"I worked late yesterday. I'm going back to sleep. Delice, arrange for someone to check on the patients we've been in contact with recently. Ask about their condition and leave the records on my desk. I'll be back before dinner."
Schiller took the pen from his white coat pocket and nodded at the senior resident. The dark-haired woman smiled at him and made a gesture indicating she would get the job done.
"Worked late?" Charles watched Schiller's retreating back in confusion. "Didn't we call it a night after ten yesterday?"
"The doctor keeps a very normal schedule. More accurately, it's so normal that it's abnormal." Delice put away her pen, her gaze shifting between Charles and David. "Your eyes look very similar. Are you brothers or relatives?"
David silently shook his head. Delice did not press the matter. "Quite a few people have been away on business lately, so we're short-staffed. Because of the nature of our department, most of the patients we deal with aren't in our Inpatient Department. The farthest one may be in the Fourth Inpatient Department. Which of you is willing to go?"
"I'll go." David stood and said, "Distance makes no difference to me. Just give me his room number and name."
"Oh, that won't do." Delice shook her head. "I'll make an appointment for you in the system, then you can check at the front desk. The nurses will tell you which room he's in. Call his name first when you enter. If he doesn't respond, find the nurse on duty and the resident physician."
"To prevent impersonation?" Charles asked.
"To prevent people with ulterior motives." Delice sighed. "There are always weird people pretending to be doctors or nurses. You know, Federal Bureau of Investigation types and such."
After David left, Charles looked at