Grumpy Doctor

“I know you’re right,” I said. “But I’m just a person, you know?”

“Then be more than just a person.”

That stuck with me. I wanted to be more, and strived toward it, but sometimes I worried I wasn’t enough.

Uncertainty played through my mind as I walked toward my apartment after a particularly long shift. I was feeling down, not from anything in particular, but more from the grind of it all. My life was simple: wake up, go to the hospital, do hospital stuff, go home, get a few hours of sleep, repeat. Day in, day out. The work was interesting and exciting, and I was getting better and better studying with Piers every day, but even still. The monotony was starting to get to me.

Maybe I wasn’t cut out for it. As I stopped near the corner of Broad and Market, a dark town car pulled over nearby, and the window rolled down. I turned to cross the street, but I heard someone nearby call my name. It took me a second to realize that voice was coming from the car.

My cousin pushed open the back door and beckoned me toward him. I hesitated, since the last thing in the world I wanted was to talk to someone right now, especially not him, but I knew there was no escape. He looked different from what I remember: older, of course, but more refined, his beard closely trimmed, his clothes well-tailored and neat. He looked at me like he’d rather jump off a cliff, but his hard eyes didn’t look away.

I got into the car and shut the door.

“Hello, Lori,” Rees said. He leaned up against the window and looked at me with an appraising eye.

“Hi, Rees,” I said. “Been a while. I didn’t know you were in town.”

“Oh, I’m always in town,” he said, frowning deeper. “Need a lift home?”

“That’d be good,” I said, and felt a pit of dread. Rees wouldn’t have bothered picking me up if this weren’t important, and I got the strong feeling that I wasn’t going to enjoy whatever he had to say.

I didn’t know much about Rees. He was an odd man, the black sheep of the family, but he was also incredibly rich and successful. His cloud computing startup went public at just the right time and for a few weeks, his name was all over the news. That faded away, but apparently his company still made tons of money.

Apparently, he sat on the boards of a bunch of different ventures, from hospitals to libraries to schools. I wasn’t even aware that he was a prominent part of Westview until I graduated from med school and found myself suddenly accepted to a residency I hadn’t even applied for. In the last few weeks, I’d spent some serious time Googling him, and the more I researched, the deeper it all seemed to go.

Rees was connected in this city.

“I’m glad I ran into you,” he said, and I sort of doubted it was an accidental meeting. “I’ve been thinking about your progress.”

“I think things have been going well,” I said.

“I’m sure they are. That’s not exactly what I mean.” He paused for a long moment, still watching me with that unnerving gaze. “I’ve been thinking about your position, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe we made a mistake, forcing you on Dr. Hood.”

I went very still as the town car turned left and headed south. It was the right direction for my apartment, but I got the distinct feeling we weren’t headed there. I looked out the window for a moment, gathering myself for this conversation. I expected to hear from Rees at some point—but in a completely shallow way. I didn’t think he cared enough to know what was going on at the hospital, or mind if I was involved in it at all.

“I’ve been learning a lot,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Getting annoyed wasn’t going to help. “Dr. Hood is the best surgeon I’ve ever seen, and he’s been going out of his way to train me. I’m his only resident, so I get a lot of attention.”

“I’m sure.” Rees continued to watch me, betraying nothing about his inner state. I couldn’t tell if he was angry, or annoyed, or frustrated, or simply bored. “There are some rumors about Dr. Hood. He’s having some legal troubles, and there are important people that believe Dr. Hood is going to lose this case, and by extension, lose his license. That would be bad for you.”

I forced myself to breathe. “What do you mean, rumors? Who are these people”

“I hear things. I know people in this city—”

“Do you know the Tippett family?”

His eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m curious if that’s where you’re getting your information.” I clenched my jaw, tilted my head, and shifted myself away from him, or at least as much as I could in the back of a car. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by him, at least no more than I already was.