“Mariel!” Pia yelled. “This is outrageous. What the hell is going on?”

Mariel treated Pia to one of her signature disdainful expressions. “What is going on is we’re signing him out of the hospital and over to our jurisdiction and our responsibility. I told you on the phone we were going to take care of this situation.” The last sentence was hissed quietly, through clenched teeth.

“I know what you told me,” said Pia with disbelief. “But I’m telling you he needs to be monitored and completely examined.”

“The patient can be better monitored at the Nano infirmary, which is better equipped to handle this kind of emergency, and he will be looked after by Nano’s physicians, who are intimately aware of the totality of the man’s health status. I thank you for helping the man, but I told you not to let them treat him, and they took his blood.”

Now Pia was openmouthed. Not the least of the surprises was the suggestion that Nano had a fully staffed infirmary. Dr. Caldwell was still protesting out in the hall, saying that the man should be kept in the hospital, that his patient was being essentially kidnapped, that he and the staff were being held hostage in their own hospital.

Pia watched as the strange group prepared to leave. The two Chinese men were supporting the patient, followed by the two security guards and then Mariel. Before the patient left the room he treated Pia to a weak smile and a wave as if to say thank you.

“Come on!” Mariel ordered Pia before exiting. “You can ride in the vehicle with me.”

Dutifully, Pia followed. Out in the hallway the group joined the other two security guards, who then let Paul run down the hall toward the ER desk. With two security guards in front and two bringing up the rear, the group headed for the main ER exit.

When Paul reached the ER desk his timing was opportune. Arriving at that very second was a gaggle of suited hospital administration functionaries that included the hospital president, Carl Noakes. Along with this group were several uniformed hospital security people. Adding to the confusion were several uniformed Boulder policemen who also arrived at the same time, including the officer who’d gone out with the EMTs to get the stricken runner.

“Ah, Dr. Caldwell,” said Mr. Noakes, slightly out of breath. “Perhaps you can explain what is going on here.”

Paul groaned inwardly—Mr. Noakes, the hospital president, was a figurehead as far as Caldwell was concerned, and not the man you wanted to see in a situation like this. He was a bottom-line bureaucrat.

“We have a problem here where a non-English-speaking patient who presumably had had a cardiac arrest is being signed out against my orders.”

At that critical point the two disparate groups met head-on. Noakes held up his hand for everyone to stop. Then he cleared his throat. “I think we have a misunderstanding here. What is the patient’s name, Dr. Caldwell?”