Fertility: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

in the room.”
    “And when were the clindamycin and heparin administered?” Sarah asked.
    At this point tears began streaming down Hilker’s face. She got a tissue from her purse and shook her head in resignation. “When I checked on the baby, she woke up with a start and began to cry. Both of the parents came to the crib to try to calm her down, but the truth was, they were so upset I’m not certain they were much help. I checked that both of the meds had the correct patient name. Then I hung the clindamycin from the IV stand and connected it to the catheter. As I was about to flush the IV with heparin, Dina Geissinger came into the room for the consultation.”
    Sarah interrupted her. “I understand the new computer medication system has bar codes that have to be scanned at every point. Did you scan the drugs before administering them?”
    Still looking at her hands, the nurse explained what had happened next. “I attempted to scan the medications. The clindamycin scanned, no problem. But the heparin wouldn’t scan. I remembered that the pharmacy tech said they were having a problem with the new system so I figured it was just a glitch. The system only started last Monday and we’re all learning as we go. As I said, I visually checked the patient’s name and medication name.”
    “And what about the dosage?”
    Hilker looked up from her hands and stared directly into Sarah’s eyes. “The label looked correct — 10 units per milliliter.”
    “So what did you do then?”
    “I flushed the intravenous line with the heparin to keep it patent — open.”
    “Who was in the room at this point?”
    “As I said, the parents and Dina Geissinger. But then the three of them left for an examining room. I checked the IV one more time before I took off my gown and gloves and left the room. The baby had fallen back to sleep by the time I returned to the nurses’ station.”
    “Do you recall the time you left the baby?”
    “Yes, it was five o’clock. I remember because I knew the cafeteria would be open and I could get a takeout dinner to get me through until nine. Of course, with all that happened after I came back from the cafeteria, I never got to eat that dinner.”

 
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    Joyce Hilker’s blow-by-blow account of the events that followed her return from the cafeteria stirred both dread and awe in Sarah. The mother’s screams brought Hilker running into the baby’s room, where she found her wailing, “Oh my God, oh my God, help my poor baby.” The nurse was joined by Dr. Smith, who immediately diagnosed the overdose and started treatment to reverse its devastating effects.
    Hilker finished telling her story fifty minutes after she began. If the nurse had looked tired at the start of the interview, she was drained when it was done. Sarah thanked her for her cooperation. She also thanked Cletus Jackson, shaking hands with them both as she saw them out. Then the agnostic Sarah offered up a silent thank you. The union rep had not, in fact, prevented the nurse from giving what appeared to be a thorough account of the events of the previous night.
    As she’d listened to Hilker’s description of the quick response of the medical team, particularly the work of the pediatric fellow, Sarah wondered what it would feel like to have the skills and knowledge to save a person’s life. Since her last boyfriend had taken a walk rather than entertain the thought of marriage, she had made work the center of her universe. Harry handpicked her to be his protégée last year and gave her more responsibilities than most associates — these interviews being a prime example. She knew she had a good shot at continuing to rise through the ranks of her firm. But she had no idea what it would feel like to prevent someone from dying. She had to be satisfied with protecting hospitals and their staffs from frivolous malpractice suits so that they could engage in their life-saving work. But it was clear that if this