Chapter 4

Saturday, July 3, 1976

The nurse stepping into the room awakens me, I must have heard her open the door. It is the same nurse I met when I awoke from my coma. I was relieved to see her, but also slightly disappointed that it wasn’t Eve. The nurse stepped to the side of my bed. I read her nametag, and it read ‘Shirly Maxwell RN’ now I had a name to go with the face.

I greeted her by saying, “I missed you yesterday.”

“Oh, wow! It was my day off; I’ll be here throughout the holiday weekend. Did you really miss me? You only saw me for a short time. You were asleep most of the day.”

“Yes, I missed you very much. Compared to others here, you’re an angel of mercy.”

“Well, sir, I need to get your vitals and get the morning routine completed. So, if you’ll be quiet for just a minute, I can take your blood pressure and pulse. Then we’ll move on to empty the collection bag and a sponge bath, and finally, I’ll make sure that they change the linens.”

She took my vitals and entered the results into my chart. Then she replaced the collection bag with a fresh one. “Well, that’s done. Now let’s get you cleaned up.”

She removed the linens on the bed and then removed my hospital gown. She had a gentle patient touch. She began to talk about the fireworks that were planned for the fourth of July. It was going to be a big deal. Seeing as this was the Bicentennial of the founding of our country. She told me if I got the doctor’s ok, I could probably get a wheelchair and, I might be able to go to the rooftop picnic area, where I would have a good view of them. By that time, she completed the job.

I was shocked that it was all over already. I hadn’t felt much of anything. “Are you sure you cleaned me up or did you use some Jedi mind trick on me?”

“I can assure you, young man, I did a thorough and professional job of cleaning you. What’s a Jedi mind trick?”

“Um, never mind. Let’s just say that it’s used to cloud your thinking and to distract you from what’s going on.”

“Well, if you put it that way, then yes, I guess I did. I talked about something completely different than what I was doing in an attempt to keep you preoccupied and from becoming self-conscious. Thus, allowing me to complete the task quickly and efficiently. Now put on this clean gown, and I’ll make sure the candy striper comes with the clean linen.” And with that, she left me to get dressed in a new hospital gown.

As soon as I was decent, a knock came at the door, “Come In. It’s open.” I answered. It was Eve with the clean linens. I watched as she scrambled to make the bed and was amazed by her perfect hospital corners, something I struggled to imitate for my Drill Sergeant. Of course, having to go downstairs and the outside to bring in my bed cured me of this problem. Seeing her perform this task so efficiently brought back some memories.

After she completed making up the bed, she told me to get into an awaiting wheelchair that was parked next to the door. “You have an appointment with radiology this morning; I’m supposed to take you there ASAP. Doctor Albright seems to think your broken bones have mended already, a medical impossibility if you ask me.”

“Why can’t it be a medical miracle?” I responded, with a little bit of a huff.

“Michael, I would like to see a medical miracle. If anyone deserved it, it would be you. But let’s be serious for a moment; three weeks is not enough time for major injuries like yours to heal. Bones need much longer to knit back together and regrow properly. Heck, even if I weren’t planning on becoming a doctor, I would know that. Usually, it is months to heal. So please get into the wheelchair and let me do my job, and we’ll let the x-rays tell the story.” We made our way to radiology, where Eve left me to await the radiologist to get the pictures needed for Doctor Albright.

After I finished there, another volunteer wheeled me back to my room. I had missed breakfast with all this going on, so I was enthusiastic to see lunch was ready. It also appeared that my dietary restrictions were no longer in effect. It was actual food. It was typical hospital fare. Nutritionally adequate but lacking in every other respect.

Additionally, I had the ok for the catheter to be removed as well. Nurse Maxwell came right after lunch and gave me the good news; then, she went about the removal of the catheter and the associated hardware that went with it. It hurt slightly to have it pulled out, but there was nothing to do but just get it over. “I am going to get you a pair of crutches so you can get up and use the restroom by yourself. I do not want you up and around and haunting the hallways. You have not been cleared for full mobility yet. You are to have an appointment with a physical therapist so we can determine what mobility issues you will be facing. I don’t care how you buffaloed Doctor Albright, but you are to use these whenever you are not in your bed. And right now, you are only allowed to go to the restroom. Am I making myself clear young man?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I automatically replied. Damn, she must be the mother of a teenage boy, because, for a brief moment, she sounded just like my mother. She had that mom voice down pat. “Do you have children, Nurse Maxwell?” I asked. It just slipped out; I wasn’t even thinking.

“Why yes, I have three sons aged 20, 17, and 12. Why do you ask?”

“Because you have that mom voice and attitude down pat. For a second, I was hearing my mom giving me those instructions. And believe me, you don’t disregard my mom’s orders.”

“Oh son, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” She was nearly in tears.

“Oh no ma’am, they weren’t bad memories, they are good ones. It’s just for a brief moment. It was like having her back here with me.” I started to cry, this being a kid stinks. I don’t remember crying this much the first time around. I’m becoming overly sensitive. I am not convinced that this is for the best.

Nurse Maxwell gave me a brief hug and told me. “Be careful and don’t get caught outside of the room. The nurse’s station is to the left, and the hallway to the right leads to the elevators, which are the first left after going a few yards, on the fourth floor is pediatrics.” Then she left the room with a smile and humming a tune that vaguely sounded like Que Sera, Sera. I was a bit stumped.

With it being a Saturday, I was a bit surprised to see Tom Sawyer, my lawyer, come through the door.

“Hello Michael, I have some good news. I talked to the owner of the trucking company, and he has agreed to settle out of court. He actually called me to make an offer. He took one look at the prognosis the doctor made. Saw the medical recommendations and agreed to pay all your medical bills arising from the accident, as well as any future medical expenses. That was, like I said, a given. Plus, he’s offered a separate settlement for your parents’ deaths. And then a third separate settlement for you. And finally, they are willing to pay my fees based on a flat fee of 25 percent tied to the total overall settlement agreement, which, to be honest, is a little low. Now, this is going to be complicated because most of this settlement is not in the form of cash. To be honest, the company, while fairly profitable, is seriously cash-poor currently. That’s why I believe we should reject the settlement and try to go for an entire cash deal.”

“You still work for me, correct? Not my uncle or for any other party. I mean, you were my parents’ lawyer, and I haven’t actually signed any paperwork that authorizes you to represent me. I did verbally agree to let you try and strike a deal. So, you work for me, correct?”

“Yes, I am obligated as your attorney to make you aware of any legitimate settlement offer. That’s why I am here. This is a real offer, but it’s a bit low, in my opinion. I think we could get a much better deal than what they are offering, but this is a legitimate offer.”

“Okay, give me all the details, not just the highlights but the whole deal. And then tell me why I should or should not take it.”

“Alright, here it is, the medical settlement is straight forward. Yours and your parent’s medical expenses arising from the accident will be borne by the company.”

“Excuse me for one second, can I have the name of the trucking company?”

“Oh, sorry, I thought I gave you that information. The company is Bishop Transportation, and Jack Bishop owns it. It’s one of the largest regional trucking companies in The United States. Last year’s revenues were 85 million dollars, and its profits were 38 million dollars.”

I was astounded I knew Bishop Transportation would be bought out by Knight Transportation in 2001. I remember because it was in the Wall Street Journal with the headline Knights takes Bishop as N X B. I am a chess player, so the headline caught my eye. It was a one-billion-dollar deal as I recall. I wish I had my cell phone. I could go to the inflation calculator and look up how much one billion would be worth today. It would be a significantly smaller number, I am sure.

“So, you see why we need to go after these guys. There is a lot of money to be had.”

“Ok back to the offer on the table, what exactly are they offering?”

Mr. Sawyer sat down, pulled a folder from his briefcase, and he started to read.

Mr. Sawyer quit reading and looked up. “This is ridiculous, I’ve never seen a settlement agreement offer any company stock in place of cash compensation. I find it to be incredible; they are offering you an ownership stake. It seems rather stupid on their part. Plus, how do we know that the stock will continue to rise? It may just as easily go down.”

“I’ll take it just as it stands, just how it’s offered. I was going to invest in stocks anyhow, so this will work. That, combined with the three million from the loss of my parents, should give me enough cash to do what I’m planning.”

“I have to advise you this is a gamble; they are getting off cheap. There is no way to know how well the stock or company will continue to perform. I say we push for a total cash settlement equal to the offer they made plus 30 percent to account for inflation and cost of living adjustments over the next 50 years. I think they can afford it, and they just don’t want to pay.”

“I said I’ll take their offer. I’ll sign whatever they want. Then I can begin to put this whole thing behind me. I’m sure there are some papers I have to sign, so hand them over so I can sign them and complete this and move on.”

Mr. Sawyer looked unhappy as he handed me the paperwork to read. He informed me that my guardian would have to sign and approve of the settlement agreement.

“What? You can’t blame me for trying. It’s my job to get as big a settlement as I can.”