again, you can go straight to hell.”
“I’d never do that, and you know damned well I wouldn’t,” Dave quickly retorted. “I honestly had no idea what we were getting into, and to be very honest, no one else could’ve accomplished what you were able to do for those Sisters. At least you stopped those corrupt bastards in their tracks, and the Harrington and Associates, and the whole country for that matter are indebted to you. The sad part is Baker exposed our strategy to those bastards for some sort of kick-back, and sold you and your family down the river, which I promise you - I will never do.”
“I guess I have to blame myself for that - I knew he was using me right from the start and it was all very stupid on my part to ever agree to help him out in the first place. Look, I’m just not ready to consult for you again. I’m too busy trying to tell the world about our crises in healthcare - that’s if the public will ever listen to what I have to say - but I guess nobody wants to hear bad news. That dammed Oligarchy that’s running our country, thinks the myopic herd will just hide its head in the sand and hope it’ll go away.”
Tensing his jaw, Dave bristled, “Bill, this insidious money grabbing is growing by leaps and bounds all over the country. What’s worse is it seems like everyone wants to market the hell out of the poor sick and disabled, and it’s not just these God damned insurance companies and the pharmaceutical houses, it’s these international bankers that want to control everything, including the entire world market. Hell, we don’t have a clue as to where this New World Oligarchy is taking us, and no one seems to give a damn as long as it doesn’t hurt any of these wealthy bastards that are benefitting from it all. Every place I consult I’m seeing more and more executive fraud, and with all these damned CEO’s and politicians stealing from our public treasury, we’ve got a monster starring us right in the face.” Dave paused to look around the Tavern - then leaning closer he whispered. “And the damned public acts as if nothings going on! No one seems to give a damn about the Great Cover Up that’s playing out right in front of us. It’s almost as if we don’t care that some entrepreneurial fat cat is picking our pockets. What a con job!”
“No wonder we’re all becoming so apathetic,” Bill snarled, feeling his emotions rise as he sat back to take a quick swallow of the cool draft beer the waiter had just set in front of him. “Shit - we could talk about this crap all day, and it wouldn’t change a thing. What is it you wanted to see me about?”
Dave waved his hand at the waiter saying, “Hey, we’d like to order.”
As soon as the waiter took their order, Dave slid his chair closer, so he wouldn’t be overheard.
“All right, let me tell you what’s on my mind. In the not to distant future, the Denver Post is releasing an explosive story that’s going to blow the lid right off Mr. Bakencamp’s hide out - and its all got to do with this damned deregulation this crooked Oligarchy’s been promoting. Then in a few months, a national news network is going to feature a story called, The Epidemic that Never Was. It’s all about a neurosurgeon and his young resident who’ve been performing a very radical surgical procedure on hundreds of infants, without the parents ever really understanding the risks involved.”
“What kind of risks?” Bill asked, looking confused.
“Apparently they’ve removed and reshaped hundreds of infants’ entire skull caps, to correct a questionable cosmetic problem called Craniosynostosis, or CS. And at last count, they’ve done more than a thousand of these major surgeries without following any surgical standards. Doctor Hanes, the neurosurgeon who started all this, apparently developed this fifty thousand dollar procedure all on his own - and he’s been getting very wealthy from it - that is until the Center for Disease Control blew the whistle on him and began to investigate the situation. Rumor had it that this very extensive procedure was even being done on infants who had no documented symptoms - and apparently he’s left a trail of babies that have grown up with terrible physical complications, and a batch of lawsuits that are now skyrocketing. In fact, if the hospital loses too many of these lawsuits, they just may have to close.”
“Sounds like they should,” Bill snarled, rubbing one hand over his unshaved chin. “Just what the hell does Bakencamp have to say for himself? Was he hiding in a closet when this was all going on?”
“That’s exactly where he’s been. And now he wants me to save his ass!”
Dave took another quick swallow of beer as the waiter set their sandwiches in front of them.
“Can I get you anything else?” he asked.
Again Dave waved him off, briefly staring at his sandwich before he unconsciously picked it up to take a bite.
“Why are these characters removing the infant’s entire skull cap?” Bill asked.
Dave paused, slowly putting down his sandwich. “Well as you well know, CS involves the premature fusing of the skull plates, which can eventually cause some really bad deformities. And Doctor Hanes was terrifying these parents by telling them their child would have increased pressure on the brain and would probably become mentally retarded, or even insane - when there was no real evidence that could ever substantiate that.” Pausing just long enough to finally take a bite of his sandwich, Dave continued. “But what responsible parent would ignore the physician,” he mumbled through a full mouth. “They do just what all worried parents would do - they listen to this profound God-like creature. And Bill, as you know too well, some of these guys think they can walk on water. And since the parents are afraid of irritating this guy who might be performing major surgery on their child they just accepted everything he says. They don’t even get a second opinion from another qualified neurosurgeon - doesn’t that sound familiar?”
“Yah - it sure does,” Bill frowned, swallowing a bite of his Rueben.
“After the Center for Disease Control and the Health Department became involved, they did a study of some two hundred of his CS surgeries, and determined that Hanes and his resident were falsely diagnosing CS symptoms in over sixty percent of their cases and totally ignoring surgical standards.
“You can’t be serious!” Bill shouted.
“Oh yes I am. And on top of that, it appears that Hanes has a huge referral network of former residents who refer him all kinds of candidates.”
With that Bill stopped chewing. “So you’re saying there is no justification? Is there some sort of kickback?” he asked. “It always comes down to the almighty buck, doesn’t it? So was money the reason?”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Dave moaned. “And now Bakencamp has hired me to protect his treasure.”
“I don’t get it - what possible help do you want from me?”
“Hell, what I’ve described is just the tip of the iceberg. Some of these infants are now showing the results of his butchery. They have scars and lumps in their skulls, which they’re teased about in school, and they get headaches and a whole bunch of other physical problems. Worse yet, just three years ago a six-month-old infant with a known cardiac problem had a cardiac arrest on the surgical table. She’s now retarded and almost totally blind. Another infant died from the procedure, and a dozen or more parents are lining up in the wings to initiate lawsuits against the hospital and this self aggrandizing surgeon and his resident, Larry McGrath. And what’s even worse is this Young Turk, McGrath, recently signed an agreement to buy out Hanes, and now he intends to continue this money making fiasco. Bill - it’s just one big nightmare!”
“Well, at least the public is starting to show signs of
