Trapped

Part 7

Once the jury was back in the courtroom, the judge entered, forcing everyone in the room to stand until they were told to be seated.

"Prosecution, do you have your next witness?" Judge Marks asked as he was looking at papers.

"Yes, your Honor, prosecution calls Doctor Karen Johnson to the stand," the attorney stated.

Ethan 's eyes narrowed as he watched Dr. Johnson approach the witness stand. She seemed to act overly confident, dressed in a dark blue business suit, her long brown hair pulled back neatly inot a bun. This was not the doctor that Ethan had grown accustomed to seeing when she came out to the house to look after Mark.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asked the doctor as she placed her right hand on the Bible.

"I do," Dr. Johnson replied.

"Please be seated," the judge ordered.

The prosecuting attorney approached the stand. "For the record, please state your full, legal name."

"Karen Elizabeth Johnson."

"And where are you employed?"

"Tampa Bay Hospital."

"And what do you do in your capacity at the hospital?"

"I am a doctor in the emergency room."

"Okay, could you recall for the court, the events that took place on April 22, 2015?"

"I was working my scheduled shift in the emergency room when they brought in a patient that was involved in a solo MVA," Dr. Johnson stated matter-of-factly.

"MVA?"

"Motor Vehicle Accident."

"And was there anything unusual about this particular patient that you recall?"

"He was awake but unresponsive, my first impression was a head injury, so I immediately ordered cat scans of the brain," Dr. Johnson recounted the events of that night. "The results were positive and the patient had a five centimeter bleed on the brain. I immediately ordered MSR in an IV drip, which is to prevent swelling on the brain and Solmederol injected into the port on the IV, which would hit the bloodstream quicker."

"How did the patient respond to this?"

"Not as I had anticipated. The patient deteriorated and was in a semi-vegetative state. He remained at Tampa for approximately three weeks and was transferred to a nursing home facility for around the clock care."

"What was this patient's name?"

"Mark Fischbach ."

"And how did he do while he was in the nursing home facility?"

"He remained stable, no significant changes."

Ethan sat listening to her tell her side of the story. Although she didn't lie about anything, she didn't give them all the details that would help clear him of any wrong doing.

"It wasn't until he was released into the care of his friend that his condition seemed to deteriorate," Dr. Johnson stated.

Ethan felt the attorney's hand on his shoulder as he leaned forward in his seat. He wanted to yell out that she was lying, it took all Ethan had in him to remain calm and quiet.

"Would you be able to identify this friend of Mr.Fischbach's?"

"Yes I would."

"Is this friend here in the courtroom?"