This medical fiction tale is one in a collection of stories. They are tragedies that appeal most to readers who enjoy the inexorable pull of a story that leads to doom.
From the tight middle seat, Doris fumed. She sat wedged between suffocating aftershave and a seemingly unending supply of electronic gadgets. She also missed her dogs.
The youngster next to her was immersed in a first-person shooter game. Had he known what was on her mind, he might have paid more attention to the old woman beside him whose intentions far exceeded his game.
Doris was on this flight to deal with a personal matter. Her diagnosis had come after many unpleasant and invasive tests. Then, just when she thought the end was in sight, it all got much worse. There was a drug that had finally been approved for her inherited retinal disease, the doctor said with some hope, but there were issues. A clinical trial was no longer an option, and her health insurance had declined coverage.
The dance continued for months while the symptoms blossomed. Doris was understanding, but she was growing impatient.
She was on her way to a medical conference. The insurance company CEO was speaking on how to maximize profit amidst the proliferation of expensive precision drugs.
At the conference, Doris tailed the CEO. She often got close enough to hear him curtly issue gruff instructions and commands, but crowds of hangers-on constantly pushed Doris out of the way.
Dinner was also a bust, so Doris tailed the CEO to his room, and waited in case there was an opportunity once the CEO and his personal assistant were done entertaining each other. After 30 minutes, the PA emerged. She walked past without glancing at Doris.
Doris knocked and announced an “urgent delivery.” The CEO all but yanked open the door. “Well?” he demanded.
“Sign please,” Doris said evenly, holding out a small clipboard and a pen.
As he reached for them, Doris stepped in and thrust the sharpened steel pipe up into his abdomen. As he collapsed, she shoved him backwards, and he landed with his eyes wide.
“That,” she whispered into his ear, “is what you get for declining coverage of my drug.” Doris closed the door, hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign, and took a cab to the airport.
“Such a lovely conference,” she told the driver, “but I accomplished what I came for, and I miss my dogs.”
