Page 20 of Second Chance At Love

Henry slowly unclenched his jaw. Another piece of health in his old life had been removed with the suspension of his license. Pretty soon the oxygen and wheelchair might just be permanent. Henry tried not to take it personally. The doctor was just doing his job. If Henry were to cause a wreck, it might be the doctor’s medical license on the line. He would have to get someone to bring his car back to the hotel.

“Do you have any questions?” asked the doctor.

“No,” managed Henry. He had a heart healthy meal plan at home, was supposed to reduce stress, stop working, and no more driving. Henry also carried the cell phone the hospital had given him on at all times which would let him know if he were the lucky one to get a heart.

The appointment finished and another scheduled, Henry gave back the oxygen tubing and canister, slowly walking through the halls of Mercy Hospital. He should probably have accepted the staff’s offer to wheel him to the front door to a waiting taxi, Henry reflected.

“You look awful,” mentioned a familiar voice.

Henry looked up to see Parker striding down the hall towards him. He drudgedup a smile and straightened his spine, extending a hand. “Good to see you as well.”

Parker gave his hand a firm shake. “Do I dare ask how the appointment went?”

“Badly,” replied Henry with a philosophical shrug. “Not exactly unexpected.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” frowned Parker.

“It is what it is,” responded Henry. He supposed that was a stupid phrase but it summed up the situation. There was little Henry could do about how his body was currently reacting. He simply had to accept the way things were. “I’m glad I ran into you. I have some questions about what was on the video of Gerrit that you saw.”

“Ask away,” said Parker as he fell into step beside Henry’s slow walk.

“Gabe said he got a drug from the hospital dispensary. I would like to hear from you what happened, if you don’t mind,” requested Henry. He always found it best to let people tell him in their own words and way when an incident occurred. He didn’t want anyone else’s experiences to color what Parker might say.

“Security brought forward a security breach to me. Mercy Hospital was extremely busy with a mass casualty event that day. We were busy intaking a number of people into the emergency department from an accident on the highway. At some point Gerrit and a resident’s paths cross. That’s a young doctor who is still going through training,” explained Parker.

Henry nodded, letting him continue.

“From subsequent interviews I have determined that Gerrit was here for scans with his doctor. He had a legitimate reason to be at Mercy. The resident thought Gerrit was Gabe, which to someone who doesn’t know the pair very well, could makethe mistake in identity. He gave Gerrit the code to the drug dispensary, something he has since been reprimanded for.

“Gerrit took what is called a cardioplegic concoction. This drug uses a measured amount of potassium to stop a heart from beating. Usually it’s used during an operation.” Parker gave him a sidelong look. “The surgeons will be using it during your next operation. XXX First on the donor heart, then on yours before they do the transplant.”

“Not something I’m looking forward to, no matter how necessary,” confessed Henry.

“It’s not without its risks but you have an excellent team of surgeons,” Parker tried to reassure him.

“What else happened with Gerrit?” prompted Henry, turning the conversation away from his own health to the matter at hand.

“Gerrit took the drug and went to the emergency department. He tried to give the drug to one of the nurses but she wouldn’t take it. Another nurse did take it from him and meant to return it to the dispensary but for some reason it seems to have gotten lost,” a grim Parker told him. “Everything Gerrit told me about the matter checks out except the drug is still missing. I’m beginning to wonder if someone was setting Gerrit up.”

Henry looked at Parker sharply. “What do you mean?”

Chapter Seven

“Think about it. Two deaths with heart issues, your own heart issues, my father’s suspicious death which may have been an overdose or someone murdering him,” explained Parker. “The fact that four people in our family have died or been very ill in such a short time is suspicious and the odds are astronomically against it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gabe and I had gone to the police, that Gerrit would be locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.”

Parker thought Gerrit was innocent.

“Isn’t there any video of what happened to the drug?” asked Henry.

“No. It was set down and multiple people were passing the cart. It disappeared. However, I can track Gerrit leaving the hospital. Unless he had an accomplice to be there at the perfect moment, he didn’t take it. Besides, it all is a matter of coincidence. He never would have gotten the code to the drug dispensary without the resident who talked to Gerrit and he verified Gerrit’s story. I fully believe it was a set up,” repeated Parker. “The resident was nervous and told me someone else, a person he didn’t know, had identified Gerrit as Gabe to him. It could be a total coincidence or on purpose. It’s hard to say and there is no real evidence.”

“Someone means ill for our families,” murmured Henry.

“Yes,” agreed Parker before suddenly stopping. “Oh, no.”

Henry looked at Parker in confusion. His cousin’s face held sympathy and sorrow. Looking forward, he saw Molson Colborne sitting on the floor, leaning back against the hallway wall with a hand over his face.

“Does this mean the little girl died?” asked Henry. He had forgotten what Tremblay’s daughter’s name was. She had a genetic disease of some sort and Molson had been frantically trying to save her life over the past two months.