She was not reticent in her judgment of Sharon, Sharon’s practice, the medical profession in general, the American Medical Association, and anyone wearing a white coat, especially after Labor Day. But mostly Sharon. This time, the dilemma about identifying myself did not present itself, since I never managed to get a word in edgewise. Lillian began with the serious breach of ethics involved in “a business arrangement with a patient,” and then moved on to the crass disregard for a patient’s emotional state, the lack of communication among doctors working on the same patient, the high cost of medical insurance in America, Michael Moore’s Sicko, something about avian flu, and after that I sort of lost consciousness with my eyes open for a while. I did notice Tovarich shuffling out of the restroom and into the hallway, where he appeared to be having a professional conversation with Betty. She nodded a lot. He watched her face, which, even for an elderly gentleman, is an effort when talking to Betty.
