“Well, it’s not meant as a compliment,” Brian said. “You’re like some idiot savant. As smart as you are in some areas, you’re retarded in others, like social skills. Either you’re unaware of what other people are feeling, or you don’t care. But either way, the results are the same.”
“You’re out of control!” Sean said with a laugh.
“Give it some thought, brother,” Brian said. He gave Sean’s shoulder a friendly poke.
Sean told the cabdriver to take him to the Boston Memorial Hospital. It was getting on toward three, and Sean was eager to catch Janet before her shift was over. Sitting back, Sean thought about what Brian had said. He smiled. As likable as his brother was, he could be such a nerd at times.
At the hospital, Sean went straight to Janet’s floor. At the nurses’ station he learned she was down in 503 medicating Mrs. Mervin. Sean headed down the hall toward the patient’s room. He couldn’t wait to give Janet the good news. He found her injecting antibiotic into Mrs. Mervin’s IV.
“Well hello, stranger,” Janet said when she caught sight of Sean. She was pleased to see him although she was obviously preoccupied. She introduced Sean to Mrs. Mervin, telling her that he was one of the Harvard medical students.
“I just love all you boys,” Mrs. Mervin said. She was an elderly white-haired woman with pink cheeks and sparkling eyes. “You can come visit me anytime,” she said with a titter.
Janet winked at Sean. “Mrs. Mervin is on the mend.”
“I can see that,” Sean agreed.
Janet made a notation on a 3 ? 5 card and stuck it into her pocket. After picking up her medication tray, she said goodbye to Mrs. Mervin, advising her to ring if she wanted anything.
In the hall, Sean had to scurry to keep up with Janet’s pace.
“I’m anxious to talk with you,” Sean said, coming alongside. “In case you couldn’t guess.”
“I’d love to chat,” Janet said, “but I’m really busy. Report’s coming up and I’ve got to finish these medications.”
“The indictment against Forbes was handed down by the grand jury,” Sean said.
Janet stopped and gave him a big, warm smile.
“That’s great!” she said. “I’m pleased. And I’m proud of you. You must feel vindicated.”
“As Brian says, it’s an important first step,” Sean said. “The indictment includes Dr. Levy, although she hasn’t been seen or heard from since Mason’s mea culpa news conference. No one knows where the heck she is. The indictment also includes two clinical staff doctors and the director of nursing, Margaret Richmond.”
“It’s still all so hard to believe,” Janet said.
“It is until you realize how thankful the Forbes medulloblastoma patients have been,” Sean said. “Up until we put an end to it all, they’d given over sixty million dollars in essentially unrestricted donations.”
“What’s happened to the hospital?” Janet asked, eyeing her watch.
“The hospital is in receivership,” Sean said. “But the research institute is closed. And in case you’re interested, the Japanese were fooled by the scam as well. They had no part in it. Since the lid blew off, they cut their losses and ran.”
“I’m sorry about the hospital,” Janet said. “I personally think it’s a good hospital. I hope they make it.”
“One other piece of news,” Sean said. “You know that crazy guy that caught us on the beach and scared us half to death? His name is Tom Widdicomb, and he’s crazier than the mad hatter. He’d kept his dead mother in a freezer at his house. Seems he thought she was telling him to put all advanced breast cancer patients to sleep with succinylcholine. The mother had had the same disease.”
“My God,” Janet said. “Then that’s what happened to Gloria D’Amataglio.”
“Apparently so,” Sean said. “And a number of others.”
“I even remember Tom Widdicomb,” Janet said. “He was the housekeeper who bugged Marjorie so much.”
“Well, apparently you bugged him,” Sean said. “Somehow in his distorted thinking, he decided that you had been sent to stop him. That’s why he was after you. They think he was the guy in your bathroom at the Forbes residence, and he definitely was the person who followed us into the Miami General morgue.”
“Good Lord!” Janet exclaimed. The idea that a psychotic had been stalking her was terribly unnerving. It reminded her again of how different her trip to Florida had been from what she’d anticipated when she’d decided to go.
“Widdicomb will be tried,” Sean continued. “Of course he’s pleading insanity, and if they bring the mother in the freezer in to testify, he won’t have a problem.” Sean laughed. “Needless to say it’s because of him that the hospital is in receivership. Every family that lost a breast cancer patient under suspicious circumstances is suing.”
“None of the medulloblastoma cases are suing?” Janet asked.
“Not the hospital,” Sean said. “There’d been two entities: the hospital and the research center. The medulloblastoma patients will have to sue the research center. After all, at the hospital, they got cured.”
“All except for Helen Cabot,” Janet said.
“That’s true,” Sean agreed.
Janet glanced at her watch again and shook her head. “Now I’m really behind,” she said. “Sean, I’ve got to go. Can’t we talk about all this tonight, maybe over dinner or something?”
“Not tonight,” Sean said. “It’s Friday.”
“Oh, of course!” Janet said coolly. She thumped her head with the heel of her hand. “How stupid of me to forget. Well then, when you get a chance, give me a call.” Janet started down the hall.
Sean took a few steps and grasped her arm, pulling her to a stop.
“Wait!” he said, surprised at her abrupt end to their conversation. “Aren’t you going to ask me about the charges against you and me?”
“It’s not that I’m not interested,” Janet said. “But you’ve caught me at a bad time, and of course, you’re busy tonight.”
“It’ll only take a second,” he said with exasperation. “Brian and I spent most of last evening bargaining with the State’s Attorney. We got his word that all charges against you will be dropped. As far as I’m concerned, in return for testifying, all I have to do is plead guilty to disturbing the peace and malicious mischief. What do you think?”
“I think that’s great,” Janet said. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” She tried to get her arm free, but Sean wouldn’t let go.
“There’s something else,” Sean said. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking now that this Forbes thing is out of the way.” Sean averted his gaze and shifted his weight uneasily. “I don’t know how to say this, but remember when you said you wanted to talk about our relationship when you came down to Florida, how you wanted to talk about commitment and all that? Well, I think I want to do that. That is, if you’re still thinking about what I think you were.”
Stunned, Janet looked Sean directly in his deep blue eyes. He tried to look away. Janet reached out and, grasping his chin, turned his head back to face her. “Is all this double-talk an attempt to talk about marriage?”
“Well, yeah, sorta,” Sean equivocated. He pulled away from Janet’s hold on his chin to gaze down the hall. It was difficult for him to look at her. He made some gestures with his hands as if he were about to say more, but no words came.
“I don’t understand you,” Janet said, color spreading across her cheeks. “To think of all the times I wanted to talk and you wouldn’t, and now you bring this up here and now! Well, let me tell you something, Sean Murphy. I’m not sure I can deal with a relationship with you unless you’re willing to make some big changes, and frankly I don’t think you’re capable. After that experience down in Florida, I’m not sure you are what I want. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you, because I do. It just means I don’t think I could live with the kind of relationship you’re capable of.”
Sean was shocked. For a moment he was incapable of speech. Janet’s response had been totally unexpected. “What do you mean by change?” he asked finally. “Change what?”
“If you don’t know and if I have to tell you, then it’s futile. Of course, we could talk about it more tonight, but you have to go out with the boys.”
“Don’t get on my case,” Sean said. “I haven’t seen the guys for weeks with all this legal malarkey going on.”
