From the Epilogue

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Jensen began, “I spoke with your father last week. He said your studies to become a physician’s assistant are going well.”

“You know my father? I thought my advisor from school…”

“No, I don’t know your father other than the time we have shared on the phone. But I knew your mother. She was one of my favorite people. I visited your home with others from the firm the day she died. You were such a serious little girl. And so very pretty, as you are now as a young lady.”

She bowed her head. “My Mom loved her job here. I didn’t know that’s why you asked me to come today.”

“I have followed your progress in life because I believe your Mom would have wanted me to keep an eye on you.” Jensen’s eyes twinkled. “Your Mom left work unfinished.”

“Mr. Jensen, you know I’m not studying to be a lawyer.”

“Other work. You know how sick your Mom was. Yet she passed peacefully, before she was no longer herself. Before she could no longer kiss you goodnight. Before anyone could say, ‘It was a blessing.’”

“Yes, Dad talked about that, a lot. That’s one of the reasons I’m interested in healthcare.”

“So you are familiar with the Hippocratic Oath?”

“Yes, well, generally,” she said.

Jensen leaned over to pick up a frayed leather bound volume from the small marble topped table to his left. He grimaced slightly as sat back in the chair. “Let me read just a little from the Greek translation.”

In the Roosevelt Room

The next few minutes of Vickers’ talk telling the officials of his decision to leave the Department of Health and Human Services and his ‘supreme’ confidence in the team of Secretary Houghton and Deputy Secretary Royce seemed surreal to Merritt. His airy words, heavily doped with the finest of Washington pharmaceutical grade horseshit, wafted through the erudite set of cynical onlookers.socratic3Dpromo