Chapter 59 — Unfortunately

_November 2, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

{psc} "Mike, you have a phone call," Nate said to me late on Thursday morning. "Line 3."

I walked over to the his desk and picked up the phone.

"Doctor Mike Loucks," I said.

"Good morning, Doctor Loucks. This is Arthur Braun. Is this a convenient time to speak?"

I suppressed a groan, because I was sure I knew exactly why he was calling — Krista Sandberg.

"Not really," I replied, "given I have three patients I'm treating at the moment. I'm also not inclined to speak with you about anything given our history."

"I understand that, but I need to take a deposition from you about Krista Sandberg."

That was going to open a whole can of worms, and create a headache for the hospital and medical school. I had a pretty good idea of the kinds of questions Mr. Braun would ask, and the truthful answers I'd have to give would likely help Krista's case.

"I believe you need to speak to Mr. Crowe, the hospital legal counsel."

"I just spoke to him," Mr. Braun said. "I was hoping you would cooperate without a subpoena."

"I think, for my own protection, I'll need you to issue the subpoena."

"I understand. You'll receive one in the next few days. I look forward to speaking to you."

I certainly didn't look forward to speaking to him, but I felt it was in my best interest not to be _too_ adversarial.

"I'll be in touch when I receive the subpoena," I replied.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome."

I replaced the handset in the cradle and went straight to Doctor Gibbs' office to let her know what had just transpired.

"I'm next, I'm sure," she said.

"I'm sure," I replied. "But you aren't going to help his case; I suspect he thinks I will. I should speak with Mr. Crowe. I'll call him, rather than leave the ED."

"All I can say is I'm very glad Shelly Lindsay suggested you record your interactions with her."

"Not nearly as glad as I am!"

I left her office and saw that the consultation room was empty, so went in, closed the door, and dialed Mr. Crowe's number.

"I was expecting your call," Mr. Crowe said. "Did you agree to sit for the deposition?"

"Not without a subpoena," I replied. "I've tangled with him before, and to be honest, he thinks I can help him."

"To be equally honest, you're the one person who could."

"I won't lie, but I don't want to hurt the hospital or medical school."

"And it would cost me my law license to knowingly suborn perjury, so I don't want you to lie, either. That said, there are many ways to tell the truth."

"Is this where I say 'spoken like a lawyer'?" I asked.

Mr. Crowe laughed, "What else would you expect? If you're willing, we can discuss your deposition beforehand. I can't force you to discuss it with me, but I think you might find it beneficial. How you say something is nearly as important as what you say."

"That's not against any rules?"

"No. Deposition prep is normal in civil cases. It's a bit trickier preparing witnesses in a criminal trial, but civil procedure is not nearly as strict in that regard. And the claims here are all civil. She'd need to convince the County Prosecutor or US District Attorney to file criminal charges, and nothing I've seen would justify those."

"Against whom?"

"Most likely Mark King, but the hospital could be named as a criminal defendant."

"Out of curiosity, who goes to jail?"

"As we're a public institution, the remedies would be strictly limited, and would likely simply be a large fine, but if you think about it, that's counterproductive, so it's unlikely any criminal charges would be brought. Civil, perhaps, but that requires a pattern, which she hasn't claimed. It's all about her."

"No kidding," I replied dryly.

"When can you make time to see me? I suspect we'll need two hours."

"Given my schedule, it'll have to be during a shift. If you call Doctor Gibbs, she'll work with you. She's aware."

"She'll be subpoenaed as well."

"She's aware of that, too."

"I'll give her a call. Thanks, Doctor."

"You're welcome."

I hung up, and then returned to my regular duties caring for patients. Just before noon, I had a chance to speak to Clarissa and we stepped out into the ambulance bay, despite the crisp November air.

"I'm going to be subpoenaed," I said.

"That can't come as a surprise," Clarissa replied.

"No, it can't, and as Mr. Crowe said, I'm the one person who could help her."

"To basically prove she wasn't given a fair shot."

"Yes."

"Don't you think you can counter that with the false accusation?"

"Maybe. I'm supposed to sit down with Mr. Crowe before I give the deposition, and as he put it, there are many ways to tell the truth."

Clarissa smirked, "The answer to 'Did you think she was being treated unfairly?' is 'Right up until she falsely accused me of demanding sex from her for a passing grade'."

I nodded, "Something like that, though from what I understand about depositions, and from my experience, they can ask pretty much any question, and request 'yes' or 'no' answers, similar to how it works in court."

"Ugh. Do you think she has a chance of winning?"

"I'm not a lawyer, and don't even play one on TV, but I think she could win against Mark King, but I think she has a tough row to hoe against the hospital or medical school because of the cassette recording I made and her false accusation. And that might even derail her claims against Mark King if he denies sleeping with her, which, all things being equal, I would if I were him."

"You'd lie?" Clarissa asked.

"No, I wouldn't, but he probably should. I'd never advise it, or even tolerate it if I knew he was lying, but I don't, and can't, and as such, I think it's in his best interest to deny everything."

"Talk about threading the needle of _let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'_!"

"Again, I wouldn't advise it, I'm simply saying what would be in both his best interests and the best interests of the hospital and medical school."

"Doctor Mike?" Sophia called out coming through the doors. "The ankle sprain in Exam 2 is ready for discharge."

"Duty calls," I said to Clarissa.

We went into the ED and returned to caring for our patients.

_November 3, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

"Good afternoon, Mr. Crowe," I said when I walked into his office at 3:00pm on Friday.

"Thanks for coming in. Have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Ice water is fine, and I see the pitcher, so we're good."

"Great. First, I believe I know the answer to this question, but do you have any first-hand knowledge of any relationships Miss Sandberg had with any members of the hospital staff?"

"No. The only information I have is her own admission that she'd had some kind of intimate relationship with two doctors, everything else is basically third-hand. We discussed which nurses and doctors revealed her behavior to me."

"We did, but I wanted to check. One more question on that — did you see any behavior that would lead you to believe she was intimately involved with any specific staff members?"

"No. Not so much as a touch on an arm or a hug. I did see the stereotypical 'hair flip' that indicates a girl is interested."

"You're going to have to explain that to someone who graduated from college in 1952."

"Girls with long hair flip it over their shoulders to flirt. It's a totally 80s thing."

"My girls were in their twenties and married by 1980. Back to the topic at hand, the focus of the deposition is certainly going to be your opinion with regard to Miss Sandberg's treatment. Let's begin with that. I understand you objected to her treatment to several doctors in the ED."

"Yes, along with Doctor Clarissa Saunders, who is my main confidante. And, to some extent, Doctor Shelly Lindsay."

"What led you to speak to them?"

"It began on the first day of Miss Sandberg's Sub-Internship when I noticed her procedure book was light, that is, had very few procedures for someone who was in their second rotation of their Fourth Year."

"What did you do then?"

"I spoke to Doctor Gibbs who had no input, then went to speak to Leila Javadi, as Miss Sandberg had just completed her cardiology Sub-I."

"And what did Doctor Javadi have to say?"

"She compared Miss Sandberg with Felicity Howard, who I had mentored, and who showed serious improvement. She also said that Miss Sandberg was dangerous and should never be left alone and always kept under a watchful eye."

"Did she say anything else."

"Only off the record."

"That won't fly in court or for a deposition, even if you felt you promised not to reveal it."

"Leila advised me to never be alone with Miss Sandberg. I later received similar advice from Shelly Lindsay."

"Did either of those doctors say why?"

"No, but the implication was clear."

"What did you do?"

"What I always do," I replied. "I tried to teach Miss Sandberg and turn around what was clearly a failing endeavor. I prefer to make my own judgments, and not rely on the judgment of other physicians when it comes to medical students. I'll take what they say into consideration, but I treat negative evaluations as a challenge."

"How did that go?"

"Badly, because I was pressured by my supervisors to accept that Miss Sandberg was going to fail, and not give her any procedures. I felt that was completely unfair, and said so."

"What was your impression of her work?"

"That she was competent, but that's all. I wouldn't consider selecting her for the Match barring some significant improvement. Even so, I went to bat for her and arranged with Doctor Northrup and Doctor Mertens to modify Miss Sandberg's schedule and for her evaluation to be held in abeyance until she completed a second Sub-I in trauma, where I was the main Resident who would supervise her."

"Why?"

"Because I felt she deserved a chance," I replied. "Before I did that, I asked her directly about her behavior, and she admitted two intimate relationships with doctors, but stated unequivocally they were not doctors on the same service. I accepted those statements, and made the case for what amounted to a second chance."

"When did you discover she was lying to you?"

"A nurse heard I'd gone to bat for Miss Sandberg and pulled me aside to warn me that she was having an affair with a married trauma doctor, despite denying it, and that she had slept with a doctor to get a passing grade. I was also informed that she'd had, at one point, designs on me, but was warned off by another nurse."

"What did you do?"

After consulting with Shelly Lindsay, I confronted Miss Sandberg about the lies. I simply said I didn't care about the details, or what she did on her own time, but that if I ever caught her lying again, I'd bounce her from the program. You heard that on the tape."

"Would you say, then, that she repaid your support with a false accusation?"

"I'd say that's a reasonable conclusion."

"Do you have any theories as to why she'd do that?"

"I believe she was afraid I was going to report her, but I had no such intention, so long as she didn't lie to me, and she wasn't committing any violations of the ethics code. As I'm sure you're aware, at the time, the ethics rules only forbade using sex for influencing evaluations or to gain an advantage."

"Unfortunately for Doctor Mark King, the policy change by the medical school appears to have been in reaction to his changing her grade."

"I assume he denies that?"

"You assume correctly."

"Did he sleep with her?" I asked.

"He claims not to have, but all of us are skeptical. Ten years ago, it would have been chalked up as 'he said/she said' and he'd have been reinstated after a clear denial, absent Miss Sandberg being able to provide some kind of proof."

"Which would actually harm her," I observed. "I mean, if she admitted she slept with him to get a passing grade, she's admitting she didn't deserve a passing grade."

"You need to think like a lawyer," Mr. Crowe said. "The counter argument is that he threatened to fail her if she didn't agree to have sex with him."

"I'd argue the record — her procedure book and evaluations — would be sufficient to counter that claim, unless she's claiming she had to sleep with someone on every service to get her grade, which I don't believe for one second! Leila Javadi, Anvi Subramani, and Shelly Lindsay supervised Miss Sandberg and wrote evaluations, and they're all straight! As is Miss Sandberg."

"Do I want to know how you know that?"

I chuckled, "Conversations only, Mr. Crowe."

"You can call me Leland."

"Then you can call me Mike. I also don't believe for a second that Shelly, Anvi, or Leila, even if they were lesbian, would violate professional ethics in that way. And certainly if Owen Roth or John Cutter knew of it, they'd have dealt with it harshly. Both of them agree with me."

"As do I. I may be part of the 'Old Guard' at age fifty-eight, but I don't agree with the majority of the 'Old Guard' on those topics. There is plenty of outmoded thinking in medicine."

"No kidding," I replied flatly.

Mr. Crowe laughed, "You are certainly outspoken about those things, and between you and me, it's a breath of fresh air. I've been warning about a case such as this one and nobody took it seriously, or at least not seriously enough to put a stop to what some of the 'Old Guard' thought was a privilege of rank."

I shook my head, "Misogyny has no place in medicine; neither do racism and discrimination against homosexuals. May I say I was very happy to hear that Doctor Cutter will be the new medical director?"

"You may. Nothing you say right now will be repeated, not used in any way against you. You know, I'm sure, that you can spin your answers in many ways. Which do you intend?"

"I think Clarissa Saunders summed it up when she proposed the hypothetical question of whether I felt Krista was mistreated, and provided a hypothetical answer — 'right up until she falsely accused me of demanding sex in exchange for a passing grade'."

Mr. Crowe nodded, "That approach will very likely succeed, because the last thing Arthur Braun is going to want is to go to court and have that tape played. You'd testify that it was authentic, it's clear it covered the entire conversation, and Ohio is a 'one party' state, so they can't exclude the tape nor try to have you charged for making it."

"What is their goal?"

"I'd say a large financial settlement, of course. They could probably win against Mark King if they limit it to that specific event, because you can't use an accusers sexual history against her."

"What about the tape?"

"Mark King would try to introduce it, but it might be ruled as prejudicial if the claims are purely against him. The two things have nothing to do with each other."

"How so?" I said. "It's the exact same thing, only one accusation is clearly false while the other is being contested."

"It would come down to the judge deciding if it was too prejudicial to have proper probative value. If you think about it, she could be making a truthful accusation against Mark King even if she lied about you. Braun would argue her complaint against you was made in panic, have her formally withdraw it, and offer an apology to you. That would, in all probability, allow them to have the tape excluded."

I shook my head, "That seems wrong. It's evidence of her proclivity to lie."

"Yes, it is, but that doesn't mean it would be allowed into a civil trial. In a criminal trial, it _would_ likely be allowed if the defense wanted to introduce it, as criminal defendants have a lot more leeway."

"I think I'll stick to medicine," I chuckled. "The law would drive me nuts!"

"And I'll stick to the law, because I can't stand the sight of blood!"

"Is there anything I should be worried about?" I asked. "And should I have my own counsel?"

"I can't answer that second question because I'd have a conflict of interest. I know that sounds strange, but I can advise you as an employee of the hospital, and defend you in civil cases related to your role here, but cannot provide advice for you, personally. That said, I'd have a word with Doctor Cutter and let him know how you plan to answer the deposition. That will, in my mind, head off any grief you might get from the administration about not being a 'team player'."

"I have time, so I'll go see him now, unless there's something else."

"No. Just be prepared for Arthur Braun to do everything he can to elicit statements from you that harm the hospital."

"Trust me, I know. He came at me pretty hard in front of the Medical Licensing Board in the malpractice case against the psychiatrist who wrecked my friend's life."

"Ninety-day suspension, right?"

"Yes. That was on top of a malpractice payout of just under $350,000 after legal fees."

"All things being equal, a better than average outcome for that kind of situation."

"I agree, though you'll forgive me if I don't think it was sufficient."

"I understand. Let me know if you have any questions. When you receive the subpoena, simply bring it to me and I'll schedule the deposition, coordinating with the Department Heads as to when their doctors are available."

"Will do," I said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I left his office, walked down the short corridor, then turned to walk down the long corridor which would take me to the Surgical Service. I asked Doctor Cutter's assistant if he was free, and after only a five-minute wait, I was shown in.

"First, allow me to offer my congratulations on your new role," I said.

"Thanks, Mike. Old doctors never die, they just move into admin!"

"Douglas MacArthur, right?" I asked.

"Yes. What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to be subpoenaed for a deposition by Krista Sandberg's attorney."

"Just tell the truth, Mike. We'll take our lumps but only Mark King has anything to truly worry about. I was afraid something like this would happen, and I knew you were as well. It might cost the county some money, but, in the end, it'll create a new policy and any doctor who tries it in the future will be completely on his own, and won't be able to hide behind outdated policies."

"That's good to hear," I replied. "May I make a completely out of line comment?"

"As if I, or anyone else, could stop you!"

"True," I replied with a grin. "I know she's young, and I know she's only been an Attending for two years, but Loretta Gibbs should be the new Chief of Emergency Medicine."

"Do you know something I don't about Doctor Northrup?"

"The smart money is on him leaving. I'd wager he'll tender his resignation before the end of the year, to take either a Chief of Emergency Medicine role at a large urban hospital or as Medical Director of a smaller, regional hospital that doesn't have our predisposition towards surgeons filling that role."

"Do you object to that?"

"It's an interesting question because it's a decision on merit, where having supervised surgeons is considered an appropriate prerequisite. In the end, the right man has the job, so how the various meritorious attributes were weighed doesn't much matter to me."

"A very deft way to level criticism without actually being critical."

"Busted," I chuckled. "Fundamentally, while the Chief Surgeon has to be a surgeon, his boss doesn't have to be. Honestly, are you going to interfere in how Owen runs the Surgical Service once you promote him?"

Doctor Cutter laughed, "For someone who disclaims any interest in hospital politics you are very tuned into hospital politics!"

"Not liking something doesn't mean not acknowledging it. And besides, my wife is _very_ political, so maybe it's rubbing off."

"She's a French citizen, right?"

"Not for much longer! She has her naturalization ceremony next Wednesday."

"Congratulations. I take it she has European political sensibilities?"

"If by 'European' you mean a true-believing, card-carrying, flag-waving socialist, then yes. But she's on the political left in Europe, where their political _right_ is to the left of our center, except perhaps in the UK and the far-right parties in Germany and France."

"What do you think about what's going on in Eastern Europe?"

"I think if the Soviets refrain from using their military the way they did in 1956 and 1968, it'll end with a whimper; if they decide to repeat Hungary and Czechoslovakia, it'll end with a bang, Or, more accurately, be destroyed by fire. I hope cooler heads prevail."

"Don't we all! In any event, just answer the questions in the deposition truthfully. I promise no recriminations."

"Thanks, Doctor Cutter."

"John, please."

"Thanks, John."

"You're welcome, Mike."

_November 5, 1989, Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Rives Junction, Michigan_

Kris, Rachel, and I had driven to the monastery after dinner on Saturday, arriving just before midnight. We'd attended Matins and the Divine Liturgy, and while Kris and Rachel spent time with the nuns, I met with Father Roman.

"First, let me ask if there is anything significant you need to confess?"

"Nothing of which I'm aware," I replied. "I have the usual litany of minor transgressions."

"We'll assume those from now on," Father Roman said with a smile. "Unless they are a pattern, or out of the ordinary, there's no need to clutter our conversation with them."

"And the many failings my daughter will point out?"

Father Roman laughed, "If it's insufficient candy or the usual list of complaints from children, I think we can dispense with them!"

"Mostly it's about French fries, Wendy's Frosties, and grapes. She'd gorge herself on any of those things, so we're careful about them."

"Let me ask the usual questions for doctors, please. Have you in any way strayed from your marriage vows, including emotionally?"

"No."

"Have you drunk to excess or used any drugs you shouldn't be using?"

"No."

"Treated any patient with less than your utmost abilities?"

"No."

"Good. How are things with Kris and your daughter? Minus the demands for snacks and sweets?"

"Very good. Kris will become a citizen on Wednesday."

"That's good news."

"What I'm going to say next is not public, and won't be for another two months, but Kris is pregnant."

"Congratulations! I assume this was planned by the two of you?"

"Yes, it was."

"What's on your heart?"

"As usual, difficulties caused by doing the right thing. I called you about the false accusation."

"You did. How bad is the fallout?"

"It's likely going to result in me saying things that will hurt the hospital."

"Will that cause you any trouble?"

"Not from the administration, but some doctors will object to me not keeping the medical equivalent of mafia silence."

"Simply tell the truth, Michael."

I nodded, "That is my intent. What would you say about choosing words that put the hospital in the best light?"

"So long as it isn't your intent to mislead, and there is no legitimate accusation of not letting your 'yes' be 'yes', and your 'no' be 'no', there is nothing wrong with providing the best take on the events consistent with the truth. The question you have to ask yourself, though, is how that serves the interests of justice, and is done out of proper humility and love. In other words, no self-aggrandizement, and no attempt to avoid culpability."

"In this case, it's about ensuring the hospital isn't harmed to the extent I'm able to do. As far as I can discern, I did nothing wrong, and was acting out of Christian charity."

"Then I see no sin in portraying the hospital in the best possible light, so long as you are not being dishonest. Is there anything else?"

I explained the jury trial and the outcome.

"It is not for me to say how you should have judged the defendant, so long as you carefully considered the facts and did not violate any rules, ethical or otherwise. I am curious if you believe he might have been guilty."

"I think there's a better than even chance he'd had an inappropriate relationship with the young woman, but according to the judge, we needed to be morally certain, and believe the State of Ohio had proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt. 'More likely than not' is insufficient."

"Then you discharged your duty as a citizen. How is your interior life?"

"I haven't been as impetuous as in the past, nor have I 'gone off' on anyone in several months. I'm constantly vigilant about that. The big challenge will be the deposition when the attorney tries to elicit testimony that is favorable to his client in a way I don't wish to give it."

"As always, use the Jesus prayer as I've instructed, and think carefully before you answer. Be humble, attentive, and speak only in love. But I know you know this."

"I know lots of things that I don't do, even if they're the right thing to do!"

"That is the Christian life," Father Roman replied. "Or, as the saint as said — we fall down, we get up, we pray, repeating until we reach true union with God in Christ. One last question — if I were to ask Kris what your biggest failing is, what might she say?"

"That I'm not a socialist," I chuckled.

Father Roman laughed softly, "Besides the political?"

"She's upbraided me for pontificating, then ending the conversation without giving her a chance to respond. I've worked on improving in that area. I'm also prone to sermonizing."

"Shocking," Father Roman replied flatly, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah, I know," I chuckled. "I'm working on it."

"Then if there is nothing else, let me give you absolution, then I want to hear about your prison ministry.

_November 8, 1989, Columbus, Ohio_

On Wednesday, I left the Free Clinic at 2:00pm to drive to Columbus. Kris was at OSU, and would miss her afternoon class, but she'd made the necessary arrangements with her professor. I stopped along the way to get Rachel from the parish daycare, and the two of us met Kris on the sidewalk in front of the INS office.

"Ready to become a true blue Ohioan and vote Republican?" I teased.

"«Jamais!»" Kris exclaimed.

"I'm going to assume that means 'no way' or something similar?"

"'Never!'" Kris replied. "And you know I would never vote Republican!"

"I was yanking your chain!"

"Of course you were! Shall we go in?"

We went into the building, found the auditorium, and Kris checked in with a clerk who reviewed her questionnaire, which asked a series of questions about whether she'd done anything that might disqualify her since her interview. She responded 'no' to all of them, then handed over her Permanent Resident Card, and we went into the auditorium. Kris took her seat with the others being administered the oath and Rachel and I found seats about halfway back on the off chance I'd need to take her out.

The ceremony was brief, with a short introductory speech by an INS official, and then a Federal Judge administered the oath:

{_ "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God." _}

After the oath had been administered, each of the fourteen new citizens received their Certificate of Naturalization. Once that was completed, Kris joined Rachel and me, and we left the auditorium. To celebrate Kris becoming a citizen, we did something counterintuitive — we headed for the Japanese restaurant in Columbus where I'd first gone with Kimiko during my Junior year at Taft.

"Now I need to apply for a passport and register to vote," Kris said. "Do you know what I need to do?"

"Visit the passport office in Columbus," I replied. "You fill out an application, pay a fee, and submit photos. You'll need your birth certificate and the certificate you just received. To register to vote, you visit the Pickaway County Board of Elections, who has an office in the courthouse. You'll need your ID and the certificate. As far as I'm aware, other than those two specific things, you won't need the certificate for anything. You also won't need to take our marriage certificate, as you didn't change your name."

"Do you have a concern about me joining a political party?"

"Only if you joined the Republican Party," I chuckled. "Then I'd have you committed on a seventy-two-hour hold due to suspected mental illness!"

Kris laughed, "I would have to be mentally ill to vote for George Bush!"

"*I* voted for George Bush!"

«Précisément!»" Kris said with a smirk.

"I love you too! Which party?"

"Democratic Socialists of America," Kris replied. "They have their roots in the Socialist Party of America once led by Eugene V. Debs. Technically, they aren't a party the way Democrats and Republicans are, in that they don't specifically run candidates for office, instead endorsing and supporting candidate who further their goals. The other option would be the Socialist Workers Party, who are Trotskyites."

"Do what you think is best," I replied. "You're an American citizen, with all the rights and privileges that come with it."

"You're a registered Democrat, right?"

"Yes, because I chose a Democratic ballot in the last primary election. If you vote in the primaries, and don't limit yourself to official ballot questions, you'll have your registration set to whichever party ballot you select. But that's not the same as being a member of the party. The only way you could register as a member of your socialist party is if they hold a primary election. You can be 'unaffiliated' but then, as I said, you can't vote in the partisan primaries."

"America needs a proper parliamentary government with proportional representation!"

"Connecticut Compromise," I replied.

"Yes, of course, but just because your Founding Fathers said something doesn't make it gospel!"

I chuckled, "Those are fighting words in our part of Ohio!"

"Do you believe that?"

"I think the answer is obvious in that the Twelfth Amendment was necessary! If what they said were 'gospel' then changing the way Presidents are elected would have been heresy, or whatever you would call it with regard to politics."

"That's not an answer!"

"I think the system of checks and balances and the rejection of simple majority rule are both good things. I also agree with Thomas Jefferson on many things, and he was a republican in the French sense, albeit without «le Directoire» and «la Terreur»."

Kris laughed softly, "Listen to you, using French!"

"So sue me," I chuckled. "And before you correct me, I realize that «le Directoire» was a betrayal of republican values, which led to Napoleon's coup, and it was 1870 before the Republic was firmly ensconced."

"You've been reading French history!" Kris declared.

"I have. But only in outline, and it's not as if I have a lot of time. But I wanted to better understand your historical views and thus your politics."

"I know we're celebrating with dinner and ice cream…"

"Chocolate!" Rachel exclaimed giddily. "Like Daddy!"

"You may have a single scoop of chocolate if you eat your dinner," I said.

"OK," Rachel agreed.

"As I was saying," Kris said with a smile, "after dinner and dessert, we could celebrate privately."

"I'd like that!"

_November 9, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

"Unbelievable," I said as most of the doctors and medical students gathered in the lounge on Thursday to watch the events unfolding in Germany on CNN.

"Whimper, not a bang," Ghost said. "Thank God."

"Amen," I said. "This is the end of it, isn't it?"

"I think it has to be," Peter Gabriel said. "If the Berlin Wall is open, reunification of Germany is basically a done deal. The Soviets will protest, but who can argue with what amounts to the end of the occupation after World War II."

"The dominoes are falling," Doctor Gibbs said. "But in the other direction — Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and now East Germany. I can't imagine the USSR has a positive five-year prognosis."

"It'll reform," I said. "The Russian Empire turned into the USSR which will turn into something new, but with the various republics as part of the whole, even if they have some amount of autonomy. The question is, what happens after that. I can't imagine the Baltic nations standing for that, nor the Ukraine. And the Muslim republics are likely to bail as well."

"How long do you think it will take?" Sophia asked.

"I think you'll see the government in Russia change in the next five years, and then the republics will begin to assert themselves. That's the main danger, and doubling the number of nuclear armed nations would not be a good thing."

"The old Soviet nukes?" Clarissa asked.

"Yeah, who gets them is going to be a vital question to answer."

"You really think Gorbachev will survive this?" Ellie asked.

"I think the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is toast. What comes after, who knows. I mean, we could even see a civil war, but I suspect the transition will be more orderly. The fact that the Soviets let Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia go, and haven't threatened military action in East Germany despite having a significant presence there says cooler heads will prevail."

"Thank God for that," Doctor Gibbs said.

"I hate to break this up," Nate said from the door to the lounge, "but EMS is four minutes out transporting two from an MVA."

"Let's get back to work," Doctor Gibbs ordered.

Everyone filtered out of the lounge and I resumed seeing walk-in patients while three more senior doctors handled the MVAs. It was a busy afternoon, and just after 6:00pm I met Leila Javadi and Shelly Lindsay in the cafeteria for dinner.

"Did you receive your subpoena?" Shelly asked once we had our food.

"This morning. I sent it to Leland Crowe. I assume you both received yours as well?"

"Yes," Leila said. "Mark King is a complete idiot."

"You think he slept with her?"

"I'm positive he did. I saw them together, though not _in flagrante delicto_, but close enough. They came out of the on-call room with their clothes in disarray, and it was obvious what they'd been doing."

"Do you think he changed her grade because of that?" I asked.

"I seriously doubt it," Leila said. "She received an average grade as a Third Year in Medicine, and anyone can do that if they paid half attention in classroom work. Whatever else we say about Krista Sandberg, she had good grades in her classroom work."

"Well, if you're right about them screwing, he's toast."

"I'd say so. At least one medicine nurse was subpoenaed," Shelly said. "I'm going to guess the screwing was public knowledge in Medicine."

I shook my head, "What a stupid, stupid way to ruin your career."

"I agree," Shelly said, "but, if you think about it, even five years ago, he'd have been given a pass so long as her grade reflected her work. Things have changed."

"As they should have," Leila declared.

"I agree completely," I added. "I'm going to guess she'll receive a payout from Mark King and potentially from the county, but she won't be reinstated to the medical school because she lied about me."

"Are you squeaky clean?" Leila asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I never had an inappropriate relationship at any time after Elizaveta and before Kris."

"Good," she replied. "You know they're going to ask at the deposition."

"Unfortunately," I replied.