Coffee

Part Seventy-One: Toxic

Standing outside Virginia Stauton's office, I need answers and HIPPA be Damned I'll get them. Opening her door, she's not the least bit surprised I'm standing before her.

"Ah, Dr. Sharpe. A surprise finding you outside my office."

"We need to talk about Max." I nicely, but firmly state. Nodding, she extends her arm inward towards her office for me to enter. Doing so, I walk to the center of her room and politely wait for her to come in and shut the door.

"What do I owe the pleasure of having the Deputy and Chair Head visiting my office?" A sarcastic joy over comes her and I take a deep breath.

"Virginia, I know Max is your patient: I gave him to you for a reason, but as Deputy Medical Director and a concerned colleague- I must ask that you listen to my full concern about Max. He has become erratic, aggressive, confused at times. This last month he has only gotten worse- throwing objects in his office, yelling- just right now he was insistent on verbally attacking another doctor for answers in front of a room full of his peers who were scared and worried that he might do something. So, not as his girlfriend, not as his friend or previous doctor- but as his deputy: what is going on with him and what can we do to prevent such behaviors?" As I stop talking, her face falls and goes flush. She takes her glasses off and tiredly sits in her chair behind her desk and gestures for me to do the same. "I'm fine standing."

"Dr. Sharpe, I really think you should sit down." Hesitating for a brief moment, I look at her and try to figure out her next move and thought. Sitting, I gesture that I'm ready and she takes a very deep breath. "Max's treatment isn't working."

"Wh...what...what do you mean? I thought you said he was doing good?"

"Helen, as high a dose as I'm giving him- it's not even remotely touching his tumor. It's become malignant." My mouth gapes and I feel nauseous. Staring at the ceramic basketball on her desk, I feel my soul becoming crushed by the broken pieces of my heart. "I told him this morning that it wasn't working. He didn't say anything?"

"No. He...he was just so angry and upset. He isn't talking to me." Nodding, she shakes her head and sighs once more.

"His cortisol levels aren't through the roof. His personality is taking the brunt of everything."

"I told him yesterday, he needed to lower his dose and he refused because he thinks it's making him better faster: something you said to him. And now...now this? It's no wonder he's gone off the handle on Reynolds and everyone else. He's dying and he's scared and doesn't know how to cope because you are telling him he's doing great. I told you yesterday to lower it and you refused too."
I bite her head off clean and she swallows hard in her throat. "You will lower his dose before you kill him."

Getting up, I don't even wait for a response. I leave her office more upset and irritated than when I went in. Making my way to Reynolds office- he has to know what went down today was not on Max's agenda but more of his emotional status for his own mortality. Heading down the stairwell, I get to the second floor and make my way to his office. As I knock, Evie- who is sitting on the couch- looks at me.

"Now's not a good time."

"It's important. I need to talk to you Floyd...alone." I say and he looks at me and then nods for Evie to leave. Once she does, I shut the door and he starts in at it.

"If you're head to defend him- I don't want to hear it. What he did today..."

"I'm not defending him. What he did today was out of line and unprofessional...but Floyd, it wasn't his fault." He goes to argue and I jump in quickly. "He got news this morning that...that isn't good."