Chapter 4
Finn
When the hospital phone operator paged me, I assumed a family member had arrived and wanted an update regarding one of my patients. I had just finished my rounds and all my patients were stable and doing well. My practice was to go to my office and call each family with my findings. Obviously one of them couldn’t wait. But I understood where these people were coming from. To them, I was the only one who could assure them that everything would be okay. But it was a promise I never gave. There are certainly times that surgery goes well, but the patient doesn’t make it. Complications and unforeseen health issues could arise and change everything without warning.
Since I didn’t know which patient’s family was in the waiting room, I wasn’t prepared to answer any detailed questions, but I would do my best.
When I opened the door to the private waiting room, I was stunned to find Reesa and Logan waiting for me. I tried to hide my shock as I closed the door behind me and went to sit across from them. “Ms. Florraz, Dr. Henderson, what brings you to the hospital today?” More importantly, why to see me?
Logan spoke first. “Ms. Florraz wanted to ask you some questions.”
Turning to Reesa I said, “I remember you saying you were looking for a doctor. This, I assume, is a professional visit.”
“It is,” she replied.
“Normally I would ask you to schedule an appointment in my office so I could examine you. But since you’re already here, I could call down to the emergency room and see if they have an examination room available if this is urgent, because my office is not located in the hospital.”
Reesa shook her head. “I am not here for myself.”
I looked at Logan, who said, “I believe you are misunderstanding why she is here.”
Evidently, I am.
Something had to be urgent enough that they decided to pay me a visit at the hospital while I was working. Reesa might not fully understand how things work at a hospital, but Logan sure in hell does. I didn’t have much time, but I wanted to hear some sort of explanation. “Would either of you care to explain? The short version would be appreciated. I’m on duty with patients waiting to be seen,” I stated.
I supposed I was happy to see Reesa again, but this isn’t what I had in mind. After work I had been planning to stop in at O’Malley’s with the hope she would be there, too. But I wasn’t sure what the relationship was between Reesa and Logan. I knew he was married, but some men don’t care about such things. I, for one, did and if Reesa was Logan’s lover, then I didn’t want anything to do with her.
For now, I’d hear her out, but if I didn’t like what she was saying, I had no issue with cutting this unexpected meeting short.
“I have learned that you are a surgeon here at the hospital,” she said.
“You don’t need to speak to me to obtain my credentials,” I stated, looking at Logan. He could probably get more information about me than I probably knew myself. Hell, he might have already done so. Looking back at Reesa I asked, “But to answer your question, yes, I am one of two heart surgeons on staff here.”
“Have you ever considered…a change?” she asked.
“Do you mean a change of specialty?”
“No. I mean, besides being a surgeon, have you ever considered maybe…running a hospital?” she asked.
I laughed. “I believe Dr. Murray, our Chief of Staff, has that covered.” Others were far ahead of me in line for the position. I hadn’t even considered it.
“Not here in Ireland. I’m talking about Tabiq,” she stated.
“Tabiq?” Never heard of it. “Is that a real place?”
Reesa nodded. “It is not a large country, but it is a real one. And we are looking for someone to run the hospital.”
Once again, I looked at Logan. “Why aren’t you doing it?” Logan was a world-renowned neurosurgeon. He probably didn’t want the job. Still doesn’t explain why he’s here with Reesa talking to me about it.
“I have been doing what I can, but I have obligations of my own to attend to, back in the states. For the last few years, I’ve been traveling back and forth once a month. They need someone who can be there full time,” Logan explained.
“And you believe I’m that person?” I asked.
Logan replied. “This is not my decision to make, it is hers. I’m here just to guide her in regard to any medical and ethical questions she may have.”
“This sounds as though it will take more time than I have to give at this moment,” I responded.
Reesa’s eyes widened. “Does that mean you’d consider it?”