But I didn’t get far. As I walked down the hall heading away from my office, I stopped near the elevators as Maria stepped out. She looked around then spotted me, and a smile slid across her face as she stalked toward me like a lion on the prowl. I clenched my jaw and crossed my arms over my chest, drawing myself up to my full height.
That didn’t seem to bother her. She stared up at me with a smile and stopped a few feet away, one hand lingering against the wall, her fingernails long and black. “Dr. Coarse,” she said, “just the man I was looking for. Do you have a minute?”
“Not right now,” I said. “I’m busy, actually. Maybe we can speak later. If you’ll excuse me—”
I went to step around her, but she cleared her throat. “This is important, Dean.” Her eyes were sharp, and as much as I wanted to tell her to fuck off, I knew I had to hear her out.
“Let’s talk in my office.” I turned and went back inside.
She followed but left the door open behind her. “Smaller than I thought,” she commented, a little smile on her lips.
I didn’t know why that annoyed me so much, but I had to push my anger back. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk.”
“If you’re here to threaten me, I’m not interested.”
She laughed softly. “I’m here to give you one more chance, actually.”
“Maria—”
“You have no power in this situation,” she said, stepping closer. I leaned up against my desk and glared at her. “You’re a good doctor and popular with your patients, but at the end of the day you’re still only a doctor. You’re replaceable, but you’re not acting that way.”
“You wouldn’t—”
“I would, and I will, if you don’t promise you’ll stop snooping.”
I clenched my jaw. “I’m not interested in more empty threats. I have rounds to do.”
“Your patients can wait.”
“Can they? Since when do you know a damn thing about this hospital, Maria? You launder your dirty money, and profit off it nicely, but when it comes to the people here, you’re clueless.”
She only smiled and shook her head. “That’s not what I want to hear from you, doctor.”
“Then I’ll say this: go to hell. I’m going to find proof of what you’re doing, and when I do, you’re finished.”
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Her fingernails acted like claws, brushing along, separating the strands.
“Last chance. Tell me you’re going to stop this stupidity, and we can all move on. The hospital is fine, Dr. Coarse. Patients aren’t being hurt. So what if I make a little extra money on the side? Nothing is taken away, none of this matters. You’re on some foolish crusade, and it’s your own actions that are going to lead to serious problems.”
I stood up and stared at her. “I’m finished with this.”
“All right then.” She turned and left my office without another word.
I frowned, staring after her. I hesitated before I walked out into the hall, then stopped completely when I spotted Maria down near the elevators again, but this time speaking with two security guards.
My heart started racing as they looked at me and their faces went blank. I’d seen that look before, right when they come to throw out some unruly family member, or a drug addict that’s pretending to be hurt to get some pills. That was the look of two men that were about to do something unsavory, and weren’t excited about the prospect.
But Maria’s face was jubilant. She walked back toward me, arms swinging, a huge grin on her face.
“Dr. Coarse, I gave you one last chance, and since you’re not interested in helping this hospital out, I have no recourse but to dismiss you. Please, follow these gentlemen out, you can pick up your things tomorrow.”
I stared at her, and for one moment, my heart stopped.
Being a doctor at Mercy was everything to me. My whole life was this place, my identity, my reason for living. If I couldn’t be a doctor, I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do. I didn’t move, I was rooted to the spot, and one of the guards came toward me, a white guy with a thick neck and a huge gut.
“Sorry, doctor, but if you’d come with me, please?”
I looked at Maria. “You can’t do this. You can’t fire me.”
“I can, and I did. If you would be so kind as to go with these gentlemen, Dr. Coarse? We’ll work out the logistics of your dismissal some other time.”
I clenched my jaw. I had the insane urge to fight these guys, but they were only doing their jobs. It was Maria I wanted to hurt, wanted to smash her face through the wall and leave her skull in bits and pieces—but instead of doing anything stupid, I strode to the elevators.