“The master keys to the rest of the building. I kept them in my desk drawer, but I haven’t had the need to look for them lately. They’re not there.”
“Not so strange," Paul stated.
“I think I have a pretty good idea of where we could look. And here she is," Sam announced.
“You wanted to see me?" Sheila asked.
“Yeah, I do," Sam sneered.
Charles hung in the background, not wanting to get caught in the mess that was surely about to develop.
“Have a seat," Paul ordered.
Sheila complied.
“Did you provide the FDA with any incriminating information?" Sam demanded.
“Yes, I did," she said proudly.
“Then I hope you are independently wealthy, because I want you out of here today."
“Okay," Sheila said calmly. “I just need to pack my office.”
“Security will accompany you," Sam said, picking up the phone.
Sheila began to leave the room, until Charles stopped her.
“Sheila, why?"
She turned and stared at the CEO with a haunted expression.
“Charles, have you ever been so scared and desperate that you wanted to be dead?"
He shook his head in confusion. “What are you trying to say?"
“Those study volunteers," Sheila continued. “I know exactly what you put them through."
“Come on, man," Sam interrupted. “Haven’t we had enough of her stupid dramatics?"
Charles looked at both of them helplessly. He felt officially beaten. Sam was about to grab Sheila’s arm and personally escort her out of the building when a security guard tapped on the open door. “She’s ready to go," Sam announced. The guard went over to the woman and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Ms. Montgomery," he said shyly, “you have to leave."
Sheila shook herself free of the security guard and squared off on Sam.
“See this?" she said with contempt and showed him her wrists. There were three long vertical scars on her left side and one on her right. The group stared at Sheila’s war wounds in disbelief. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to keep popping a pill in your mouth every night, thinking it’s safe because a doctor assured you it was, and then finding out that you can’t live without them?"
The men were speechless.
Sheila stared off into space as though she was seeing something that no one else could visualize. “At first you just think you have the flu," she began. “But after a few days, you realize that you’re in hell. Your body vibrates all the time, your nerves are on fire, and you’re terrified every waking moment for no reason. You become so weak that you can’t move, and when you do, you think you might be taking your last breath.” Sheila glared at the enemy. “There are no warnings on those useless pamphlets the pharmacy gives you. I read them over a hundred times. I thought maybe I missed something. The warning reads, and I quote, ‘Do not take this medication longer than is prescribed by your doctor or it may become habit forming.’ What the hell is that? Habit forming!” she repeated through clenched teeth. “Television is habit forming. But you don’t feel your sanity slipping away if you miss Oprah. This shit alters your brain after only a few months of daily use. I think that goes a little beyond a pill popping habit, don’t you think?"
Charles’s mouth was moving, but nothing resembling the English language was audible. Sam stepped forward in an attempt to gain control of this unforeseen drama. “We do not do the prescribing," he announced firmly. “We only manufacture it. It’s up the doctors to decide how long someone should be on the medication.”
“And that convenient little tactic has left no one accountable for this vicious and unending cycle of finger pointing," Sheila said calmly. “The drug companies are just making their product, and the doctors are innocent because they have never been warned, while everyone continues to make a pile of money. But you know what?" she added, “Your little secret is finally out. It took me over a decade, but I finally got someone’s attention.”
“It’s not over," Paul announced defiantly. “You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over."
Sheila turned and stared down the angry attorney.
“You might be right," she said, smiling to herself. “But people aren’t stupid, just ignorant. How long do you think you can go on deceiving them before you have an angry mob on your hands?”
“People may not be stupid," Pratt retorted. “They’re afraid."
“We’ll see," Sheila challenged. And with that she turned to go, with the security guard sheepishly at her heels. She was so beautiful in her hour of triumph. Charles stared at her longingly one last time as she breezed by. It was a warm summer Georgia day, and Sheila was wearing a sleeveless top that revealed her firm biceps and a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder.
EPILOGUE
One year later…
Waking up in the ICU over a decade earlier had been Sheila’s true moment of reckoning. After four long days in critical condition, she slowly came to consciousness and realized to her dismay that she hadn’t succeeded in ending her life. Her awakening had given her the resolve to fight back.
When the battle with Dominex was over, she had agreed to marry Jerry, under one condition. Jerry conceded and agreed to move to the only place where Sheila felt at home. Sheila’s gang found Jerry a job as an advocate for consumer complaints. He only complained about the cold Newark winters during winter.
When the struggle with Dominex ended, Jerry sat her down and asked the big question: Had taking Dominex down made up for all of her pain and suffering? Sheila just looked at him with sadness, and never answered the question. Jerry had been right about revenge. It was never enough.
David Manning never looked back. He had rushed to greet his retirement with open arms and was now on the lake almost every day doing what he loved the most. The stress of being an honest man in the midst of a political hurricane was now a fading memory.
Manning’s replacement, Fred Fielding, was enjoying his new position with all the perks that went with it – off the record of course. The letter that had been sent to the US Attorney General’s office never arrived, and no inquiries followed its path to determine what had become of Dominex’s disciplinary process. Fielding also profited nicely when each pharmaceutical company had been given the opportunity to make David Manning’s new sedative warning requirements fade away.
When the FDA received a request for approval of the new sedative, Klonex, it had been processed and approved in record time. Dominex Pharmaceuticals had taken good care of Mr. Fielding and he had responded in kind. The sedative market as a whole continued on, unscathed.
Dominex was now in the re-building stage. When the generic drug for Valipene was finally approved, they had begun the process of bringing back available staff. They were surprised to see how many of the employees they had laid off were still available for re-hire, a full year later. The start of the twenty first century had not been an easy time for the highly skilled or experienced applicant. They had been joined by too many others in the massive sea of downsizing and corporate bankruptcies. The positions that remained were being filled with lower-cost, entry-level workers. The thriving economy of the Nineties was gone and good jobs were hard to come by in the “O’s."
Charles Roman had begun to lose some his hair and was developing a wider mid-section as a result of his stressful life. To his dismay, he was losing his boyish charm and was no longer the “chick magnet” he used to be. He spent most of his nights alone.
Sam Reynolds could no longer ignore his doctor or his symptoms, and had to retire due to a Peptic Ulcer that re
fused to heal as long as he continued to work for Dominex. Jeff Edwards took his place as Vice President. Charles had require that he lose the pony tail.
George Donovan married Sally and they had a beautiful baby girl. They named her Dawn. His recovery program was thriving, due to the fact that it was the only place where sedative victims could receive real treatment. He had finally succeeded and his daughter would be proud of him.
Michelle Roman had been rescued by her prince charming, Mark Randall, who had turned out to be everything that Charles Roman was not. Michelle maintained her own residence and her independence. She had learned the hard way not to rely on anyone else for her peace of mind.
Brian Carter was recovering slowly and had gone back to work part-time. It would be another year before he would consider himself healed; however, the boredom of staying at home was more than he could stand. He was currently dating Sandra Jenkins and had no idea where the resourceful Pam had gone. All he knew was that he was relatively happy and his life now made sense. He was finally able to sleep at night.
When the FDA approved Dominex’s new sedative, Sandra Jenkins had gone on a crusade with Carol Freeman. Jason Sample was no longer available to assist in the investigation. He had accepted a job at the New York Times and was busy pursuing a story about business accounting fraud within billion dollar corporations. During Carol’s temporary retirement, she had begun to take it upon herself to contact anyone in the media who might have access to public persuasion. Both Sandra and Carol had contacted every major television station and newspaper, as well as 20/20, Sixty Minutes, and Oprah. They were shocked at the lack of response they received. No one wanted to touch a subject that was so radically against such solid American cornerstones as the FDA and the pharmaceutical empire. No doubt they had been perceived as two obsessive women with a grudge.
Carol had even attempted to organize the Internet group and had contacted attorneys for a class action lawsuit against the giant drug companies. Most members of the group were too sick or too afraid to participate, and the ones who had been willing to come forward were rejected repeatedly. The lawyers that reviewed their case had all concluded that there was no hard evidence linking the use of the drug with the illness that had resulted when they stopped taking it.
Eventually, both Sandra and Carol had to give up the fight. Sandra knew a dead horse when she saw one and Carol was only marginally able to handle the stress of the battle. With great sadness they were forced to give up the idea of ever bringing the sedative issue to light through conventional means.
Carol attempted to move on with her life, but could not let go of her sense of betrayal. Her daily fatigue and newfound limitations were a constant reminder of how she and so many others had been innocently led down a devastating path of self-destruction. In a last ditch effort, Carol did the only thing left to warn others like herself: she wrote a book.
Carol believed that if she were able to warn a sleeping population of consumers and generate some initial awareness, perhaps she could plant the seed for tomorrow’s public outrage. She sincerely hoped this plan would work, and that people would listen.
The experience of Benzodiazepine withdrawal had taught Carol and Brian the most important lesson of their lives: the fabric that holds us together is fragile. All of its elements can be torn away in a moment, and the pieces of what make us who we are can disappear in a flash. Each day is a gift, and the path we walk is a reflection of who we are. You should not give this time away in the hope that tomorrow will be better. The drone of outrageous compromise will overtake tomorrow and leave you with dreams… never lived.
We are victims by our own uninformed consent,
Resulting in a Silent Epidemic.
Silent Epidemic is the first of three Carol Freeman Novels. In Grave Perception, Carol begins to rebuild her life and joins forces with Dr. George Donovan. But their great ideals are challenged by a very dark force and a murder investigation that focuses on the wrong man. Join the continued adventure with your favorite characters,.
Grave Perception:
Mitchell Becker’s wild and destructive lifestyle had cost him a marriage, a family, and a home. He had two choices, pull himself out of the ashes of his miserable existence – or die.
One year later, still shaky and vulnerable, he makes two important trips, the first to his beloved and reluctant ex-wife, Jodi, and the second to his mother’s gravesite. While begging for forgiveness for the second time that day, he notices a strange woman lurking the grounds. She appears lost and so out of place in the twenty-first century. Becker writes her off as just another freak encounter and returns home.
Had Becker remained with Jodi on that day, he may have been able to prevent her murder. Instead, he becomes the prime suspect. A corrupt district attorney becomes Becker’s worst nightmare, and a guilty verdict is all but a sure thing, as a creative DA spins a web of deceit for the jury.
Becker’s freak encounter becomes his only alibi, but there’s a serious problem with her testimony. She is considered to be psychotic and delusional, destroying any hope of being a credible witness.
Although she is unable to help in the conventional sense, and all seems lost for Becker, she offers him a solution no one ever thought possible.
Visit my website for more information at www.jillprovince.com
A Cycle of Greed is the final piece of the Carol Freeman Trilogy:
Cait Milner is a brave and vibrant woman struck down by a common and incurable illness. Her need for a lifetime of treatment triggers the loss of her insurance. Cait, while in her distorted mania, decides to fight back. The CEO of America’s largest insurance company, Medwin Insurance, becomes the target. In the ultimate irony, she decides the best revenge for an insurance giant is a taste of his own medicine.
As Cait single-handedly goes after retribution, the powers of the healthcare empire and political community have their own agendas. Faced with a potentially damaging presidential candidate, they seek the aid of a very private, elite organization to find anything scandalous that will guarantee a win for the incumbent. They are not about to see their massive profits invaded by an over-zealous boy scout. But with their opposition so close to victory, it is a race against time.
This seemingly unrelated whirlwind of agendas comes together with astonishing clarity and shines a blinding light on the domino effect that has become a multi-billion dollar empire. Left in the hands of those who profit most, it truly is a Cycle of Greed.
Visit my website for more information at www.jillprovince.com
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