All the lines to cross

by Ashish Rastogi

  "She is not my doctor. Tom has been taking care of me. She only did the surgery." I sip my beer.

  Emily walks in to inform that Nate has settled down. Everyone is waiting for us. I get up and Jason squeezes my shoulder. "We are all here for you, Jon. So is Sharon. Don't give up on her."

  Chapter 45: What Can a Camera Say?

  Sharon

  "You can't keep moping around. It has been a week." Betsy tried to convince me to come to work. It was Tom who broke the shackles of the dungeon I had locked myself in, snapping me out of my mental paralysis. He stormed into my apartment one day, refusing to leave until I got ready to accompany him. "How can you let a dork wipe away all the goodness in you? Your patients need you, Sharon. We need you. I need you."

  In the last three days, I spent time in bed sleeping or stuffing myself with food. After Tom left, I got ready to go to the office, but all courage deserted me once I picked the keys to lock the door to my apartment. What will I say to a patient who mentions Jon?

  The hospital was a place of solace and comfort, but now I dreaded it. I had let all my colleagues down once again. Brought unfavorable press to their doorstep. Twice in the space of a week. How will I face them? Worse was the uncertainty over Noah working at the hospital. I had no desire or strength left in me to face him.

  Tom does not give up. Today, he storms into my apartment refusing to leave until I commit to report to the hospital.

  "How can you let a dork wipe away all the goodness in you? Your patients need you, Sharon. We need you. I need you."

  Tom gives me a stern talk to put myself together. He is right, getting busy is the only way to deal with this. I relent when Tom informs me that Richard asked Noah to go on indefinite leave till the partners took a decision. Tom left when I started getting ready.

  When I step inside the hospital, Richard is waiting for me. He shakes my hand, and we walk to his office.

  "How are you, Sharon? I mean how are you coping?"

  "Richard, can we talk about something else? I do not want to dwell on it any longer." I keep my eyes on the floor, hoping to avoid any stares.

  Tom, Betsy, and Jennifer are already seated in his room.

  "I am so sorry, guys. I got you into this mess." I apologize, knowing how the practice will take a hit because of these accusations.

  "It is not your fault, Sharon. There is a mistake somewhere. We need to find out what happened." Richard takes his seat. "We need you to work with us, Sharon. We will fight this together."

  "How can we fight this Richard? It is a mess. I am not sure if we can retrieve the situation." I can't help being skeptical about the whole affair.

  Richard asks me to take a seat. Once I am seated, he speaks his mind, "You always say take one small step at a time. Let us follow that rule. First, we review our records and systems to find how this gap arose. I am certain we prescribed nothing that is disallowed by the NFL. Tom had read the NFL rule book on this before you arrived. The medication is not part of our routine prescription in surgeries. It is a mix-up between patients' charts, or someone is up to some mischief. I had a word with our lawyer. He has assured me that if we can get tangible evidence to disprove the nursing chart, he will get the NFL to call us during the investigation."

  "I don't want to get involved. Jon doesn't want to see me, so please keep me out of this." After a pause, I tell them what is on my mind. "I wish to resign, Richard. I think I should leave Boston. It will help the practice recover."

  They pounce on me together contesting my decision, "No way, Sharon! We are not letting you go."

  "What Jon said or did is regrettable, but it has nothing to do with us. We were together before he came, we will stay together after him," Tom is firm in his resolve. I question Richard. He agrees with their opinion.

  "Let us treat this as a routine case, consider Jon as any other patient. Jennifer has something interesting she has pulled out." Richard requests Jennifer to share the information she collected during her initial investigations. She confirms my worst suspicion. Someone has tampered with the nursing chart and the electronic records using my login ID. But who and why?

  "The CCTV footage will be available by evening. Let us all gather back in the evening. Meanwhile, if anyone has any other ideas, let me know. Our lawyer, Mr. Hansen, will be here in the evening to discuss this out." Richard ends the meeting.

  The day is heavy, with the backlog of consults. My schedule is full, so there is little time to dwell on Jon. My mind is restless even if there is a minute vacant. I make my decision. After we provide the evidence, I will have nothing to do with Jon. There is no will left in me to fight for what we had together. It is time to put my life back on track.

  All my life, at least the adult life, I waited for someone grounded, caring and fun to be around. Jon could turn my black clouds into the sunshine any day with his wit. After a long time, I had found happiness in my life. However, life tends to punch you in the face and bring you crashing to the ground. Life reminded me that happiness is a luxury I cannot have. Wasn't my life a series of unfulfilled needs?

  Jon is an addition to the things I want, but cannot have. All my desires subdued because I was alone through a major part of my life. Life taught me to let go. To give up. To suppress my wants. Whether it was the toys or dresses in my childhood because I did not wish to burden my caregivers. I was grateful to them for taking me in, putting food on my plate and sending me to school.

  In college, I avoided all social activities to save money so I could pay for my education. Accepting loneliness instead of the comfort of friends. For friends meant going out, which meant spending money. A luxury I did not have, scraping through with a part-time job and a hard-earned scholarship. I accepted with grace, whatever life gave me.

  I did not learn to fight for myself, but I can fight for others. That is what I will do. Ensure Jon's suspension is revoked and then move out.

  "Hey there, coming for the meeting?" Tom stands at the door to my room. I collect my things and accompany him to Richard's chamber. Jennifer and Betsy are there together, with Mr. Hansen.

  "There is a surprise for you, Sharon." Richard turns on the TV. It plays the CCTV footage.

  The video clips surprise me. "Can we use this to prove anything? Will anyone believe this?" I look at Richard and then at Mr. Hansen.

  "No, we can't, but there is more." Richard pulls out papers from a file and hands them over to me. These are the EHR of Jon during his stay here.

  I read the records and then share the pages with Tom, "Why would we prescribe these anabolic steroids? Jon did not need these."

  "Check the audit trail, Sharon. Can you throw some light on this?" Richard hands over more papers. I note the dates and times. "I was not in the hospital on the day. Who has used my login id and password?" This is confusing and scary.

  Richard reads the worry on my face. "Yes, we know you were not here. Your check-in and check-out times don't correlate with these entries. They don't match for Tom either. But there was someone else who was there at the time of these entries."

  I need not ask Richard who it was, after viewing the CCTV footage. "How did they get access? Aren't these protected?" I pass the papers to Tom.

  Richard is worried, "We are investigating this further. We will sort this out."

  "What about the urine sample? The NFL has based its suspension on Jon's sample taken at our hospital. Do we know when they took the sample? These records or anything we say won't mean anything in front of a confirmed test report." Tom has a point.

  "You are right, Tom. There may be more to it than what we see in these records. We should file a police complaint. They can use the footage as preliminary evidence to begin an investigation. As to whether we can prove the manipulation, I am not sure. However, if the police get on it, they could find other evidence. We need to preserve the actual chart so that forensics can run tests on it." Mr. Hansen has a plan developing in his mind.

  "What about the NFL? Shouldn't we go to them first?"
I want to clear this matter and get Jon reinstated as soon as possible, our conflict aside.

  Mr. Hansen agrees. "I have discussed this with Richard. We both will release a press statement and contact the NFL to make us a party to their investigation. I will also reach out to Mr. Hayes and his lawyer. But we will not share any evidence at this stage. We will present the evidence at the NFL hearing and then we go to the police."

  We sit and discuss all scenarios for our defense. When I get up, Richard holds me back. "Sharon, one more thing. Mr. Hansen wants you to be present at the NFL meetings."

  I try to protest, but Mr. Hansen has a point. Being Jon's treating physicians, Tom and I are important parties to the investigation. Jon stood by me during my time of need. I want to do more. Be with him and support him, even if he has made it clear he does not want me.

  I take a deep breath and agree, bracing myself for the day I face Jon again.

  Chapter 46: A Camera Never Lies

  Jon

  Lilies. The fragrance sends waves of hope and panic through my body. The aroma is unmistakable. You don't need to tell me she is here. She must have come inside the room when everyone had taken their seats. I did not expect to see her.

  Richard is here, along with Tom and their lawyer. When we met them on arrival, neither of them mentioned Sharon would be here. I had come with Kevin and Stephen. My coach and the franchise representative were also here. Jason was with Mom waiting outside.

  The members of the appeals committee sit in front of us. Our team and Sharon's team sit on separate desks, facing them. An usher sits next to the door.

  I try to grab her attention, but she keeps looking at the papers in front of her. When I stand to go to her, Kevin puts his hand on mine, pinning me to the table. I try to shrug his hand off but he gets up and squeezes my shoulder, asking me to sit. Before I can snap at him, Dr. Watson calls the meeting to order.

  Dr. Watson is leading the NFL appeals hearing. "I believe, Dr. Richard, your team has requested permission to present your case first."

  Richard responds, "Yes, Dr. Watson. We would like to share documents that can help the case."

  "Does Mr. Hayes have any objection?" Dr. Watson enquires from Kevin.

  "Go ahead," Kevin nods in agreement.

  "From our side, Dr. Thomas will present the medical records and lead the discussions. He is the treating clinician who managed Mr. Hayes' post-op care." Richard introduces Tom.

  Tom gets up and hands over a file to us and Dr. Watson.

  "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We at B &; N Care maintain every patient's history and medical records as electronic records. The software system complies with all regulations. We can trace every entry to the person, time and date it is made on. In section one of the file we handed to you, you will find the medical records of Mr. Jonathan Hayes from the moment we admitted him to the date we discharged him. These records also include all follow-up OPD and other consultations. The consultations include his sessions with the physiotherapist, a psychologist, and a dietician."

  "We have highlighted for you the records of the day when, as per allegations, we prescribed the injection. It was a week before we discharged Mr. Hayes. As you can see from these records, each has a date and a time stamp. If you review the medications prescribed and administered, you will find no record of the alleged injection."

  After the ruffle of papers due to people turning the pages in the files, the room goes silent. Dr. Watson leans to one of the panel members and discusses something.

  "Can we verify these records and confirm the audit trails?"

  Richard reassures me. "Yes, you can and the hospital is ready to provide access to our systems to anyone designated by the NFL, provided Mr. Hayes gives his permission."

  Tom turns to our side of the table. Kevin nods, he had told me that their lawyer had sought permission to release my records to NFL if required. Kevin had been tight-lipped about what they wanted to present. He pleaded ignorance, but I suspect he has more information. "We agree for the NFL representative to have access to the medical records."

  Dr. Watson makes a note and then asks Tom, "But the basis of the allegation is a paper record. Do you have any explanation?"

  Sharon stops Tom. "I will take that question". She sits up straight. "You are right, sir. We have a few paper records. The photo released on social media and circulated to the press is that of a nursing chart. Our staff uses this chart to make an interim record at the nursing stations."

  One of the panel members interrupts Sharon, "The paper records do not match with your electronic records?"

  Sharon nods, "Yes, you are right. But the story does not end there. In section D of the files, there is another set of matching EHRs. The reason for that is, someone tampered the paper record and broke into our EHR systems."

  Whispers follow. A little later, the whole room erupts. Everyone speaks at the same time. Dr. Watson calls the house to order. "Do you realize, doctor, the allegation you are making are grievous? Do you have any proof?"

  Sharon lets the room become quiet again. "Yes, we do. The nursing staff maintains an inventory of all medications and disposables for each patient. These records are also electronic, with full audit trails. In your files, the relevant patient's records are under section B. If you go to page 4, you will find the details of all actual medications ordered on the day of this incident. When you review the audit trails in section D, it is clear someone made the injection entries at a later date."

  She does not take my name. I am now a patient for her. Perhaps, I deserve this. I turn my head down, rolling a pen in front of me.

  "Do you know who did it?" one of the NFL representatives speaks this time.

  Sharon does not respond. Tom clutches her hand. She nods to him and takes a confirmation from their lawyer, "Yes, we know."

  Again, whispers begin, and Dr. Watson has to control the gathering.

  "Who, according to you, has tampered with the records? Please keep in mind that whatever you say is being recorded. If someone proves the allegations wrong, you will end up in lawsuits."

  Their lawyer gets up. "We will not take any names, but we are ready to provide a video recording of our CCTV cameras for viewing today, and as evidence."

  Dr. Watson again discusses something with the person sitting on his right. Within a few minutes, the projector and screen are set up. Their lawyer hands over the thumb drive.

  The recording begins, the nursing station is the focus of the CCTV camera. It displays the date and time at the bottom right in bright yellow. A nurse I recognize from my stay at the hospital is at the station. Someone comes to her and says something which makes the nurse rush out. The sight of the person has me on the edge. Is that who I think she is? Kevin places his hand over mine.

  She stays there and moves to the other side of the nursing station. She flips through some papers and pulls one out. She surveys her surroundings and writes something. Once done, she returns the paper to the stack. It is clear, she has done something. She turns to leave and this time, the camera catches her face. The wind goes out of my lungs. The face is unmistakable.

  How could she do this? I recall what had happened that day. Pain shoots through my body. I turn around to face Sharon. Her head is down. Tom has his arm around her shoulders.

  "Do we know who this person is?" Dr. Watson asks Kevin.

  "Yes," Kevin confirms. I am too numb to respond.

  The committee members have a short discussion. They turn the lights back on.

  "Dr. Sharon, do you realize that it could be your word against the lady in the picture because you have a relationship with Mr. Hayes?" Dr. Watson's words pour acid over my heart.

  Her lawyer intervenes, "The relationship between Dr. Sharon and Mr. Hayes is not a matter under consideration here, Dr. Watson. Dr. Sharon need not answer."

  When he sits, to my surprise, Sharon stands up, "I would like to clear the matter once and for all. There was no relationship between me and Mr. Hayes. There never w
ill be."

  The words cut through my heart like a knife. My throat is dry. When she turns to take her chair, our eyes meet. There is sadness in her eyes. I open my mouth to say something, but she turns away.

  After making a note on his file, Dr. Watson confronts me, "How do you explain the positive test?"

  I have no clue and look at Kevin. Before coming to the hearing, we had discussed the sequence of events on the day they collected the sample. Kevin asks me to inform the panel.

  "Sir, the NFL informed me of the test a day before. I set up the sample collection with the designated vendor to come to the hospital. The sample was collected the next morning. I signed off on the paperwork and he left."

  Dr. Watson makes another note. "That still does not explain how the substance got into the sample."

  "There is a possibility of the sample being tampered, though we have no way to prove it. Perhaps the NFL can investigate the chain of custody documents and speak to the person who carried the sample." Dr. Watson stays silent for a while after Kevin's statement.

  I am not convinced this will help my case. There is no way we can prove what Kevin suspects. My mind is too clouded to make any logic out of this mess. Some of which is my doing. I should have at least talked to Sharon before shutting her out.

  "Well, does anyone else want to say anything?" Dr. Watson's voice draws my attention to the proceedings. No one speaks.

  "I believe the evidence provided by the medical team needs a thorough examination. If someone tampered with the records or the samples, then this may require a criminal investigation. We adjourn the hearing until the NFL has discussed this matter." Dr. Watson concludes the hearing.

  "Thank you, Dr. Watson and the committee. As the law firm representing Mr. Jonathan Hayes, we will file a report with the police." Kevin is clear in this matter.

  "That is yours and Mr. Hayes' prerogative. The NFL will take an independent decision." Dr. Watson informs Kevin. The committee members get up and leave.