Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel

Chapter 58

         

Helen Hope had been asleep for just four hours on Saturday when she was paged. A nurse's husband had died. Nobody else was available. One cold shower, three large coffees, and one hour later, she clocked in for an eight-hour shift. She wasn't supposed to work again until Monday, and she needed the rest. But she also needed the money. So rest would have to wait. At least it wasn't a twelve-hour shift.

She looked over the charts. Not much had changed while she'd been sleeping. But then she saw it.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, nearly dropping her fresh cup of coffee.

Helen raced to find Dr. Cho, Chelsea Moore's primary care physician. Helen was able to catch her as she was heading into the ICU. She was washing her hands.

"Dr. Cho, I think there's been a mistake."

The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Ms. Moore in 319. It says that she's being prepped for discharge? That can't be right."

"Why not?"

"She's still recovering from a major heart attack. Her heart stopped again last night. She needs to be here another two days at least. For observation."

"Ms. Moore is doing exceptionally well. I reviewed her charts this morning and have been watching her all day. In my opinion, she would recover better at home."

"Did Ancien tell you that?"

Dr. Cho finished scrubbing her arms and dried them off.

"Ancien didn't have to. I've seen more post-op infections caused by people staying in the hospital longer than necessary than I care to count. This place is teeming with germs. Small children visiting their loved ones. Kids are walking petri dishes—you know that. The sooner we release people, the better for everyone."

"She's not ready."

"That's not your call. Now if you don't mind, I need to check on my double bypass patient. And you need to go help Ms. Moore get out of here. If she's not gone in thirty minutes, she's going to have to pay for another full day in that room."

Dr. Cho went through to the ICU. Helen shook her head but returned to room 319. Chelsea Moore was taking a nap. Helen couldn't bring herself to wake this woman up. After everything she'd been through, Helen couldn't understand why she'd be discharged so quickly.

Helen looked over Ms. Moore's vital signs on the screen. Like Dr. Cho had said, her vitals did indeed look healthy. Much stronger than when Helen had left the hospital a few hours ago. But this poor woman had almost died twice in the last few days. If it happened again and she wasn't already in the hospital, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Helen looked over at the Ancien recommendation. Prepare for discharge. Bullshit. That couldn't be right. Something had to be going on here. This poor woman wasn't ready to leave.

Chelsea opened her eyes and yawned.

"Ms. Moore, it's good to see you again."

"Don't you ever leave this hospital?" she asked.

Helen laughed. "It would appear not."

"They told me I'm being discharged."

"Yes, Dr. Cho thinks you're ready. How are you feeling, honey?"

"Tired."

The opiates hadn't even left her system yet, and they wanted her out of here? It made no sense.

"Do you have help at home? Someone who can take care of you? Feed you? Assist you in the bathroom?"

"Not really. I live alone." Her eyes struggled to stay open. "But it's a small apartment. It's not far to the bathroom."

"Do you have someone who can drive you home?"

She shook her head. "But I can call a cab, right?"

This wasn't right. Not right at all.