Chapter 20
“What do you want to know?” Shay asked as he sat taller, and everyone in the courtroom could see that his entire demeanor had changed from relaxed to tense and his facial expression showed anger.
“Tell us about this visit like you did with Dr. Johnson’s.”
“First, I was called and told I had to be at the office in Colorado Springs at a certain time and date. I did not reach out to them, they contacted me. The caller, a male, informed me that my previous doctor was incompetent and missed something vital. He wanted me to come in to discuss the matter.”
“Did you get the caller’s name?”
“He said it was Reuben. That’s it, just Reuben.”
“Okay, did you go?”
“Yes, and I took two friends with me.”
“Why?”
“Because one of them is my boss, the other was the property owner, they wanted to talk to the doctor because of their insurance policies.”
“Okay, so they were concerned for you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened when you arrived?”
“I filled out the paperwork, a nurse called me back, she opened the door to an exam room, told me to go inside, then turned and walked away.”
“Did she do anything else?”
“No, she never even spoke one word after she called my name in the waiting room. No weight or height measurement, no vitals were taken, nothing. Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Perkins, I assume it was Dr. Perkins and some other guy walked in, slapped a set of x-rays up on the light box, and told me and I’m quoting here, “Dr. Johnson is incompetent in her duties. She lied to you, and doesn’t know what she’s doing.
I’m scheduling you for surgery on Thursday to repair what her incompetence missed. ”
The entire room froze at his words. “Oh, and he kept referring to my left knee.”
“How did you arrive at that appointment?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.”
“Did you use a wheelchair, crutches, cane, wear your brace?”
“No, I walked under my own steam, just like I did to come up here to the witness stand.”
Raymond nodded and turned to the table, picked up a remote, and turned back to Shay and the judge.
“Mr. Hall, you, your boss, and the landowner recorded your interaction with Dr. Perkins, could you tell me why?”
“Something didn’t sit right with me when Reuben called.
He was arrogant, and when I tried to tell him that I was healed, and I didn’t need to come in to see him, he became angry.
I then told him that I was still a patient of Dr. Johnson’s and I liked her, so I wasn’t changing doctors.
Because of what he told me next, I decided to record my visit. ”
“What did he say.”
“That Dr. Johnson was fired from the clinic because of her incompetence, and that she lost her license to practice medicine because of that incompetence. I knew for a fact that statement wasn’t true, because I had seen her at her new office just the day before.”
“When did this Reuben call you, what day of the week?”
“Sunday, and I had to be into his office on Monday.”
Raymond nodded and looked at the judge. “If it pleases the court, I would like to play the video that was recorded during this office visit.”
“OBJECTION! It’s illegal to record someone without their knowledge.”
“Colorado is a one-party consent state, and Mr. Shay has already testified under oath that he didn’t feel right about the appointment. His consent of the examination of him is all that is needed.”
“I’ll allow it,” the judge said, and they all turned to the screen the bailiff had set up. Raymond pushed play, and watched as everything Shay had described that happened with the visit with Perkins happened. At one point, Raymond stopped the video and turned back to Shay.
“Mr. Hall, when were the x-rays that Dr. Perkins put up on the light box taken?”
“No clue.”
“Could you please explain that?”
“He never ordered any x-rays, MRIs, or scans of any sort. He told me when to be there, and that I better show up.”
“So, those x-rays are not yours?”
“No.”
A murmur went up through the room, but Raymond continued the video and rewound and replayed the part where Perkins threatened Shay if he didn’t show up, he would be billed.
“Mr. Hall, did you receive a bill for that operating room?”
“I did.”
Raymond took the paper Jason handed him, and walked a copy to the other table, one to the judge, and gave the last one to Shay. “Is this the bill you received?”
“Yes.”
“There weren’t any other pages attached? An itemized bill? Line explanations?”
“No, just this paper. Only one sheet.”
Raymond took the paper from Shay and walked it over to the jury.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please note that this bill is for the amount of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Three quarters of a million dollars for services not rendered, and it certainly didn’t go through any insurance company first. Also, please note that on the video I just showed you, Dr. Perkins defamed Dr. Johnson’s character seven times.
” He saw them nod, then went in for the kill.
“Also, please note that Dr. Perkins specifically stated that he would be operating on Mr. Hall’s left knee, when in fact, the initial injury occurred on his right. ”
He walked back to his table, stood behind it, and nodded. “No further questions.”
“Counselors?” The judge turned to the other table.
“Nothing for this witness.”
“You may step down.”
Shay did, and everyone watched him walk proudly, and without a limp. All eyes were on his knees.
“Call your next witness.”
“I’d like to call Dr. Amelia Johnson to the stand.”
Amelia went up, and was sworn in, and settled in the seat Shay had just vacated.
“Dr. Johnson, can you please state your certification for the record?”
“I’m a board-certified general physician, as well as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.”
“Which means?”
“The general physician part means that I can see patients for a variety of reasons, annual checkups, colds, flu, what you would go to the doctor for if you were sick. The orthopedic surgeon part, is I work with the bones and surrounding tissues.”
“Do you recall seeing Shay Hall as a patient?”
“Yes, and everything he described happened.”
“Thank you, can you tell this court why you did not operate on him?”
“There was nothing to operate on. Nothing was broken, nothing was torn, nothing was ripped. All the tests he had showed nothing but severe bruising, in my professional opinion, and you don’t operate on a bruise.”
“Can you explain that further?”
Amelia sighed and settled back into her seat and glanced at the jury, the judge, the other table, then back at Raymond.
“Think of it like this, you get a bruise, and though the surface is discolored, deep inside the body, where the trauma happened that area is also bruised. The discoloration at the surface is the body’s way of working the broken blood vessels to the surface as it takes over the healing process.
What happened to Mr. Hall was an extremely deep bruise.
He was kicked by a horse that wore a shoe.
What I saw on the scans I ordered for him was that deep internal swelling and bruising.
When I saw him, his injury was black, yes, but it wasn’t hot to the touch.
If he had a broken bone, or had torn anything, then the temperature of the injury would be elevated.
I felt nothing. I diagnosed what I saw based on the scans, and my own two eyes. ”
“After he healed, and you gave him a clean bill of health, did he ever come back to you asking for more pain pills, or saying he didn’t feel like he was healed? Did he try to get more drugs from you?”
Amelia laughed. “I’m sorry, this isn’t a laughing matter.
The only issue I had with Mr. Hall was that he wanted to get out of his brace before I thought he was ready.
I had a long conversation with him when I went to see him, and he explained that he believed that because he had served his country for over twenty years, where he faced bullets flying at him, war, commanding others, and paperwork, he was just used to calling the shots and wanted to command his injury to heal.
I told him that it didn’t work like that, and if he wanted to get technical, he needed to have R&R in order for his body to heal itself.
He wasn’t happy, but he did heal, and did not need my services any longer. I put him in my success column.”
“Thank you, now can you tell the court why you left the clinic in Colorado Springs?”
“I started my own private practice.”
“OBJECTION! That’s a lie! We fired your ass!”
“For what?” the judge asked with a question and a frown. It turned out that Reuben Perkins had been the one that yelled that.
“Counselor, control your client or I’ll find him in contempt of court.” He scowled at them, and turned back to Raymond. “Continue.”
“Dr. Johnson, please tell the court how you came about opening your own practice.”
“Actually, it started with Mr. Hall. I knew my contract with the clinic was coming up, and I didn’t really want to stay there.
Ever since I got my first white coat, I had dreamed of branching out on my own.
Part of my job is to get to know the patient.
After talking to Mr. Hall about his injury, how it happened, what he was doing when it happened, and what he did for a living, I asked him how he knew Dr. Lassiter.
I had worked with Dr. Lassiter for almost a year.
I would refer patients that lived in his area for physical therapy, and he would refer patients to me. Like Mr. Hall.”
“So, professional curiosity?”