A King- Pawn Sacrifice
Janie obtained a Master of Fine Arts and a lot of debt. Forgiving student loans turned out to be a cruel false promise. Politicians cynically used students as a pawn sacrifice to get the youth vote. She studied e.e. cummings and recalled, “a politician is an arse upon who everyone has sat except a man.”
There were several interpretations of this, but now she saw only one.
Loan forgiveness never had a chance. She loved chess and its history but preferred not to live it. She recalled the 1998 game when Viswanathan Anand sacrificed his pawn on move 23 against Veselin Topalov and doomed his white king. She was the sacrifice. Her master’s thesis was “Sacrificial Chess and Literature: Risk and Reward.”
All she saw now was risk and no reward. Covid gave her some breathing room, but now she would have to resume the onerous payments. She searched but could only find work in a hospital. She had to follow a doctor around and type for him. Everything was on the computer and doctors were hunt and peckers. Many had heavy accents and failed at computer voice recognition. Janie got a job working for Dr. Annos Nosantos a renown, but arrogant neurologist from the Philippines. She was called a scribe. It sounded lowly and demeaning because it was. A scribe sounded like a scab or serf or speck. But it would help her make ends meet until something better came along. Were she Charles Dickens she would be in debtor’s prison.
She was told to walk behind him and transcribe his clinical encounters. By necessity the hospital cleared her of HIPAA violations.
Initially the job was interesting but soon became routine and boring. His recommendations always ended with “Get a CAT scan, MRI and EEG.”
If it wasn’t for those machines, he was worthless. He didn’t have insight on anything, but he made money interpreting the tests.
She believed she could do the same thing.
His accent was very thick. She strained to understand him.
One routine day the doctor examined a patient using a sharp instrument to locate areas of sensory loss. She typed, “She could not feel the nettle.”
When he finished dictating, she hit print and showed him the report.
“This is wrong,” he said. “I said the woman could not feel the nettle.”
“I’m sorry. But this job has become so routine I just wrote what you said. I didn’t think. I’ve turned into a robot. You did say nettle for needle.”
His face flushed angry red, and he rubbed his face.
“You are making fun of me. I said nettle. You do not like foreign doctors.”
“No, I have found them to be very kind, particularly the Filipinos. They are Catholic like me.”
He took a needle that he kept in the handle of his reflex hammer and held it up.
“Nettle.”
“No, needle.” She laughed.
“Do not laugh at me.”
She couldn’t help it. She just let go with the pent up and frustrated laughter of a bored, underemployed, debt-ridden, robotic scribe.
“Stop laughing at me.”
“I’m sorry.”
She held her breath but exploded once again with involuntary laughter. Spit sprayed from her mouth.
He wiped his face, his teeth clenched.
He took the needle and stuck her in her hand. She dropped the lap- top. Her index finger bled.
“You bastard,” she said. “You cut me.”
He regained his composure. His actions appeared to shock him as well.
“You stuck yourself. It is my word against yours. They will believe a doctor over a scribe. And you are fired. Pick up the lap-top and turn it in.”
He walked away leaving an invisible cloud of cologne.
At first, she was stunned, then she cried. She was an overeducated pincushion. Then she worried. What if that woman had hepatitis or AIDS? The doctor was correct: she could prove nothing. Nobody saw what happened and it was her word against a doctor’s.
Checkmate.
She went to the IT department to turn in the hospital’s computer.
She went to the desk. She read the man’s name tag, Ralph Arnold. He was playing chess on the computer. He ignored her. She instantly liked him.
Finally, he looked her way.
“I’m playing chess.”
“I can see that, and not very well. You’re screwed.”
“I’m a beginner.”
He noticed the white laptop and the smears of red.
“Christ, you’re bleeding all over the laptop. That belongs to the hospital.”
Janie saw a Kleenex box and wiped the blood off the computer. There was a lot more blood that she had expected. Her blood smeared the screen and the keyboard.
“Do you have something infectious?”
“No not that I know of,” Janie said. “Unless that patient has some disease.”
“You’re a scribe. You should not be near a patient. How did you stick yourself with a needle from a patient?”
“The doctor I work for stabbed me with a nettle, I mean needle.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he thought I was making fun of him, and he got pissed and stuck me with a used needle.”
“We should call security, turn him in.”
“He denied doing it. He told me I have no proof.”
Ralph thought for a moment. He tapped his chin with his index finger.
“Who’s the doctor?”
“Nosantos.”
“I’m told he’s not very nice. I can catch the bastard.”
“How?”
“The computer has a camera in it. Everything is recorded if you know how to access it.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely,” Ralph said. “Hand it over.”
Janie handed him the laptop.
His fingers danced around the keyboard.
“Okay, got it,” he said. “Sit down and watch.”
The scene played out exactly as it happened. The picture and sound were perfect.
“He is hard to understand, nettle for needle, your job is impossible.”
“Was,” she said. “I’m fired.”
Janie was impressed at how skilled Ralph was with the computer. She used it only for word processing.
She liked that he liked chess even though he was better with computers.
“Now let’s take this to HR.”
The two left the small IT office and headed to HR.
They approached a middle-aged lady with a hair-sprayed in place hairdo. When her head moved her hair remained a stationary helmet.
“How may I help you?” the woman asked.
“I need to report an assault.”
“By whom?”
“A doctor.”
“A sexual assault?”
“No, a stabbing.”
“Who got stabbed.”
“Me.” Janie showed the woman her wounded index finger.
“How did it happen?”
Janie explained.
“Before we go after the doctor, we must have proof. Who was the doctor?”
“Nosantos.”
“We’ve had trouble with him before, he usually goes after other doctors and nurses. What department is he in?”
“Neurology.”
“That’s right. Let’s see the video.”
Ralph placed the laptop on the desk and hit the key. One click and the action commenced.
The scene finished.
“That is terrible,” the HR woman said. “We got to get security in on this. I will call them.”
Two security guards came to IT and viewed the tape.
“The guy’s in trouble. Did they check the patient for AIDS?”
“Not yet Dr. Nosantos, is pretending it didn’t happen.
“Wait till he sees this. His career is over. Deportation city.”
“A laptop from hell.”
The security guard said, “We have to get blood from the patient, and you will need to get your blood drawn. If the patient has a disease, it must be documented.”
“We need the patients name and a stat blood draw. You need to go to employee health.”
Janie and Ralph walked to employee health.
Janie didn’t want Ralph following her around. This was very personal HIPAA violation stuff. If the needle stick came from a woman with AIDS or some other infectious and frightening disease, it would get all over the hospital.
They were met by a nurse who told Ralph, “Thank you but please leave.” Ralph frowned. Janie felt sort of bad. He really did help her. They seemed to hit it off, but there were other issues. She didn’t want to get too personal too soon, but he was sort of cute and he must be smart as hell. He certainly knew computers if only a little chess.
Now she would get revenge on Nosantos. She didn’t think revenge could be so satisfying. The doctor had it coming. She was very eager and felt sort of ashamed at seeking revenge. Maybe she was as flawed as an e.e. cummings politician.
She who seeks a path of revenge must first dig two graves.
The Nurse got the name of the patient. She called the floor and told them to draw a stat sample from the patient checking for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
“The results should be back in a couple of hours.”
Janie looked frightened.
“Girl, don’t worry. These things usually come back negative.”
“But what if it doesn’t?”
“It depends on what infection you were exposed to, if any. If the person carried a disease you will have to see an infectious disease doctor and go on preventive medication.”
She left employee health. She was very nervous. If the patient had something she could be infected.
She didn’t know what to do so she went to IT. Ralph was there.
He looked up.
“Janie, how did your tests turn out?”
She looked at her watch.
“I won’t know for another hour or so.”
“You must be dying a thousand deaths!”
“Ten thousand,” she said. “They gave me this beeper and said they would call me when the results came back. I must wait.”
“Let’s go to security. See if they got to Nosantos yet.”
They walked to security. Dr. Nosantos was red faced again but this time with fear. He was watching the video. Janie thought he might have been crying.
She felt sorry for him.
“Doctor, you are in a lot of trouble. What you did was assault with the intent to inflict bodily harm. If you hit her with an infected needle, it would be great bodily harm, maybe even murder,” a guard said.
She overheard, “Let me talk to her please. I can work this out. It was an accident.”
“Didn’t look like an accident to me. You always treated us like lowly, stupid security guards, but we’re better than that.”
Nosantos saw Janie. He left the glass cubicle and approached her. He took her hands. “Please Miss, please let me explain. I will pay you anything. Let’s you and I settle this. I will give you gifts. That’s how it is done in my country.”
Janie’s first thought was to have security call the cops. Then she realized this may be a way out of being a scribe, an indentured servant. She would be able to follow her passion, her dream of being a novelist, immersed in literature and chess.
Nosantos would pay for her freedom.
Janie pointed toward Ralph.
“Let me talk with my friend.”
The two went into a room.
“Janie what is it?”
“Nosantos’ willing to cut a deal. He wants to pay for what he did.”
“He should pay. Go to prison then be deported.”
“That does me no good.”
“You would be blackmailing him. That’s a low form of life. We should go to the police.”
“I’m not black mailing him. He offered.”
“What did he offer?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Let’s ask him.”
Ralph went to the security officer and said that Janie would like to meet with Dr. Nosantos.
“Do you want me to remain in the room?” the officer asked.
“No, I’ll stay with them,” Ralph said. “She’s an emotional wreck. Talking to him may help her heal, give her closure.”
“Okay.”
Janie sat at a table. Ralph and Nosantos entered.
The doctor said, “Miss I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean this. I never meant to hit you with the nettle.”
“You mean needle,” Janie said.
“Yes nettle,” Nosantos said. “I am very rich. My family is very prominent back home.”
Janie was interested.
“I will pay you half a million in cash if you drop your complaint.”
“Not enough. What if the patient has AIDS?
“Then one million.”
Ralph entered the negotiation.
“If she agrees, you must set it up as a tax-free trust.”
“I agree.”
“And Janie could use a new car. The new Corvette should do. Janie, what do you think?”
“How do you know he won’t go back on his word?”
The doctor looked at Ralph.
“I have the zip drive of today’s events and I have hacked into the computer, and I have his passwords, his credit cards and his tenuous immigration status and it seems he had some problems back home. I did a lot of work when you were in employee health,” Ralph said.
“You sound like a blackmailer,” Janie said.
“He offered,” Ralph said.
The doctor was eviscerated.
“Anything you want,” he said.
“Checkmate,” Ralph said.
Jody got the call from employee health.
She dropped the receiver. She put her hands to her face and cried.
“What is it?”
“The patient was HIV positive. I have to go to employee health.”
“I’m coming with you.”
At first, she thought no, but he did make her feel better, more secure.
“Okay.”
Janie met with the infectious disease expert. Ralph remained in the waiting room.
The doctor wore a Van Dyke beard. He looked like Sigmund Freud.
Janie sat in front of him.
“I’m sorry you got the needle stick. But the chances of you getting AIDS or even converting to being HIV positive are very low, one in one thousand. The risk is even lower if you go on HAART therapy. It will dramatically reduce your risk of converting.”
Janie cried but it was a relief. She took the HAART medication.
Six weeks later her tests were negative. She did not convert.
It was risk reward. She received the million dollars, a Corvette, and the beginning of a relationship with Ralph, a budding chess master.
In 1922 in a world chess tournament held in Budapest, Maroczy slapped his opponent Aleykhine. He never recovered from his violent impulsive act. He was shunned and shamed by the elites of the chess world. Nosantos acted in a similar fashion.
Janie remained conflicted. Was she an e.e. cummings political arse, or a good chess player?
You can learn a lot about someone by the way they play chess.