canned.'
'Excuse me?'
The messenger smiled. 'Eddie's the new guy with our company, and he screwed up big time,' he said. 'My name's Frank, by
the way.' He extended his hand to shake hers. His palm was damp, his grip weak.
'How did your friend screw up?' she asked.
'He delivered the right packages to the wrong people,' he said. 'But he really needs the job because his wife is expecting, and
if Eddie gets fired for messing up, he'll lose his insurance. Eddie's only nineteen,' he added. 'And I feel responsible because I'm the man who trained him, so I'm using my day off to try to fix this before the boss finds out about it.'
'That's very nice of you,' she said. 'How can I help?'
'You see, Eddie picked up a package from a law firm in New Orleans on Monday, and he should have filled out the label and
put it on the package right then and there at the receptionist's desk, but Eddie didn't do that. He took it back to the company van. Now, he'd already picked up another package from Belzer Labs, and he hadn't put the label on that package either. He figured he'd sit in the air-conditioned van and fill out both labels, but he stuck them on the wrong packages. The only way I found out about the screwup was when a secretary from another law firm called to say she had gotten the wrong package. When she opened hers, she found a bunch of literature about a new drug the company was going to be selling. Fortunately for Eddie, I
was the one who happened to answer the phone. If that secretary had talked to the boss, I hate to think what would have happened. Speedy Messenger Service prides itself on being fast and reliable, and I swear that this is the first mix-up we've
had in over three years. Anyway,' he added as he shifted from foot to foot, 'I was hoping you could give me the package
you got by mistake, and I'll deliver it to the law firm today.'
Michelle shook her head. 'I'd like to help you, but I don't remember receiving any special deliveries. When and where was it delivered? Do you know?'
'Eddie took it to the hospital.'
His hands, she noticed, shook as he flipped through the pages of his notebook. He was nervous and couldn't quite look her in
the eyes. She thought that was odd but then decided he was embarrassed because of the mix-up.
'I already went over there, hoping I'd find you, and one of the nurses was kind enough to look at the weekly log. She said there was an accident late that afternoon and that you were in surgery when Eddie made the delivery, but that doesn't make any
sense, since you signed for it.'
'Oh, yes, I remember the accident. I was on the surgical floor, up to my elbows in charts I had to finish before I could leave. I
did get a call from ER telling me there was a package for me. I don't remember getting it, though.'
'Maybe it will jog your memory if I tell you that you signed for it.'
'I did?' She certainly didn't remember doing that.
Frustration crept into his voice when he said, 'Yes, Doctor, you did. We always keep a copy of the receipt in our offices and
mail the original back to the sender, and I'm telling you,' he added, his anxiety not quite masking his anger, 'your signature is as clear as can be.'
'It won't do you any good to get angry,' she said. 'And if you could read my handwriting, then I definitely didn't sign for it. No
one can read my writing. I do think I know what must have happened,' she added. 'The staff secretary down in ER signed my name. That's pretty much standard procedure.'
She racked her brain, trying to remember the sequence. Exhausted from being up most of the night before, she had made up
her mind not to leave on vacation until every one of her charts had been dictated. 'I did go down to get the package.'
'Where?' he asked urgently with a hasty look over his shoulder at the football team. 'Did you go to admitting or to the
emergency room?'
'ER,' she answered. 'And that's when the paramedics arrived.' She shrugged then. 'I went right back up to surgery and did
two cases back-to-back.'
'So you never opened the package, did you?' He was smiling and sounded relieved.
'No, I didn't open it,' she said. 'I certainly would have remembered doing that, especially if there were papers from a law firm.'
'You can understand how anxious the attorneys are to get those papers. They were going to another law firm. It's all
confidential stuff. I could drive over to the hospital right this minute and get the package from that secretary, couldn't I?
What's her name?'
'Elena Miller, but she won't give it to you unless I tell her it's okay.'
'Could you call her now? Eddie already picked up the package meant for you and is on his way here now. I sure would like
to get this finished today. I've got my phone with me.'
He moved closer so he could hand her the phone. Michelle could smell his aftershave. He'd used a heavy hand, but it didn't
mask the odor of sweat.
He was acting like a nervous twit. No wonder he was sweating. He kept looking over his shoulder at the field, as though he expected one of the boys to hurl a football at him. She dialed the hospital, asked for Elena, and was put on hold.
'He has them mesmerized, doesn't he?' she remarked as she waited for the secretary to pick up.
'What?'
'The coach. He has those players hanging on his every word. I noticed you were watching them.'
'Oh… yes, yes, he does.'
Elena Miller picked up a phone in the emergency room, and in her usual harried voice snapped, 'Miller here.'
'Hi, Elena. It's Dr. Renard. Am I interrupting you in the middle of something important?'
'I'm always in the middle of something important, Doctor, and you forgot to finish your charts. You left two,' she said.
'And you left your mail untouched. Your 'in' box is brimming over, Doctor. Now, aren't you glad you called? What can I do
for you?'
'I did finish my charts,' she argued. 'Every last one of them, so if Murphy thinks he's going to put me on report, you tell him I'll have his hide.'
'Relax, Doctor. Murphy's on vacation too. What can I do for you?' she repeated.
Michelle explained about the mix-up with the packages. 'Do you remember signing for a package that was delivered around
five o'clock Monday?'
'Right this minute, I can't even remember what I ate for supper last night. I do remember Monday was one of those hellacious days in the ER. We had a rush of accidents, and then there was that real bad one out on the highway. There were at least
twenty mothers and fathers jamming the halls while the doctors worked on their kids. I certainly don't
