1) In chapter nine Becky’s stomach begins to hurt and Kim realizes that she has a hole in her intestine and its eternally bleeding. Needing operation on it immediately Kim freaks out and begins to push her towards the operating room. Kathleen Morgan tries to stop him and only gets pushed down by Kim. It takes several people to subdue Kim and let the proper people get to the operating room. Then a fellow gastrointestinal surgeon by the name of James O’Donnell, the best in the city has to offer, would perform the operation. Becky was terrified and asked many questions as an anesthesiologist pulled her under. He pulled Kim aside and asked him to wait in the lobby or that he would not do the surgery. Kim agreed in anger. Kim then during Becky’s operation had gone and researched HUS.
2) Kim’s reaction to his daughter’s pain full stomach was very significant. That showed how stressed he was and how much his professional actions have over him. Had Becky stomach problems not happened that her illness would not have seemed as severer.
3) Why doesn’t Kim understand that he is not in charge? Why does he continue to trouble the other doctors? How does Tracy feel about all this? Are there no cops in this book? What would have Kim done if he had been allowed to enter the operation room How long was the operation? How did Kim find out all the information on HUS? Did he use the Internet?
4) Kim and Becky’s relationship seems to be especially meaning full. It seems that Kim loves his daughter very much but thanks to work and his recent divorce has not had any time to spend with her. I think that he might be feeling extreme remorse for the time that he did not spend with her.
Chapter ten
1) Kim had gone home and was troubled in his sleep of a dream that Becky was in water and that he was trying to help her out but couldn’t. When he woke up he visited the hospital to find Tracy asleep and that Becky was doing fine now. He then went to work thinking that id he saw a few patients it would take his mind off of Becky. He pointed out. He phoned a friend who had dealt with HUS before and all he could say was that it is “unpredictable and relentless”. Then Kim received a message from Ginger that Becky had gotten worse and was rushed to ICU. It had become hard for Becky to breath and she had kidney failure.
2) Becky being rushed to the ICU was a very significant experience in the novel. She is only getting worse and there is nothing to do about it. Had this not all gone down that there would be no book.
3) Did treating patients take Kim’s mind off Becky? How is Ginger responding to all of the events? What does Tracy do while she is in there? Does Tracy go home often or just once in awhile? Does Tracy experience loss of appetite like Kim has? What are the exact details of George’s case and why won’t he share them?
4) The line that George used to describe HUS was that it was “Unpredictable and relentless”. That was a very powerful and scary quote. It demonstrates how terrible and dangerous HUS may be. That would scare me if I were a parent.