Page 3 of Raymond's Forever

“Can I ask you why you’re deciding to sell after all these years?”

“My doctors told me I’m facing a heart attack if I don’t step back and lower my stress. It’s time to go spend time with my little girl. I don’t know if or when it will happen, but I want to be around when the grandkids start coming.”

“I understand. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to buy you out. We’ll talk later, and I’ll get that new proposal to you on Monday.” They rang off, and as soon as they hung up, the doorbell rang. Raymond went to answer it, and went outside to tell the delivery man where he could drop off the dumpster. As soon as he left, Raymond wasted no time cleaning out the one room upstairs that was long overdue. He never even looked at anything, just grabbed boxes and bags and tossed them. That night, when he climbed into bed, he felt lighter than he had in years. He also had another great night of sleep, and didn’t move for seven hours, waking refreshed to start a new day, with a new look on life.

CHAPTER 2

Amelia Johnson wasin the copier room at her office making copies of some files when the copier stopped. Thinking it was done, she reached for the papers, but realized the machine was out of paper. Frustrated, she sighed heavily, went to where the paper was stored, and found nothing but empty boxes. It seemed like nothing was going her way that day. Earlier, she had seen a patient, and before she could even examine them, she had to change her clothes from the bodily fluids that flew from the patient’s mouth, and all down the front of her. After she’d dealt with that one, a small child ended up hitting her in the face with his arm that was in a cast, and she now sported a decent sized bruise on her cheekbone. She only hoped it didn’t turn into a black eye.Ah, the life of a doctor, she thought with a shake of her head. She had to go into the supply room for a box of paper, and instead of bringing out one package, she decided to bring out an entire box. At the disorganization of the room, she took out her phone to start taking pictures as evidence to show the supply clerk the next day. She had had it with the laziness of that person, and shook her head as she mentally counted down the days until she could leave this place and start her own practice.

After moving several boxes out of the way to get to what she needed, she still had her phone out, and froze when she heard people in the hallway. Standing behind the door, and using the crack to look out, she saw who was talking, and immediately put her phone on record. It surprised her that she acted sneakily, but something in her gut told her to make sure no one knew she was present.

“Nurse Betty, I need you to get me a list of all of Dr. Johnson’s past patients.”

“May I ask why, Dr. Perkins?”

“Because I want to bring them back in for a consultation.”

“Consultation, doctor? Why would you want to do that if they’re already healed?”

“I believe Dr. Johnson is lying to her patients. There is no way that she didn’t have to perform surgery on half of her patients.”

“Is there anyone in particular that you’re questioning?” Nurse Betty asked, but she crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant manner toward the doctor.

“One, nurse,” he said her title with a sneer. “You will bow down to me. I am the doctor, and what I say goes. Every patient that comes through this office will need surgery from now on.”

Nurse Betty interrupted him, and this time she copped an even bigger attitude toward him. “Not if they don’t need it. That’s malpractice waiting to happen.”

“No, that’s how I do my job.” Dr. Perkins looked at the expensive Rolex on his wrist, and then back at the nurse. “I want Shay Hall’s file on my desk by seven o’clock Monday morning.”

“But he’s healed.”

“No, I believe Dr. Johnson missed something in his x-ray. I’m going to have to review his file, and then call him in for a surgery consultation.”

“And if I refuse?”

Before Dr. Perkins could speak, Dr. Ervin, the head of the clinic, spoke, “Then be prepared to lose your job.” He threatened. “You won’t get a reference either. I’ll make sure every hospital, clinic, and doctor’s office in the entire state of Colorado knows of your insubordination toward men of authority. Don’t think I won’t make up lies to get my way. I’ve done it in the past, and I can do it again. You bow down to us. You’re just a lowly nurse that needs to know her place.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that. This isn’t the eighteen or even the nineteen hundreds. Dr. Amelia Johnson is a top-notch orthopedic surgeon. What you’re asking me to do is against the law.”

Amelia jerked when Dr. Ervin’s hand came out and slapped Nurse Betty across the face.

“You’ll regret that, and this conversation,” Nurse Betty said through gritted teeth and turned on her heel and fled.

“Bitch,” Dr. Ervin said through a clenched jaw as he turned back to Dr. Perkins. “You won’t have to worry about her, I’ll give her until nine Monday morning to conform, or I’ll make up some trumped-up charges, have her arrested, and make her life hell for defying me. I’ll make it my personal mission. Now, tell me again what you do to get around the insurance companies that deny every surgery we put before them.”

“It’s easy, I have a set of x-rays that I use that shows certain joints are shattered and it’s clear as day that it needs to be replaced. Once I get the approval, I take the patient into surgery, cut them open, fiddle around in there, sew them up, and request them to have weeks of physical therapy. I have a therapy clinic I use that milks their recovery. We both enjoy the insurance kick-backs.” Dr. Perkins shrugged, and grinned. “I got away with it up in Minnesota, out in Boston, down in Atlanta, and even over in Pheonix. It’s an easy scam, and I can line my pockets with a minimum of fuss.”

“Have you ever had any patients die?” Ervin asked. Amelia noted that his voice or expression showed one of concern, if she had to put a name on what she saw, she would have to say it was glee.

“Who cares if they do? The most important thing is that I had the original x-rays that show the extent of the damage. If they perish, then it’s worked up in my notes that they must have had an underlying, but undetected medical condition. If the family gets their panties in a twist, then I turn the finger back on the original doctor, saying they were negligent in their work for not doing a complete medical history. Win-win for everyone involved.”

“Except for the patient that dies.”

“Who cares, I only pick the ones that are old. I’ve glanced at Hall’s file, he’s former military, probably can’t even walk properly after going through war, just one more useless person to take off government benefits.”

“Or, you can find a family member of a patient that will pay you good money to keep your mouth shut and do nothing,” Dr. Ervin said with a laugh. “I’ve had that happen to me out in Vegas. I was paid almost a million dollars to tell the patient she would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.”

“What happened? Could you do surgery for her to walk again?”