I may have saved Troy an arrest, but I couldn’t get him back on the road. The company told Troy he could only come back if he brought in a doctor’s note certifying that he had his diabetes under control and that he would suffer no further relapses. No legitimate doctor would sign that any time soon. Still, the next day, Troy put his boots on and tried to go to work like nothing had happened.
“What are you doing here?” Brian Sajack asked.
“Coming to work. You have the keys for 482?”
“Hold on a moment.” He picked up the phone and called Ben. “Ben, Troy’s here.”
“Just a moment,” he said. “You and Ben can work this out.”
Troy waited patiently until Ben appeared.
“You were suspended, pending medical clearance,” Ben said. “I thought we were clear on that.”
I looked out the door and saw a police car pull up. Two officers stepped out. I recognized the taller one as the officer Troy had punched the day before.
“I’m scheduled to work 10 A.M. to midnight. I always work this shift. Ask Lee. He’s my partner.”
“The book says Lee is working with Tim Vijay today. You are on the suspended list until you bring a note from your physician saying your diabetes is under control and you are no longer at risk. You know that.”
The two officers came in the door and made eye contact with Ben. I could still see the black eye on the one officer who’d been there the day before. He didn’t look happy.
Troy smiled broadly. “Howdy guys,” he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet, which he unfolded and presented to Ben. “I think you’ll find that’s in order.”
Ben stared at the sheet a long moment. He looked back at Troy, almost incredulously. “This is your note?”
“That’s right. Signed by a physician.”
“To whom it may concern,” Ben read aloud. “I give my blessing to Troy Johnson to return to work today. Sincerely, Marcus Welby M.D.”
Troy smiled, his eyes gleaming. It was then I realized he was insane.
“Marcus Welby, M.D? He doesn’t practice anymore. He’s been off the air for years.” Ben gave a half guffaw. “You’ll have to do better.”
“I’m disappointed,” Troy said. “These obstacles you are putting in my path.”
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Ben said. “The officers here will escort you back to your car.”
“Very well.” Troy took the note back and put it in his pocket. “But I am not thorough with this, not by a long shot.” He cocked his head slightly, and then in a voice intended perhaps to sound like Douglas Macarthur, he said slowly and with great dramatic gravity, “I shall return.”
“You come back without a legitimate note, you’re not getting in an ambulance.”
“Good day,” Troy said.
On his way out Troy nodded to the officers. He stopped and looked at the bruise under the eye of the tall one. “What did the other guy look like?” he said, then laughed to himself and walked out.
Troy was back the next day with a note from Dr. Mark Green of ER. Ben shook his head. “A real doctor, not a TV doctor.”
I don’t know what he was trying to prove -- that his suspension was a joke and should be treated as such or maybe he was just plain crazy.
The next time the note was from Dr. J.
He didn’t come after that. A joke only went so far until it was pathetic, and Troy wasn’t the pathetic type. Or maybe it was just because he’d heard the Seurats were going to have him arrested for trespassing if he showed up again.
