Chapter 11

It didn’t take very long for Jake to get accommodated to the working environment of the VA hospital in Denver.  The people were friendly and the soldiers were excellent.  Many of them were actually relieved to have a neurologist that hadn’t served in the Armed Forces.  One of the men said, “It’s refreshing to have a civilian working here.  Not so much having to deal with the politics and brass.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile at that.  “Well, Marine, if you just do what I tell you do to do to get back on your feet, I’ll make sure you don’t have to deal with the brass.  I’ll do that for you.”

“Thanks, Dr. Draiman.  Oh, have you ever been told that you look just like the vocalist of Disturbed?”

“You want to know something crazy, Marine?”

“Sure, Doc.”

“He’s my father.”

“Prove it.”

Jake pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and showed the injured Marine a picture of his parents, siblings, and himself.  “There he is; David Draiman.”

“What the…?  Your father’s an inspiration.  His words are so powerful.”

“I grew up with it, Marine.  I know.”

“Do you think you might possibly be able to get him and the other guys from Disturbed up here to lift some of the guys’ spirits?  Some of them are really down because of injuries and shit like that.”

“I’ll see what I can do about that, Private.  Let me go through the proper channels and talk to my Dad and Uncles and we’ll see what can be done.”

“You’ll be the coolest doctor in the hospital if you can swing it.”

“Let me see what kind of strings I can pull, Private, and I’ll try to make that happen.  I’m sure my Dad and Uncles would have no problem coming up here to talk with you guys.”

“Thanks a ton, Dr. D.  Can I call you that?”

“What?  Dr. D?”  Jake shrugged.  “I don’t care.  I’ve heard people calling my Dad ‘Mr. D’ my entire life, so I don’t see why not.”

“You’re the greatest, Dr. D.”

“Get out of here, Private, and get your ass the PT”, Jake laughed.  “You wanna use those legs again, Marine?”

“You bet I do, Doc.”

“Then double time your ass down to PT before I push you down there myself.”  All the Marine did was laugh as he rolled away.

---------------

Jake had to encounter all kinds of different neurological disorders on the Neuro ward as he did his daily rounds, many of which were trauma induced.  Be they physical or psychological, he had to deal with it.  He couldn’t wait for the funds to be released so that he could start his research.  He couldn’t wait to treat some of these men.  Many of them were willing to have an experimental procedure done on them if there was even the slightest chance that they would be able to get whatever function was lost back.  Then, there were the men in a vegetative state that he could just make as comfortable as possible because the families just couldn’t let go.  He wanted so badly to end their miserable existences, but he’d taken an oath. First, do no harm.  What a joke.

He’d go home some nights with a heavy heart.  And she’d be there, his little Lilah, to keep him from losing his mind.  She hold him while he ranted and vented about the bull shit bureaucracy that he had to deal with and the fact that he wasn’t a military officer gave him little say.

He’d approached the Director about Disturbed coming to the hospital to spend some time with the men.  His father and uncles were all for the idea.  If only Jake could get the brass to agree.

The men asked Dr. D all the time when his Dad was going to come up to the hospital to come see them and sit with them.  It pissed Jake off that he had to tell the men, “I just don’t know, fellas.  I know it would be cool for you guys to sit with Disturbed and chat, but I have to get MY bosses to agree to it before I can make it happen.”  He hated having to disappoint his patients.

---------------

One night after his shift at the hospital, Jake and David cleaned up the kitchen after dinner.  While they put away the clean dishes and put the dirty ones in the dishwasher, Jake bitched.  “It’s total bull shit, Dad.  I’m the only non- military member of the staff, and therefore I have no say.  My suggestion to have you and the rest of Disturbed come up to the hospital to sit with the men is getting nowhere.  I fucking hate the politics.”

David just shook his head.  “Working at a military establishment will give you nothing but politics.”

“I’m figuring that out.  I’m still waiting on them to unass my grant money so that I can start my project.”

“They know what it would mean for you should you make it work.  That’s no small feat, Jake.”

“I know, but I don’t care about the glory, Dad.  All I want to do is help those men who are having seizures because of a mortar shell, or who have lost function in a certain part of their body because nerves are severed between the brain and the muscle.  I’ve been there for four months and still can’t help those poor men the way I want to.  The accolades I could care less about.”

“I know, Jacob.  You don’t do what you do for the acknowledgment.  You do what you do for the passion.  If you don’t have passion, you’ll quick doing it.  Why do you think I still do what I do?  Or you mother still does what she does?  Passion.”

“I’m passionate, Dad.  You know I am, but these bureaucrats won’t unass my grants so I can get some of these men back in shape to serve again.  I can’t do the job they hired me to do if they have my hands tied.”

“What time is your shift tomorrow, son?”

“Same as usual, but I’m on call tomorrow night.  It seems that the ER can’t control a seizure without having to call for a neurology consult.”

“Total bull shit.”  David shook his head.  “Here’s what I was thinking:  I’m going with you to work tomorrow.  I’ll just hang out with the men while you do your rounds and see patients that have appointments.  I’m sure you’ll have plenty to keep you busy tomorrow while I sit and lose my ass in some poker game.”

“I thought you could play poker.”

“Oh, I can, but I’d throw the hand because these are injured soldiers I’m playing with.”

Jake smiled at his father.  “You know, this could get me fired, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

---------------

David made a call to Jordan and Malachai that night and told them his plan.  They were more than happy to help him.  Mandy would get up with Malachai and bring the kids to the house where Brie would help her with the three kids and Malachai would leave with David and Jordan to the VA hospital in Denver.  Jake was sure he’d get fired for it, but he was at peace with it.  “All I have to do is call the Chief of Neurology at Loyola Medical and I’d have my grant money waiting on me”, he told Delilah that night when they went to bed.

“Do what you feel is best, Jakey.  If telling the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to bite a big one is what you feel you need to do, then do it.”

“I’m done with the bureaucracy.  Those military doctors are a bunch of hypocrites.  We all took the same oath. ‘First, do no harm’, that’s the oath.  All those bastards give a shit about is the bottom line.  How much money they can leech off of the people they’re supposed to be fixing.”

“I know, baby.  I wish I knew what to say to comfort you, but I honestly don’t.”

“You just being here to listen to my rantings is enough.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She sat up and pressed her lips to his.  “How about I help you focus on something else for about two or three hours?” she whispered against his lips.

“What did you have in mind?”  He didn’t have to wait long to get her answer.