Chapter Six #2
Lost in his thoughts and nearly dozing off, the ringing of his phone jerked Henry into wakefulness.
Checking the cellphone, Henry saw that he was going to be late for an appointment.
Part of him wanted to cancel it, but Henry knew that wasn’t an option.
He had to go to his medical appointments.
If he missed too many or had any health issues, he could lose his spot on the transplant list.
Grimacing, Henry got to his feet and made his way to the front desk where he signed out before heading to his car. He was so very tired. Leaning against the vehicle, he caught sight of a taxi letting off a passenger at the facility.
Exactly what he needed, decided Henry. Waving down the taxi, Henry got in the back and gave the driver the address of Mercy Hospital.
He managed a fifteen minute nap before the cabbie woke him at the entrance. Paying the fare, Henry headed to his doctor’s office for his appointment.
An hour later with numerous scans, bloodwork, a weigh in, and other tests, the doctor finally sat down with him.
“You’re still working?” asked the doctor.
“Yes,” replied Henry breathlessly. He was still having trouble breathing after a simple stress test on a treadmill.
The worst part was they had given him an oxygen tube afterward and it made Henry feel mentally that everyone could now visibility see he was sick.
Like it was one big step in the progression to defeat of his health.
He still wore the hated tube and had the canister beside him while he sat in a mobility chair.
It wasn’t a full wheelchair but it wasn’t far off.
Henry was surprised at his instant dislike of the situation. He thought he had accepted that this was his most likely fate. He knew it was going to get worse before it got better.
If it got better.
Plenty of people died waiting for a new heart. Sometimes the transplants didn’t work out either by dying on the operating table, of complications, or by rejection. Just because he was on the list didn’t mean he was going to live.
Yet how he hoped he would.
Henry had started looking forward to life again. He wanted to meet Cora’s and Addison’s babies, see Nick and Oliver graduate, and watch Ben get married. Henry wanted to be a part of all of that.
Perhaps that was why his mind was rebelling against his current situation, the weakness that he was now facing.
“Henry,” the doctor’s disapproving voice came into his thoughts. “You need to stop working. It’s too much stress on your health. You need to slow down if you are going to make it to the transplant operation.”
“I can’t stop,” said Henry. He couldn’t. There was too much depending on him.
“Hire someone to take over,” advised the doctor. “Immediately. Your condition has worsened significantly. You need to start protecting your health. No visits with anyone who has any virus. Watch for infections. Stop visiting public places. No more work.”
Henry reluctantly nodded. He could do most of those things. However, there were still some things he needed to attend to himself.
“How did you get to your appointment today?” questioned the doctor.
“I took a taxi,” truthfully answered Henry.
“Good. I’m putting you on a medical suspension for your license. You can’t be driving anymore. I won’t risk you getting into an accident,” stated the doctor as he wrote on his notepad. “You also have been losing weight. You need to watch your diet, Henry. You’re too thin as it is.”
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 drudged up 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 make the 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?”