boat.
“Weekends are impossible at Lanier,” he offered, as if he’d read my mind. “Between the cigar boats and the cruisers, you get tossed around just sitting in a slip at the marina. Drop in every redneck in three counties with a pontoon and a cooler of beer, and it’s a freak show.”
He’s chatty today.
“I’m going to have to move anyway,” he added with a heavy sigh. “Find a proper place to live.”
I wondered what had prompted the change in his living arrangements.
“Hey, maybe I’ll give your mom a call. I saw her billboard on Georgia 400.”
Billboard? She must be going gangbusters, which explained why she’d been so scarce. Well—partially explained.
“Damn, my battery’s almost dead. Let me find an outlet for my phone charger.”
He must have found one because a few minutes later, he was streaming the game from his phone and munching on pizza, his life decisions postponed for the time being.
I wish I could talk to him and ask him what was going on in his life. And tell him about Sister Elaine. And the phony psychic ripping off my aunt. And that Mr. Palmer might be planning to hurt Keith Young. And that a guy posing as a volunteer might be working for a tabloid.
But I can’t. So I’ll just lie here and silently scream.
August 22, Monday
“LOCK THE DOOR,” Dr. Jarvis instructed.
“Why?” Gina asked.
“Just do as I ask.”
I heard the click of the lock.
“Dr. Jarvis, what’s going on?”
“I asked you to be here because I know you’ve taken an interest in Ms. Kemp.”
“It’s hard not to grow fond of certain patients,” she agreed.
“So I’m sure you want for her the best possible chance at recovery.”
“Of course,” she said, but her voice sounded suspicious. “What’s this all about?”
“Dr. Tyson and I spoke with a neurologist at Walter Reed Army Institute about a new drug the military is using to help TBI patients recover.”
“I know. Dr. Tyson told me. But she said the insurance wouldn’t cover it.”
“An appeal was filed… and I secured the formulary.”
“The drug is in that syringe?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s great news. Why the secrecy?”
“The board hasn’t yet signed off.”
“Then why are we talking?” Gina asked, her voice suddenly stern.
“Because I need your help. The sooner Ms. Kemp gets this drug, the sooner she might get better. If we wait for the board, it could take weeks. By the time they say yes, she could already be on the road to recovery.”
“What if they say no?”
“She’s a public figure now—they won’t say no.”
“But if they do, I could lose my job, and you could lose your license.”
“If this goes sideways, don’t worry—I’ll take full responsibility. No one will know you were involved.”
I feel for Gina. No matter what he says, she knows if things go wrong, she might be implicated. And she has a child to support.
“I’ll administer the drug,” he said. “I just need you to watch and make sure I follow procedure.”
“Except for the getting approval part,” she said dryly.
Touché.
“You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t believe it would help Ms. Kemp,” he said.
“Did you administer another motor response test?”
“Yes, this morning.”
“And?”
And I couldn’t respond.
“And she didn’t respond to my commands. But she did twice before, I swear to you. I want to give her the drug now because I’m afraid she’s losing ground.”
“This is unethical, Doctor.”
“Is it? Look at her, Gina. She’s twenty-eight and she could spend the rest of her life like this. I think if Ms. Kemp could talk to us, she’d tell us to try.”
Darn tootin’, I would. Come on, Gina!
Gina sighed. “Okay. Follow my instructions.”
“Thank you, Gina.”
“Don’t thank me. Put on gloves… then clean the IV port with an alcohol pad.”
They were really going to do it!
“Okay, now insert the syringe.”
The doorknob rattled, then a hard
“Weekends are impossible at Lanier,” he offered, as if he’d read my mind. “Between the cigar boats and the cruisers, you get tossed around just sitting in a slip at the marina. Drop in every redneck in three counties with a pontoon and a cooler of beer, and it’s a freak show.”
He’s chatty today.
“I’m going to have to move anyway,” he added with a heavy sigh. “Find a proper place to live.”
I wondered what had prompted the change in his living arrangements.
“Hey, maybe I’ll give your mom a call. I saw her billboard on Georgia 400.”
Billboard? She must be going gangbusters, which explained why she’d been so scarce. Well—partially explained.
“Damn, my battery’s almost dead. Let me find an outlet for my phone charger.”
He must have found one because a few minutes later, he was streaming the game from his phone and munching on pizza, his life decisions postponed for the time being.
I wish I could talk to him and ask him what was going on in his life. And tell him about Sister Elaine. And the phony psychic ripping off my aunt. And that Mr. Palmer might be planning to hurt Keith Young. And that a guy posing as a volunteer might be working for a tabloid.
But I can’t. So I’ll just lie here and silently scream.
August 22, Monday
“LOCK THE DOOR,” Dr. Jarvis instructed.
“Why?” Gina asked.
“Just do as I ask.”
I heard the click of the lock.
“Dr. Jarvis, what’s going on?”
“I asked you to be here because I know you’ve taken an interest in Ms. Kemp.”
“It’s hard not to grow fond of certain patients,” she agreed.
“So I’m sure you want for her the best possible chance at recovery.”
“Of course,” she said, but her voice sounded suspicious. “What’s this all about?”
“Dr. Tyson and I spoke with a neurologist at Walter Reed Army Institute about a new drug the military is using to help TBI patients recover.”
“I know. Dr. Tyson told me. But she said the insurance wouldn’t cover it.”
“An appeal was filed… and I secured the formulary.”
“The drug is in that syringe?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s great news. Why the secrecy?”
“The board hasn’t yet signed off.”
“Then why are we talking?” Gina asked, her voice suddenly stern.
“Because I need your help. The sooner Ms. Kemp gets this drug, the sooner she might get better. If we wait for the board, it could take weeks. By the time they say yes, she could already be on the road to recovery.”
“What if they say no?”
“She’s a public figure now—they won’t say no.”
“But if they do, I could lose my job, and you could lose your license.”
“If this goes sideways, don’t worry—I’ll take full responsibility. No one will know you were involved.”
I feel for Gina. No matter what he says, she knows if things go wrong, she might be implicated. And she has a child to support.
“I’ll administer the drug,” he said. “I just need you to watch and make sure I follow procedure.”
“Except for the getting approval part,” she said dryly.
Touché.
“You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t believe it would help Ms. Kemp,” he said.
“Did you administer another motor response test?”
“Yes, this morning.”
“And?”
And I couldn’t respond.
“And she didn’t respond to my commands. But she did twice before, I swear to you. I want to give her the drug now because I’m afraid she’s losing ground.”
“This is unethical, Doctor.”
“Is it? Look at her, Gina. She’s twenty-eight and she could spend the rest of her life like this. I think if Ms. Kemp could talk to us, she’d tell us to try.”
Darn tootin’, I would. Come on, Gina!
Gina sighed. “Okay. Follow my instructions.”
“Thank you, Gina.”
“Don’t thank me. Put on gloves… then clean the IV port with an alcohol pad.”
They were really going to do it!
“Okay, now insert the syringe.”
The doorknob rattled, then a hard
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