Chapter 7 - THE LEGAL BATTLE BEGINS
The main hospital lobby was tense. Standing near the entrance was Arthur Vance—a tall, grey-haired defense attorney known for representing high-profile corporate criminals and sociopaths with deep pockets. Behind him were two young associates holding leather briefcases.
“Dr. Jenkins,” Vance said, stepping forward with a fake, practiced smile as soon as he saw me. “I am Arthur Vance, legal counsel for Mr. Daniel Harris.”
“I know who you are,” I said, crossing my arms and standing my ground. “And you’re not allowed in the Intensive Care Unit.”
“I’m not here to see the patient, Doctor,” Vance said smoothly, pulling a set of legal documents from his associate’s file. “I am here to serve you and this hospital with an emergency restraining order signed by Judge Miller.”
ADA Reed stepped between me and Vance, taking the papers from his hand. She scanned them quickly, her brow furrowing in disgust.
“This is an absurdity, Arthur,” Reed said sharply. “You’re trying to block the police from using physical evidence gathered during a life-saving medical procedure?”
“It is not an absurdity, Evelyn,” Vance replied calmly. “Dr. Jenkins performed an unauthorized surgical procedure—the destruction and removal of a medical cast—without obtaining secondary consent, without a court order, and against the explicit instructions of the patient’s designated medical proxy, Mr. Daniel Harris. Furthermore, my client was illegally detained by hospital security without probable cause prior to the arrival of law enforcement.”
“Her husband was actively murdering her through medical neglect and physical torture!” I shouted, unable to hold back my anger. “The tissue under that cast was rotting! She was in septic shock with a 103.8-degree fever! If I hadn't removed that cast, Emily Harris would be dead in a body bag right now!”
“That is your medical opinion, Dr. Jenkins,” Vance said coldly, turning his gaze toward me. “An opinion formed without reviewing her prior orthopedic records. My client asserts that the cast was applied by an out-of-state specialist. You violated standard medical hierarchy and my client’s constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment. Every piece of evidence you recovered—including the lock, the chain, and that dubious note—is fruit of the poisonous tree.”
“You are defending a monster who chained his wife in a basement!” I said, stepping closer to him.
“I am defending the Rule of Law,” Vance replied with a chilly, emotionless tone. “And if you attempt to use any statements gathered from Mrs. Harris while she was heavily medicated under the influence of surgical anesthetics and opioids, I will file civil rights violations against you personally, Dr. Jenkins, as well as a multi-million-dollar malpractice lawsuit against this medical facility.”
“Get out of my hospital,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “Before I have security throw you out into the street.”
Vance smiled thinly, adjusting his cuff links. “We will see you at the evidentiary hearing tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, Doctor. I advise you to retain a very good lawyer. You’re going to need one.”
With a smooth turn, Vance and his team walked out of the sliding glass doors into the night.
I stood in the center of the lobby, my hands shaking with rage. ADA Reed looked at the court order in her hands, her expression heavy.
“Can he really get the evidence thrown out?” I asked Reed, looking at her anxiously. “Can he really wipe away what Daniel did because of a legal loophole?”
“Vance is good at what he does,” Reed admitted quietly. “He’s using every technical defense available to suppress the evidence before we even reach a grand jury. If the judge rules that your search of the cast was an illegal evidence-gathering operation rather than a medical emergency, the chain, the lock, and the note could be deemed inadmissible in court.”
May you like
“That’s insane!” I exclaimed. “I didn't cut the cast off to find evidence! I cut it off because my patient was dying!”
“Then that is exactly what you have to prove in court tomorrow morning,” Reed said firmly. “You have to convince the judge that you acted purely as a physician saving a human life, not as a police detective.”
