Robin Cook supports the theme of: doing things the right way is the only way to do them, through out his first four chapters and twice in the third chapter.
He uses it in Chapter One when Becky decides to show-off on the ice with this quote:
As if sensing she was being watched, the girl then executed a double
axel before arching around the end of the rink, heel to heel. Pg.21
In this small quote, the theme is bent to apply to showing-off. It clearly says that if you’re going to show-off make sure that you don’t mess up and really show-off. And Cook made sure that Becky did both.
Cook then demonstrates a different point of the theme in Chapter Two using this quote of dialogue:
Tom commented. “I don’t know how you manage to get those valves
in so perfectly and make it look so easy”
“Just like I don’t know how you can sew those tiny coronary arteries
the way you do,” Kim answered. Pg. 21
The version of the theme displayed by the dialogue here is heart surgery and how if you’re going to do such a serious surgery you have to make sure that you do it properly. If you so much as make one mistake it could cause the death of your patient.
Cook supports this theme not once but twice in the third chapter. He opens the chapter with this quote:
By the time Kim did his rounds and checked Mr. Arnold
in the recovery room, another hour had passed. Pg.33
He shows that no matter how taxiing and/or how long it takes, doing something completely and correctly is very important. Than at about the middle of the chapter he wrote:
“You brought the wrong goddamn patties,” Paul said.
“These jest came today.”
What difference does it make?” Skip asked.
“Plenty,” Paul said. “I’ll show you in a second.” He then called,
“Roger, how many burgers you looking for after order thirty-six?”
Roger checked his tickets. “I need one burger for thirty-seven,
four for thirty-eight, and three for thirty-nine. That’s eight total.”
“That’s what I thought,” Paul said. He tossed the eight patties he
had in his hand onto the grill and turned around to get the box
of patties out of the refrigerator. As preoccupied as he was, he
didn’t notice that the first patty he threw ended up partially
covering another patty that was already on the grill.
Paul motioned Skip to follow him and spoke while he walked.