none of it. Then he looked at the pen that was being offered to him.
'By compensation, Mr Flynt,' said the attorney, 'I was referring to money.'
The man took the pen and signed his name.
Back in his car, Sussman slipped the signed records request form in his briefcase and reached once again for the list. There were four more names, four more signatures to obtain. He should have no problem. Greed and retribution were a powerful combination.
He crossed off the name Flynt, Harold, and started the car.
CHAPTER TEN
'It was a pig's heart. They probably left it in my car the night before, where it baked all day in the heat. I still can't get rid of the smell.'
'The man is mindfucking you,' saidVivian Chao. 'I say you should fuck him right back.'
Abby and Vivian pushed through the front doors and crossed the lobby to the elevators. It was Sunday noon at Massachusetts General, and the public elevator was already crammed tight with visitors and get-well balloons bobbing overhead. The doors slid shut and the scent of carnations was instantly overpowering.
'We don't have any proof,' murmured Abby. 'We can't be sure he's the one doing this.'
'Who else would it be? Look what he's done already. Manufacturing lawsuits. Shoving you in public. I'm telling you, DiMatteo, it's time to press charges. Assault. Terroristic threatening.'
'The problem is, I understand why he's doing it. He's upset. His wife's having a rocky post-op course.'
'Do I detect a note of guilt?'
Abby sighed. 'It's hard not to feel guilty every time I pass her bed.'
They stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor and headed up the hall towards the cardiac surgery wing.
'He has the money to make your life hell for a very long time,' said Vivian. 'You've got one lawsuit against you already. There'll probably be more.'
'I think there already are. Medical Records told me they've had six more chart requests from Hawkes, Craig, and Sussman. That's the law firm representing Joe Terrio.'
Vivian stopped and stared at her. 'Jesus. You're going to be in court for the rest of your natural life.'
'Or until I resign. Like you.'
Vivian began walking again, her stride as fierce as ever. The little Asian Amazon, afraid of nothing.
'How come you aren't fucking back?' said Abby.
'I'm trying to. The problem is, the man we're up against is Victor Voss. When I mentioned that name to my attorney, she turned a few shades whiter. Which is an amazing feat for a black woman.'
'What was her advice?'
'To walk away from it. And call myself lucky that I'm already a board-eligible surgeon. At least I can find another job. Or open up my own practice.'
'Voss scares her that much?'
'She wouldn't admit it, but yes. He scares a lot of people. I'm in no position to fight, anyway. I was the one in charge, so it's my head that rolls. We stole a heart, DiMatteo. There's no way around that. If it had been anyone else but Victor Voss, we might have gotten away with it. Now it's costing me.' She looked at Abby. 'But not as much as it could cost you.'
'At least I still have my job.'
'For how long?You're only a second-year resident. You've got to start fighting back, Abby. Don't let him ruin you. You're too good a doctor to be forced out.'
Abby shook her head. 'Sometimes I wonder if it was all worth
'Worth it?' Vivian stopped outside Room 417. 'Take a look. You tell me.' She knocked on the door, then stepped into the room.
The boy was sitting up in bed, fussing with a TV remote. If not for the Red Sox cap on his head, Abby might not have recognized Josh O' Day, so transformed was his appearance by the rosy flush of health. At his first glimpse of Vivian, he grinned hugely.
'Hey, Dr. Chao!' he whooped. 'Geez, I wondered if you were ever coming to see me.'
'I did come by,' saidVivian. 'Twice. But you were always asleep.' She shook her head in mock disgust. 'Typical lazy teenager.'
They both laughed. There was a brief silence.Then, almost shyly, Josh opened his arms for a hug.
For a moment Vivian didn't move. It was as if she didn't know how to respond. Then she suddenly snapped free of some invisible restraint, and stepped towards him. The embrace was brief and clumsy. Vivian seemed almost relieved when it was over.
'So how are you?' she asked.
'Real good. Hey, didja see?' He pointed to the TV. 'My dad brought me all those baseball tapes. But we can't figure out how to hook up the VCR. You know how to do it?'
'I'd probably blow up the TV.'
'And you're a doctor?'
'OK. Next time you need surgery, buster, you call a TV repairman.' She nodded towards Abby. 'You remember Dr. DiMatteo, don't you?'
Josh looked uncertainly at Abby. 'I think so. I mean. .' He shrugged. 'I forgot some things, you know? Things that happened last week. It's almost like I got dumb or something.'
'That's nothing to worry about,' said Vivian. 'When your heart stops, Josh, you don't get enough blood to your brain. You can forget a few things.' She touched his shoulder. It was not the sort of thing Vivian Chao would normally do. But there she was, actually making contact. 'At least you didn't forget me,' she said. And added with a laugh, 'Though you may have tried.'
Josh looked down at the bedspread. 'Dr. Chao,' he said softly, 'I don't ever want to forget you.'
Neither one spoke for a moment. They seemed frozen by embarrassment in that awkward pose, Vivian's hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy looking downward, his face hidden under the bill of his cap.
Abby had to turn away and focus on something else. The trophies. They were all there, all the ribbons and plaques, arranged on the nightstand. No longer an altar to a dying boy, but a celebration of life. Of rebirth.
There was a knock on the door and a woman called out: 'Joshie?'
'Hey, mom,' said Josh.
The door swung open and the room was invaded by parents and siblings and aunts and uncles, sweeping in with them a forest of helium balloons and the smell of McDonald's fries. They swarmed around the bed, assaulted Josh with hugs and kisses and exclamations of Look at him.t He looks so good. Doesn't he look good? Josh bore it all with an expression of sheepish delight. He didn't seem to notice that Vivian had slipped away from his bedside, to make room for the noisy army of O' Days.
'Josh, honey, we brought Uncle Harry from Newbury. He knows all about VCR's. He can hook it up, can't you, Harry?'
'Oh, sure. I do all my neighbours' VCR's.'
'Did you bring the right wires, Harry? You sure you got all the wires you need?'
'You think I'd forget the wires?'
'Look, Josh. Three extra-large orders of fries. It's OK, isn't it? Dr. Tarasoft didn't say you couldn't have fries?'
'mom, we forgot the camera! I was gonna take a picture of Josh's scar.'
'You don't want a picture of his scar.'
'My teacher said it'd be cool.'
'Your teacher's too old to use words like cool. No pictures of scars. That's an invasion of privacy.'
'Hey Josh, you need any help eating those fries?'
'So Harry, you think you can hook it up?'
