Diagnosis Death

by Richard L Mabry

  Diagnosis Death

  Diagnosis Death

  Prescription for Trouble Series

  Richard L. Mabry, M.D.

  Medical Suspense with Heart

  Nashville, Tennessee

  Diagnosis Death

  Copyright © 2011 by Richard L. Mabry, M.D.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4267-1021-6

  Published by Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202

  www.abingdonpress.com

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form,

  stored in any retrieval system, posted on any website, or transmitted in any form or by any means—digital, electronic, scanning, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews and articles.

  The persons and events portrayed in this work of fiction are the creations of the author, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  The verses from Psalm 139 on page 207 are from the New American Standard Bible®,

  Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995

  by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

  The verses on page 229 are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

  Published in association with WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130

  Cover design by Anderson Design Group, Nashville, TN

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Mabry, Richard L.

  Diagnosis death / Richard L. Mabry.

  p. cm. — (Prescription for trouble ; 3)

  "Medical suspense with heart"—T.p.

  ISBN 978-1-4267-1021-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  1. Women physicians—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3613.A2D53 2011

  813'.6—dc22

  2010039624

  Printed in the United States of America

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 16 15 14 13 12 11

  To that special group of

  health care workers who perform their healing

  labors as a true ministry. It was an honor to work

  alongside you for over four decades.

  Acknowledgments

  This is the third book in the Prescription for Trouble series, all made possible through the efforts of my wonderful agent, Rachelle Gardner; my great editor, Barbara Scott; and the dedicated team at Abingdon Press.

  My wife, Kay Mabry, has functioned as my first reader since I began writing eight years ago. She's gentle with her criticism, effusive with her praise, understanding of my times of self-doubt, and supportive throughout the whole process. Besides that, she laughs at my jokes and has taught me to believe in myself.

  My children—Allen, Brian, and Ann—have always believed their dad could do anything he set his mind to. I haven't always bought into that premise, but it's constantly motivated me to keep trying. I'm proud of them.

  Kay and I have the good fortune to be members of Stonebriar Community Church and to hear our pastor, Chuck Swindoll, preach on a regular basis. I've also been blessed by the Bible teachings of Dr. Steve Farrar and Dr. James Allman (to whom I'm indebted for the inspiring words I've used in the closing scene). Thanks to you all for helping deepen our Christian walk.

  I continue to be grateful for the support I've received from the writing community, especially from authors in the genre of Christian fiction and romantic medical suspense. I appreciate everything you've done to help me.

  Finally, I'd like to thank my readers. Your purchases of these books, your good reviews, your recommendations to your friends, are so very important to any author. I hope to run into you again somewhere down the road.

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Discussion Questions

  Lethal Remedy

  Prologue

  She stood by his bedside and waited for him to die.

  Outside the room, the machines and monitors of the ICU hummed and beeped, doctors and nurses went about their business, and the hospital smell—equal parts antiseptic and despair—hung heavy in the air.

  With one decisive move she flipped the switch of the respirator and stilled the machine's rhythmic chuffing. In the silence that followed, she imagined she could hear his heartbeat fade away.

  She kissed him and exhaled what passed for a prayer, her lips barely moving as she asked for peace and forgiveness—for him and for her.

  She stood for a moment with her head bowed, contemplating the enormity of her action. Then she pocketed the empty syringe from the bedside table and tiptoed out of the room.

  1

  DR. Elena Gardner approached her apartment as she had every night for six months—filled with emptiness and dread. The feeling grew with each step, and by the time she put the key in the door, fear enveloped her like a shroud. Some nights it was all she could do to put her foot over the threshold. This was one of those nights.

  She turned the key and pushed open the door. The dark shadows reached out at her like a boogeyman from her childhood. The utter stillness magnified every sound in the old apartment, turning creaking boards into the footsteps of an unknown enemy.

  She flipped on the light and watched the shadows turn into familiar surroundings. Even though the thermostat was set at a comfortable temperature, she shivered a bit.

  Elena dropped her backpack by the door and collapsed into the one comfortable chair in the living room. The TV remote was in its usual place on the table beside her. She punched the set into life, paying no attention to what was on. Didn't matter. Just something to drown out the silence, something to remind her that there was life outside these four walls. That somewhere there were people who could laugh and joke and have fun. Somewhere.

  She sighed and picked up the phone. She should call David.

  He'd been firm about it. "Call me anytime, but especially when you get home at night. That's the toughest time. It's when the memories butt heads with the 'what-ifs.' "

  She dialed the number. Maybe she should put him on her speed dial. But that implied there wouldn't be an end to this soon. And she wasn't ready to think about that.

  "Hey, Elena." Although Dr. David Merritt—a resident physician in one of the busiest obstetrics programs in the Southwest—was surely as tired as she was, his voice sounded fresh, almost cheery. "What's up?"

  "Oh, you know. Just needed to hear a friendly voice."

  "Glad to oblige. How was your day?"

  That was one of the things Elena missed most. Now that Mark was gone, there was no one to share her day. "Not too bad until I was about to check out. The EMTs brought in a thirty-two-year-old woman, comatose from a massive intracranial hemorrhage. The neurosurgeons rushed her to surgery, but—"

  She knew David could guess the rest. He cleared his throat. "Did that . . . was it tough to take?"

  Elena started to make some remark about it not bothering her. But that wasn't true. And she knew David wanted the truth. "Yeah. Not while it was happening. Then I was pretty much on automatic pil
ot. But afterward, I almost had a meltdown."

  "It'll get better."

  "I hope so."

  "Any more phone calls?"

  Elena felt goose bumps pop up on her arms. "Not yet. But it's Tuesday, so I expect one later tonight."

  "Why don't you call the police?"

  "What, and tell them that for four weeks I've answered the phone every Tuesday at midnight and heard a woman sobbing, then a hang-up? That's not a police matter."

  "And you—"

  "I know what they'll ask. Caller ID? 'Anonymous.' Star 69? 'Subscriber has blocked this service.' Then they'll tell me to change my number. Well, this one's unlisted, but that doesn't seem to matter. How much trouble would it be for whoever's calling to get the new one?"

  David's exhalation was like a gentle wind. "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do."

  "You've done plenty already. You know, after Mark died, I had a lot of people fuss over me for about three days, but you're the only one who's stayed with it. Why?"

  His silence made her think she'd asked an embarrassing question. People didn't go out of their way to be nice the way David had with no thought of something in return. Did they?

  "Elena, I've been where you are," David said. "Oh, I know. A spouse divorcing you isn't the same as one dying, but a lot of the feelings are the same. I mean, when I saw my wife and little girl pull away from the house for the last time, I wanted to lie down and die."

  She knew exactly what he was talking about. "That's me. I wanted to crawl into the coffin with Mark. At that point, my life was over."

  "But I got past it," David said. "Oh, I didn't 'heal.' You don't get back to where you were, but you learn to move on. And when Carol sent me the invitation to her wedding, it broke my heart, but it helped me realize that part of my life was over. Anyway, I made up my mind to use what I'd learned to help other people. And that's what I'm doing."

  Elena sniffled. "Sorry." She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. "That's another thing. I feel like tears are always right there, ready to come anytime."

  "That's normal. Let them out."

  They talked for a few minutes more before Elena ended the conversation. She wandered into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and looked in without seeing the contents. She wasn't hungry. Since Mark's death she'd lost twelve pounds off a frame that had little to spare. Maybe she should patent the process. "Sure-fire weight loss guaranteed. Withdraw life support and let your husband die. If you don't lose weight, double your money back."

  Her lips drew back in what started as a hesitant smile but turned into a grimace of pain. She dissolved into tears.

  Elena wasn't sure how long she sat at the kitchen table with her head cradled in her arms before the ring of the phone roused her. She looked at her watch. A little after nine—too early for her midnight caller. Had the routine changed?

  She shuffled back to the living room. When she checked the caller ID, she felt some of her tension subside. Dr. Helen Bennett represented the only ray of sunshine in Elena's dark landscape right now.

  "Hello?"

  "Elena, did I wake you?"

  "No, not really. Just starting to unwind. What's up?"

  "We need to talk."

  That didn't sound promising. "Wow, that sounds like what I used to tell boys in college before breaking up with them. What's going on?"

  "I'd rather do this face-to-face. Why don't we have breakfast tomorrow morning? I usually make rounds at six-thirty. Can you meet me in the St. Paul Hospital staff cafeteria at six? We can talk then."

  Elena hung up with a growing sense of unease. Mark's death had plunged her into a dark abyss. The only glimmer of hope for a future had been Dr. Helen Bennett's invitation to join her practice. The opportunity to work alongside a woman who was one of the most respected family practitioners in the community, a doctor Elena had admired since her days in medical school, seemed like a gift from above. Was that about to be taken from her?

  The evening dragged on as Elena worried about the problem like a kitten with a ball of yarn. Finally, she ate some peanut butter and crackers and forced down a glass of milk. She'd shower in the morning. Right now, she just wanted to crawl into bed.

  Sleep was elusive as a glob of mercury. She picked up a book from her bedside table and tried to read, but the words blurred on the page. Finally, she closed the book, turned out the light, and tried to sleep. Instead, she watched the red numerals on her bedside clock change: 10:00, 10:40, 11:15.

  She was tossing in a restless slumber when she heard the ring of the phone. The clock showed 12:05 as Elena reached for the receiver. Her left hand clutched the covers tighter around her as her right lifted the phone and brought it to her ear.

  At first there was silence. Maybe this was simply a wrong number. Maybe the calls had stopped.

  No, there it was. Sobbing. Starting softly, then rising to a crescendo. A woman's voice—a husky alto, like a lounge singer in a smoky, second-rate club.

  "Who is this?" Elena said.

  No answer. Only sobbing.

  "What do you want?" Elena's voice rose to a shriek.

  A click. Then silence.

  Elena stabbed blindly at the phone's "end" button, finally hitting it as an electronic voice began, "If you'd like to make a call—"

  She turned on the bedside lamp and stared at the cheap lithograph on the opposite wall. In it, a young man and woman were walking through a field of flowers. They looked so happy. Like she and Mark had been.

  But he was gone, and she'd never be happy again. Ever.

  She reached for the light but withdrew her hand. No, leave it burning. Elena burrowed deeply under the covers, the way she used to do as a child after hearing a ghost story. She closed her eyes and watched the images march across her brain: endless days spent at the bedside of a living corpse, Mark's casket disappearing into the ground, a faceless woman at some shadowy location sobbing into a phone.

  As the sound of those sobs echoed through Elena's mind, the image of a face from her past came into focus. Was that who was calling? If so, there was nothing Elena could do. She'd simply suffer . . . because she deserved it.

  Elena slapped at the snooze button on her alarm clock. Why was it buzzing already? Then she remembered—her breakfast with Dr. Bennett. What had Helen meant by "We need to talk?"

  Her stomach did a flip-flop, and she tasted a bitter mix of peanut butter and bile. Maybe some coffee would help.

  Elena padded to the kitchen and reached into the cabinet, wishing she'd had the foresight to make coffee before going to bed last night. The weight of the canister told her before she removed the lid—empty. She filled a glass at the sink and drank the contents, hoping to at least wash the bad taste from her mouth.

  A quick shower brought her a bit more awake. Now for hair and makeup. Elena had always taken pride in her resemblance to her mother, a beautiful woman with dark, Latina looks. But long days at the hospital followed by sleepless nights had taken their toll.

  There were dark circles under her eyes, the brown irises surrounded by a network of red. A few drops of Visine, and she looked less like the survivor of an all-night drinking spree. She'd cover the circles with a little makeup and hope Dr. Bennett wouldn't notice.

  Elena ran her hands through her long black hair. She needed a haircut, needed it in the worst way. But there was neither time nor money for that right now. She'd pull it into the always-utilitarian ponytail she'd favored more and more lately.

  Dressed, her backpack slung over one shoulder, her purse over the other, she stepped through the door into the early-morning darkness, in no way ready to face the day. It was bad already. She hoped it wouldn't get worse.

  The ride in the elevator was three floors up, but Elena's stomach felt as though she was in a free fall. She didn't have to do this today. When Helen Bennett called, she should have put this visit on "hold." But something told her she needed to get it out of the way.

  The elevator doors slid open, an
d the scene before her made memories scroll across her mind like a filmstrip unwinding. The waiting area of the ICU at Zale University Hospital was quiet at 5:30 a.m. The television mounted high on the far wall flickered with silent images as closed captions of the local news crawled across the bottom of the screen. An older man huddled in a chair near the "Staff Only" door, glancing every few seconds toward that portal as though Gabriel himself were about to come through it with news of his loved one.

  Elena knew the feeling. For two weeks, she'd spent much of every day in this same waiting room. The rest of the time, the minutes not spent snatching a quick bite in the cafeteria or hurrying home for a shower and change of clothes, were spent at her husband's bedside, holding his hand and listening to the even rhythm of the respirator that kept him alive. Her heart bled for the old man and for every other person who'd ever sat in this room.

  Elena was pleased when her final training assignment took her away from Zale, the place where her life fell apart. St. Paul Hospital was less than half a mile away, but she welcomed every foot of that buffer. When she walked out of Zale for the last time, she silently vowed never to return.

  Now she was back, and she still wasn't sure of her reason. Was it to add the books from the box balanced on her hip to the dog-eared paperbacks next to the volunteer's desk? Or was it to show she had the courage to revisit the scene of the most terrible two weeks of her life? No matter, she was here. She clenched her jaw and forced her feet to move.

  "Dr. Gardner. What are you doing here?"

  Elena looked up at the nurse emerging from the elevator. The woman's name tickled at the periphery of Elena's memory like a loose hair. What was it?

  "Oh. You startled me."

  "Sorry. What brings you back here?"

  Elena held up a handful of books and shoved them into the bookcase. "These are some of Mark's—" Her throat closed and words left her. With an effort, she began again. "I was going through some of Mark's things and thought these might help the people in the waiting room pass the time."