Highest Bidder

Part 2: Bad News

Setting my purse down on my kitchen counter this morning, I grab my banana and iPad from it's charger and stuff it in my Burken Bag. I thought all night about how to treat Mr. Dennon. Unfortunately, I'm down to two options.

1.) Remove the cancer cells from the tumor and do radiation, but leave the bulk behind in his spinal column for support and hope the cancer doesn't come back.

Or

2.) Remove the mass and destroy the cancer cells and hope he still has mobility and function left. He may end up with a brace but if we can fully remove it all, I'd feel much better about the whole thing.

It's a tough call for sure and Dr. Rami needs to be onboard with everything.

Heading out my front door, my phone starts going off and I see that it's Flores.

"Good morning."

"Are you at work?" She sounds conflicted.

"Um, on my way now. Why?"

"You don't want to come in today. Just call in sick and turn around and go home."

"Diana? What's going on?"

"Trust me, Sharpe. You don't want to work today." She hangs up and I can't help but stare at my phone screen for a few minutes. Baffled. I'm baffled and confused at what she could possibly be talking about. I guess I'm just going to have to find out on my own. I get a few more feet and my phone goes off again. Dr. Valerie Jessup. What does she want?

"Sharpe! Are you at the Dam?"

"No? What's going on?"

"Trust me, you want to steer clear today. Don't come in. Don't phone in. Just go home and turn your phone off and pretend you're on vacation!" She hangs up before I can even ask another question. I continue on, despite two warnings. If something serious is happening, why isn't Max informing me of it. I am Deputy Medical Director after all.

Once more my phone rings as I get to the walk to cross over to the Dam.

"Helen! Are you in the Dam yet?"

"No. Valentina! What's going on? Seriously, just tell me."

"Save yourself, Helen. Normally I wouldn't bother giving you advice, but I wish someone would have called me." She hangs up and I start up the steps when Lauren calls me.

"Helen! What the actual fuck is going on? Are you here?"

"I'm literally walking in the door. Why's everyone calling me?"

"DON'T ENTER THE BUILDING!" She screams and then her phone loses signal. I stop at the door and start to back up from it. Is it quarantined? Is there a serious virus loose inside? Crazy mental patient trying to kill people? Escaped prisoner? What's going on? As I back up and turn to leave so I can go home and avoid whatever's going on, I back into someone and when I turn around, it's Todd.

"Dr. Helen Sharpe?"

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna need you to come with me." I has his hand just above my elbow and he starts leading me into the building. So there's no plague? No code silver? Then what?

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I believe that's classified until you are briefed." He leads me across the atrium and escorts me through administration. Am I in trouble? I don't recall doing anything serious. He takes down passed the security desk and we are outside the Big Ballroom. What the Hell is going on? We enter and I see all the female doctors split on two sides making almost an aisle way that leads to Karen Brantley herself up on stage. I look around and see that there are chairs set up and in the corners near the stage are two stylists and racks of clothing. What? He takes me all the way up to Brantley and all the women- Lauren, Diana, Valentina, Valeria- and every other doctor I work with are staring at me the whole way. Todd stops me short of the stage and Brantley looks down up on me from a chair. Like she's the queen or something.