The End of Rectal Thermometer
45
The rain starts to pick and Angela's initial shock of being caught naked on her boyfriend losing her virginity in front of all of her close friends and colleagues is starting to wear off. She first decided to quickly address Leo's exposure and pulls up his pants and zips him up and then she instinctively covers her front despite the fact she is facing away from her audience and runs into the lake for refuge.
One has to wonder if their fate at some junctions in their existence becomes unavoidable. Angela had used her gentle nature to help Annie legitimize a rather embarrassing procedure normally performed exclusively on babies and now here she is naked as the day she was born being baptized by the sky after her first sexual encounter.
Teddy speaks for the group, "Angela, Leo, I am sorry to interrupt, we heard screaming and feared the worst."
Katie takes a more correcting and shaming tone. "Angie, did you even hear what I was telling you? I told you normally you and Leo were more than welcome here and it is no problem. Tonight we all need to meet up and discuss our hospital exit plan and all be safe. Anyway, you two can get cleaned up and dressed and meet us in the front building."
Before entering the lake the moonlight hit Angela's naked behind and highlighted its fascinating beauty for all her friends to see. Enid couldn't help but smile at Mike as she has spoken of Angela's beauty many times. Leo dips his boot and shoe into the murky water and Angela is furiously trying to wash off the remnants of her dirty release from her rear end.
Angela quickly schoos Leo toward the meeting and he is happy to oblige hoping to protect his earned prize of love spray on his pants and shirt from the rain for all to see. Leo walks in the building swelling with pride and Teddy mentions to the rest of the group he will start the meeting as soon as Angela comes in.
Mary interrupts, "Nonsense! You have been excluding myself, Leo, and Lily for all this time and we deserve to know what is going on. I am sick of your excuses and arrogance deciding who deserves to know what. You tell us what you know right now!"
Teddy can't make eye contact at Mary and his eyes scramble from person to person, "Ok, right. Long story short. I have found out a number of disturbing facts about Micromiracles and its association with Mercy Hospital. Leo, what was places in you is not a temperature sensor but a hacking device. Annie was always suspicious of every financial dealing with that company and it turns out she was correct.
Micromiracles was engaged in fraud on multiple fronts. They took out life insurance policies on those who entered their studies and one by one they became ill and were sent to your hospital, Mike. They sent you all used and defective equipment to further enrich themselves. Now there are rumors on the dark web of Mercy Hospital being insured for catastrophic destruction within the week."
Angela walks in covering her mouth in shock, "So they are going to kill us?"
Teddy stands tall, "Not if I can help it. I have already lost support among my team. I have already employed alot of questionable legal tactics to find out this information and I can't ask any of you to risk your lives or legal protection either. I can evacuate the hospital on my own directive."
Enid stands up and quickly followed by Mike, "No, you won't, those are my patients and I am responsible for them."
Mary stands up and firmly places her hands on Enid's shoulders, "No, no. We shouldn't trust this man. His own team doesn't trust him. He doesn't trust us either, or even the legal system! Mike, consider this my immediate resignation, I am leaving town and asking my brother in law for help getting into the witness protection program and I suggest you all do the same."
Lily closes her eyes and sheds a tear, "I have to leave too, Mike. Todd will never submit to any government directives, but I can assure you, we will be able to disappear on our own."
Mary sighs, "I love you all and won't jeopardize any of you by reporting any of this to any higher authority, I will simply report I don't feel safe at the hospital and leave it at that."
Teddy nods at Mary with humble gratitude and Katie stands close to him adoringly longing to be embraced. Angela and Leo hold hands, "We are both staying." Katie leans on Teddy's shoulder and whispers "me too".
Teddy thanks all the remaining staff for their bravery and lays out a plan as Lily and Mary make their sad forever goodbyes.