––––––––
Chicago, Illinois
The last place Lt. Donovan expected to be was the Emergency Room of Rush University Medical Center. He was beyond exhausted when the Chief of Detectives ordered him out in the snowstorm to fetch those damned burner cards. One mile in each direction. Two miles over all. Now he had a high fever, his lungs were burning, and he felt worse than miserable.
He was sitting on the bed in the treatment area wearing one of those backless hospital gowns. Shivering. He just couldn’t stay warm despite the high fever.
The Attending Physician ordered a chest x-ray and a blood draw. Then they threw in an EKG for good measure. He had been sitting there for an hour, waiting since the EKG.
“Lt. Donovan,” the physician was screaming. Everyone spoke loudly. He was sick damn it. Not deaf. What’s wrong with these people?
“Yeah?”
“When was the last time you saw a Cardiologist? Ever had a Stress Test?”
“I see the PD medics once each year like the department requires.”
“Well, they could be doing a better job. I’m going to order a Cardio Consult just to be safe. And, I’m going to admit you tonight. You have a full-blown case of pneumonia.”
“Can’t you just give me a shot? Write me a prescription? I don’t have time to be in a hospital.”
“Look, we’re stacked up out there. So, let me cut to the chase. You are not a well man—the pneumonia aside. Your triglycerides are through the roof. You’re clearly hypertensive. You need to lose a good forty pounds. You’re a borderline diabetic. And, you have pneumonia.”
“No, Doc, I’m going home.” Donovan stood and grabbed the plastic bag holding his clothing and personal effects. “I’m gonna get out of this miserable gown with my ass swinging in the wind, get dressed in my own clothes, and walk back home.”
“Lt. Donovan, I strongly urge you to reconsider. I can’t stop you, but I will contact the PD tomorrow and tell them you are not fit for duty.”
As the COD’s EA, Donovan handled all the paperwork between his boss and the department’s medical staff. He’d seen several cases where senior officers and detectives diagnosed with serious health issues failed to submit to timely treatment. The department drew a hard line against having sick officers and detectives on active duty. The stress of the job was a killer for a healthy person. A sick person was a disaster and law suit waiting to happen. The COD would rip him a new asshole. Donovan accepted the diagnosis and took a seat on the bed.
“That’s better, smarter, Lieutenant,” the physician tried to be a gracious victor. “Stay here. Someone will fetch you and take you to your room. It may take a while, but lay back and rest. You need the rest.”
“Someone’s going to ‘fetch’ me?”
“Yeah. They will.”
Donovan couldn’t believe all of this was due to those damn SIM registration cards. The COD would have to wait. He was trapped in a frustrating game of Fetch.