He laughed. “No, not jealous. Don’t you find it weird?” he asked as he grabbed a wrap from the table and placed it on his plate. “Now, the chief has brought in Dr. Medina, the very man whose research you based your own grant on.”
“Is there a point to this little speech?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Ramirez. If I were you, I’d be a little suspicious. He did just come in kind of stealing your thunder. Seems like the chief traded up. You think he’ll give him a bouquet of flowers too?”
He grinned, and I clenched every muscle to restrain myself from punching him in the face. I admired Dr. Medina. I wanted to learn from him. This was the best opportunity of my career, and Dr. Keach wanted to twist it into something it was not. This was what he did. He constantly tried to make this program difficult for me. He had wanted me to quit from the moment he’d met me, and the more I pushed back, the madder I made him, and the more he tried.
“Not everyone is as twisted as you are, Dr. Keach. Some of us are here to cure cancer. We have bigger fish to fry.”
“Do you hear yourself?” he asked. “You sound like a child. Cure cancer?You?”
“Maybe not today,” I said. “But I’m one step closer than I was yesterday.” I turned away from him and waved goodbye with my napkin, showing how little respect I had for him.
I walked over to join colleagues I liked better. I was ready to drum up conversation with them when the back doors to the conference room opened, and chief Stuart stepped in, followed by a tall, dark, and handsome man. My eyes immediately widened. It couldn’t be Dr. Medina. Could it?
The man who followed him wore a navy-blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a grey—almost silver—tie. His black hair, thick and wavy, was meticulously combed back. He had a little bit of salt in his pepper-colored hair, which made the contrast to his deeply tanned skin much more noticeable. His strong brow shaded his eyes, so I couldn’t see his eye color, but his face was chiseled except for a full bottom lip. I could sense the chiseled shape of his jaw despite the salt and pepper-speckled beard.
My lips parted, and my gaze followed him the rest of the meeting. He stood to the chief’s right, scanning the faces as if he were looking for someone.
“Thank you, all,” the chief started, “for being here. We’ll make this quick. You know from my email last month that we have a new attending on staff. Please help me welcome Dr. Hector Medina.”
Every doctor not holding a plate of food clapped. The noise snapped me out of whatever trance I had been in, and I found myself closing my mouth, which had grown dry. I needed to stop. Not only was he my boss, but I wanted him to be my mentor;if thatweren’t enough, the glistening gold band around his ring finger put me in check.
The chief continued. “We are fortunate to have him. He left a leadership position at the FIHR for an attending position here. That’s a demotion if you ask me.” The chief brought a hand to Dr. Medina’s shoulder. Dr. Medina looked on the room with confidence and a smile that made my knees a little bit weak, though I’d never admit it to anyone. “But his decision also speaks to his character. He wants to refocus on patient care and rejoin research from the trenches, but I’ll let him speak more about it himself. Dr. Medina, would you like to say a few words?”
“Thank you, Dr. Stuart. It is an honor to work with you and to be at this hospital with such great eager and young minds.” His voice was deep and severe, and it carried a bit of a Spanish accent. “That’s why I took this demotion, as you called it. I want to find new inspiration for my research, and the best source of inspiration I’ve ever had has been my patients. I know I will be a boss to most of you. To you, I say, I am a tough boss, but I am a fair boss. I look forward to working with you and, more importantly, learning from you.”
He paused to look through the faces in the room as if he was searching for someone he knew. He took so long in his visual assessment that we all looked at each other, hoping to find the source he was seeking. Not settling on anyone in particular, he continued.
“I’ve been following research coming from this hospital for over a year now, and let me tell you, I’ve been impressed. That is why I chose Heartland Metro Hospital as my new professional home. There is one trial going on now that fascinates me. The grant proposal came across my desk at the FIHR a couple of years ago.”
Oh no,I thought. If he was about to say what I thought he was, I was going to be sick. Two years ago was exactly when I first submitted my research proposal. Was he here to check up on my trial? Or worse still, did he intend to take back his work? I set my plate back on the conference table and straightened my jacket, hoping I was wrong but preparing to be right—the story of my life.
“If I remember correctly,” Dr. Medina said, “the trial is underway now, and it deals with changes in cervical cancer treatment protocols in women under thirty.”
I felt the moment when everyone turned to look at me, and I closed my eyes.Traitors. The lot of you.
Dr. Medina zeroed in on me. He planned it beautifully. Once he mentioned the trial and those few specifics, everyone pointed right to me. I envisioned a giant red arrow with blinking lights floating above my head. Perfect.Well played, Dr. Medina. Well played.
He kept his gaze on me for the remainder of his little speech. “Imagine my surprise when I read this grant proposal and found that it continued precisely where my research left off before I left for the FIHR. It was as though someone cloned me and left half of me behind to keep the research going, only much later, of course,” he said and laughed at his own joke about his old age, though he could barely be pushing forty. It wasn’t that funny, but everyone still joined in with a burst of nervous laughter. Suck-ups.
“I’m guessing you are Dr. Ramirez?”
Oh, how could you tell?I cleared my throat and instead said, “Yes, Doctor. Carolina Ramirez. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Do you have a patient to see after this meeting?” he asked. His eyes narrowed.
Shit. Shit. Shit.“No, Doctor. I’m available.”
Dr. Keach snickered next to me.Shit.Why did I have to phrase it like that? Real smart on my part.
“Perfect. Meet me in my office when we are done here. No, uh, actually, wait for me. I’ll need you to first show me to my office.” Everyone in the room laughed in earnest, then. I simply nodded.
Dr. Medina talked about his mission and vision for the residency program now that he was at the helm and his strong direction toward innovative research. I stopped listening. I was equal parts excited to work with him and petrified he was here to take over my trial. Why else would he leave the FIHR? It was all beginning to make sense. I worked so hard on the trial, and the results so far had been promising. For me to lose control of it now would be a devastating blow.
Dr. Medina glanced at me frequently. He would turn his attention to someone else, then return to me. I felt like I might be sick and suddenly was very thankful I hadn’t eaten.
The meeting ended after Dr. Stuart said a few closing remarks, and everyone trickled out of the room and back to work.