When the Blizzard of 1978 hits New England, Tim Voight must decide how to manage a terribly injuried and burned young lawyer, Danny Ferrone) and his brain damaged fiancee Ashley Laughton. Danny's father Anthony is a powerful lawyer in Massachusetts and Voight must confront him with his son's horrible survival prospects. Anthony wants Danny transferred from Eastport Medical Center north of Boston to Mass General Hospital. Soon all other surgeons but Voight and his nemesis Bruce Chalmers, a neurosurgoen, have left the hospital for home not realizing they'll never get back as the blizzard rages and shuts down the northeast. While Voight believes Danny needs his crushed leg amputated, Chalmers says it's only nerve damage.
Can Voight use Ashley's skin to temporarily cover Danny until the storm clears and more definitive burn care can be provided? Is Voight sure Ashley won't recover brain function and come out of her coma skinned like a rabbit?
Danny's brother Tony is a Vietnam Vet who carries with him a dark war secret. Tony enters the picture as Danny gets sicker and sicker. Can Danny survive even with treatment? Will major surgery get rid of his infection? Or is it the burn that's infected? Does a time arrive when you give up? Does a time arrive when you assist death?
Tony's secret explodes to the surface as he surveys his brother's injuries, like war wounds, and it plunges him into a confrontation with Voight and with his brother in seeking an answer to Danny's ultimate treatment choice.
Preview the book here:
http://davidpagebooks.com/excerpts/PhoenixExcerpt.pdf
