Code Blue

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Code Blue Page 30

by Debra E Blaine


  “Do you think B. Healthy was involved?” Tobi asked.

  “No, I just think they didn’t care. Venture capitalists have a different agenda, and it’s not people, no matter how much lip service they pay to it. Makes it easier for sinister operations to use them as fronts to exploit individuals.”

  Tobi wondered if the company would have cared if they had known.

  “When does your bodyguard get released? Has he lost his job?”

  “Who told you it was a ‘he’?” Tobi laughed.

  “Agent Logan. I asked if they were protecting you, and he said they were and that you were not alone. Apparently, your friend took down Rufini before he was shot, no small feat given how much that man weighs.”

  “Said bodyguard also took also took a wire cutter to the head. I guess it would have been kinder for me to have numbed him up before I put staples in his scalp.”

  “How many staples?” Daniel asked.

  “Just two.”

  “Meh, hardly worth the lidocaine.” Tobi could practically see Daniel’s mischievous grin.

  “He sounds like a keeper, Tobi. But if you need someone to check him out for you, I’ll be your acting family in residence. When this is all over, the four of us can go out for dinner. My wife is a keen judge of character.”

  “Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind, if I decide to let him hang around. By the way, what’s happening to Ismar?”

  “Well, he’ll be losing his license to practice medicine forever, and he’s going away for a very long time, possibly for life. Nothing to worry about from him. The more cooperative he is, the better it will go for him. First, we have to come to an agreement with the Turkish government; they’re asking for extradition. Apparently, he’s wanted for crimes there too. They’ll probably execute him, so either way, he’s not getting out of this. What about you? What are your plans now?”

  “Funny, I’ve been thinking about that,” Tobi said. “I just can’t seem to picture myself going back to work in a corporate structure. I get about ten headhunter calls and emails a week, I might start answering them. And maybe it’s even time to get out of clinical medicine for good.”

  “That would be a loss, you’re a great physician. But I get it. Let me know if you need any stellar references. I might have some connections along the way too.”

  “Thanks, Daniel. For everything.”

  Chapter 71

  The next day, Tobi walked into the hospital room as Agent Logan was walking out. Troy was dressed and sitting in one of the chairs. “I can’t wait to get out of here already.”

  “What was he doing here?” Tobi nodded at the door.

  “I asked him to bring me something from the house. Have you been back there?”

  “Only to get Pantelaymin and some of her toys. We’re staying at Reggie’s and Lynn’s, and they invited you to stay too. They’ve been very good about having a cat around, and Panni likes them. I don’t know if I deserve such amazing friends. The whole upstairs is being redone, courtesy of B. Healthy. What a mess. Did they say when you would be discharged?”

  “Possibly tomorrow.”

  Tobi looked at him. The bruise on his forehead was starting to fade, and the staples were almost ready to come out. Had it really been less than a week since he’d shown up bloody at her door? His face was still pale, but he was sitting up easily enough. “Your hematocrit dropped to twenty-four, you know. You need to take it easy.”

  “I have no idea what that means,” he said.

  “It means you lost a lot of blood, and very quickly. You really worried me.” As she said the words, she realized how accurate they were. Now that he was with her again, what would she do without him?

  “So, you’ve been peeking in my chart? Hmm, did I give you permission for that?” His smile was all mischief.

  Tobi was just on the verge of taking him in her arms when her phone went off, with Ben’s ring tone.

  “Mom! What’s going on out there? Are you okay? Your name is all over the news that someone tried to kill you! Why don’t you tell me these things?”

  “Ben. Hi. I … I didn’t want you to worry, and—”

  “Worry? Of course I worry! You should have told me! I shouldn’t have to hear my classmates say ‘Isn’t that your mother’ and find out that way.”

  Tobi flinched. “You’re right, I’m sorry. But Ben, I was a target because of Uncle Reuben. The last thing I wanted was for you to become a target too. I’d have died first.”

  “What are talking about? Uncle Reuben?”

  Tobi took a breath and realized this was the first time she had been glad that Ben didn’t call very often. “Do you remember I told you Troy was messaging me and said it was about Reuben?”

  “Mom! If he got you into this trouble and risked your life—”

  “Stop, Ben! He saved my life. A couple of times, actually. And he’s lying here in the hospital right now, because he came back for that exact purpose.”

  By the time Tobi was finished telling Ben the whole story, she was exhausted all over again, as if she had relived it. Agent Jacquart had said it would get easier with time, but so far, that was proving to be a myth.

  “He really saved your life?” Ben asked. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m just glad you’re alive. I love you. Mom, you could have died! I’m coming home tonight.”

  “It’s not necessary, you should be on your hospital rotation; I don’t want you to miss. It’s all over, and I’m fine. Not even a scratch—well, maybe a little scratch. God was clearly watching over me. I’d love to see you if you have time, but the house is not even inhabitable at the moment ….”

  “I think they’d let me take off a couple of days, under the circumstances, and I don’t have to stay over, unless you need me to, and if you do, I’ll stay in a hotel. I’ll be there this weekend—if you’re sure you’re okay. Mom, you’ve been miserable at that place for years. You need to quit. Work somewhere else, or just retire.”

  “I can’t retire, Ben. I have bills to pay.”

  “I know, and my tuition is one of them. Stop it. I’ll take loans. Your sanity is way more important.”

  “I have been thinking I need to make some major changes in my life—”

  “Good. Why don’t you look into that group NY Medical that’s been opening up all over the place? They’re good people; they even opened several free clinics in the city just to give back to the community. They’re owned by a hedge fund,too, but they’re run by physicians, and they seem to have a heart. Everyone who works there loves it. This whole thing is crazy.”

  “I’ve heard of them, I’ll check them out, and I’ll start looking around in general. I just got into this rut of staying in one place, partly because they paid well, and the commute was so easy, only fifteen minutes. I don’t know, I guess it was also just inertia.”

  “Let’s talk about it this weekend, then. Promise you’ll call me if anything changes before that! I can be there in forty-five minutes. I love you.”

  “I will. I love you too.”

  Troy was looking at her with a bemused smile. The speaker function had been off, but Ben’s voice had been audible without it. “He’s very protective of his mom. That’s good.”

  “It was just the two of us for so long … now he has Rachel, and I’m glad. He went through a lot between his father and me, and I’m very proud of him.”

  Tobi moved closer to Troy and sat down on the adjacent chair, wondering how a meeting between Ben and Troy would go. She took his hand. “You really did scare me, you know.”

  She wanted to hug him, but didn’t quite trust herself; if she touched him now, she might never let go. Nineteen years of anger had faded to nothing, but she was still afraid to open her heart again. News flash, it was opening without her permission. That’s what hearts do; they don’t listen to reason. She was suddenly afraid her whole life was a
bout to change forever. Well, her life wasn’t exactly so terrific in its present state, was it? So, maybe that was a good thing.

  Troy continued to look at her. He licked his lips nervously, and Tobi saw the sweat on his brow. It wasn’t that warm in the room, and it reminded her how weak he must still be, even with the transfusions he’d received.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I have something of yours,” he said. He took his hand back and pulled something out of his pocket. He tried twice to speak and had to stop. “I wish I could do this properly, but I feel like I need to

  do it right now. Then he opened his hand and Tobi saw the little square box.

  “No, no, no, Troy! We’ve been reacquainted for less than a week.”

  “No, it’s not what you think. Well, it is what you think, but not in that way. I’m having a hard time with this.”

  He fumbled with the box and opened it. Inside was a round diamond in a platinum split shank setting.

  “I had just bought this when Reuben told me his predicament. I never got to give it to you, but it’s been sitting in my safety deposit box at Citibank ever since. I hope it still fits.”

  “Troy, I just barely managed to forgive you. And, yes, to admit to myself that I still love you. But please don’t ask me to make a commitment like that. And—what would you have done if you’d already given me the ring when Reuben came to you? Would you have broken our engagement?”

  “I have no idea what I would have done. But I hadn’t yet, and I made the decision that seemed the most ethical one at the time. I sacrificed my feelings—”

  “Our feelings! Mine and Ben’s too.”

  “Our feelings, especially yours and Ben’s, because you had no say in it. When I look back, I don’t know if it was the right thing to do.” His voice cracked. “I did the best I could. I hope one day you and Ben will forgive me.”

  Tobi’s heart felt like a pretzel, and her eyes were watering.

  “Tobi, this is no longer the engagement promise it would have been. And it is not really an apology, either, because no material thing can make up for what you—and I—went through when I left. Please just take it with no strings attached.”

  “I don’t know, Troy. I don’t think I would ever get married again. I mean, what’s the point? It’s just paper. Ben is all grown ….”

  He leaned forward and put his finger over her lips. “Tobi, all this means is that I love you. That has never changed, and it never will. It’s so long overdue, but, please, take it. It belongs to you. It has always belonged to you.”

  Tobi realized she had tears in her eyes. She leaned over and stroked his face gently, very aware of the fragile major artery in his right groin. “We have to keep your blood pressure down right now, you know.” Awkward moments produce the stupidest comments.

  Troy smiled and gently pulled her face to his and their lips locked. Like a rubber band that had suddenly snapped, all her resistance vanished, and nineteen years melted away. Their hearts collided and became one all over again, and, as if they had never been apart, bonded more fiercely than ever.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My greatest thanks goes now and always to my son, Daniel Leisman, for his love and his unwavering belief in me in whatever venture I embark upon. You have always inspired me to strive to be the best I am able and you have given me my raison d’être since the day you were born.

  Probably the most influential person in the creation of this book is Rich Krevolin. A screenwriter, consultant, playwright, and professor, I joked that I earned my masters from him, just minus the certificate. Thank you, Rich, for your patience and your tutelage, for teaching me how to build suspense, keep pace, and for generally holding my hand through the many revisions of this novel, beginning with helping me decide if it would be a novel or a nonfiction exposé. The thriller motif is all because of you.

  To Ellen Gelerman, it has been such a joy to share this journey with you. We have tackled child rearing from ages two to twenty-seven together, and all the delights and disasters that accompanied those times. But this past year, we finished writing and had our first novels accepted for publication together, and we did it sharing our frustrations, anxieties, and elation. I can’t imagine what life would be like without your friendship, love, and support over this last quarter of a century. Here’s to twenty-five more.

  Huge thanks to my beta readers for their time, encouragement, and suggestions. Maxine Cohen, Joyce Tisman, Maggie Farkas, Brad Elbein, Rebecca Stanley, and Jiya Kowarsky.

  Thank you to Rabbi Susie Henneson Moskowitz for Judaic consultation and day-to-day love, wisdom, and support. You are always an inspiration, and to me, you are the quintessential rabbi.

  An enormous thank you to the accomplished professionals who took the time to read and review this book for me. Dr. Kenneth Kamler, Rabbi Michael Cahana, and Ed Hershey. A doctor, a rabbi, and a journalist walk into a bar to discuss a book ….

  Thank you Rabbi Todd Chizner, for validating my leap of faith into this unfamiliar world and reminding me that faith is more than prayers or the belief in God, but it is the willingness to step off the precipice and trust God to guide me into an unknown future.

  To Dr. Steve Goldberg, I am grateful for your friendship, your encouragement, and your support, not just this past year, but for the last decade or so that it has been my pleasure to know and work with you.

  This would not be complete without acknowledging the amazing people at Warren Publishing. In particular, Mindy Kuhn and Amy Ashby, for their support, enthusiasm, knowledge, and talent. You both have made this process such a pleasure and are sterling guides as I venture into this foreign field. It is like learning a new profession, and you have been patient with my frustrations and held my hand along the way. I could not have asked for better. Thanks also to Monika Dziamka for her insightful developmental edits. And of course, to author Jennifer Hurvitz Weintraub, who I met on a fluke and she proceeded to adopt me into her life, into the Warren Publishing family, and who has promised to introduce me to the world of podcasting. You always go above and beyond!

  Finally, thank you to all my family, friends, fellow congregants, neighbors, and coworkers who have continuously asked “is it out yet” and have given me courage to take this step. Back when the manuscript was only about sixty pages, I wondered if anyone outside of medicine could possibly be interested in physician-patient encounters. Thank you to Fern Bernstein, who repeatedly assured me they would, and insisted that lay people like herself were, in fact, extremely curious to know what happens on The Other End of the Stethoscope.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Debra E. Blaine was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, NY. With a passion for the humanities, she received her BA in Philosophy and Hebrew at the University of Texas at Austin, before going on for graduate studies in Comparative Religion at Temple University. She ultimately changed paths, and attended Baylor College of Medicine to earn her MD in 1987. She returned to Long Island for post graduate training and has practiced Family and Urgent Care medicine on Long Island and Queens for nearly thirty years.

  The changing face of medicine, which reflects the changing attitudes of Western society, has compelled her to return to her earliest dreams: to engage with and attempt to influence our world through writing and the exchange of ideas. A world increasingly scourged by greed in so many corners, and so far adrift from the practices of integrity, gratitude, and kindness that should be our primary values.

  Dr. Blaine has a grown son who is her greatest source of pride. She is on the Board of Trustees of her synagogue, and she loves animals, nature, and being outdoors. She lives with her cat in Suffolk County, Long Island.

 

 

 
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