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But why him? The real answer was Shannon, Shannon the street fighting child advocate. It was a can-we-borrow-Shannon consultation. Shannon was leaning on the back of the last pew, standing at the top ring behind the gallery. From the floor she was a poorly lit figure beneath one of the most dour murky oils, with her face darker than the aged portrait above her. Contempt was in her face. Ranjeeta Chondra went on, "Our laboratory was at its best in returning most of the intake studies. Some within a minute or two, the less vital ones within nearly hours and the, I'm sorry to say positive serologic test for syphilis came in within the first hours of the next morning. It came in time to not miss the review." "One could hear Denise Morgan, "Oh, don't tell me they, ..." as a confused Mary Richards was prodding her foil to tell her what the diagnosis was which had everybody - apparently by now - everybody who knew - scowling. "What is it Denise? Does that mean the other children also have syphilis?" Morgan was rolling her eyeballs somewhere up behind her forehead. But Chondra had her wagging finger up as Morgan was telling Holy Mary to just listen. This is the M&M omerta. One does not disclose a diagnosis ahead of the presenter. "The parents were told that their daughter was suffering from syphilis by her primary provider", a mass groan unleashed, "as she was pulled off the service ten minutes before Doctor Claire arrived to assume her care." Dr. Claire was the well known pediatric rheumatologist who attended this hospital as well as two of the big name teaching hospitals in New York. Chandra explained that, extreme parental embarrassment led to a shut down of communication and calls were not answered. Mrs. O'Brien's attempts to convince the parents, on their very doorstep, had her very nearly physically tossed off premises. It seemed that the take was that pediatricians all