the board friend who leap-frogged the list — "if you’re this new you’re actually…"

The institution's informal admission mechanics caught around Joelle's entry: the E.R. physician who once treated Pat Montesian's own alcoholic stroke, now sober-Pat's friend and honorary Board member, phones her at home and vaults Joelle past dozens of waiting-list names into residential treatment overnight. And the newest residents' rule — never out of the Staffer's sight — the House's protective grip on the just-arrived.