Deceit: A Life Of Lies by Mark Hopkins

Author:Mark Hopkins [Hopkins, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EF Press
Published: 2020-03-09T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

It had been about two hours since Seth received the call from Alison. Signing off the chart of his last patient, he walked back to his office. Logging into his computer, he pulled up his electronic medical record documentation program. Adding his credentials and passcode to the login screen, he waited as everything loaded. It was the main irritation of his job—his server was always slow at retrieving his EMR file. He wished, at times that he still used pen and paper to write his progress notes.

As he waited for his system to load, he opened the drawer to his desk and pulled out a bottle of pills. Feeling anxious and stressed from the day, he tipped out one of his anxiolytic tablets and swallowed it dry. Hoping the pill, highly coveted by any drug addict, would take effect soon, he opened Tessie Johanan’s chart. He’d figured out, without being told, what they needed. He knew he’d prescribed her a class 2 narcotic, but didn’t find it relevant during the initial investigation.

I see hundreds of patients a week—this isn’t uncommon, he thought to himself.

Printing out the progress note, knowing he was breaking patient-physician confidentiality privileges, he folded it and shoved it in the depths of his scrubs’ pocket.

Buzzing the front desk, he informed the receptionist that he needed to cancel all remaining afternoon appointments, and reschedule them for tomorrow. Grabbing his bag and cup of coffee, he headed towards the entrance to the lobby. Pausing a moment, gathering his thoughts, he wondered if this would be an issue with Alison—he’d clearly withheld information, but didn’t feel it relevant to the case at the time.

Walking out the front door of the clinic, he caught his reflection in the tinted glass. He had goosepimples all over his arms, at the sight of himself. He knew he was handsome, and had a feeling others did as well. Smiling at his own reflection, he walked out into the Texas heat and headed for his car.

Driving to the neighboring town took about half an hour—depending on the number of highway patrolmen sitting around, and the weather. This area of Texas was known for rough winters and blistering hot and windy summers… all of which wreaked havoc on any driver. Cranking his stereo up, he relaxed to the sounds of Bach. Classical music always interested him. It soothed him. Growing up, while his dad blasted the latest country tunes, he zoned out with an aria or a slow sonata.

During his drive, he often thought about the events that occurred during the last few hours—but today, his mind went back to his childhood. Growing up, he was alone. Seth was the child who his parents had forgotten. He was left without a boy’s best friend, his father, and the nurturing, loving nature of a mother. His parents didn’t intentionally forget him—life just got in the way. From his father’s sheriff role, to his mother’s constant doting on her students, Seth felt like the world evolved around anyone but himself.

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