Mercy (44 page)
Authors: Daniel Palmer
“Yes, of course.”
Trevor went with Paul.
Pamela and Julie stepped away from the crowd.
“My husband is not a horrible man,” Pamela said. “But what he did was wrong. In his defense, Roman Janowski misled him into believing our son’s killer would go free if they exhumed Donald’s body. He never thought Brandon was innocent, but obviously the money Roman offered clouded his better judgment.”
Julie gave her a nod. “I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through,” was all she could think to say.
“I’ve done my research. I believe you and your friend, Jordan Cobb, saved many lives, not to mention what you’ve done for Brandon.”
“We just wanted the truth.”
“Well, there’s something I would like to share with Jordan. I was hoping you could introduce me.”
Julie called Jordan over and made the introductions. Jordan wore a shirt and tie and looked handsome, though his expression was uneasy.
“Jordan, what you have done, the risks you took, the commitment you showed to serving truth and justice, deserve merit and reward.”
Jordan gave a shrug. “Thank you, but I was just trying to help.”
“You did more than that. What happens to my husband from here is not your concern. His motives were good, but his methods deserve reprobation. You, on the other hand, deserve our admiration—both you and Dr. Devereux.”
“Thank you,” Jordan said. “Kind of you to say.”
“It’s more than kindness. I have a letter from the mayor of Boston indicating in strong language that you should file for an official pardon request for your past crimes. I believe you’ll be granted one without delay. In addition, I have commitments from several medical schools that would welcome you into their programs and provide substantial financial aid.”
“You mean I could become a pathologist?”
“If it’s your wish.”
Jordan beamed. Lucy came over and heard the news and soon others had gathered around Jordan to share congratulations. His sisters—each wearing a dress, the older girl in blue, and the younger one in white—clung to him with proud looks on their faces.
All the adulation gave Pamela a moment to continue her conversation with Julie.
“I want you to know how sorry William is for what he’s done. Donald’s death was a relief to him. In some ways his death was a relief to me, if I’m being honest. To see my son suffer was—well, it was hard on us all. I’ll just leave it at that. But I do believe William was sincerely concerned for my health. He knew it would be a devastating blow to me if I thought Donald’s killer went free. I’m sticking by my husband’s side. I’m not proud of what he did, but ultimately I believe he did it out of love.”
“Michelle was driven by compassion, too,” Julie said. “But that doesn’t make it right.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Pamela said. “I’m sure if he knew what Roman Janowski was really up to, he would never have bribed the judge.”
“If he did it only for justice, he would have done so without requiring a cash payment first,” Julie said.
“I suppose that’s true,” Pamela said. She removed an envelope from her purse. “William wrote you a letter and I promised him I would deliver it to you personally. Julie, I’m truly sorry for everything.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Julie said. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re a mother who suffered a terrible loss.”
“That’s true, I am. But I don’t need to be culpable to care. Compassion is what binds us. It’s what makes living worthwhile.”
Julie thought of her life’s work and believed Pamela was right. She also thought of Michelle, who had become what Brandon once was: a symbol for the mercy movement with regular visitors to her grave. In a way, Michelle had shown great compassion to her victims. But without the patient’s choice in the matter, or the support of the law, Michelle’s compassion had been nothing less than a crime. As for Julie, her stance on death with dignity remained clouded. Sam’s case had made her more open to the opposing views of legalized assisted suicide.
The two women hugged briefly, then Pamela walked away. Lucy, Trevor, and Paul came over to Julie.
“What was that about?” Lucy asked.
“It’s about love and grief,” Julie said.
Paul pulled Julie into a side hug. He noticed Trevor looking.
“I’m very fond of your mom, son,” Paul said with a wink, “but we’re not getting back together.” Then Paul turned to Julie. “But I’m damn proud of her, and I couldn’t ask for a better mom for my son.” Paul gave Julie a gentle kiss on the forehead.
At that moment a loud buzzer drew the crowd’s attention to a gated entrance topped by razor wire. A door behind the enclosure opened and out stepped Brandon Stahl, dressed in street clothes, a big smile on his face, looking just like a man enjoying his first taste of freedom.
My father sometimes quipped that he loved having written books more than writing them. The ideas didn’t always come easy. Perhaps for that reason he kept a motivational note taped to his computer monitor that read:
This is hard
. The other note taped below it read:
Be fearless
. My dad brought the discipline and work ethic he learned as a doctor to the craft of writing. It was his nature to attend to each word as if it were an expertly applied suture.
The bottom line: The work was lonely for him. He thrived in the chaos of the ER. Book writing meant hours of solitude and day after day of mental gymnastics. It could be isolating. My father drew the inspiration to work hard and be fearless from his readers around the globe. It was the connection he made to you, and the one he had with his team at St. Martin’s—the editors; artists; public relations, sales, and marketing personnel—that reminded him the book business wasn’t quite as lonely as it seemed.
To that end, I wish to thank those who contributed their time and expertise to this novel. Dr. David Grass, whose knowledge and expertise continue to astound me, was present in mind and spirit for every word on every page. In reading
Mercy,
you might wonder if I had snuck off between books to earn my M.D. from an esteemed medical college. I assure you, I did not. However, Dr. Marya Koza-Saade shared her expertise as a critical care physician and in doing so allowed me to bring Dr. Julie Devereux’s story to life. If you look at all the doctors who contributed to this novel, I think I have most of the medical specialties covered. I wouldn’t have known anything about Xolair, among other tidbits, without the guidance of Dr. William Goodman. Dr. Peter Wertheimer is a wellspring of ideas and medical knowledge that he has kindly shared with me at the bus stop on many occasions. Dr. Ethan Prince, an interventional radiologist and my dear cousin, walked me through some very tricky procedures. Dr. J. James Rohack, an esteemed cardiologist, was my expert on all things related to the human heart. Without the help of Dr. Steve Adelman from Physician Health Services, a Massachusetts Medical Society corporation (where my father worked as a director), I would not have found Jim or Marya, and would thus have been extremely handicapped in completing this novel.
I enjoy making this a family affair. My aunt, Susan Palmer Terry, sister to my father, spent her career consulting on the business side of medicine; she enlightened me about accountable care organizations and helped shape Romey’s storyline. Other shaping came from the careful reads of Judy Palmer and Clair Lamb. A special nod of appreciation goes to my wife, Jessica, and my children, Benjamin and Sophie, for their continued love and support. My brothers, Matthew and Luke, both talented writers—Matthew with several published thrillers of his own—offered encouragement and creative inspiration on multiple occasions. And thanks always to Meg Ruley and the gang at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, who believed all along I could do this job. To that end, my deepest gratitude goes to Jennifer Enderlin, my father’s beloved editor for many years, who entrusted me with his brand.
A great deal of gratitude also goes to you, the reader. It’s challenging but incredibly rewarding to continue my father’s groundbreaking work in the genre of medical thrillers. My hope is to keep that legacy alive in a way that is satisfying and entertaining to readers of the genre and most important to my father’s many fans. I’m not an imitation of my father, nor do I think it’s possible to replicate another’s distinctive voice. But my personal pledge is to deliver novels that adhere to my father’s sensibilities, to his innate understanding of drama, and to his knowledge of what makes characters compelling and stories hard to put down. My stated goal is simply to do him proud.
In that regard, I hope I have succeeded.
Daniel Palmer
Hollis, New Hampshire
ALSO BY
MICHAEL PALMER
AND
DANIEL PALMER
ALSO BY
MICHAEL PALMER
The Sisterhood
Side Effects
Flashback
Extreme Measures
Natural Causes
Silent Treatment
Critical Judgment
Miracle Cure
The Patient
Fatal
The Society
MICHAEL PALMER
is the author of twenty novels of medical suspense, all international bestsellers. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages.
Extreme Measures
was the basis for a movie starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman. You can sign up for email updates
here
DANIEL PALMER
is the author of four critically acclaimed suspense novels. After receiving his master’s degree from Boston University, he spent a decade as an e-commerce pioneer. A recording artist, accomplished blues harmonica player, and lifelong Red Sox fan, Daniel lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children, where he is currently at work on his next novel. You can sign up for email updates
here
.