Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Dr. Stern's Menagerie - 2 Dr. Stern gets an offer. *********************** Dr. Roger Stern was a defeated man at the age of 38, having been falsely accused of fondling and sexually assaulting a patient while she was strapped to an exam table. Rather than go to court and possibly lose the case, his malpractice insurance company had insisted upon a $6 million dollar settlement with no admission of wrongdoing. It was, in fact, a successful scheme by a disgruntled nurse in collusion with the accuser patient. In the course of fighting the lawsuit and dealing with the insurance company his wife left him, he lost his house and had to sell his practice. Although no wrongdoing was admitted, his reputation was ruined. Barely able to make expenses any longer, he sold his practice to another doctor and gave up. For two months he sat in his small one-room apartment, depressed and hating to go out. He eventually found himself broke and alone, considering what combination of pills would end it all for him. Just then, the phone rang. "Is this Dr. Roger Stern?" a deep male voice asked. "Yes, this is Dr. Stern. Although how much longer I'll be a doctor is questionable." "You don't know me, Doctor, but my name is Mr. Amato. My associates and I are friends of yours. We've been monitoring your circumstances very closely. We know you were falsely accused and have gotten a raw deal. We'd like to give you a better one. We'd like you to run a private healthcare service used solely for members of our organization. You'd have your own small clinic, fully stocked, and have everything you need to get by. All you would need to do is work when one of our representatives requires care." "Sounds interesting, but I can't afford malpractice insurance any longer now that the lawsuit is settled." "Oh, insurance is not something you need to worry about," the man assured him, "our people would dare not file any kind of suit against you. That would end badly...for them. You'll do your work, get paid handsomely, and be free of any kind of legal interference." "Wow," he said, his interest piqued. "Where would this be, and what are the particulars?" "The private clinic is located in a farmhouse in downstate Illinois. No one but our organization knows it's there. A farmer rents the land at an amazingly low rate to grow crops does not ask questions about what's in the farmhouse. You will be paid $200,000 a year, tax-free and deposited in an offshore account for when you retire. We will provide any other living incidentals you may need. In return for your compensation, you will work a few hours a month as needed. The rest of the time is yours. The hours will be somewhat erratic. At times you may have to work 14 days straight, at other times you may not hear from us at all for weeks." "There are two conditions: First, you will never ever ask our employees any questions other than those required for their treatment. Secondly, due to the nature of our business you will remain on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We never know when you might be needed, so you need to available at all times. That's it." "What kind of medical treatment are we talking about?" "Regular physical exams, treatment of the occasional illness, and on rare occasions patching up, um, shall we say work-related injuries that require a level of confidentiality not found in hospitals or public clinics." Roger was beginning to understand that the kind of work-related injuries Mr. Amato was alluding to were not the kind of injuries you could file a worker's compensation claim for. Roger thought about it for a few moments. "Sounds kind of too good to be true. Can I think about it?" "We'd like an answer now, Dr. Stern. Given your current circumstances, I daresay you won't find a better deal anywhere. I suggest you accept straight away. But let me give you some additional incentive. Do you know whatever happened to your two accusers, Mrs. Beverly Akers and your nurse, Mrs. Keiko Gomi?" "I heard they were secretly lesbians, and once they received the settlement check they abandoned their husbands and ran away together. This took me by surprise, because after working with her for three years I thought Keiko was very devoted to her husband and kids. I would have never guessed she was a lesbian." "She wasn't, Dr. Stern. Our organization just planted evidence so people would believe the two of them had run away together. They are currently guests of ours, although not exactly willing ones. Accept our offer, Doctor, and one day they will be yours to exact vengeance upon as you see fit." There was a silent pause for a minute as Roger pondered this last bit of information. What did he have to lose? "I'm in. When do I start?" The voice replied, "Excellent. You'll start right away. Pack your bags, Dr. Stern. We've paid off your lease. There's a car waiting for you in front of your apartment building."