Hela's red lips thinned a little. "I'll take the number for the record." A bad situation all the way around- a daughter losing her father. At least she could sign off on the death certification, severe the binding red tape and order the body released to the funeral home for arrangements. Such was cold comfort of a coroner.
"Dr. Wilson, if you would sign off on the death certificate the Orange County Coroner's Office would be happy to release the body to the deceased's family for arrangements," she announced turning over the clipboard for his pen stroke to cut through the red tape; otherwise, Hela would have to take the body back to the city morgue vs. keeping him down in the hospital morgue for the family to have the body collected.