Chapter 56 — A Whirlwind Trip to Chicago

_October 8, 1989, Columbus, Ohio_

{psc} "How are things going, Michael?" Bishop JOHN asked when we met in his office after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.

"I think, overall, things are good. Really, the only difficulties are hospital politics, and that's mainly because two very senior physicians are battling to become the Medical Director. Several doctors, including me, have been caught in the crossfire. It's not a real risk to my position, just frustrating and annoying."

"Have you involved yourself in the contest?"

"Not intentionally," I replied. "My involvement stems from a medical student who, in order to avoid failing, used sex to gain improvement in her grades. When she was discovered, she made a false accusation against at least one doctor, and was dismissed from the medical school. What got me in hot water, so to speak, was my vocal objection to doctors having sexual relationships with medical students."

"That's not a violation of any rule?"

"No. The Chief Surgeon, who is the leading candidate for the Medical Director's role, agrees with me it ought to be against the rules; the Chief of Emergency Medicine argues that everyone is an adult, and it's nobody's business so long as there is no attempt to influence grades nor any pressure applied."

"Why do I have the feeling that _you_ were the doctor falsely accused?"

"Because you're a wise, discerning man."

"Did that cause any trouble with Kris?"

"No. Two female doctors warned me about this student, and before I confronted her about a lie she'd told, my mentor, Doctor Lindsay, suggested carrying a pocket tape recorder to record any conversations I had with the student. I did, she made a false accusation about the content of the meeting, and I was instantly absolved of any wrongdoing when I played the tape for the current Medical Director."

"I'm curious to see if you can go a full week without being involved in some kind of controversy?!"

I laughed, "There's a reason Clarissa Saunders says she can't leave me unsupervised for two minutes without me finding some way to get into trouble. And at times, she'll say 'thirty seconds', instead of 'two minutes'."

"Was there any negative fallout?"

"Only because of my outspoken objection to teachers sleeping with students. That created problems with the Chief of Emergency Medicine, but the Chief Surgeon, under whom I work, stood up for me. In addition, after the latest incident, the medical school has made it an ethics violation for a student to have sex at the hospital."

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that the hospital environment is not far from _General Hospital_ or _Days of Our Lives_."

"Sadly, it's only a matter of degree. Fortunately, if the Chief Surgeon becomes Medical Director, there's a good chance he'll ban any relationship between doctors and medical students."

"Was there any negative fallout at all for you?"

"Nothing that matters, except that it harmed my relationship with one of my mentors. I think it'll all blow over by the end of the year."

"And things between you and Kristina are good?"

"Very. She, Rachel, and I are enjoying being a family."

"How is Kris doing at Ohio State?"

"All A's so far, and I don't expect her to not have an A in anything."

"You're obviously regularly attending services; are you keeping your prayer rule?"

"Yes, Vladyka, I am. And following the fasting rule, we worked out with Father Luke in consultation with Father Roman. That said, given we're trying to get pregnant, the fasting rule is relaxed."

"Given monks do not procreate, I'd say that's appropriate!" Bishop JOHN said with a twinkle in his eye. "Changing topics, how are things with your chaplaincy?"

I explained the situation with Frank Bush, and then the interactions I'd had with Kurt Bowman.

"I have two requests," I said after I'd explained. "The first is I'd like to arrange for Frank Bush to take correspondence courses from Taft, but because he has an advanced degree, the state won't pay for them. I'd like you to approve funds for that purpose."

"I have funds allocated for prison ministry that are not being used. I'll put those under your control, with supervision by Protodeacon Ivan. The budget allocates $3,000 for the ministry."

"Thank you, Vladyka."

"And your second request?"

"I'd like your blessing to wear my cassock in the prison, to clearly identify myself as an Orthodox chaplain and distinguish myself from the Protestant pastors. I'd put it on only at the prison, and take it off immediately after I left."

"How are you known there?"

"Doctor Mike," I replied. "I mention I'm a lay chaplain, but I introduce myself as a doctor."

Bishop John was quiet for a moment.

"My concern, of course, is your former position, and the reaction of the laity, should they see you in a cassock. That said, there is no canonical restriction, simply a question of episcopal discretion. Has Father Roman asked you to wear a cassock at the monastery since your laicization?"

"No, but we've only been there on weekends, when the rules are somewhat relaxed."

"You have my blessing in both instances, and I trust you won't misrepresent your position."

"Thank you, Vladyka. I won't violate your trust."

"Is there anything I can help you with other than the prison ministry?"

"Just your prayers, Vladyka."

"You have them, always."

"And you have mine."

I received his blessing, then went to find Kris and Rachel so we could head home.

_October 9, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

"Do you have a moment, Doctor Mike?" Detective Louise Rehling asked when she came into the ED late on Monday morning.

"I have a few minutes while my students are assessing a patient. What can I do for you?"

"I don't know if you've followed the case, but Charles DeJong pled 'not guilty' and is going to trial for murdering his daughter."

"I don't typically follow cases, so other than knowing he was arrested, I'm not aware. What can I do for you?"

"I want to review the incident with you."

"Let's go to the consultation room, please."

I let Nate know where I'd be, then went to the consultation room with Detective Rehling.

"Take me through her first visit, from the moment you saw her until she was discharged."

I took out my diagnostic notebook, turned to the correct page, and used it to prompt my memory. I repeated what I'd observed, and Detective Rehling took notes.

"No x-rays were taken, correct?" she asked.

"Correct."

"Was there anything distinctive about the bruises?"

"They were, in my opinion, consistent with being struck repeatedly by a fist."

"No cuts? No blood?"

"No, simply the bruises and a swollen lip, but no blood. She stated, as I said, she got into a fight and had been hit four times."

"Would you say that were from a male adult fist or a teen female fist?"

"That's a question for a forensic pathologist," I replied.

"Do you have an opinion?"

"No. I'm completely unqualified to even offer an opinion on that."

"Did you suspect she was pregnant before you ordered the test?"

"No. As I said, it's standard procedure to run a pregnancy test on any female between menarche and menopause before an x-ray. We assume age twelve to sixty."

"How often do you see pregnant teenagers?"

"It's relatively rare here; it's more common at the Free Clinic, because they offer pregnancy services."

"Did she know she was pregnant?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to call and report an underage girl to social services?"

"I reported it to two Attending physicians. As an Intern, I report to licensed physicians who make those decisions."

"You're required to report felonies."

"She claimed she was pregnant by someone her age, which would make it _not_ a felony. That said, I report injuries of any kind to my Attending, who makes a decision as to what and how to report."

"And she admitted to using marijuana?"

"No. She was told we detected it in her urine and that it was bad for her baby."

"What were her parents told?"

"Only that she'd been hit and that she should see her personal physician."

"She was a minor. Why were her parents not told she was pregnant?"

"That's a question for the Attending physicians or the hospital counsel. Interns do not make those decisions."

"Was she showing any signs of marijuana use?"

"Not that I discerned."

"What do you know about the man who brought her in?"

"Nothing other than his name — Gary."

"OK. Tell me about the second time she came into the ER."

I took her through the trauma, as well as what I observed in surgery.

"What else can you tell me about her injuries?"

"Nothing. You should be aware that Doctor Lindsay extended one of the knife wounds in order to repair Miss DeJong's lung. But you'll need to speak to Doctor Lindsay about that."

"What did you observe?"

"Standard surgical procedures, at least as they appeared to me as an Intern. I have limited experience in the OR."

"What do you know about what happened in the ICU?"

"Nothing other than that she 'coded', which means a cardiac event. I have no details about it beyond that."

"Do you have anything else to add?"

"No."

"Still hoping you'll come by .38 Special for a drink, even if it's ginger ale."

"Not with my current schedule, which goes through at least the end of this month. Out of curiosity, do they have live music?"

"Nah, not really room for that. It's all jukebox. I suppose you could get a guy with a guitar and an amp, but that would be it. You're in a band, right?"

"Code Blue. We play a few times a year at Stirred Not Shaken."

"When's your next gig?"

"It'll be in the Spring. We're playing in Newtown, near Cincinnati, on the 20th."

"What bar?"

"Village Tavern on Main," I replied. "8:00pm on the 20h. You should probably call to check on tickets, not just show up."

"Do you have any to hand out?"

"No. They don't comp the band tickets. It's actually not a big venue, but with outdoor seating, they get a decent crowd."

"Thanks, Doc. You might be called to testify. If you are, you'll hear from the County Prosecutor's office."

"OK."

"Doctor Mike?" Sophia said from the door. "We're ready to present."

"Perfect timing, Sophia! Have a good day, Detective."

"Louise," she said.

I nodded, got up, and left the consultation room with Sophia.

"That cop has the hots for you," Sophia observed.

Actually, she didn't, because she had let on, privately, that she was lesbian. That said, her public persona was very flirtatious, which I realized might be 'cover'. In order to not let the cat out of the bag, I played along.

"She'll have to get in line behind Detective Kleist," I chuckled. "She actually propositioned me by asking if I liked to be tied up."

"Kinky! Cuffs and a night stick?"

I chuckled, "That was the joke I made about a girl I dated during the summer after I graduated from High School who is now a Deputy Sheriff in Harding County."

"Clark's girlfriend, right?" Sophia inquired.

"Yes."

We went into the treatment room for Nicole to present the case, which was a broken wrist requiring x-rays. I approved them and asked Nicole to manage the case until the x-rays were back.

"Mike," Nate called out as I came out of the exam room. "Clarissa needs a surgical consult in Trauma 2."

"Thanks, Nate."

"Mind if I tag along?" Sophia asked.

"Not at all."

We went into Trauma 2.

"Loucks, Surgery," I said with a smirk. "What do we have?"

Clarissa rolled her eyes then gave the bullet, which indicated appendicitis, which I confirmed with an exam and an ultrasound. I signed the chart, and then Clarissa, her students, Sophia, and I went to see Ghost to have him sign the chart, which he did. Clarissa and her students returned to the trauma room, and I instructed Sophia to get another chart.

_October 14, 1989, Circleville, Ohio_

On Saturday morning, my in-laws brought Lyudmila to the house, where she'd stay with Rachel while Kris and I were in Chicago for Maryam's wedding. As much as I wanted to take Rachel along, and as much as Maryam wanted to see her, I felt the whirlwind trip would completely disrupt her schedule. It also allowed her to entertain Abi, her friends from daycare, and two other little girls from church, with Serafima and Lyudmila playing chaperones.

Rachel didn't seem at all upset when Kris and I left, because she very much liked Lyudmila, who spoiled her, as an aunt was expected to do. We drove my Mustang to Pickaway County Memorial Airport, where I parked in the designated area. We got out, grabbed our overnight bags, and walked over to where Lara and Nathan were standing. I shook hands with Nathan and Lara and I exchanged a chaste hug, then Kris greeted them both with quick, chaste hugs.

"Mr. Shaughnessy is filing the flight plan," Lara said. "The plane is gassed and pre-flighted. The weather is fine, and everything is set."

"Great!" I replied.

A minute later, Clarissa and Tessa arrived and everyone greeted each other. Shortly after that, a man who looked to be about fifty, but who was in fantastic physical shape, came out of what Lara had called the FBO building. Lara introduced all of us to Patrick Shaughnessy, who would be our pilot for our trip to Chicago.

The boarding and takeoff procedures were dramatically simpler than for a regularly scheduled commercial flight. We simply walked across the tarmac to a twin-engine plane with a 'Global Security' logo on the fuselage and climbed aboard. Mr. Shaughnessy stowed our bags, we strapped into comfortable leather seats, and five minutes later were waiting for takeoff clearance at the end of the runway. Two minutes later, we were airborne, and the plane banked to the west for our flight to Chicago.

About twenty minutes later, Lara asked to talk to me, and with Kris' blessing, we moved to a pair of seats at the back of the aircraft.

"A bit easier than the airport in Columbus," Lara commented over the noise of the twin turboprop engines which powered the plane.

"Just a bit!" I replied. "Less than twenty minutes after we left the house, we're airborne. It took longer than that to check in for our flight to Chicago when Elizaveta and I went to Europe four years ago. Did you ever think about learning to fly?"

"No. I mean, I could have, but I'd rather ride in the back of the limo than drive it!"

"Of course you would!" I chuckled. "Who doesn't like being catered to?"

"The only downside is there's no cabin attendant!" Lara said. "But there's a fridge with soft drinks and beer."

"It's a bit early for either of those."

"There's a thermos of coffee, if you want some."

"Nah, I had coffee with breakfast."

"Nathan and I are getting married at the end of January."

"There's the least surprising thing I've heard in the last few weeks! Congrats! Are you going to be able to take a honeymoon?"

"We'll delay it until school is out, similar to what you did."

"Here, or your parents' church in Pittsburgh?"

"My life is here, and everyone I want to invite except relatives is here. So we'll have the crowning at Saint Michael the Archangel."

"Combined crowning and betrothal?"

"I'm not a stickler for the older tradition the way you are, though we will wear our rings on our right hands."

"I'm very happy for you!" I said.

"Me, too!" Lara exclaimed.

I moved back to sit with Kris and quietly let her know what Lara had told me.

_October 14, 1989, Chicago, Illinois_

We landed at Meigs just after 10:00am Chicago time, and, as Lara had promised, a stretch limo was waiting to take us to the InterContinental Hotel on Michigan Avenue. At the hotel, Lara spoke to the concierge, who quickly checked in our entire party and provided three sets of two keys. Five minutes later, we were in our well-appointed room on the twelfth floor of the North Tower.

We unpacked, then relaxed for a bit before we met the others to have lunch at Billy Goat Tavern, which had been parodied as the Olympia Café on _Saturday Night Live_ when John Belushi had been on the show. The food was great, and inexpensive, considering we were in the Second City.

"What's everyone doing this afternoon?" Tessa asked as we ate. "Clarissa and I are going shopping on North Michigan Avenue."

"Nathan and I are going shopping as well," Lara said.

"Kris wants to go to the Art Institute of Chicago," I said. "So that's what we'll do."

"Mike needs a dose of «haute culture»!" Kris declared with a smile.

"Me Grog! New French girl think Grog «provincial»! Make Grog see pictures!"

Everyone laughed, including Kris.

"Just don't let the new French girl turn you into a socialist!" Lara declared with a silly smile.

"No chance of that!" I replied. "So long as you don't try to turn her into a decadent capitalist!"

"As if that could ever happen!" Kris exclaimed, also smiling.

"Well, Mike did become a doctor," Clarissa smirked, "so anything is possible!"

"Hey, now!" I protested. "I usually only get that kind of abuse from my baby sister or Jocelyn!"

"I thought Clarissa teased you, too," Kris said.

"She does, but usually not about medicine."

"You're not upset, are you, Petrovich?"

"No, of course not. I beat you fair and square to graduate first in our class!"

"Who had the higher MLE score?" Clarissa asked.

"Who says being a doctor is about test-taking?" I countered.

"Behave, children!" Tessa said sternly, causing all of us to laugh.

"Are they always like this?" Nathan asked.

"For as long as I've known them," Lara said.

"They love each other," Kris said. "Like brother and sister."

"We do," Clarissa agreed.

We finished lunch and agreed to meet at The Berghoff for dinner at 6:00pm.

"You're not upset about what I said, are you?" Kris asked.

"Not at all! I am provincial, at least compared to a cultured «Parisienne»! But I do want to counter your point about culture. May I say something very direct?"

"Yes, of course."

"You're something of a snob when it comes to culture, to the point where you don't respect the culture of Harding and Hayes Counties."

"What do you mean?" Kris asked, sounding curious, not offended.

"Culture isn't limited to art in museums or music played by symphonies or books read in cafés along the Seine. I'm not objecting to being exposed to _other_ culture, but a Fourth of July Picnic is both culture and tradition."

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm not offended," I replied. "I'm just asking you to see that the world does not revolve around Paris. I do want to go to the museum, and I do realize my exposure to culture is somewhat limited."

Kris' reaction to my comment about Paris was amusing, as her eyes grew wide and it was clear she wanted to retort, but she chose not to.

"You say you aren't offended, but it must bother you for you to have said something."

"I suppose it's that at times you seem to look down on things that are important to me, my extended family, and my friends, and I think I can demonstrate very easily. Frank Zappa is as important as Bach, Beethoven, or Tchaikovsky."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who are cultural icons. I'll point out that Shakespeare wrote for the commoners, not the cultured classes, who were the aristocrats and the moneyed classes. Dickens wrote serials for newspapers. Victor Hugo was loved by the populace of France, but _Les Misérables_ received many negative reviews from literary critics, and it was released in installments which were snatched up by the masses. The difference between John Williams and Tchaikovsky, or Tom Clancy and Dickens, or Shakespeare and Arthur Miller, is a few centuries."

"You seriously put them in the same category?"

"What I'm trying to point out is that simply because something is produced for the masses does not mean it's not culturally significant. And, more importantly, the fact that it's not recognized in Paris has nothing to do with cultural significance. I did enjoy the Louvre and the museums in Amsterdam, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the Art Institute, but my views about culture aren't so narrow that I ignore large swaths of it."

"I know this might change the topic, but this is the first I've heard you speak passionately about _anything_ other than medicine or your faith. I like it."

"To state the obvious, my entire focus, from fourth grade until May, was earning my MD and Matching at a local hospital. Everything else took a back seat to that. When I did have spare time, I played chess, read science fiction, and spent time with Jocelyn and Dale. When I started at Taft, I spent most of my time studying."

"And chasing girls!"

I chuckled, "I was the prey, not the predator."

"You played your guitar for girls, right?"

"Yes," I admitted with a grin, knowing where she was going.

"So, you dangled bait for them!"

"I'd get arrested for doing _that_!"

Kris laughed, "And yet…"

"Getting back on track, I don't think we have a problem, so much as a clash of cultures, and honestly, it's a small one. I love you, even if you're a French cultural snob!"

"And I love you even if you're a 'yokel'! May I change subjects?"

"Yes, of course," I agreed.

"With your experiences, would you want Rachel to be a doctor?"

"I want Rachel to be happy, and if she's happy, I'll be happy."

"Even if it's a teenage boy who makes her happy?"

"Let's not start with crazy talk now," I chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I'm not going to be overprotective in that regard. It doesn't work."

"Which you know from personal experience?"

"Both mine, and from a number of young women."

We reached the Art Institute, I paid our admission, and I allowed Kris to direct our path through the museum, as there were pieces in the collection she wanted to see. We spent the entire afternoon wandering the museum, and I very much enjoyed it. When we left the museum, we walked to The Berghoff on Adams Street to meet Lara, Nathan, Clarissa, and Tessa to have dinner.

The best part of the meal was the root beer, which was brewed locally and was awesome. We all enjoyed the meal, then headed back to the hotel on Michigan Avenue. The others discussed seeing a movie, but Kris and I chose to spend our time together in our room.

"I don't keep exact track, but shouldn't your period have started?" I asked as we got into bed.

"It should have come on Thursday," Kris said. "I'm very regular, no more than a day, one way or the other. If it doesn't come tomorrow, we should get a pregnancy test kit."

"They're more accurate after a week," I said. "So next Thursday would be the right time. Even a blood test done today would be indifferent because we don't know your baseline hCG."

"How long would we wait to tell people?"

"That's up to you," I replied. "Would you like a medical answer?"

"As if I could stop you!" Kris said lightly.

"Actually, you could. I just gave you the 'husband' answer and asked if you wanted the medical answer."

'I do want to hear it," Kris said.

"The OB/GYNs suggest three months, as most miscarriages occur in the first two months. You should start taking folic acid and a multivitamin with iron right away. I'm sure if we call the concierge, he or she can get them for us so you can start first thing in the morning. Let me do that."

I picked up the phone, dialed the concierge, and made the request. She said she would send someone to a twenty-four-hour pharmacy to get them, and have them brought to the room. I thanked her, then hung up the phone.

"How long?" Kris asked.

"She didn't say, just that they get them as soon as possible."

"I suppose then we have to wait to make love so we aren't interrupted," Kris said.

"I doubt it will take less than thirty minutes," I replied.

"Then make love to me, please."

_October 15, 1989, Chicago, Illinois_

On Sunday morning, a livery minivan arrived at the hotel to take us to the church in Cicero. Lara had decided that was a much better look for church, and I certainly couldn't argue with that, as I'd thought a stretch limo would be too ostentatious and would send the wrong message.

I wasn't surprised, and an acolyte approached me and said that Father Nicholas had asked to see me. I followed the acolyte, whose name was Mansur, to the vestry of Saint George Cathedral. I did find it interesting that it was called a cathedral when there was no Antiochian bishop in Chicago, as Bishop MICHAEL had his cathedral in Toledo.

"Father, bless!" I requested.

"The Lord's blessing be upon you, Michael," he replied in a moderate Middle Eastern accent.

He made the sign of the cross over my upturned palms and I kissed his hand as a sign of respect.

"Thank you for coming, Michael," he said. "First, allow me to express my condolences on the repose of your Khouria."

'Khouria' was used by the traditional Arabic parishes in the same way as 'Matushka' was used in the traditionally Russian parishes. There was a slight meaning of difference in that the Arabic word meant, roughly, 'clergy wife', whereas the Russian word meant, roughly, 'little mother'.

"Thank you, Father."

"Maryam speaks very highly of you."

"She is a wonderful young woman," I replied.

"I won't keep you, but I wanted to meet the young man who she said was responsible for her success."

"The feeling is mutual, and she, along with the other members of my study group, is responsible for mine."

"Thank you for coming to Chicago; it means a lot to Maryam."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," I replied.

I left the vestry and returned to where my friends were sitting in a pew, waiting for the service to begin. I very much disliked pews, but many Orthodox churches had adopted them because American churches, of whatever denomination, almost invariably had pews or chairs.

"What did he want?" Kris asked quietly.

"Simply to greet me," I replied. "Maryam gave me credit for her success in medical school, but it was really a team effort."

"Hi, Mike!" a low voice said from my left.

I turned to see Peter Baldwin, which was a complete surprise. I stood and greeted him with a warm hug, and then my group slid down the pew a bit so he could sit next to me.

"Is Fran here?" he asked quietly.

"No. She's on a thirty-six-hour shift and couldn't get away."

The conversation had to end as the royal doors were opened so that the service could begin. About three-and-a-half hours later, after Kris and I had received the Eucharist, our group, plus Peter, made its way to the parish hall in the basement of the church.

"What about Nadine," Peter asked as we got in line to get our lunches.

"She couldn't travel," I said. "Five hours, plus the time change each way was just too much, and the timing of flights wouldn't have worked. I'm surprised you made it."

"My Attending was accommodating, and I have today and tomorrow off. I flew in very late last night, and I'll fly out in the morning. You?"

"Flew in yesterday morning and we're flying out at 9:00pm from Meigs in a private plane."

"Must be nice! Lara arranged that, right?"

"Of course! How is surgery?"

"You know it's 'all scut, all the time' for surgical PGY1s! I bet you, on the other hand, are up to your eyeballs in procedures."

"Mostly I deal with walk-ins, which is the usual thing for Residents in trauma at Moore, but I do occasionally scrub in and I've been allowed to close twice."

"That's unheard of!" Peter protested. "I mean, PGY2s don't get to do that at Emory!"

"Nor at Moore, under normal circumstances," I replied. "But the new Residency has caused some rethinking, at least with regard to me. We'll see what happens when the _next_ Residency slot for trauma surgery is filled. How are things otherwise?"

"Who has time for a life? I'm working close to a hundred hours a week. The only time I see my apartment is to sleep. Same for you?"

"Not quite, because Doctor Northrup and the Medical Director decided to limit Resident hours to around eighty per week, with no thirty-six-hour shifts. And, because I'm technically a surgical Resident, I can do consults, so they scheduled my hours so that nobody has to come down from the surgical team during the day. That makes scheduling easier for everyone. Are you doing consults?"

"Overnight. During the day, a PGY3 handles them."

"You're liking it?"

"Loving it! As you always said, we want to join the guild, so we have to pay the dues."

When we had our food, we joined the rest of the group at a long table with mostly young adults, which included Maryam and Matta. I stood up and shook hands with him and exchanged a quick, chaste hug with Maryam.

"Congratulations," I said to them.

"Thanks," Maryam said with a smile.

The others greeted Maryam and Matta as well, and then we all sat back down.

"How is Edward hospital?" I asked.

"Building a complete, state-of-the-art cardiac center," Maryam replied. "Every bed will have telemetry, and we'll have the latest ultrasound and CAT scan equipment. And, the best part is, Ms. Meyer believes that medicine is learned in the ward, and so I was in the Cath Lab as soon as my orientation week ended."

"That's awesome!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, but it's at least two years before they allow me to touch any of the machines that go 'ping' in there!"

We all laughed at the Monty Python reference.

"You can't take time off for a honeymoon, right?" Clarissa asked.

"No. We'll go somewhere next summer when I have my first vacation. That works better for Matta as well, because he just started his job in July."

"Do you have a shift tomorrow?" Lara asked.

"6:00am, unfortunately," Maryam replied. "I can't even have a glass of wine at the reception tonight. Mike, did you have a shift yesterday or today?"

"Yesterday, as did Clarissa. Kylie covered for me, and Clarissa is doing a trauma rotation as part of the new training for Medicine PGY1s, so Ghost covered for her."

"Are you staying out of trouble?" Maryam asked.

Clarissa started laughing almost uncontrollably, and I just shook my head.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Maryam said mirthfully.

"Let's talk sometime in the next few weeks," I said. "I'll catch you up."

"The hospital is probably the best place to find me, and mid-afternoon the best time."

"Sounds good."

We finished our lunches, and Maryam and Matta left to prepare for their combination betrothal and crowning ceremony, as Matta had chosen to follow the more modern practice, and had bought Maryam a diamond engagement ring, as was the norm in the US. My friends and I stayed in the parish hall and chatted with others from the parish, and at 1:45pm, we all headed upstairs for the wedding ceremony.

As was typical for larger, basilica-style churches, the ceremony was conducted on the _solea_, in front of the icon screen, rather than at the doors to the nave. There were a few variations from the Russian-style crowning — we used actual metal crowns, similar to royal crowns used by the Tsars, whereas the Antiochians used cloth wreathes, and one hymn was sung in Arabic, while we only used English in most crowning ceremonies.

After the ceremony, we once again went to the parish hall in the basement to relax and drink coffee or tea until we had to leave for the reception, which was at a banquet hall within walking distance of the cathedral. We made the walk, found our seats, and waited for the celebration to begin.

As was typical for Orthodox wedding celebrations, things were relatively tame until after the cake was cut and the clergy had departed. At that point, the music changed to more traditionally Middle Eastern, and the dancing became much more energetic. What surprised me were the Palestinian flags, which were waved by several dancers, though given the makeup of the congregation, I actually shouldn't have been surprised.

Kris and I danced, and with her blessing, I danced with Clarissa and Lara, and she danced with Nathan and Peter. Unfortunately, we had to leave the reception at 8:00pm, so we could be at Meigs for our 9:00pm departure. We bade Maryam and Matta goodbye, I shook hands with Peter and we promised to keep in touch, then our group left the banquet hall to get into the livery minivan that would take us to Meigs.

_October 16, 1989, McKinley, Ohio_

"How are you doing this morning, Petrovich?" Clarissa asked when we met in the ED early on Monday morning.

"Tired, but fortunately it's only a sixteen hour shift. I was very happy that my mother-in-law was at the house to take Lyudmila home so that neither Kris nor I had to do that."

"That trip would have been impossible without Lara arranging for the private plane. Are you going to take next Saturday off?"

"No. As much as I want to see Emmy out-shoot Deputy Turner, I don't want to take advantage of Kylie's willingness to cover for me."

"How's her mom?" Clarissa asked.

"Doing OK, considering she's now a three-year cancer survivor after radical mastectomy, chemo, and radiation. If you'll excuse me, I need to see Kayla for the handover."

I found Doctor Billings in the lounge and went over the two patients who were waiting on admission — one to Cardiology and the other to Medicine, then found Sophia and Nicole.

"How was Maryam's wedding?" Sophia asked.

"Seen one Orthodox wedding, you've seen them all!" I said with a smile. "Peter Baldwin actually made it to Chicago. As for today, Kayla filled me in on the non-STEMI and the Crohn's disease. Nicole, please manage the admits; Sophia, get a chart and let's get started."

The morning was busy, but routine, with no truly interesting cases, at least from my perspective. I had lunch with Shelly Lindsay and Leila Javadi, and after lunch, had my first interesting case — a fourteen-year-old male with non-specific pyrexia, or, in layman's terms, a high fever with no immediately obvious cause. After Sophia completed her exam, she, Marv, and I stepped out into the corridor.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"CBC, Chem-20, tox screen, and EKG," Sophia replied.

"Why EKG?" I asked.

"Indicated for fever over 39.5°C, and he's at 39.9°C; severe pyrexia can lead to cardiac events, and extreme pyrexia to death."

"Marv; ranges?" I asked.

"40°C is severe; 42°C is extreme," he replied.

"Sophia, differential diagnosis?"

She smiled, "Just about anything!"

"True. Most likely?"

"Infectious disease, either bacterial or viral; illicit drugs; immunological diseases, including hepatitis and IBS; blood cancers; metabolic disorder."

"Good answer. Proceed with the blood tests and keep a close eye on his fever. Marv, see if you can find out if the High School managed to track down his parents."

"I'll ask for a nursing student to sit with him," Sophia said.

"Make it so!" I said with a grin.

Sophia rolled her eyes and shook her head at the _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ reference. She went back into the room to draw the blood, and Marv went to speak to Nate about tracking down the patient's parents.

"Mike?" Ellie called out. "Paramedics are five minutes out with four chemical inhalation patients. Doctor Nielson needs you."

"Thanks."

I grabbed a gown and gloves and headed to the ambulance bay.

"What do we know, Perry?" I asked.

"The fire department responded to a call at the chemical plant south of town. They don't know what chemical was inhaled; three primary victims, and the first McKinley PD officer to arrive who helped clear the building without a respirator."

Paul Lincoln and Chuck Boyd joined us, along with several nurses and medical students, including Sophia and Marv, who joined me just as the first ambulance pulled into the driveway. Sophia, Marv, Kellie, and I were assigned the McKinley PD officer, and escorted him to Trauma 4.

"Normal sinus rhythm and PO₂ 90%," Sophia announced once she had the monitor connected.

"CBC, Chem-20, and ABG, please," Kellie. "Sophia, we'll want a respiratory consult once we find out from the HAZMAT team what the chemical was. Marv, you stay and monitor; call me if the PO₂ drops at all."

"Will do!"