Chapter 5: Transplant

June 12 at 1:00 PM

"Good morning, Dr. Bartheid," I stepped inside.

"Good morning, Director Cahill," he nodded, drying off his hands. "Congratulations on your new promotion."

"You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" I gently shut the door.

"I may have put in a good word for you here and there," he winked.

"So what's on tap?"

"Heart transplant."

"Really? Are you sure that an asylum should be performing heart transplants? That's a fairly complicated procedure."

"We do these all the time." He laid out a series of surgical instruments.

"Well, you are the doctor," I grabbed the clipboard. "Let me know if you need a helping hand." I scanned over the paperwork. "Is this correct? The patient has elected not to receive local anesthetics?"

"That's what it says," he replied.

"You're not going to honor that request, are you Dr. Bartheid? The stress to the body could kill them."

"This is the way it's always been done, sir," he snatched the clipboard from my hands. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a patient to prep for surgery."

"Not so fast, doctor," I snatched the clipboard back. "Who is the donor?"

Dr. Bartheid froze, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Well, to be honest, I was hoping you would volunteer one of the patients."

"What?!"

"We've been searching for a donor for months, but no one has signed up. Unless we find a new heart in a couple of hours, the patient is going to die."

"You've got to be kidding," I turned aside. "My first hour on the job and you put the life of this dying soul in my hands?"

"No one said being a director is easy," he put his hand on my shoulder. "So what do you say? There are over a thousand patients in Pauperdelle. Think you can spare one?"

"I've got one in mind, that's not the problem. In fact, I can think of several."

"Then what is the problem, Director Cahill?" Dr. Bartheid pressed closer.

"We're going to need a special pharmaceutical cocktail for this one," I looked the doctor in the eye.

"And why is that?"

"Because this will be the second heart he's donated this year."