The door bell rang. It had been busy morning for Liz. Ben MacCready had been gone for about fifteen minutes and Liz had just finished talking to her son on the phone.
When she opened the door, she saw a young black woman standing on the stoop. She pushed the storm door part way open.
“Mrs. Porelli?” The young lady said.” Do you remember me?”
She did seem to look familiar, but Liz still had a quizzical expression on her face. Before she could think on it, the woman said,” I’m Celia Parks. I attended to you at the hospital. That day when everything went wrong.”
“Oh yes,” Liz’s face brightened, but she was still perplexed.
“I don’t mean to bother you,” she said.” I’ve sat out front all morning, trying to get up enough nerve to come to the door. I. . . . I need to talk to you.”
“I got your address from your file. I know that wasn’t right of me, but I do need your help.” Celia Parks and Liz were seated in the living room. Liz had turned off TV and Sissy had gone outdoors to the back yard. Celia had declined offers of coffee or soda.
“How about a pop?” Liz offered her the candy dish from the coffee table. She shook her head no. She had a purpose and that was all she wanted to concentrate on.” You see, I’ve been suspended from the hospital, because of the accident. They say it was my fault, but I was sure I checked the files and the medications when I administered them. I thought perhaps you could confirm that I did. I know I’m not supposed to be here or even talking to you, but you’re the only one who can help me.”
Liz unwrapped the lollipop. Grape.” I don’t see how I can. I don’t know what you did. I only know that you were nice and seemed competent. I just trusted that you knew what you were doing.” She placed the pop in her mouth.
“There’s no way I could have mixed up those infusion bags. I checked and double checked.”
“Maybe someone put the wrong medicines in the wrong bags,” Liz suggested.
“No,” she shook her head.” Mrs. Pruitt had the bag with your name on it attached to her transom when the doctors checked it after she died. Your transom had the bag with her name on it.”
“I did go to sleep for awhile, maybe someone switched them, then.”
Again Celia shook her head.” No one saw anything like that happen. Besides who would do that? Why?”
“Seems to me, honey, that you’re doing a pretty good job of convincing me you screwed up.”
“If I wasn’t so sure that I checked the bags, I probably would think so too. I. . I just don’t know what to do. The hospital is in big trouble over this and they need someone to take the blame. I guess that’s me. I just can’t be fired over this. I’ll never be able to work in a hospital again. I just don’t know what to do. I’m sorry I came here and bothered you. I. . I just thought. . . Oh, I don’t know what I thought.”
“Well it seems to me, dearie, that what you need is a good lawyer.”
“I wouldn’t know who to go to. Besides I don’t have money to pay a lawyer.”
“Maybe you don’t have to, sweetie.” Liz smiled.” Maybe I can help you after all.”
Vincent Motors was a sprawling dealership with several acres of new and used cars for sale. It was one of the largest if not the largest in the Buffalo area and was very close to the mall in Depew.
Celia Parks turned her gray Nissan off the main thorough fare and drove up close to the building near the rear entrance. The parking spot said ‘reserved for staff and personnel’. Liz assured Celia that it was all right to park there. She drove nose first into it and turned off the engine.
Vincent Motors was owned and operated by Liz’s brother in law, Vinnie Porelli. Vinnie thought the name Vincent was more respectable and drew attention away from being Italian owned and possibly mob connected, even though everyone knew he was the owner and already had their opinions about him. How could anyone help but not know about him. Vinnie insisted on doing his own commercials, using the tired cliche’d method of standing out in front of his dealership, holding up huge signs, indicating the fabulous deals he offered. He would shout at the top of his lungs as if by sheer volume he could coerce the public to come driving into his dealership by the droves, to drive away with the best deal in town.
Liz hated seeing those commercials on TV. She always thought Vinnie looked like a huge, overgrown penguin. His fat round head sat on the top of his shoulders, flab around his neck hid any semblance of a neck at all. His rotund body flared around the middle and it was a wonder that the belt he wore was even big enough to go around, much less hold his pants up. One would never know, by looking at them, that Vinnie and Joe were brothers. Vinnie looked like a slob and Joe was always trim and fit, and looked like a gentleman.
“That’s Michael’s car over there.” Liz pointed to the silver Lexus parked three spaces down.
Liz had called her nephew, Michael Porelli, to see if he could help out Celia. He had told Liz that he wouldn’t be in his downtown Buffalo office that afternoon, but he would be out at his father’s dealership. Depew would be a shorter ride for Liz. He could meet them there.
Celia had offered to drive and bring Liz back after the meeting. They had climbed into Celia’s gray Nissan and pulled away from the curb without noticing the black 1996 Chevy parked further down the street behind them. Its driver started the engine and drove forward following the two ladies at an unnoticeable distance.
Liz and Celia entered through the rear door and Liz led the way down a narrow hallway toward the front of the building, where Michael used an office when he was there.
He was sitting behind the desk and Vinnie was standing over his shoulder looking at a file that was on the desk in front of Michael. They both looked up as Liz framed herself in the doorway.
“Liz? “ Vinnie said with surprise. Then to Michael as if Liz wasn’t there,” What the hell’s she doing here, Mike?”
“Well, hello and how are you too, Vinnie,” Liz said and stepped into the office; Celia at her heels.
It was crowded now in the small office.
“Hello, Liz,” Michael said pleasantly with a smile and ignoring his father. He never called her aunt, since she had worked with him for a few years as a paralegal.” How are you? It’s good to see you again.” He pushed his chair back and arose to his feet, pushing Vinnie aside, as if he weren’t there. Michael was a young man of medium height and slight build. He wore brown plastic rimmed glasses that matched his dark brown hair. He took more after his mother, Constance, who was petite and light complected. Michael’s brother, Francis, on the other hand, was built a little more like his father, tending to be heavy set, but not as large as Vinnie and in no way did he look so grotesque. In temperament and personality, Francis was more like his mother and not at all like Vinnie. Francis had chosen not to follow his father’s footsteps in the family business. He had instead opted for the priesthood.
Vinnie half stumbled backward into the corner.” Hey watch it, sonny,” he complained.
“We were just finishing up, Liz. You’re right on time.” He pushed the file toward his father in dismissal.
“What? You knew she was coming?” He blustered.
Mike practically pushed him around the desk toward the door. Vinnie brushed against the two ladies as he squeezed by.” We’ll talk about it later, Dad,” He closed the door on his father, leaving him standing in the hallway fuming to himself.
“Your father hasn’t changed any,” Liz said with a chuckle.
“Only for the worst,” Mike answered.
“Mike, this is my friend Celia that I spoke to you about on the phone.”
“Hello, Celia. Please sit down.”
Celia smiled slightly. Mike had a way about him that made people feel comfortable.
“How’s your mother?” Liz asked as the two ladies seated themselves”
“Mom’s fine. She’s out of town for the next two weeks with her sister.”
“She probably needs a getaway from your fathe
r.”
“I’m sure she does, but this isn’t exactly a pleasure trip. Her sister is very ill. Cancer. Nasty business that cancer.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Liz said. She was genuinely sorry about the woman with cancer, but as far as Michael’s mother was concerned, there was never any love lost between them.
Constance, as was her name, had always felt she was better than anyone else. She never liked Liz, in particular, because Liz could always take something cheap and make it look expensive. Constance had it all; nothing but the best, but no matter how expensive it was, she always made it look cheap. They had known each other since high school. Constance was popular with the boys and was known as a beneath the bleachers girl. Then as she grew up, she had affair after affair. When she had tried to seduce Liz’s own beloved Joe, Liz could no longer tolerate her. From then on, Constance would always look at Liz with a face that was so mean and ugly and then turn and run. Liz often said that if she could sue Constance for face and run, she would win that case hands down.
“I use to see Frank whenever I felt like going to church.” Liz changed the subject, choosing not to dwell on Michael’s mother any more.” But since he took over that parish in Buffalo, I haven’t seen much of him.”
“He doesn’t seem to like it as well as he did when he had the parish in Mandalyn. The Buffalo parish is just too big for him.” Michael commented, then asked,” How’s Deb?”
“Still Deb, I’m afraid,” Liz said. Mike could fully understand that.
Michael took a yellow lined note tablet from his left hand top drawer and placed it on his desk, getting right to the business at hand. He asked Celia for her name, address and phone number and wrote them on the pad.
“You told me a little bit about the problem on the phone. Perhaps you could run it by me again.”
Liz took three tootsie pops from her pocket and held them out in front of her.” How about a pop?” She said.
Celia and Mike both declined. She put two back in her pocket, keeping the orange out. She unwrapped it as she explained about her participation in the experimental drug program at the hospital and how the infusion bags had gotten mixed up, resulting in a fatal accident to another patient.
Celia explained how she had administered the drugs and the actual procedures involved.
“Do you know the name of the woman that died?” He asked Celia.
“Yes. Her name was Jane Pruit. I have a clipping of the newspaper article, the day after it happened.” She fumbled in her purse and pulled out a folded piece of newsprint. She unfolded it and smoothed it out on the desk before her.
Mike looked at it and read,” Jane Pruitt, aged 57.” Read some more to himself.” It says she resided in Amherst with her husband, Arnold Pruitt, president of Amalgamated Concrete Delivery in Buffalo.” He wrote down the names and addresses on his pad.” Two grown children,” he continued.” Both married and moved away. She was being treated for vitamin B12 deficiency. This was just one of several treatments she had received over the last year. Her physician was Hubert Tombragle. Maintains an office, also in Amherst, and on staff at Amity Hospital.”
“You attended to Mrs. Pruitt, before?” Mike asked.
“Once, about a month ago. I’m not always on duty when she’s in.”
“What kind of a patient was she? I mean, was she difficult or pleasant?”
“Oh I don’t know. She was a bit snooty, I think. Didn’t respond to small talk. I got the feeling that she felt she was slumming when she came into the hospital. She was obviously a woman of means.”
“I see,” Mike mused to himself. He was silent for a moment, thinking.
“Who else was there in the infusion room at the time?”
“Well there was the RN who oversaw the treatment, and another attendant, like myself.”
“No one else?”
“No, not that I remember.”
“Think. Administrative assistants, physicians, orderlies.”
“Yes there were two women in the office. Oh, and a janitor came through picking up the trash, but none of them had anything to do with the patients.”
“Do you know any of their names?”
Celia shook her head,” No, only the other attendant. Shirley Robbins.” To Liz she said,” She’s the one that messed up your needle, Remember?”
Liz nodded, still working on her pop.
“What about the RN?”
“Her name tag said N. Taylor, but I don’t know what the N stands for. I would guess Nancy. I’ve seen her there several times, though. She’s not very friendly.”
“Did any of them pay any particular attention to the Pruitt woman?”
“I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.”
“How about, the other patients? Did they have any interaction with her?”
“None that I could see. As I said, Mrs. Pruitt seemed quite aloof.”
Mike nodded. He thought about things for a minute or so, then, wrote some notes on his pad. When he finished, he looked up and leveled his gaze at Liz. She was unwrapping another pop.” You know Liz, that if I take on Celia’s case, I won’t be able to represent you, if you are called into the hospital’s investigation and I’m sure you will be.”
“So far, I haven’t heard anything from anyone.”
“They will. It might take some time. But they will. Have you discussed this with your doctor?”
“I saw him last Thursday. He didn’t say much about the hospital, though. Mostly he was concerned about how I was feeling and what I thought of the drug as far as I used it.”
“Roger Callan is your Doctor, isn’t he?”
Liz nodded.” He’s my doctor here, but he had referred me to Doctor Blakeney at Amity. He was in charge of the drug program.”
“Actually, he’s in charge of the infusion area, also.” Celia said.
“So Mrs. Pruitt would have had to consult with him, just as Liz had,” Mike said, more as a question.
“Oh, I’m sure,” Celia said.” So would all the other patients that were there for treatment.”
Mike thought about that for a second, then said,” I’ll contact Roger, first. I’ve known him a long time.” Then to Celia,” In the meantime, we won’t set up anything formal as far as representation until I look into things a bit. I want to be able to choose which side of the fence, if need to. Whether I need to be representing Liz or you, I don’t know. But, I’m telling you this. I will help you.”
*****
Chapter Eleven