Rudy calls Barry Lancaster to let Barry know that he has taken back the Blacks’ case and to tell him to stop mentioning his name to people concerning the fire. Later, in his office, Bruiser charges in and wants Rudy to rush to the hospital. There has been a car accident, and Bruiser wants Rudy to try and sign the victim up as a client. Bruiser has police friends who feed him accident reports, so he can get there before others do. Deck Shifflet is to accompany him and show Rudy how it’s done. Rudy doesn’t like the idea of barging in on a person while they’re in the hospital. Deck is very pragmatic about the situation. When Rudy mentions the fact that in law school they never taught the students how to “chase ambulances,” Deck responds, “Then you’d better learn quick. If not, you’ll starve” (181).

Deck and Rudy are at St. Peter’s Charity Hospital. It’s chaotic, but Deck knows his way around: he’s obviously been there many times. They quickly find Dan Van Landel, and with Deck’s expertise in chatting up a patient, they are able to sign him up as a client. After they leave Dan, Deck and Rudy go get a cup of coffee and discuss ethics along the way.