to Amory – he’d hoped it would be two to three times larger by now. Still, these members were the cream of the movement − rabid activists heavily committed to the cause of saving unborn children ... at any cost.

  Any cost.

  And that alone was what made someone an acceptable member. Those kind of people were hard to find.

  His basement rec room was starting to fill up with the faithful. Fifty chairs had been squeezed into the space. And it was rare anyone missed a meeting; within the next ten minutes the room was packed. When he stood, the murmur of voices hushed instantly.

  He noticed Marvin and Thelma Karsh were in the front row – they were his most fervent members. Marvin was one of those who attended every protest, walking back and forth, loudly vocalizing their beliefs and goals. He might be a wild card, but he was always ready to engage the murderers who were going into the clinics.

  Amory felt lucky to have Marvin Karsh with him, even though his nasty temper was starting to become somewhat worrisome. Still, Amory wished all fifty members were as intense.

  From the start, he’d had his reservations about the wife, Thelma Karsh, as he did with most of the women in the group. They were too clouded with emotion to make the hard choices. But he had to admit that Thelma seemed as committed to the cause as her husband.

  “Good evening, " Amory said. "Tonight, I want to clue everyone in on our updated agenda. This may prove to be difficult for those of you who have day jobs, but it is imperative that we start conducting more demonstrations on weekdays. There simply isn’t enough traffic at the various abortion mills on weekends and evenings.”

  Several hands shot up in the audience, but he waved them off.

  “Our stated goal – from the start -- has been to save the unborn. If that means using sick days, vacation time, or just plain unauthorized days off, then that is the way it will have to be done.”

  He paused just long enough to view the expressions of the audience, and to note there were no poised hands ready to shoot up into the air.

  “We are engaged in a battle ... a deadly battle. There can be no time outs.”

  Amory handed a stack of printed agendas to the nearest person and asked that they be passed around the room. He waited until everyone had a copy before continuing.

  “You will note that this week we will again be concentrating our efforts on Planned Parenthood locations, plus a couple of private practice OB/Gyn offices. And I fully expect those of you who have individual anti-abortion projects in the works to keep them active.”

  Chapter 15

  Elyse Kyser sat near the window in the Women’s Health Center reception room at Ridgewood Hospital. When she arrived, unlike yesterday at Planned Parenthood, there were no pickets outside of the building with pictures of dead fetuses, or people staring at her with hatred in their eyes; they simply walked along the sidewalk, paying absolutely no attention to her. They were all off somewhere in their own worlds and had no interest in her.

  Elyse still wanted to take off, run away, just as she had yesterday. But after that Planned Parenthood fiasco, she’d immediately gotten on her cell phone and Ridgewood was able to get her in for her consultation right away. She’d called at the right moment and was able to fill in for a last minute cancellation.

  She was pleased that the appointment for the procedure was for today, her day off. Her boss had warned that there were plenty of others to take her place, others who wanted a job in the fast food restaurant business. “Any more sick days. Miss Kyser, and you’re out the door,” he’d said, pointing a finger at her.

  But today it would all be over and she’d be back to work tomorrow.

  This morning, she’d been told, a doctor would place some kind of seaweed inside the opening of her cervix to start the dilation, making it easier to perform the actual abortion later in the afternoon. They called it a laminaria.

  “Elyse Kyser?”

  Elyse’s whole body tensed up. She looked around and saw an older woman dressed in purple scrubs standing in the open doorway, looking across the crowded room, tapping her fingertips on the door jamb.

  Oh, my God! So soon?

  There was no turning back. She squared her shoulders, stood, and walked on shaking legs to the waiting nurse.

  “That’s me,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel.

  “Do you have to use the restroom?”

  “No.” The minute the word escaped her lips, Elyse realized she really did have to go.

  “Go anyway,” the woman ordered.

  Elyse sighed as she went into the bathroom. She kept feeling more and more like an ignorant child.

  When she came out, the woman led her past several rooms, stopped at one, and said, “In here!”

  Elyse nodded as though she had a choice, and walked into a brightly lit room not much larger than the bathroom she'd just used.

  “Undress from the waist down and put your things on the chair.” She handed Elyse a drape to cover herself.

  Elyse hesitated, expecting the woman to step out of the room. When she saw that wasn’t going to happen, she took off her jeans and underwear and placed them neatly on the office chair. The woman’s eyes were stern and followed her every move. Elyse held the drape in front of her and when she turned to get on the examining table, she almost tripped over a rolling stool that had For Staff Only stenciled in white paint on the black cushion.

  She heard an unfriendly “Humph” but there was no attempt to assist her.

  Elyse hoisted herself onto the table, opened the drape, spread it across her lap, and sat there staring at the soft green walls. She could smell the lingering aroma of a recent re-paint.

  A stand next to the table held a tray filled with the usual instruments that made her detest Gyn exams; the usual gooey blob of KY jelly had been squirted onto a square of paper, only in a much larger quantity than she’d ever seen before. It made her more nervous. The room was very medical. That was the only word that fit the environment. Practical, well organized, and medical.

  There was a computer monitor lodged in one corner; a wall rack was filled with informational literature on every possible female issue, from menstrual periods to AIDS – all there for the taking.

  Tacked to the wall above the pamphlets was a large poster in bright colors showing a woman crying. In both English and Spanish, it posed the question: Is someone you love hurting you?

  No, not anyone I love. Just Thad and his indifference, along with my own stupidity.

  Elyse looked up as the medical assistant opened the door to leave. She tried to read her name tag, but couldn’t quite see it. “What’s your name, please?”

  The assistant seemed flustered, then said, “Thelma.” She cut off any further conversation by saying, “The nurse and Dr. Forez will be in soon,” then hurried out.

  * * *

  Gina was waiting for Thelma to come out of the room so she could go in and introduce herself to Elyse Kyser. She was scheduled to assist Hannah Forez with the procedure.

  She already knew a lot about Elyse. She’d tapped into her computer file and read the history and notes from the nursing assistant and the doctor.

  One pill. She missed just one lousy mini pill.

  Man, that’s happened to me plenty of times ... just luck that I wasn’t faced with the same problem. At least I w
asn’t on the mini pill. They don’t call them mini for nothing. Those smaller hormone amounts leave very little wiggle room for mistakes. Not taking those … ever.

  Everything else seemed routine – Elyse’s health was good, and she had a future contraception plan.

  Dr. Forez had listed some of the patient’s interests – she was majoring in environmental studies, particularly focusing on ocean health. Gina thought about the aquarium in Monterey where she and Harry went every now and then, spending a whole day wandering around, entranced with the complexities of the sea.

  Gina checked her watch. It seemed to be taking Thelma a long time to set up.

  She was about to knock on the door when Thelma came flying out as though she was being chased. She ran smack into Gina.

  “Hey—" Gina lost her balance and fell hard against the wall, almost slipped to the floor.

  Thelma Karsh stopped in her tracks and stood there staring at her. The medical assistant tried to cover the top part of a culture tube that jutted out of her side pocket. “Why were you standing outside the door?” She pointed a finger at Gina and repeated, “Why were you there?”

  Gina was stunned. There wasn’t a single word of apology coming out of Thelma’s mouth, and she had a suspicious frown that seemed to accuse Gina of having done something wrong. It didn’t seem to bother Thelma that she’d almost knocked Gina over onto the floor.

  “What’s the hurry, Thelma? You almost knocked me over.”

  “You haven’t answered my question, Ms. Mazzio. Why were you standing right outside the door?” An ugly glare clouded her face.

  Why is she so angry?

  “And you haven’t answered mine. What’s the big hurry all about?”

  Without another word, Thelma whipped around and walked away.

  * * *

  There was a knock and a tall, dark-haired nurse slipped into the room. “Hey, I’m Gina Mazzio, Ms. Kyser. I’ll be the nurse with you this afternoon during your procedure.”

  Before Elyse could respond, there was another knock and the doctor came in.

  “Hi, Elyse,” she said, smiling, “I’m Dr. Hannah Forez. Hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.” She pulled on her examination gloves as she spoke. “How are you?”

  “Mostly, I’m nervous.”

  “I understand, but we’re going to take good care of you. I’ve already scheduled a counseling session for you right after we’re through here. Do you have any question before we get started?”

  A gush of tears rolled down Elyse’s cheeks. She covered her face and started sobbing. The doctor pulled off her gloves, placed a finger under her chin, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Hey! Hey! It’s all right. I know there’s nothing easy about all of this, but I’m confident you’ll get through it in fine shape.”

  “I’m sorry,” Elyse said, barely able to get the words out. “I always thought I was against abortion until this happened to me.” The tears refused to stop.

  The doctor snagged a tissue from a box and dabbed at Elyse’s face. “A lot of women feel that way until they’re actually faced with an unplanned pregnancy.” She handed Elyse the box of tissues.

  “Look,” the doctor said, “we’re not here to judge you, so don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  Elyse blew her nose and started to calm down. “I only missed one mini pill!”

  “I know how unfair that must seem, but that’s all it takes. But by the time you leave here today, you’ll have a birth control plan that will fit your lifestyle and you can put the abortion and all that goes with it behind you.”

  Elyse nodded.

  “Today, we plan for your future ... okay?”

  She nodded again.

  The doctor re-gloved, then she and the nurse positioned her on the table and lifted her legs up into the stirrups. She reached back for the nurse’s hand at the head of the table while the doctor sat down on the stool between her raised feet. Elyse could see only the doctor’s forehead, but she fully heard her reassuring words.

  “I think you’ll find that all of this is a lot less uncomfortable than you might imagine.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Good! Now, I’m going to place the laminaria inside your cervix. It’s going to soak up your body fluids and expand your cervical canal gently over the next few hours.”

  Elyse couldn’t help but hold her breath, waiting for horrible pain. But there was only a twinge and then almost right away she could feel the instruments being removed.

  “That’s it,” the nurse said. “You can sit up now.”

  Before she could blink, the doctor was gone and the nurse was helping her down from the table.

  Chapter 16

  Gina called Harry to coordinate getting together with Vinnie and Helen in the cafeteria for their lunch break, but as soon as Harry answered his cell, she knew that wasn’t about to happen – the discordant racket of buzzers, interrupted by the screech of alarms, said all that needed to be said. Poor Harry was obviously up to his neck in crashing patients and probably wouldn’t stand a chance of getting away from ICU any time before the end of his shift.

  “Make it quick,” Harry said.

  “I can hear the problem. See you later.”

  “I may be looking at overtime, doll.”

  “Got it.”

  Vinnie and Helen had already snatched a table for four next to the window – her favorite spot. It was like a mini vacation when Gina could sit there and look out at the garden. She waved at the two of them as she got in line for food. She loaded her tray with a bowl of lentil soup, a French roll, some Jell-O, and, of course, the largest cup of coffee available.

  “Harry going to make it?” Helen asked

  Gina shook her head and set her tray down on the table. “ICU can be a real bitch.”

  Vinnie wrinkled his nose. “Tell me that’s not lentil soup.”

  Gina looked at his every-thing-on-it hamburger, buried-in-catsup French fries, and smiled. “Go ahead, bro, clog those arteries. Clog, clog, clog. See where it gets you.”

  “I don’t know if I can stand the two of you together,” Helen said, flipping the hair out of her eyes and taking another huge bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. “Bicker, bicker, bicker. And both of you pick on such petty things; it’s a wonder you even speak to one another at all.”

  Gina and Vinnie’s eyes met, both smiled, then burst out laughing.

  “If I was nice to him all the time, he wouldn’t think I loved him.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said before stuffing his mouth with more French fries. The three of them dropped into silence and got down to serious eating.

  As the large room became crowded, Gina tapped into the voices all around her. She loved working in the hospital, and she particularly loved Ridgewood. There was always something happening, some bit of new knowledge she could latch onto and use in her own life, or for her patients.

  Coming to a hospital, willingly or unwillingly, could be really scary for many people. It was certainly no home away from home. Gina wanted to be there to help those who felt neither hopeful ... nor human.

  She sat back, scanned her surroundings. The cafeteria was a great place to observe medical personnel, always an interesting kaleidoscope of color – both skin and clothing. Many, wearing wildly colored and patterned scrub tops, floated by looking like abstract paintings.

  She still couldn’t decide whether or not it was an affectation for doctors to wear their surgery scrubs and hats here, announcing they lived up to the dictum of no hair shall fall upon a sterile field. But it did provide a modicum of individuality in their otherwise structured environment.

  Helen piped up, “So how’s the Bronx bombshell doing in the world of Women’s Health?”

  “Ahem,” Vinnie said to Helen.

  “All right already,” Helen said. “I guess now that there are two of you from the Bronx … well hell’s bells ...” She gave an exaggerated shrug. “How’s the staff there?”

  “I lik
e the charge nurse. Taneka’s friendly, professional. She’s good.”

  “Man, I know when I’m hearing a ‘but’ in your voice,” Vinnie said. “That, or you’re not really my big sister.”

  Helen laughed. “I’ve known your big sister for a while now, too. I’m waiting for that same shoe to drop.”

  “Yeah, well, there’s a medical assistant I don’t like.”

  “What’s the matter with her?” Vinnie said, stretching out his legs.

  “She’s just not right.”

  Helen looked at her with concern plastered all over her face. “Oh, no! Not again, Gina.”

  “Oh, don’t look at me that way, Helen. I see what I see. And this gal Thelma Karsh is a passive-aggressive weirdo ready to explode.” Gina pushed her tray away. “She practically accused me of stalking her.”

  “Have you talked to Taneka about it?” Helen said. “She might have a handle on her.”

  “As a matter of fact, I did sort of broach the subject. She thinks Thelma walks on water.”

  “Man, it must be in our DNA because I know that if Gina says something’s wrong, something’s wrong.” Vinnie reached out, took her hand and squeezed it.

  Sometimes I want to hug you to pieces, Vinnie Mazzio.

  “Hmmf! I can see I’m outnumbered here,” Helen said. “Is there anything else other than ‘she’s just not right?’”

  “Well. It was strange… when I went into the room with the patient − you know, the room Thelma had just set up – I glanced at the instrument tray and she’d squirted out an unusually huge glob of KY jelly for the procedure.”

  “Come on, sis, what’s so screwy about that?”

  “Maybe she just likes to squirt the stuff,” Helen said, giggling. “Maybe it turns her on.”

  “It just struck me as strange. That’s all.” It did sound pretty lame saying it out loud. She glanced at her watch and leaned in closer to Vinnie and Helen − her words began to spill in a rush.

  “We had a nurse from our department die from sepsis yesterday.”