What James didn't know was that it wasn't about the money. Well - it wasn't [i]just[/i] about the money. It had all been in the name of self-preservation. And sure - while being paid more than his salary was an added bonus, it came at the price of constant paranoia, the fear that one day he would end up on Jack Cassidy's bad side and face the same fate some of the hospital's other staff had. There was a time when the hospital had experienced a slew of "unexplained suicides", as the newspapers classified them. But he knew that they were far more than that. The truth ran deeper, and much darker. It was only a pity that James still harbored that idealism which came with many of the new residents. 

"No?" Gabe raised an eyebrow at James's sharp response. Of [i]course[/i] the new guy would find this morally wrong, for all the right and rational reasons. Which sick bastard [i]didn't[/i] want to give loved ones the chance to say goodbye? Even if technically, Elizabeth Charles was already dead, her body still struggling on even though hope was long and far gone. It was only a matter of time before her family had to accept that, harsh as the realization was. He wasn't sure how carefully orchestrated the "accident" had been, but law enforcement had hardly suspected a thing, even through extensive investigation. But considering the amount of "help" Cassidy was able to call on at any one time, dissatisfying the man was practically slitting one's own throat. 

"Last I checked, I wasn't the resident." Gabriel's tone was steady, the humor lost in his eyes. He observed James's expression, the resolution in his features. He thought the decision to move up the surgery was outrageous - and it made perfect sense. Of course it was outrageous. But life was occasionally a cold place where good men lost out, hard as it was to sometimes understand, and perhaps someone needed to explain this and shatter that idealism. Normally, they would wait until a resident had spent sufficient time in the hospital before "sharing" the dirty details, but he'd already asked James to assist and couldn't afford messing this one up. 

And so, Gabe relented. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Do you even know what men like Jack Cassidy are capable of?" He kept his voice low, so that Mrs. Cassidy wouldn't pick up on their discussion. The "suicides" had been huge news some years back, and most people in the city had heard of them. It was widely dismissed to be a series of "freak accidents", but really...those who knew were forced to keep that knowledge secret. "I don't know which small town in Connecticut you came from, but we do things differently here. I'm sure you've heard of the suicides..." It was a difficult reality to begin conveying, but he couldn't afford failure. He had to risk it.