Chapter 5
Reesa
As we sat at the restaurant waiting for Dr. O’Connor to arrive, Logan and I discussed the pros and cons. I was glad Logan had spent the day pulling up everything he could, regarding Finn. The medical side I didn’t understand, but nothing about it slipped by Logan. Thankfully, he hadn’t found any red flags that would make me hesitate to bring Finn on board. The only concern was the fact that he’d never managed a hospital before.
“You know, Tabiq isn’t like Ireland,” I said. “Even if Dr. O’Connor had experience running a hospital here, those methods might not apply back home. He will have to gain the trust and respect of his Tabiqian staff, and that will be an uphill battle. You of all people should know that,” I reminded him.
When Logan first started working with our hospital, families wouldn’t even bring their sick or injured there. They’d rather treat them at home with natural remedies, many of which didn’t work. People had died because of their lack of trust. But something about Finn made me believe he could win them over. Maybe it was that he was easy to talk to, or the deep conviction he showed in our conversation earlier. Or maybe it’s that red hair.
“Reesa, you don’t even look like you’re listening to me. Worried about what’s going on in Tabiq while you’re gone?” Logan asked.
“Of course,” I replied. Tabiq was always on my mind. And even though Logan wasn’t abandoning his role until a suitable replacement was found, once the people learned of the change, I would be under fire for not mentioning it beforehand. The longer the hunt continued, the greater the risk that someone learns the truth before a replacement is found. Finn isn’t the only doctor on Earth. If he said no, our search would continue. It just wouldn’t be…Finn. I know it should be.
“It’s time to pull yourself together. Your doctor has just arrived,” Logan said, eyeing the entrance of the restaurant.
My hands were clammy, and I quickly wiped them with my napkin. I gave Dr. O’Connor a little wave to let him know where we were sitting. It was ridiculous because everyone could tell we were not from Ireland. Logan might be an American, but with his dark hair and olive skin, he could pass for a Tabiqian man very easily. No one will ever mistake Finn for one.
When he joined us at the table he said, “I’m sorry I am late. I’m sure Dr. Henderson can confirm that a doctor’s schedule is based on whatever the patient demands are.”
“Busy day?” I asked.
“Not any more than usual. The only distractions I had were the two of you, and a meeting with Murray, my Chief of Staff. Somehow a colleague of mine got wind of your visit today. I don’t know why it bothered him, but it did,” Finn said.
“I don’t know anyone else at the hospital,” I said.
“I do. Would you be talking about Dr. Snyder?” Logan asked. Finn raised a brow and nodded. “I met with him yesterday. He’s…he seems to be a good surgeon, but not what we are looking for.”
Finn didn’t appear to be happy with that information. Did he really believe that he was the only doctor we were interviewing? If so, he had one hell of an ego and was not the man I thought he was.
My fears were only enhanced when he asked, “So you offered him the job first and I’m your second choice?”
“We haven’t officially offered anyone a job, including you. But since you asked, I will answer your question. We have met with several physicians here in Ireland as well as in other countries. As I said, this is a position that requires us finding the right person,” I said.
Finn seemed to relax slightly, but my intuition said there was more to his discomfort than Logan speaking to Dr. Snyder. Not that asking Finn would do us any good, but I made a mental note to discuss this later in private with Logan. Or maybe we’ll need to speak to Dr. Snyder again.
The waitress came over and took our order. While the two men drank their wine, and me my hot tea, Finn asked, “What do you want to know about me?”
It was time to get down to business. Logan took the lead with the questions, most of which might as well have been in a foreign language. They spoke in medical jargon for the next hour, and at one point I felt I would get a crick in my neck from watching them debate medicine back and forth over dinner.
I had finished my meal and was considering dessert when Logan turned to me and asked, “Is there anything you’d like to know?”
I smiled at him and wanted to say, Yes, like what the hell did you guys talk about? But I knew this was my chance to direct the interview.
“I would like to move from procedures to something simpler. Last night when we spoke at the pub, you discussed patient care. Can you please give me your feelings regarding life?”
Finn chuckled. “There is nothing simple about life. It is more complex than the function of the human heart. But if I understand you correctly, you want to know what value I put on it?”
I shrugged. That was close enough to what I meant.
He continued, “Is a person who is loved more valuable than one who isn’t? How about religious or political views? If you do not share their views, has that person’s value decreased? Some would say yes. Those people shouldn’t practice medicine. A physician should be blind to anything besides the well-being of the patient they are treating.”
That was a better answer than I suspected he’d give. I looked at Logan and smiled smugly. Told you so.
“It’s easy to believe that,” Logan said, “when you’re practicing medicine in your own country. But how do you think you’d do so when you’re the minority? We have had a few tourists from Ireland, but you’d be the first who came to stay. Are you ready to make such a change?”
Finn hesitated only slightly. “I cannot respond to that question without doing some research myself. As I mentioned previously, I’m not familiar with Tabiq.”
“You could google it, but don’t believe everything you read. If you’d rather, I’d be happy to tell you about my country. I was born and raised there, after all. Better insight than any you’ll obtain from the internet,” I said.