leaving,” Julie said and turned to go, tugging on Monk’s sleeve. But Monk yanked his arm from her and held his ground.
“I admire your triage system, Doctor, but in your effort to quickly treat patients, you forgot to mark them on both arms.”
“I didn’t forget,” Dr. Jessup said. “I only mark them on one.”
“You need to mark them on both and dispose of the pen afterward,” Monk said. “In fact, you should throw out the pens that you have in your pocket in the nearest hazardous waste receptacle right now and get new ones.”
He stared at Monk. “Why should I?”
“Because it’s unsanitary.”
“No, it’s not,” Dr. Jessup said.
“You wouldn’t use the same tongue depressor on two different patients, would you? So how can you use the same pen?”
“Because I am not sticking the pen in their mouths,” Dr. Jessup said.
“I don’t see the difference,” Monk said.
“I don’t care,” Dr. Jessup said. “Get out of my ER right now or I will call security and have you dragged out.”
“But I am a consultant to the San Francisco Police,” Monk said. “And I’m right and you’re wrong.”
“We apologize and will stay out of your way,” Julie said to the doctor. She grabbed Monk firmly by the arm and led him away.
“We need to notify the Department of Public Health and the American Medical Association,” Monk said.
“We need to focus on our job,” Julie said.
“To protect and to serve—that’s our job. Every time that doctor touches someone’s flesh with his germ-soaked pen, he’s spreading pestilence and death. I can’t just turn a blind eye to that.”
“And what if Dale the Whale knows that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if Dale knew that you’d become so distracted by Dr. Jessup’s triage system that you’d forget all about keeping your eye on his security?”
“Oh my God, you’re right,” Monk said, and immediately looked down the hall, where the two officers still stood in front of the operating room doors.
Julie forced back a smile, pleased that Monk bought her argument, which she’d improvised on the spot.
I couldn’t have done it better myself.
That’s when the operating room doors opened and Dr. Wiss and Captain Stottlemeyer emerged.
Monk and Julie hurried down the hall to join them. Dr. Wiss removed his mask. His face was damp with sweat. Stottlemeyer looked pale.
“How did it go?” Julie asked.
“The operation went smoothly,” Dr. Wiss said. “It’s remarkable how much fat and skin we were able to remove.”
“Horrific is more like it,” Stottlemeyer said. “I may never eat again.”
The orderlies wheeled the gurney out the door toward the elevator across the hall. As the gurney passed, Monk and Julie got a good look at Dale. All they could really see were his eyes. He was unconscious and wrapped up like a mummy, but what astonished them both was that his whole body fit well within the edges of the gurney, which would not have been possible before.
“My God,” Julie said. “It’s like you cut him in half.”
“I freed the man that was trapped under all the flesh,” Dr. Wiss said.
“I certainly hope not,” Monk said. “The last thing anyone wants is Dale Biederback going free.”
“I’m sorry, that was a poor choice of words,” Dr. Wiss said, following the gurney into the elevator. “We’re taking him to the ICU now.”
“He’ll be under armed guard 24/7,” Stottlemeyer said, joining the doctor in the elevator. “I’m taking the first shift myself.”
“We’ll take the next one,” Monk said.
“We will?” Julie said.
“No, you won’t,” Stottlemeyer said. “Now that the operation is over, I want you out there on the street, helping Lieutenant Devlin if any bodies drop. I’ve told her to call you in on everything.”
“She must have been thrilled about that,” Julie said.
“Go home, Monk. I’ve got it from here,” Stottlemeyer said, and the elevator doors closed.
CHAPTER
“I admire your triage system, Doctor, but in your effort to quickly treat patients, you forgot to mark them on both arms.”
“I didn’t forget,” Dr. Jessup said. “I only mark them on one.”
“You need to mark them on both and dispose of the pen afterward,” Monk said. “In fact, you should throw out the pens that you have in your pocket in the nearest hazardous waste receptacle right now and get new ones.”
He stared at Monk. “Why should I?”
“Because it’s unsanitary.”
“No, it’s not,” Dr. Jessup said.
“You wouldn’t use the same tongue depressor on two different patients, would you? So how can you use the same pen?”
“Because I am not sticking the pen in their mouths,” Dr. Jessup said.
“I don’t see the difference,” Monk said.
“I don’t care,” Dr. Jessup said. “Get out of my ER right now or I will call security and have you dragged out.”
“But I am a consultant to the San Francisco Police,” Monk said. “And I’m right and you’re wrong.”
“We apologize and will stay out of your way,” Julie said to the doctor. She grabbed Monk firmly by the arm and led him away.
“We need to notify the Department of Public Health and the American Medical Association,” Monk said.
“We need to focus on our job,” Julie said.
“To protect and to serve—that’s our job. Every time that doctor touches someone’s flesh with his germ-soaked pen, he’s spreading pestilence and death. I can’t just turn a blind eye to that.”
“And what if Dale the Whale knows that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if Dale knew that you’d become so distracted by Dr. Jessup’s triage system that you’d forget all about keeping your eye on his security?”
“Oh my God, you’re right,” Monk said, and immediately looked down the hall, where the two officers still stood in front of the operating room doors.
Julie forced back a smile, pleased that Monk bought her argument, which she’d improvised on the spot.
I couldn’t have done it better myself.
That’s when the operating room doors opened and Dr. Wiss and Captain Stottlemeyer emerged.
Monk and Julie hurried down the hall to join them. Dr. Wiss removed his mask. His face was damp with sweat. Stottlemeyer looked pale.
“How did it go?” Julie asked.
“The operation went smoothly,” Dr. Wiss said. “It’s remarkable how much fat and skin we were able to remove.”
“Horrific is more like it,” Stottlemeyer said. “I may never eat again.”
The orderlies wheeled the gurney out the door toward the elevator across the hall. As the gurney passed, Monk and Julie got a good look at Dale. All they could really see were his eyes. He was unconscious and wrapped up like a mummy, but what astonished them both was that his whole body fit well within the edges of the gurney, which would not have been possible before.
“My God,” Julie said. “It’s like you cut him in half.”
“I freed the man that was trapped under all the flesh,” Dr. Wiss said.
“I certainly hope not,” Monk said. “The last thing anyone wants is Dale Biederback going free.”
“I’m sorry, that was a poor choice of words,” Dr. Wiss said, following the gurney into the elevator. “We’re taking him to the ICU now.”
“He’ll be under armed guard 24/7,” Stottlemeyer said, joining the doctor in the elevator. “I’m taking the first shift myself.”
“We’ll take the next one,” Monk said.
“We will?” Julie said.
“No, you won’t,” Stottlemeyer said. “Now that the operation is over, I want you out there on the street, helping Lieutenant Devlin if any bodies drop. I’ve told her to call you in on everything.”
“She must have been thrilled about that,” Julie said.
“Go home, Monk. I’ve got it from here,” Stottlemeyer said, and the elevator doors closed.
CHAPTER
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