Dead Mom, Fresh Invoice

Three days after my mom died, the hospital called. "Mr. Carter, your mother has an outstanding balance of $1,873.60. Please come in and pay it as soon as possible." What? I stared at my mom's body. They had to have the wrong person. I'd paid every bill before she was discharged. She was supposed to be cremated and buried today. How could she still owe money? The person on the phone clicked their tongue. "Her family is responsible for the bill! She received treatment, so someone has to pay for it. It's $1,873.60." "Are you sure that's for Winona Carter?" "Yes. Come quickly." Chapter 1 My stomach dropped. I headed straight to the hospital. I checked the bill as soon as they handed it over. Every medication and treatment had been ordered today. My mom died here three days ago after they failed to save her. So who were all these expensive drugs and tests for? Something was off. I asked for copies of every record, saying I needed them for insurance. If I hadn't checked, I never would've known. My mom had spent two weeks in the hospital after a heart attack. And somehow, the total came to $180,000. She'd been charged for more than ten coronary angiograms. And over thirty heart stents? There were even five CT scans in one day. My jaw tightened. I went straight to her attending physician. "Dr. Reed, my mom died after you couldn't save her. Where did all these charges come from?" Dr. Reed froze. "Sometimes after a patient is discharged, the hospital finds an unpaid balance and contacts the family. "We've never overcharged our patients. You can rest assured." I pointed to the date on the bill. "These medications were ordered today. My mom's already dead. Who are they for?" Irritated, he pointed to the framed thank-you letters on the wall. "I understand you're grieving, but this is insulting! Please leave!" I tried to argue, but Dr. Reed grabbed my wrist and shoved me out of his office. "If you doubt me, take it to the hospital director. I'll cooperate with any investigation! I've practiced medicine for over thirty years, and no one's ever accused me of this. This is outrageous!" I swallowed my anger. "But there's obviously something wrong with her account. You were her attending physician. Aren't you responsible?" Before I could finish, several nurses shoved me back. "What problem? Stop harassing the staff! Security won't go easy on you! "Or are you just here to cause trouble and disrupt other patients' care? Your mom's treatment is over. That doesn't give you the right to hurt everyone else!" The other patients immediately got worked up and started shoving me. My face hardened. "You won't explain it? Fine. I'm calling the cops!" Then a familiar voice came from behind me. "Calling the cops for what? Daniel Carter, why are you causing a scene? This is a hospital." I turned. My longtime friend George, a doctor at the same hospital, pushed through the crowd with a frown. I took a breath and held out the bill. "George, something's wrong with these charges. I want an explanation." His voice shot up. "That's impossible! "Daniel, your mom was greedy when she was alive. Guess you really are her son. You're just like her." I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" Chapter 2 He straightened his white coat, acting all official. "Look, everyone wants money, but there are honest ways to get it. I'm only saying this because you're my friend. Your family has money. Trying to dodge a hospital bill isn't right." I stared at him, stunned, anger flaring. "You're a doctor. You should know better than to throw accusations around. The bill is right here, and you're saying I'm trying to get out of paying it?" The second people heard I was "trying to dodge the bill," every patient nearby turned to stare. I glared at George Webster. We'd known each other for over twenty years. My mom had treated him like a second son. When she got sick, we chose this hospital because George pushed for it. But when she died three days ago, he didn't even show up. And now this? I couldn't have been more disappointed. George gave me a helpless look, completely dodging the real issue and making me look like the problem. "You've always been stubborn. Your mom used to put up with it, but she's gone now. It's time to grow up and stop doing whatever you want! "I know you're grieving, but you can't take it out on the doctors. Your mom's attending physician has practiced medicine for over thirty years. He's highly respected." Just like that, everyone turned on me. "So he's just making trouble for no reason. Even his own friend says so. That tells you what kind of guy he is." "Your mom died, and instead of planning her funeral, you're here causing trouble? We waited forever for these appointments. Just because your mom died doesn't mean everyone else should miss out on treatment!" "This is ridiculous. No wonder doctor-patient relationships are so bad now. It's because of people like you!" How had I never noticed how manipulative George was? He'd already made everyone think I was the problem before they even knew what happened. I slapped the test reports against his chest. "You think I'm causing trouble, right? "Then read these out loud. Right here. In front of everyone." George's face stiffened. Something was definitely off. As both a doctor and my closest friend, his first move should've been to check the records. So why was he dodging me? George lowered his voice and tried to pull me toward his office. I shoved him off. "We can talk right here. I just want to know why my mom supposedly needed five CT scans in one day, eight bags of roxithromycin, and 220 pounds of IV fluids. "She was hospitalized for two weeks after a heart attack, and I paid $180,000! "Worst of all, she's been dead for three days, and you're still billing her for new treatments! "If this hospital can't explain that, I'm reporting it." I called the Health Department on the spot. The patients who'd been trashing me froze. "What?" "Two hundred twenty pounds of IV fluid a day? That's more than some people weigh! They practically pumped her full like a water balloon. That's insane!" Chapter 3 "Wait, how is she still getting billed when she's already dead?" "My God. Forget overcharging. What if this hospital killed her?" The second the call connected, George's face darkened. He rushed over and grabbed my phone. I stared at him. "George, you weren't even her attending physician. Why are you freaking out? "Or were you involved?" A vein throbbed at his temple, and his eyes darted away. I reached for my phone. We struggled over it until George slammed it onto the floor. "Enough!" The screen shattered. I raised an eyebrow. "Feeling guilty?" His eyes widened. "Guilty about what? I'm just sick of your disgusting behavior!" He pulled out his phone and shoved screenshots of a chat in my face. "I tried talking some sense into you, but you wouldn't listen. There's nothing else I can do. "As a doctor, I have principles." My heart started pounding when I saw the supposed chat history. On the screen— [Me: George, I spent all that money, and my mom still died. What a waste. Any way I can get it back?] [George: What are you talking about?] [Unless there was serious malpractice, the hospital won't refund you. Your family has plenty of money, so why do you care? Besides, the doctors did everything they could to save her.] [Me: Hmph. That old bastard Dr. Reed deliberately gave my mom expensive drugs. I don't care. Once I get the money back, drinks are on me.] My temples throbbed, and my fingers shook with rage. "I never said any of this! Who even is that? Just because they used my profile picture doesn't mean it was me!" I tried to explain, but no one listened. Someone in the crowd shoved me hard. "I can't believe I fell for it! This whole thing was just a scam to squeeze money out of the hospital!" "Shameless bastard. Your mom died because her time was up. What does that have to do with the doctors? Show some respect." "As far as I'm concerned, your mom deserved to die!" I couldn't argue with that many people at once. Through the crowd, I caught George smirking at me. He gave me a little wave and mouthed, "Bye." Then he ripped up the test reports, tossed the pieces into the air, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked back to his office. My head spun. My heart hammered, my hands shook, and I broke out in a cold sweat. The floor seemed to shift under me. After caring for my mom nonstop for two weeks, I was already running on empty. The crowd shoved me out of the hospital. I lost my balance and dropped to my knees outside. People kept walking past. I reached out for help, but as everything started fading, someone shouted nearby. "Don't help him! He's a scammer!" "He'll sue you into bankruptcy! Stay away!" My vision blurred. I couldn't hold myself up anymore and collapsed. The last thing I saw was people walking past me. Chapter 4 When I opened my eyes again, I was still lying by the roadside. The cold fall wind had chilled me to the bone. It took a while before I could finally get up. Back home, I went over everything that had happened. George had clearly expected me to come looking for answers and prepared for it. Luckily, I'd taken photos of all the records. Once I pulled myself together, I sent everything to another friend who was a doctor. The overcharging was bad enough. But if they'd given my mom the wrong medication, that could've killed her. Early the next morning, I went straight to the hospital to see the director. But first, I called the Health Department. We met outside, and one of the investigators gave me his word. "Mr. Carter, if your allegations are true, we'll take this very seriously." We headed straight to the director's office. Dr. Monica Harding frowned when she saw me. "Mr. Carter, I already know about your situation. We do everything we can for every patient, but we can't guarantee everyone survives. "So don't expect a refund." Before I could say anything, the Health Department investigator stepped in. "Dr. Harding, we'll determine what happened. Please cooperate with the investigation." Dr. Harding stiffened when she saw him. She had no choice but to let us in. I spread the printed records across her desk. "My mom never had these tests. Your hospital ordered and approved them. How do you explain that?" The investigator scoffed. "Five CT scans in one day? More than ten coronary angiograms? "And you're still billing her three days after she died? What, does this hospital treat dead people now? "Dr. Harding, treatment here sure isn't cheap." The evidence was right there. Dr. Harding stared at the records for a long moment without a word. She glanced nervously at the investigator, sweat beading on her forehead. Finally, she looked at me. "Mr. Carter, we've hired a lot of new staff lately. Someone inexperienced must've made a mistake. "We'll refund the overcharges and another thirty percent of the treatment costs. Would that be acceptable?" I looked at the Health Department investigator. After a brief discussion, he said, "We'll keep investigating and take formal action against the hospital. We'll also make our findings public." Dr. Harding apologized over and over for what happened yesterday. I was about to demand a personal apology from George when my phone rang. It was the doctor friend reviewing my mom's medications. The second I answered, his voice turned serious. "Daniel, this isn't just fraudulent billing. They gave her the wrong medication too! "Digitalis can be extremely dangerous for some heart attack patients and may cause sudden death. Your mom was given digitalis the day she died." *** I shot to my feet, my voice shaking. "What?" There was a brief pause before he lowered his voice. "Daniel, think carefully. Did you make an enemy?" I froze. My pulse pounded in my ears. The Health Department investigator stood. "Mr. Carter, what happened?" The thought that my mom might've died because of them brought tears to my eyes. I wiped them away, turned to Dr. Harding, and forced out every word through clenched teeth. Chapter 5 "My mom was hospitalized because doctors saw warning signs of a heart attack. She hadn't even had one yet. "The mortality rate for cases like hers is extremely low. So why did I spend $180,000 just for her to get worse?" Even then, Dr. Harding played innocent. She looked helpless. "Mr. Carter, didn't you just accept our offer? Are you making this up because you think you can bully us into paying you more?" My chest heaved. Somehow, I found the strength to grab her by the collar and yank her up. "You didn't just overcharge us. You gave her the wrong medication! "My mom died because of what you gave her!" Everyone's eyes widened. Dr. Harding waved her hands frantically. "You can't just accuse us like that! Hospitals save lives. Why would we ever do something like that?" I took a breath, pulled out the records from my mom's final day, and slapped them against her face. "Digitalis can be dangerous for heart attack patients. Your hospital gave her digitalis that morning, and half an hour later, she was dead! Open your damn eyes and look!" Dr. Harding finally went silent. The Health Department investigators looked just as shocked as they went through the records again. "It wasn't just her final day. She was also given a small dose three days before she died." My whole body shook. I slapped Dr. Harding across the face. "This is murder! I'm calling the police!" Just then, the office door flew open. George and Dr. Reed stood outside. George stormed over and knocked my hand away from Dr. Harding. "Daniel, how long are you gonna keep pretending? "You bribed her attending physician to kill your mom. He already confessed. You planned the whole thing yourself, so stop acting like some devoted son!" My temples throbbed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What the hell are you talking about?" George glanced at Dr. Reed. Dr. Reed immediately pulled out an envelope stuffed with cash. "I admit it. Mr. Carter gave me this bribe the day his mother was admitted. "He said he didn't care how much he spent because he just wanted to look like a devoted son. He also said he couldn't inherit her estate until she died. "I was wrong. I let greed get the better of me. But Mr. Carter, you were the one who said you'd spent enough and wanted me to hurry up and find a way to kill her. "So why are you now..." I stared at him in disbelief. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught George and Dr. Harding exchanging a look, faint smiles tugging at their mouths. They were in on this together. George and Dr. Harding had teamed up against me. And the friend I'd trusted for over twenty years had stabbed me in the back. Something inside me snapped. I went ice-cold. "They have a 'witness' and planted evidence!" But even to me, the denial sounded weak. The Health Department investigators I'd brought were starting to doubt me. "Mr. Carter, so you're the one at fault, and now you're blaming everyone else." George looked at me in disappointment. "Daniel, why can't you just admit what you did? We may be friends, but I'm not gonna stand by while you try to shake down the hospital! "Your mom treated you so well, and you had her killed. Now she's barely been laid to rest, and you're already trying to cash in on her death. "Aren't you scared she'll come back to haunt you?"