18

By Kiarameil Goudy

A young doctor witnesses his
colleagues and superiors
carry ons in very unprofessional
manner. This forces him to
rethink his reasons for wanting
to become a medical doctor.
While dealing with his inner
demons, the young doctors life was turned upside down
from dealing with the pressure of fellow doctors harassing
him to going into private practice. 18 is a true recount of a
doctors dilemma, well crafted as a masterpiece.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479746422

Kiarameil Goudy

Kiarameil Goudy is a gifted writer who wrote her first non-fiction mystery novel 18, which is filled with twists and turns. A young doctor witnesses his colleagues’ and superiors’ carry ons in very unprofessional manner. This forces him to rethink his reasons for wanting to become a medical doctor. While dealing with his inner demons, the young doctor’s life was turned upside down from dealing with the pressure of fellow doctors harassing him to going into private practice. 18 is a true recount of a doctor’s dilemma, well crafted as a masterpiece.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Kiarameil Goudy.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012920950

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4797-4641-5

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4797-4640-8

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4797-4642-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

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109870

Contents

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Chapter 1      Peace of Mind

Chapter 2      The Return of Dr. Charlie Linx

Chapter 3      Competition

Chapter 4      Betrayal

Chapter 5      Murder

Chapter 6      The Cover-Up

Chapter 7      Investigations and Interrogations

Chapter 8      The Manhunt

Chapter 9      The Disappearance

Acknowledgement

I want to give thanks to my parents, Angeline Zinn and Felton Johnson, Sr. Thanks for the gift of life.

Some people become something larger than life; others settle for the norm-by that, I mean they work a nine-to-five. Well, me I’m not normal. I’m different. Always believe in yourself even when others don’t. Trust in your decision-making skills, and everything else will take care of itself. The world can be a lonely place even when you’re standing in a room full of people, screaming at the top of your lungs. Still nobody will hear you. Well, I figured it’s because you’re not really there; you’re on the outside looking in at what could’ve been. Remember anything and everything that you thought about doing, and believe that you still can. Just know this: you don’t need to be the center of attention to get noticed. All you need is an opportunity, confidence, and the belief that you can do and become anything in this world that you want to be. Just don’t let the world swallow you whole.

Dedicated to everyone out there who believes

in themselves and never gave up on their dreams.

Introduction

Some people become something larger than life; others settle for the norm—by that, I mean they work a nine-to-five. Well, me I’m not normal. I’m different. Always believe in yourself even when others don’t. Trust in your decision-making skills, and everything else will take care of itself. The world can be a lonely place even when you’re standing in a room full of people, screaming at the top of your lungs. Still nobody will hear you. Well, I figured it’s because you’re not really there; you’re on the outside looking in at what could’ve been. Remember anything and everything that you thought about doing, and believe that you still can. Just know this: you don’t need to be the center of attention to get noticed. All you need is an opportunity, confidence, and the belief that you can do and become anything in this world that you want to be. Just don’t let the world swallow you whole.

Chapter 1

Peace of Mind

Wow! I got people coming at me from all directions.

A voice yelled out, Hey, you’re tardy again, huh! It was my fellow intern boy. I tell ya, that guy drove me nuts. We called him Loudmouth Charlie. Every time he opened his mouth, he sounded like a parrot. I swear, sometimes I wanted to bring a box of crackers to work and shove the whole box down his throat. I’d push it so far down his throat that no doctor in the world could help him. Every time I saw this lunatic, I felt really sorry for his patients. The guy was flat-out simple-minded.

Unlike Charlie, I didn’t come from money. I got to where I am because of someone’s generosity; nothing came easy for me up to this point. Working three jobs at one point to keep my tuition paid was a constant struggle. My parents were old-school, very old-fashioned, and somewhat skeptical of my sudden success. Still, I’m baffled by the generosity of a complete stranger helping me. I used to get laughed at; people talked behind my back and to my face. Being a loner is not a good place to be when you have no one to turn to, so I just kept it moving while trying to suppress all of the turmoil, anxiety, and inner demons that I dealt with on a daily basis. As the days passed by, I prayed to God every day to keep me sane. But working with fellow intern Dr. Charlie Linx, who has the brain the size of a peanut, was a real challenge in itself. This guy was a real snob to his patients. He thought that just because he came from money, he can do whatever he wanted. We interned at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the eastern seaboard. Dr. Charlie Linx and I came from two different sides of the railroad tracks. We didn’t really care to be in the same room or even breathe the same air. That’s how bad it was. I just shrugged it off. To me, he didn’t exist.

2230 Hours:

Good morning, everyone. I’m the head physician on duty tonight. To all the interns, my name is Dr. Blythe. If any of you have any concerns, are stressed, or just need some advice, please feel free to stop by my office after your shift is over. Remember that the patients are different from one another. No one is going to have the same illness or injuries. Please complete your patients’ charts in your assigned areas. Keep all of your notations on your patients’ charts short and to the point. I don’t need an essay written about a patient’s broken arm or sprained ankle. Just keep it short and to the point.

Yeah, Dr. Blythe, I agree with you even though some of us don’t know how to keep it short and to the point. Right, Mikey! yelled out Dr. Charlie Linx.

Not impressed by his outburst of stupidity, Dr. Blythe turned to Dr. Charlie Linx and scolded him. Excuse me, Dr. Charlie Linx, you may have gotten away with unwarranted outbursts in college, but I assure you—and let me be perfectly clear when I say that—there’s no room for that kind of unprofessional ignorance on my watch. Now please apologize to Dr. Mikey Eighteen right now!

Like a child scorned, Dr. Charlie Linx walked over to Dr. Mikey Eighteen and apologized to him.

Finally, somebody got that blabbing idiot to shut up, Dr. Mikey Eighteen thought. He knew and felt that Dr. Charlie Linx was not sorry one bit and that he only did it to stay on Dr. Blythe’s good graces, so he halfheartedly accepted Dr. Charlie Linx’s apology. Dr. Mikey Eighteen turned his attention back to Dr. Blythe.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, said Dr. Blythe. Please report to your designated areas. Have a good night! Smile, be polite, and be courteous to your patients. Have a good shift.

Everyone was then dismissed from roll call, hoping to have a good shift. Dr. Mikey Eighteen left roll call in an upbeat mood until he reported to his workstation, only to find Dr. Charlie Linx was adjacent him. Pretending not to see Dr. Charlie Linx, Dr. Mikey Eighteen walked by his workstation really fast. He could feel a cold shiver down his spine. He knew Dr. Charlie Linx was staring at him as he walked by. It’s going to be a long night, Dr. Mikey Eighteen whispered to himself.

0030 Hours:

Time was really flying by when an elderly patient came into the emergency room to be seen. She looked like life wasn’t really that good to her.

Can I help you, ma’am? Dr. Mikey Eighteen asked. The elderly lady went on to tell Dr. Mikey Eighteen that she had chills, vomiting, and that she was a diabetic.

Well, don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of you, he assured her. The elderly patient also informed him of light-headedness and double vision.

Am I going to make it? she asked Dr. Mikey Eighteen. Just as Dr. Mikey Eighteen was about to answer her, Dr. Blythe walked over to him and asked what’s her status. Dr. Mikey Eighteen responded, It appears that she’s suffering from flu-like symptoms, blurred vision, and she’s also diabetic.

Impressed with Dr. Mikey Eighteen’s prognosis of his patient, Dr. Blythe asked him, How do you plan to treat her?

With confidence, Dr. Mikey Eighteen said to him, I’m going to have some blood work done, check her blood sugar, start an IV on her, rehydrate her, and keep her overnight for observation.

Very good, Dr. Eighteen, said Dr. Blythe, who introduced himself to the elderly patient. Hello, ma’am, my name is Dr. Blythe, head physician on duty tonight. If you need anything or have a question, just let me know. We’re going to take good care of you. Dr. Mikey Eighteen can get hold of me if you need anything or have a question.

Thank you so much, replied the elderly lady.

Dr. Blythe responded with a smile on his face, No problem. He then walked away and continued making rounds, checking on the other interns.

Dr. Mikey Eighteen was very proud of himself and felt pretty good about his shift. His night was going pretty fast. Dr. Mikey Eighteen was in a happy-go-lucky mood, but all of that was about to change.

0430 Hours:

As the night went on, Dr. Mikey Eighteen started to feel fatigued, so he took his break and headed to the cafeteria for lunch—and guess who he saw taking his lunch too? Yup, you guessed it—Dr. Charlie Linx! Dr. Mikey Eighteen ignored him completely, got his lunch, and paid for it. He went and found himself a place to sit and enjoyed his lunch.

Before he could take a bite of his sandwich, he heard someone.

Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dr. Blythe’s little pet, said Dr. Charlie Linx to Dr. Mikey Eighteen with a look of disgust on his face.

Charlie! Just leave me alone and go back to your own table, snapped Dr. Mikey Eighteen to Dr. Charlie Linx.

Well, who’s going to make me, Mikey? You? he asked sarcastically. At this point, Dr. Mikey Eighteen could feel the muscles in his neck start to tense up. Looking right through Dr. Charlie Linx as if he wasn’t there, he could feel himself getting nervous. He looked around the cafeteria and saw other doctors eating, laughing, and enjoying their lunch without any intrusion on their private time, and all he wanted was the same—to be able to come to the cafeteria and have the same kind of lunch break.

You don’t belong here, Mikey. You’re out of your league. A welfare case, Dr. Charlie Linx said to Dr. Mikey Eighteen in a deep, low demonic voice.

Feeling himself about to snap, Dr. Mikey Eighteen grabbed his lunch and immediately left the cafeteria. He started having flashbacks of being picked on in kindergarten all the way through medical school. All of sudden, he took off running to the nearest stairwell, busting out. He began to make his way up the stairwells as the voices in his head began to get louder and louder.

You’ll never amount to anything. You’re worthless. Mikey got the cooties! What a loser.

He then started having flashbacks of the beatings he took at the hands of other kids in grade school and college as well. Boom! was all you could hear as Dr. Mikey Eighteen made his way to the rooftop door and kicked it open, made his way out into I dark night. Dr. Mikey Eighteen slowly calmed himself down due to the cold, brisk night air swirling around. He could barely catch his breath. With his heart still pounding, he began to breathe deep to calm the voices in his head while trying to refocus his attention from the flashback beatings he had to endure. His hands were shaking so bad he couldn’t control them. He couldn’t even finish the lunch he brought. Throwing his lunch away, he centered himself.

Keep it together, he whispered to himself, still breathing in and out slowly. Just like that, Dr. Mikey Eighteen pulled himself together, left the rooftop, and made his way down the stairwell as the voices in his head went silent. He made his way back to the emergency room the first doctor he saw was Dr. Blythe.

Oh yes, there you are! All of your patients have been medically cleared and released. You did a good job, Dr. Mikey Eighteen. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, Dr. Blythe, sir, he replied.

"Thank you very much."

From that moment on, Dr. Mikey Eighteen vowed to never let Dr. Charlie Linx get under his skin anymore. He realized that he worked too hard and come too far to let some spoiled rich kid ruin it for him. I was born to be a doctor. This is my calling, he thought to himself. But with some people, you have to put your foot down because they just don’t get it; and sometimes, you might have to put your foot on someone’s neck for them to get the hint. As for Dr. Charlie Linx, he is playing with fire. He’s just too stupid and arrogant to see that someday, his actions will lead to his own demise. May the Lord have mercy on his soul.

Four years later . . .

Well, time has flown by quickly, and I must say that things couldn’t be better for me. Until one day, out of the blue, I saw the most beautiful angel. Her name was Dr. Lanely Guillium. She had beautiful long blonde hair, with blue eyes the color of the dark blue Caribbean Sea. I’ve never seen such a beautiful specimen of a woman in my life. She had confidence, the looks, charm, and grace. Hey, let’s face it I was stuck on stupid. My imagination went wild from taking her on an exotic vacation—just me and her, nobody else around to bother us to long, hot sweaty nights of mad, passionate love surrounded by candles with all the trimmings, exotic oils, etc. You get the picture.

Dr. Mikey Eighteen was in fantasy land, to the point that he didn’t hear her calling out to him.

Excuse me, Dr. Mikey Eighteen, she called out to him again. But this time, she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

Finally snapping out of his daydreaming of him and her Hello. Oh, I’m sorry, I kind of got mesmerized by your beauty. And I mean that with utmost respect.

She replied, Aw… thank you, Dr. Mikey Eighteen. My name is Dr. Lanely Gullium, and tonight, we’ve been put together in teams to share and take notes on each other’s patient care. Is that okay with you?

Trying to keep his focus, Sure, there’s—I mean—that’s not a problem, he replied. So tell me, Dr. Eighteen, what is your field of specialty?

Oh, it’s general medicine for me. I’m not quite sure if I want to be tied down into one area of medicine. So I decided on general medicine. That way, I can keep my options open,. I’ll probably go into private practice where I can totally focus on the care of my patients, just like what I’m doing here.

Smiling at him, Dr. Langley Guillium, I’m impressed, curious.

Dr. Mikey Eighteen asked her, Well, what about you?

Well, I come from a family of cardiologists, so I’m pretty much set in stone, she replied. My dad wants me to come and work at the family practice. I didn’t give him an answer yet. So just like you, Dr. Eighteen, I’m sort of keeping my options open in a way.

Looking at his watch, Well, that’s a good thing. Hey, we better hurry up and get to shift change before Dr. Blythe have us working in the morgue.

They both looked at each other and laughed.

They could hear Dr. Blythe talking as they entered the shift change meeting. Now that everybody is here, we may begin. You may have noticed that some doctors that were here before have been reassigned to different hospitals. So with that being said, let me be the first to welcome those who’ve been assigned to this hospital for the first time. My name is Dr. Blythe, and also to those of you who are returning, welcome aboard! Now tonight, everyone will be paired up into teams of two. You all should already know who your partner is. They’re posted out on the emergency room assignment board. Remember to trust each other’s opinions. Most importantly, be polite, professional, and courteous at all times when dealing with patients and each other. Everyone is dismissed, smile and have a good night.

Dr. Mikey Eighteen and Dr. Lanely Guillium made their way to their workstation. The night went by fast as they both attended to their patients and exchanged notes. The shift went by quickly. Boy! How time flies.

0730 Hours:

Dr. Mikey Eighteen had a lot to smile about. One of the things he was happy about he got the next three days off. Feeling like winning a million bucks, he made his way to his car. In the parking garage, with a skip in his step, inhaled the fresh air as the sun came out. Dr. Mikey Eighteen couldn’t wait to get inside his car. Pulling his car keys out his pocket, he heard something. Dr. Mikey Eighteen! Scared senseless, he dove over his own parked car hood, landing on the ground, up against another car. His heart was racing three thousand thumps per second. Slowly rising to hood level, he saw Dr. Langely Guillium standing by his driver’s side door. In a nervous, dry, high-pitched voice, Where did you come from?

Oh, I’m sorry. I scared you. Are you on your way home?

Dr. Eighteen noticed that she had on jogging clothes. Curious, he said to her, Yeah, you did scare me pretty good, Dr. Gullium. Still nervous, looking like a deer in headlights, Dr. Eighteen attempted to change the subject. I see you’ve got on jogging gear. Are you on your way to the gym or something?

No, she replied. I always jog inside the parking garage before and after my shift. Hey listen, Dr. Eighteen, I’m sorry I scared you. Let me make it up to you. I’ll buy you lunch the next time we work together. It’ll be my treat.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he agreed with her. Just before she took off, Go home and get some sleep. I’ll talk to you later. She took off, jogging inside the parking garage. Dr. Eighteen headed back around to the driver’s side of his car, unlocked the door, got inside his car, and drove off.

Of course, he took her up on her offer three days later.

1630 Hours:

Back from his three days off, Dr. Mikey Eighteen felt really rejuvenated.

Welcome back, Dr. Mikey Eighteen, said Dr. Bruce Pinkley.

Thank you, said Dr. Eighteen. It’s good to be back. Now Dr. Bruce Pinkley was the total opposite of Dr. Charlie Linx. He was sort of more aggressive with his patients—in a good way. Sometimes, Dr. Bruce Pinkley can also be very unpredictable. Overall, as far as Dr. Eighteen was concerned, Dr. Bruce Pinkley seemed like an all right kind of guy. Things have gotten better for Dr. Eighteen since Dr. Charlie Linx was assigned to another hospital. Time passed by with ease for Dr. Mikey Eighteen as he worked in the emergency room on the daily and nightly grind. Helping patients was fun for him and challenging; he enjoyed every minute of it.

Halfway through his shift, while Dr. Eighteen was tending to a patient, he was approached by Dr. Samantha Grea.

Excuse me, Dr. Mikey Eighteen, I’m the head physician on duty tonight. If you have any questions about anything, just let me know.

Dr. Mikey Eighteen assured Dr. Samantha Grea that everything was going good. She then took off on her rounds; Dr. Eighteen continued to tend to his patients.

While working on a patient, Dr. Eighteen noticed that Dr. Grea was not happy with Dr. Pinkley’s attitude and the way he was dealing with his patients. You could see the hurt and anger on Dr. Pinkley’s face and her body language. Dr. Eighteen watched as Dr. Grea turned and walked away from Dr. Pinkley. She was furious. Watching Dr. Grea from afar, Dr. Eighteen sensed that she took her job very seriously and didn’t have the patience for those who don’t perform to the best of their ability. She doesn’t say much, but when she does, every doctor and intern was nervous and somewhat scared of her.

Well, Dr. Eighteen wasn’t scared. She was just a senior doctor who demanded her interns and fellow doctors to be ready to work once they punched the clock. Unlike Dr. Blythe, Dr. Grea didn’t have roll calls. When they got to work, there was a memo of some sort in their lockers about anything and everything going on. She loved chalkboards, so when you got to your work area, your assignment will be written on this huge chalkboard. On this particular night, this emergency room was very busy. While working on a patient with a broken wrist, Dr. Eighteen felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Dr. Pinkley. The guy looked like he wasn’t all there—if you know what I mean.

"Hey, Dr. Pinkley. What can I