Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, I was still lying by the roadside.

The cold fall wind had chilled me to the bone. It took a while before I could finally get up.

Back home, I went over everything that had happened.

George had clearly expected me to come looking for answers and prepared for it.

Luckily, I'd taken photos of all the records.

Once I pulled myself together, I sent everything to another friend who was a doctor.

The overcharging was bad enough.

But if they'd given my mom the wrong medication, that could've killed her.

Early the next morning, I went straight to the hospital to see the director.

But first, I called the Health Department.

We met outside, and one of the investigators gave me his word.

"Mr. Carter, if your allegations are true, we'll take this very seriously."

We headed straight to the director's office.

Dr. Monica Harding frowned when she saw me. "Mr. Carter, I already know about your situation. We do everything we can for every patient, but we can't guarantee everyone survives.

"So don't expect a refund."

Before I could say anything, the Health Department investigator stepped in.

"Dr. Harding, we'll determine what happened. Please cooperate with the investigation."

Dr. Harding stiffened when she saw him. She had no choice but to let us in.

I spread the printed records across her desk.

"My mom never had these tests. Your hospital ordered and approved them. How do you explain that?"

The investigator scoffed.

"Five CT scans in one day? More than ten coronary angiograms?

"And you're still billing her three days after she died? What, does this hospital treat dead people now?

"Dr. Harding, treatment here sure isn't cheap."

The evidence was right there. Dr. Harding stared at the records for a long moment without a word.

She glanced nervously at the investigator, sweat beading on her forehead.

Finally, she looked at me.

"Mr. Carter, we've hired a lot of new staff lately. Someone inexperienced must've made a mistake.

"We'll refund the overcharges and another thirty percent of the treatment costs. Would that be acceptable?"

I looked at the Health Department investigator.

After a brief discussion, he said, "We'll keep investigating and take formal action against the hospital. We'll also make our findings public."

Dr. Harding apologized over and over for what happened yesterday.

I was about to demand a personal apology from George when my phone rang.

It was the doctor friend reviewing my mom's medications.

The second I answered, his voice turned serious.

"Daniel, this isn't just fraudulent billing. They gave her the wrong medication too!

"Digitalis can be extremely dangerous for some heart attack patients and may cause sudden death. Your mom was given digitalis the day she died."

***

I shot to my feet, my voice shaking.

"What?"

There was a brief pause before he lowered his voice.

"Daniel, think carefully. Did you make an enemy?"

I froze.

My pulse pounded in my ears.

The Health Department investigator stood. "Mr. Carter, what happened?"

The thought that my mom might've died because of them brought tears to my eyes.

I wiped them away, turned to Dr. Harding, and forced out every word through clenched teeth.