He looked at the pill cup then at Avery still sitting beside the bed. “Why?”
She stood and gave him only what she could defend. “New pain between the shoulder blades. Guarded breathing. Pressure still falling.”
Cole examined Daniel himself. His initial cardiac workup was reassuring. “Six doctors have already looked at pieces of this case. We can’t stop every order because the pain moved.”
Avery nodded. “Give me 2 minutes before we add another variable.”
“For what?”
“One more blood pressure.”
Cole glanced at the cuff. “We already have one other arm.” He stopped. “2 minutes.”
Avery moved the cuff. Daniel tried to smile. “Do I get charged twice?”
“Only if the second arm complains.”
The cuff tightened. The number appeared. Avery checked it again manually. Same result. Cole took the cuff and verified it himself. The difference was real. His pager sounded. He ignored it. Nobody apologized. Nobody mentioned the joke outside the room.
