Dark as Daylight Ch. 18

"Doctor Braverman will see her three times a week, whether he likes it or not. Preferably on his way home from work, or on his way to work. It will keep his mind off Olivia."

Gwen asked, "Does everyone know about those two?"

"Those two are responsible for half the pheromone attacks in this hospital."

A scream came from behind them.

"Open your eyes, because you are in for a great big surprise!"

Everyone turned and there he was: Cowboy Patrick; he was wearing a 20-gallon gray Stetson hat, a deep Texas tan, teeth whiter than white, a gray suede cowboy suit, with a shirt to match, a shoestring tie, held together by an oil well shaped tie clip, in gold and diamonds.

Despite the get up, he ran to his father got down on his knees and hugged him as if his life depended on it.

"Dad, I did this to get you to smile. Please tell me you're feeling okay, because I'll cry right here if you're not."

"I'm good, Patrick, your mother is near death, and we need to do something about it."

"Tell me what she needs, and I will move heaven and earth to get it."

"We can't do anything illegal, because the hospital will not put it in her if we don't have records. She needs a new heart or the doctor feels she will be dead within a month."

"Are we on the transplant list?"

"We are as of this afternoon."

"I have to talk to the doctor for a moment. I will be right back. Oh, what's her name?"

"She is Doctor Matti Williams."

***************

"Hello Doctor Williams, I am Patrick Zabo."

"Hello Patrick, that was quite an entrance."

"That was one of my milder entrances. You can speak to my brother about some of my wilder ones. I want to ask you something very important about my mother. What information is put down on the transplant form about my mother's needs?"

"It's bloodwork. A, B, and O. Then you get into the technicalities: positives and negatives, and the other derivatives that with today's technologies can be filtered out. Transplants today have a success rate of 87%, which is amazing, since they are transplanting whole eyes, not just the cornea or retina. The use of immunosuppressant's is so specific to each body part, it helps keep the rejection rates very low. The Koreans are at the top of the totem pole in that area of science."

"Let me cut to the chase, doctor. Is the transplant list nationwide or worldwide?"

"It's nationwide, Mr. Zabo. A human organ can only last outside the body for so many hours. If somebody dies in London, and you need a heart in Houston Texas, the heart will be dead by the time it gets there."

"How many hours can heart last outside the body?"

"In ideal conditions, 18 hours, but that is packed in dry ice, in a medical gel that prevents decomposition, and sealed in an airtight container. However, you still must have the death; either by natural causes, or an accident, signed by a physician. Then a team of doctors must remove the organ, and it must be packed properly. The coroner must sign a release for the death certificate. You must get the paperwork filled out to fly the body out of the country of origin, and approved to fly into this country. I know you are from a very wealthy family, Mr. Zabo, but time still moves on.

"You're right, Doctor, that is an awful lot of paperwork. I think I'll use the Internet, and find out where the most accident-prone city is in the United States, and where the most fatalities take place. I'll hire someone to keep an eye on it."

"Remember Mr. Zabo, your mother does not have a lot of time."

"I know, Doctor. However, my father will not do anything illegal, even for my mother. We will honor his wishes, even though we feel otherwise. We will not dishonor him."

"He raised wonderful children."

"Thank you, Doctor, I'll tell my dad you said that."

Patrick walked to an area where he was alone. He made a critical call to the lawyer who helped his father's friend, Doctor Shelley Jacobson, go from being screwed, to being a part owner of one of his parent's nonprofit hospitals, on the west side of Manhattan. During the negotiations, he only sat at the table, watching, and listening to this attorney's brilliance. However, the evening before, he memorized everything he had to know about New York State's civil litigation as it pertained to corruption, corporate theft, and a list of items this attorney was going to use against the current Board of Directors, and the hospitals managerial staff.

Drake Hamel was unpredictable. He could walk into your office wearing a $5000 suit or in raggedy jeans, and sneakers that had seen a better day. However, he always walked in with the attitude of a man with a juris doctor after his name, and an attitude to match. He pushed the law to its very edge, but never walked over the line.

"This is Drake Hamel."

"Drake, this is Patrick Zabo. My mother needs a new heart, yesterday. The doctors give her less than 30 days to live?"

"I'm on it, Pat."

Both men hung up without further words spoken.

When he returned to his father, William asked, "Who did you call?"

"Our attorney, Drake Hamel."

"Excellent, Patrick, I have been so involved with your mother, I didn't think about him at all."

"That's to be expected, dad. I'm dressed like an idiot, I can think outside the box at a time like this."

"I don't think you look like an idiot. I'm just wondering why you're wearing black-and-white canvas sneakers, instead of cowboy boots?"

"I told you, dad; I wanted everyone to laugh, when I walked in. I purchased this outfit on my way to the aircraft. I never felt more out of place in my entire life, and I can't wait to get out of it."

"I want pictures, before that happens. I don't want pictures taken from a cell phone, but from a real camera, so we could make blowups for your mother to hold in her hand, and enjoy."

Pat scanned the room and saw Jim keeping watch. He called him over.

"Hello Mr. Zabo, you almost look like a cowboy."

"Hello Jim, what did I leave out?"

"Isn't it obvious, sir? You are not wearing French cuffs with matching cufflinks for the tie clip."

Pat replied, "Yes, I did forget those, but I was sure you were thinking about the sneakers."

"Absolutely not sir. I believed those added a sense of panache to the outfit."

"Thank you, Jim, so did I. Are all our men back, and in position?"

"Yes sir, we have 22 agents on the grounds."

"Excellent, would you have a few of them escort me to a store where I can purchase a camera. My dad wants pictures of me, in this outfit, that my mother can hold in her hands. I would like to do this quickly, so I can get back to the hospital."

"Sir, each of our cars has an excellent quality camera in it. We can take the pictures here in the waiting room, and get them developed at a store nearby."

"Do it, Jim. My father will be as pleased as punch."

"I will get everything set up in under five minutes, Sir."

True to his word, Jim had three fellow agents taking pictures of Patrick, standing, and seated, showing off his sneakers, started in under five minutes. Group pictures with the three Zabo men seated together, then William Senior, with Patricia and Gwen, and finally a group picture, taken from the front, left quarter, right quarter, and from one of the agents standing on a 10-foot-high maintenance-ladder. Since everyone was so involved in this process, it took less than 15 minutes to get all these pictures completed.

A nurse walked into the waiting room and announced to the entire Zabo family that Jemma was now in the recovery room. She was in an induced coma, and her state was critical. One or two members of her family could see her, but she would be unresponsive.

William Senior said, "Patricia, you are my oldest, do you wish to accompany me?"

"I would love to, dad, but William is her natural child. He should go with you. I will go in with Patrick, later."

William Junior hugged his sister, and thanked her for letting him go before her.

Cardiac intensive care units are all the same. Each patient's space is wide, because of all the technical equipment that surrounds them on three sides. There is the constant beep of the cardiac monitor, and the hiss of the breathing machine that is keeping the patient alive, after the prolonged operation, and giving its body a chance to begin the healing process by itself. There were the large plastic bags, filled with fluids, attached to the metal trees on both sides of the bed, dripping multiple fluids at prescribed rates into the patient's body to keep it hydrated, and with medications to ward off, and in Jemma's case fight a specific disease. This one patient, Jemma Zabo, was at death's door, and her doctors, and family members, were trying to keep her from opening it, and crossing over. She was in a fight for her life, and she began to dream about it, from the very beginning.

********************************

William looked at her. She looked diminished, lying on the large bed. The nurse gave him permission to hold her hand, but not to move her arm, because of the multiple transfusions she was receiving. Her hand was ice cold, but the nurse told him to expect that, and why.

She said, "Your wife was on the Heart-Lung Bypass machine for over 8 hours. The bypass machine not only oxygenates the blood, it filters out all the waste materials that the liver, kidneys, spleen, and other organs normally do. It also reduces the body's temperature to 64°F to reduce any chance of the body going into shock during the operation.

Normally, as the operation nears an end, they begin increasing the blood's temperature into the mid to high 80s, but your wife's condition is so tenuous they decided to let it warm up at its own pace.

As you can see, your wife is directly across from our station. This is not an accident. Doctor Williams insisted on it. We moved another patient out of this position so your wife could be here for our nurses to react instantly to any problems.

The on-call cardiologist normally rests downstairs on the cardiology floor. Doctor Braverman ordered him to rest on this floor, so he could be near your wife. That's how important she is to everyone concerned. Do you have any questions I can answer for you now?"

"Yes, there is. Do you have enough staffing in this unit for everyone involved over the next week?"

"If you want the hospitals answer, it's yes. If you want my opinion, we could use two more nurses to cover the midnight shift."

"Thank you for being honest with me."

While he wanted to spend more time with Jemma, he patted her hand, and told her he had work to do. He knew she would understand.

He said to the nurse, "Who do I speak to about your staffing?"

"Our nursing personnel manager, he is also in charge of our budget. He's nice, he really is, but they put him between the lines, and he has to live there."

"No, she doesn't have to play that game anymore. May I use your phone, please."

"Of course, it's over here."

"What is her name?"

"She is a he, and his name is Dallas Thompson."

"So, he's just a bureaucrat, in charge of nursing."

"No, he is an RN, and a damn good one. He started out in the Army as a nurse. He did 25 years, got wounded in Iraq, and decided it was time to leave. He got here 10 years ago, and stopped working as a surgical nurse a few years ago, when his hands started to tremble. He was going to quit nursing, but they talked him out of it. They made him the head of nursing, and he still pulls shifts, when things get short."

William punched in the number he was given, and a man with a friendly voice said, "Come on down to my office Mr. Zabo, I've been expecting this call."

"Thank you, Mr. Thompson, I'll be right there."

"I like people who are prompt." Thompson hung up, before William did.

The nurse smiled. "He hung up on you, didn't he?"

"Does he do that a lot to people?"

"He likes to throw people off their game. If you're angry, you can't be angry anymore, because now you're confused. You don't know what's going on in his mind."

"I built my company by doing that to other people. Let's see how well he can play this game. What is his room number?"

"117B. Do not go in through 117A. That is the hospital administrators private meeting room, and he does not like it when anybody goes through there."

"I take it the two offices have a connecting door?"

"It is a fire department requirement."

"Isn't that interesting. Thank you for all your help. You will have two more nurses on the midnight shift for a very long time."

"Thank you very much Mr. Zabo. My nurses, and our patients truly appreciate your kindness."

"I own enough hospitals. I didn't want to have to buy this one, because of a minor dispute."

Her mouth hung open as Junior wheeled him out of Cardiac Intensive Care and towards the elevators.

Jim said, "Mr. Zabo, I believe this hospital would have cost you a very pretty penny."

"Jim, that may be the understatement of this year. I may have had to sell one of my patents to purchase it, and that would have hurt me dearly."

"You could always have leased it for several years, and then it would have returned to you, whole."

Senior said, "William, never let this man go. He may be as smart as you are."

"Do you remember the movie Sabrina, Dad?"

"Are you suggesting that Jim is the driver of the limousine?"

"Well, he certainly isn't Sabrina."

"I'm sorry Sirs, but you've got me on this one."

"Well Jim, in the 1950s, Humphrey Bogart made a movie with Audrey Hepburn. Bogart was from an old money family, and he now ran the business like a well-oiled machine. He was a starched shirt workaholic. His younger brother, hated work, and was a playboy. Their father was dead, and the mother was the matriarch. They lived in a Long Island, South shore estate, fit for a king. Every morning, their liveried chauffeur would be holding the door of their limousine open, at an exact time, and Humphrey would get into the car, at that exact moment. The chauffeur would drive him to work at exactly 35 mph while Humphrey would read the morning papers, and make trades on the car telephone. Enter Audrey Hepburn, a recent high school graduate, who the chauffeur sent off to France to learn how to become a chef at a very elite school for young women. She did not know how her father could afford it, but was thrilled to be going on the ocean liner to France as any young woman would.

A year later she returns, slightly blossomed, and she accidentally bumps into the playboy brother, who was immediately smitten with her. He invites her to a party at his estate, and he will not accept no for an answer. He leaves before she can tell him who she is and that she lives there to as the chauffeur's daughter.

Enter Humphrey Bogart who sees Sabrina as he enters his office, and is stopped, mid-step, which is for him like the Titanic stopping before hitting the iceberg. He stutters, "Helllooo SSSaaabbbrrriinnnaaa."

This is noticed by his ever-efficient girl Friday assistant, who calls the mother's assistant, who tells the mother the story. The mother has been trying to get Humphrey out of the office and into the arms of a woman for years, because she does not want him to die from overwork.

A plan is hatched.

The playboy brother's plan is hatched.

Humphrey can no longer speak.

Sabrina likes Humphrey a lot. A real lot.

At the party, everything turns to hell in a hand basket, and Sabrina winds up in her room crying.

Her father tells her that he is a multimillionaire, and that he got all his stock tips by listening to Humphrey talking on the car phone to his brokers on the way in to work every day, for the last 18 years. She can return to France and live there happily if she so desires.

She goes to France by ship. Humphrey goes crazy, his brother hits him. They have a fight, and Humphrey finally admits that he's in love with Sabrina. He tells the brother to take over the business, unless he wants to starve. He asks the father where Sabrina is. He packs a suitcase, gets on a Boeing 707, and beats Sabrina to the door of her apartment in France. End of story"

Jim said, "You told me all that just to tell me I'm learning by listening to Mr. William?"

"Yes, I guess I did."

"Isn't that like a baby duck learning to swim by jumping into water behind its mother."

"Yes, it is."

"Isn't that like when you...no, I'm not going to mention it. We could be here for decades."

"That is not fair, Jim. You have my interest piqued. Now I have to know what you're thinking about."

"I'm sorry sir, but my lips are sealed."

"We will see about that, when we get home."

"I have a feeling I am going to wish I was in Norilsk today."

"You better bring a pretty woman with you to keep you warm, Jim. The average temperature in the summer is 10°C/50°F if you don't factor in the wind. The wind up there can rip your skin off on a good day, on a bad day you don't go outside, you just don't go outside, unless you stay in the tunnels."

"Can I ask how you know about Norilsk, Mr. Zabo?"

"You can always ask me anything, Jim. I can always refuse to answer you if I want, but this is no secret. I own three of the tallest and most expensive apartment buildings in the city. They are the most expensive for one reason, I guarantee my buildings will be heated 365 days a year."

"That sounds like an expensive proposition to me."

"It is, but my tenants are happy to pay for it. The apartment windows are double paned, and produce heat when the sun shines upon them. Patricia's friend did that contract for me, and both of us are making money on it now. The Russians can't seem to do the windows the way he does it, and he is constantly being called over there to do work. He is a very happy camper.

Each building has gas and oil to fuel its furnace. It takes half an hour to change over from one to the other. I don't need an electrician to come from Moscow to do it, I need two men, with strong backs, and the ability to read to remove one set of couplings move to pipes out of the way, swing to pipes in with the new coupling, and tighten everything down to the correct tolerances.

From the time the alarm goes off, to the time the new line is connected, the apartment never has a chance to get cold. I bought those buildings before my children were born. That includes you, Patricia."

"That's good to know, dad. That means my grandkids get them. I'll let Laura's kids have them."

Patrick said, "Dad, that is what I call forward looking thought."

"Just think, son, I didn't have to hit her for saying it either."

"It does sound strange, doesn't it?"

Patricia added, "I may be older, but I can still beat the shit out of the three of you."

"Ouch! God dammit, Stephano, what did I do this time?"

"What did I tell you not to do, while we were in the hospital?"

"Talk."

"Give that lady a prize. Now keep quiet, and follow instructions, or we will go outside, and talk."

"You know you're not being fair."

"I wonder where I learned that tactic?"

"Me."

"I wasn't expecting you to be truthful about it, but thank you for answering. Now, shut up."

"Yes dear."

His head snapped down to get a good look at her, but her head was down so far, he could only see the back of her ears. She played this game too well. He pinched her ass.

She giggled.

***************************

After a quick stop at the nursing heads office, where the staffing situation was settled amicably, for a relatively modest endowment, William Senior was taken up to his suite, where Doctor Braverman looked him over, and talk to him sternly.

"Mr. Zabo, I know how disastrous a day today has been for you. However, you must think about your own health also. Your blood pressure is higher than it ever has been. Your heart is racing. I'm going to give you oral medication to help bring it down. If in four hours it doesn't work, they will be putting you on IV medication. Don't panic about it, it's just to give you small doses of medication over a longer period. I will be in the hospital until about seven. However, once they get you settled, you are going to sleep. I want you to rest for tomorrow's tests."