Third Person - Complete

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

David Roberts stood up when Doctor Harkness entered the room, shaking his head.

"How is he?" David asked, putting his hands behind his back to clasp his hands. He could tell he was sweating despite the cool air of the office.

"He needs to sleep," Dr. Harkness stated, moving around behind his desk. "But you and I need to talk."

David nodded, moving over and sitting down.

"I asked him if I could share treatment options and discussion of his medical condition and he gave permission for me to discuss his condition with you," Dr. Harkness stated, steepling his fingers. "Normally, as my patient, HIPPA would prevent me from discussing his condition and treatment with you."

"I understand," David said carefully.

"What did he tell you caused his injuries?" Harkness asked.

David shrugged. "He stated he was in a vehicle wreck. No details."

Harkness nodded, his eyes shadowed. "You served in Vietnam, did you not?" When David nodded, Doctor Harkness continued. "Then you know, as well as I do, that unless on of the vehicles involved in the crash was firing a gun at him, that story is a lie."

Despite the seriousness, David snorted a laugh.

Harkness nodded again. "You son was shot, from behind, at an angle. The bullets broke his right scapula, two of his ribs in the back, punctured his lung, and exited below his collar bone. From the scarring, it looks as if he was hit by three bullets each a half-inch to an inch from one another in a short distance."

David nodded again. "I've seen that kind of injury before."

"In Vietnam," The Doctor said. It wasn't a question, and David didn't answer as the doctor continued. "One thing that I'm unsure of the reasoning behind, it appears he had surgery performed on him that there were followup surgeries to alter and repair."

David nodded silently. The doctor waited for him to elaborate, the second hand on the clock clicking in the silence. The doctor shook his head.

"Whoever did the first operation, cut into him to clear bone shrapnel without using the bone fragments to repair the skeletal elements. The lung was stitched shut, several veins were repaired, and he was closed. Another surgical team repaired injuries that the first surgeon ignored, as well as redid the surgical repairs to be cleaner," The Doctor said.

"Battlefield medicine," David shrugged. "Stabilize them, ship them to the rear for full repairs."

Doctor Harkness nodded slowly. "Except for one thing, Mister Roberts."

"Which is?" David asked.

"What battlefield did this occur on? Was it a training accident?" He asked.

David shrugged, remembering the warning at the end of the phone call he had made.

The truth of the matter is national security, Freight Train. What your boy is involved in is beyond our pay grade back in the 'Nam. Tread carefully.

Doctor Harkness waited a long moment, then sighed.

"While his lung was damaged, it looks like he's responding well to the surgery and healing up quite well. The fixators in his right scapula will probably be able to be removed in a few months. However, his physical injuries aren't what concerns me," The doctor said.

"Oh?" David raised an eyebrow.

"I had him list the medication he is currently taking. He provided a printout of his medications, and to be honest, I'm not sure about some of the medications," Doctor Harkness said.