someone else disconnected the respirator, the result was expected. Mrs. Pulliam remains convinced you were responsible, and tells Dr. Clark she hopes to see you again to thank you."
Elena inclined her head, although she wasn't sure why she would be thanking Matney. After all, he hadn't yet said anything that indicated a belief in her innocence.
"I spoke with two of the ICU nurses this morning," he continued. "One is new at St. Paul, a transfer from the Zale Hospital ICU. I didn't catch her name. She saw you go into Pulliam's room. She has no recollection of when you came out, or of anyone else going in until he was found dead."
"So that doesn't help," Elena said. "What about Ann?"
"I talked with her. She recalls speaking with you in Pulliam's room. She left you alone there when she was needed elsewhere in the unit. She doesn't know when you left. The emergency kept her tied up until the time Pulliam was found dead."
"So no one saw anyone enter or leave Pulliam's room after I was there?"
Matney's expression was that of a teacher sorely disappointed in a star pupil. "Although neither of these two nurses saw anything, there remain fully half a dozen people who might be interviewed." He held up a warning finger. "But I've chosen not to go further. As I told you, it's immaterial whether you or someone else wrote that DNR order and disconnected Pulliam's respirator. It's not homicide or manslaughter. It's not even malpractice. The acts merely brought to an inevitable end an unfortunate chain of events. Therefore, we plan to let the matter drop."
Anything that might look bad, sweep it under the rug or deep-six it some way. Elena couldn't believe this. "What about the person behind this, the one who wants to cast suspicion on me? Aren't you going to look for them?"
"We have no desire to keep this going and risk any hint of scandal for our department or the medical center. And, as for your reputation—because I know that's foremost in your mind—Dr. Gross and I talked earlier today about the best way to handle the problem. I was adamant in my insistence that the incidents be allowed to fade away without further mention." Matney looked down at the immaculate surface of his desk." To this end, Dr. Gross will give you a terminal leave for the last two weeks of your training. Your certificate will show a graduation date of June 30, but as of now you're relieved of all clinical duties."
"I don't—"
The chairman steamrolled on, apparently anxious to get this done. "Since the doctor whose practice you're entering is pregnant, it's likely she'll be grateful for your early arrival. Perhaps a change of scene will be beneficial to you. It would, after all, take you away from a setting that was the scene of a very traumatic event in your life—an event that could possibly have influenced the way you react to subsequent patients in that same situation."
Elena tried unsuccessfully to wrap her mind around this change. "You're treating me like I'm the guilty party in all this. You're sending me into exile just to get me out of the way."
Matney cleared his throat and put on his best hyper-administrator manner. "I am neither affirming nor denying any culpability you have in the matter. What I am doing is protecting the reputation of the department and this institution by avoiding an investigation into a matter that, although the outcome was in no way unexpected or even improper, is best left alone."
"So I'm out of here," Elena said.
"Actually, when I first approached her, Dr. Gross was inclined to let you continue your residency to its conclusion. However, I felt it best that you leave the campus and managed to convince her to go along with my recommendation. You may consider yourself on probation under the supervision of Dr. Sewell for the next three months. If, at the end of that time, we find no further incidents of this nature, I will accept that you were blameless in the ones about which we've already talked. On the other hand, if
Elena inclined her head, although she wasn't sure why she would be thanking Matney. After all, he hadn't yet said anything that indicated a belief in her innocence.
"I spoke with two of the ICU nurses this morning," he continued. "One is new at St. Paul, a transfer from the Zale Hospital ICU. I didn't catch her name. She saw you go into Pulliam's room. She has no recollection of when you came out, or of anyone else going in until he was found dead."
"So that doesn't help," Elena said. "What about Ann?"
"I talked with her. She recalls speaking with you in Pulliam's room. She left you alone there when she was needed elsewhere in the unit. She doesn't know when you left. The emergency kept her tied up until the time Pulliam was found dead."
"So no one saw anyone enter or leave Pulliam's room after I was there?"
Matney's expression was that of a teacher sorely disappointed in a star pupil. "Although neither of these two nurses saw anything, there remain fully half a dozen people who might be interviewed." He held up a warning finger. "But I've chosen not to go further. As I told you, it's immaterial whether you or someone else wrote that DNR order and disconnected Pulliam's respirator. It's not homicide or manslaughter. It's not even malpractice. The acts merely brought to an inevitable end an unfortunate chain of events. Therefore, we plan to let the matter drop."
Anything that might look bad, sweep it under the rug or deep-six it some way. Elena couldn't believe this. "What about the person behind this, the one who wants to cast suspicion on me? Aren't you going to look for them?"
"We have no desire to keep this going and risk any hint of scandal for our department or the medical center. And, as for your reputation—because I know that's foremost in your mind—Dr. Gross and I talked earlier today about the best way to handle the problem. I was adamant in my insistence that the incidents be allowed to fade away without further mention." Matney looked down at the immaculate surface of his desk." To this end, Dr. Gross will give you a terminal leave for the last two weeks of your training. Your certificate will show a graduation date of June 30, but as of now you're relieved of all clinical duties."
"I don't—"
The chairman steamrolled on, apparently anxious to get this done. "Since the doctor whose practice you're entering is pregnant, it's likely she'll be grateful for your early arrival. Perhaps a change of scene will be beneficial to you. It would, after all, take you away from a setting that was the scene of a very traumatic event in your life—an event that could possibly have influenced the way you react to subsequent patients in that same situation."
Elena tried unsuccessfully to wrap her mind around this change. "You're treating me like I'm the guilty party in all this. You're sending me into exile just to get me out of the way."
Matney cleared his throat and put on his best hyper-administrator manner. "I am neither affirming nor denying any culpability you have in the matter. What I am doing is protecting the reputation of the department and this institution by avoiding an investigation into a matter that, although the outcome was in no way unexpected or even improper, is best left alone."
"So I'm out of here," Elena said.
"Actually, when I first approached her, Dr. Gross was inclined to let you continue your residency to its conclusion. However, I felt it best that you leave the campus and managed to convince her to go along with my recommendation. You may consider yourself on probation under the supervision of Dr. Sewell for the next three months. If, at the end of that time, we find no further incidents of this nature, I will accept that you were blameless in the ones about which we've already talked. On the other hand, if
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