Margo shrugged. “You delegate what you don’t have time for or what you don’t want to make time for. If you try it and don’t like it, you move. And,” she said with a smile, “it’s pretty unlikely they won’t like you. You’re a likeable person.”
Mikaela smiled back. “Thank you,” she said batting her eyelashes. Then she sobered. “It’s just such a lot to take in. I feel overwhelmed.”
“Take one day at a time. Look forward to the challenge each day, and believe in yourself. You can do this, you know. You deliver babies for a living. Seems to me that comes with a lot more responsibility than organizing a department, meeting new people, and setting up a clinic.”
She stirred her drink with the straw and continued. “You’ve always been a great team player, and you’ll shine as a leader. And that’s not something St. Peter’s would have ever offered.”
Mikaela stared at Margo. “Th—Thanks. It means a lot to me that you think that,” she said slowly.
“Of course,” Margo said, brushing it aside. “And when you hire someone to paint the new suite, I’ll expect a call.”
“Of course.” Mikaela laughed.
“What did you decide to do with your condo?” Margo asked.
“I’m keeping it. Sam refused to take any money for rent or utilities.”
“So basically you’re going to be a kept woman.” Margo raised her eyebrows and peered over the rim of her sunglasses.
“Yes, thank you for pointing that out. I am. But, the benefit is I can justify keeping my condo. Just in case …”
“Just in case?”
“Just in case I end up having meetings in the city or want to get away for a weekend. Or party with you.” She grinned.
Margo grinned back and clinked the glass she was holding against Mikaela’s. “I can drink to that,” she said, taking a sip of the lime cooler. “Have you moved your stuff to Sam’s yet?”
“No, I’ll pack the car and move it on Sunday when I go.”
“How has Sam been with all of this?” Margo asked.
“I don’t really know,” Mikaela said, looking out at the cloudless blue sky. “We haven’t spoken since I told him I would go along with it. I assume he’s happy about it. It’s what he wanted.”
“You haven’t spoken to him since you agreed with it? Wasn’t that like a month and a half ago?”
“Yup. Guess he’s been busy. I know I’ve been.”
“What?” Margo asked, feigning shock. “Here you’re ‘engaged,’” she said, making air quotations, “to Dr. Eye Candy and you haven’t spoken to him in over a month. Girl, what are you thinking? I’d be acc-sex-ing those marital rights of mine, if I were you.”
Mikaela laughed and shook her head. “I have no intention of acc-sex-ing anything. This is a business arrangement. We’ll play it out for now, but when we break it off, and we will break it off eventually, I don’t want to get hurt or have any regrets.”
“But that’s exactly my point. You should go for it, girl. Seize the day. You don’t want to regret a missed opportunity. He could probably teach you a thing or two.” Margo winked.
“He probably could,” Mikaela agreed. “And that’s the problem. He’s a player and wouldn’t ever settle for just me, and I’m not willing to share. It’s better all round to avoid it altogether.”
“Sure, you keep telling yourself that. But you know what they say about trying to have just one potato chip?”
“What?” Mikaela asked with a smirk.
“Once you’ve tasted their crunchy goodness, you have to have another, and before you know it the whole bag is gone.”
“Good to know,” Mikaela said, laughing and shaking her head. “I won’t buy any potato chips.”
“I think it’s a little late for that. Have you told Sam about your parents yet?” Margo asked, eyeing the bodyguard who stood discreetly out of their view. It had taken a few trips to get used to the constant shadow, but now Margo was resigned to his presence whenever she traveled with Mikaela.
“No. Well, I’ve mentioned my dad’s retired,” Mikaela corrected.
“Your dad will never retire.”
“Well, technically, he is retired. I just didn’t mention from what, and Sam didn’t ask.”
“I’m surprised your dad didn’t send out a team to check the security of Sam’s place.”
“He probably did. Or at least checked into Sam. But I haven’t heard anything from him, and Sam’s security is top-notch. As good, if not better, than my condo’s.”
“How much did you tell your parents?”
“I told them I was accepting a position at Emerson as the department head. They were thrilled for me.”
“Naturally.”
“And that I was moving in with Sam.”
“Little trickier.”
“Yes. They were pretty good about it. They did say they want to meet him at Christmas, though,” Mikaela said, wincing.
“So you have two months.”
“I figure by then, Sam will be secure in his new position, and we won’t have to pretend we’re engaged. I’ll have a better idea about what I want to do, and who my father is won’t be an issue.”
“You’re going to lie.”
“No,” Mikaela said heatedly. “I won’t lie to Sam.”
“You’re just going to skirt around the issue.”
“I like to think of it as the ‘need to know’ rule. If he needs to know, I’ll tell him.”
“But right now, he doesn’t need to know,” Margo surmised.
“Exactly.”
Margo was silent.
Mikaela sighed. “What? I can sense your disapproval.”
“Not really,” Margo countered. “But don’t you run the risk of getting into trouble by not being perfectly honest?”
Mikaela huffed. “You mean like exhibit A. The last time I used the ‘need to know’ rule, I ended up losing my job at St. Peter’s, was coerced into accepting a position at Emerson where I’m going to have more responsibility, which potentially, and stressfully I might add, might be over my head. Plus I have a fake engagement with Sam, who, after having a mind-blowing weekend of sex, told me I could move in with him as a ‘business arrangement.’ You mean like that?”
“Ah, yeah,” Margo agreed reluctantly.
“Yes, there is potential for trouble. But I don’t care.”
“Not every man is like Elliott,” Margo said quietly.
“Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn’t matter. One thing I can say about myself is that I learn from my mistakes. Elliott was a mistake, and I won’t go through that again. Sam doesn’t need to know about my father.”
“I hear you. I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Margo said, squeezing Mikaela’s hand. She hoped it wasn’t too late.
“Thanks Margo. I promise to be careful.
“Come on,” Mikaela said, grabbing Margo’s hand and tugging her up. “A wise person told me to seize the day. Let’s go cool off and enjoy the surf. No more worries about tomorrow.”
“Woohoo,” Margo yelled. “Race you to the water.”
Chapter 13
Written in the Stars by Esmeralda Garnet
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Focus on the positive and be confident in new situations. Explore an opportunity that will allow you to grow. Embrace change.
Monday morning, Mikaela stood at the counter in Sam’s kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. She scanned the newspaper and came to her horoscope. Embrace change.
Humph, she thought. No choice really.
Mikaela was dressed in navy slacks and a crisp white shirt. She tied her hair back in a sleek tail and put on a fine silver chain. She debated about the shoes. Business pumps or comfortable loafers? She expected some running around, so in the end chose low cut suede boots that were stylish and comfortable.
Well, Mikaela thought, she couldn’t put it off any longer. She placed her bowl in the sink, grabbed her sweater and briefcase, and headed out to her car.
Sam had already left
for the day. He was up and about an hour before her alarm went off. He had started at Emerson two weeks earlier and already had fully booked clinics.
She, on the other hand, had opted to take a much-needed vacation. In the first week, she packed up her office and finished outstanding paperwork. The second week was spent recharging with Margo in the sun. It was the best decision ever. She felt much steadier. She could hear Margo’s voice telling her to think positively, take ownership of the day, and anticipate good things would happen. She could at least appear confident. Mikaela had been practicing positive self-talk all morning, some of it out loud, and was grateful Sam wasn’t around to hear. Last night had been awkward enough.
Yesterday, she had decided what to bring and had squeezed it all into her car like a complicated tetras puzzle. She had cleaned her condo, emptied her fridge, and watered the plants. And headed out to Sam’s place. She arrived in the early evening and Sam had been lounging in front of the television, watching a game and drinking a beer.
He helped her carry her stuff in and told her to take whatever space she needed, but it was awkward. They didn’t really talk much and she escaped to her room to unpack. Later, when Mikaela went to the kitchen to put away some groceries, the game was finished, and Sam was heading to bed. Very awkward. They said good night awkwardly, and she went to bed thinking they were going to have to talk.
Later. She could only focus positive thoughts on so many things at once.
After an easy ten-minute drive, she pulled into the hospital parking lot. Free parking. One level paved parking lot. None of this circling around up eight floors to find a spot. How refreshing.
Mikaela parked her car and went through revolving doors to the reception area. She had a meeting with Shirley Carson from Human Resources at nine o’clock.
Mikaela walked over to the reception area where a middle-aged woman with a mop of curly red hair stood talking animatedly to a young woman behind the counter.
“Good morning. I have a meeting with Shirley Carson …” Mikaela began.
“Well, hello.” The older woman turned her attention to Mikaela and held out her hand. “I’m Shirley Carson. You must be Dr. Finn,” she beamed. “I’m very happy to meet you.” She craned her neck to look up at Mikaela. “My, you’re a tall one, aren’t you? Well, never mind. Welcome to Emerson Hospital.” She pumped Mikaela’s hand up and down. “We’re so pleased you’ve decided to start a practice here. Oh my, you are going to be busy. I just found out my granddaughter is pregnant, now that’s another story, let me tell you, but it’s perfect timing because, you know, if she’s going to get pregnant, it’s a good thing she waited until we had a new obstetrician in town. How lucky is that? Isn’t that perfect timing?”
Mikaela’s head was spinning. “Yes, perfect.”
“Well, let’s not stand here chatting, we have a lot to do,” she said as she led the way down the hallway.
“First, we’ll get your identification organized, then I’ll show you around. We’ve set up a lunch meeting with Doctors Grant, Kelt, and Marshall, the family doctors who do deliveries. And this afternoon you have a meeting with the chief of surgery. Can you think of anything else?” She looked up at Mikaela with a smiling face.
“No, that seems to cover it all,” Mikaela replied.
They walked down a spacious, bright hallway with high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows looking out over green space and gardens.
“We have a lovely new garden,” Shirley explained. “The hospital is forty years old, but we’ve done some extensive renovations in the last five years.” She waved her hand toward the windows. “They opened this up and added the windows. Now it’s bright and welcoming. It used to be quite dingy and dark,” she added with a whisper.
They turned down a corridor to the left.
“Here are the administrative offices, the hospital CEO, Human Resources, and medical photography. We’ll just pop in here to get your photo ID organized.” She pushed open the door and greeted the young woman seated behind the desk. “Good morning, Trudy. How are you today?”
“Fine,” said the woman. Her hair was pulled back severely in a bun and her young features contrasted with old, tired eyes. She didn’t smile and barely made eye contact.
“This is Dr. Finn. She’s starting today at the hospital.”
“Fine,” said Trudy in a low voice. “Stand at the blue line on the floor.”
Shirley turned to Mikaela. “Would you like to fix your hair?”
“Ah, no. I think I’m good,” Mikaela responded. What did her hair look like?
“Smile,” said Trudy, with a deadpan expression.
Mikaela smiled.
“Sign this.” Trudy pushed a contract across the counter.
Mikaela scanned the document and signed the bottom.
Trudy took it back without a word and ripped the bottom copy off. She walked back to the computer and with a few clicks printed off a photo. She flipped it over and adding a card with a hospital logo, slid the combination into a laminator. When it came out the other end, she punched a hole in the top and without wasting a single movement, slipped a clip through the top and handed it to Mikaela.
“Thank you,” Mikaela said.
Trudy nodded. “It will be activated by five o’clock today. If there are any problems, bring it back.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay. All done here,” Shirley said, holding the door open for Mikaela. “On to the next.”
As they made their way down the hallway, Shirley glanced back at the office and whispered. “Trudy is also a public relations person for the hospital.”
“Really?” asked Mikaela. “She seemed a little … reserved.”
“You noticed that too, did you? I’ve always felt that way. But you know, with fundraising, she brought in over three-quarters of a million dollars for the hospital renovations,” Shirley said with wide eyes.
“Wow, that’s a lot of money.”
“I know. I couldn’t quite believe it myself when I heard that. But they say it’s true. People must go for the quiet, serious type,” she said shaking her head in wonder. “Now that’s something I’ll never be.” She laughed. “Okay, next on the agenda. Your office. Have you seen it yet?”
“No, not yet. The whole wing was still under renovations when I was here a month ago.”
“It’s all up and running now. You’re going to love it.”
Shirley was right.
Her office was at the corner of the hospital on the same floor as the obstetrical wing. Light streamed in through a floor to ceiling window at one corner of the room, catching the polished wood of a large desk. Staggered floating shelves filled another wall above a long, low cabinet.
“Look at the detail on that cabinet,” Mikaela exclaimed. “It’s beautiful.” She ran her hand along the inlaid wood that created an intricate pattern on the face of the cabinet.
Shirley beamed. “They did a great job. The furniture was all donated. People are really happy about having an upgrade to the obstetrical wing.”
“Wow. That’s very generous.”
Shirley nodded. “Here are the keys for the lock.”
They wandered down the hall and around the corner to the obstetrical suite. Shirley introduced Mikaela, rhyming off names and drawing everyone they met into the conversation.
Finally, Shirley glanced at the time. “We should head to the cafeteria to meet the community docs. Dr. Marshall’s clinic starts at twelve-thirty, so you’ll have an hour to talk.”
Mikaela waved to a chorus of good-byes. “I hope they won’t expect me to remember all their names. I don’t know how you do it.”
“It makes a difference when you’ve been around as long as I have. I worked with some of their mothers and fathers,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m sure it won’t take you long.
“There they are,” Shirley said and headed toward three people standing outside the cafeteria.
The two women were opposites. On
e tall and fair, with straight blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and the other petite, with short dark hair gelled into spikes. Both looked at her with cautious, curious eyes.
The male of the group had no such reservations. He smiled at Mikaela with a welcoming grin and threw out his hand for a handshake. “Hi, Ken Marshall,” he said, pumping her hand. “You must be Mikaela Finn.” He looked over at Shirley. “And how’s my sweetheart?” He threw an arm around Shirley’s shoulder and squeezed her close.
“Oh, get away with you.” Shirley laughed and pushed him away.
“Will you join us for lunch?” he asked Shirley.
“Not today. But thank you for asking. I thought I’d let you get acquainted and iron out the details you’ll need to get started. I know how hard it is to get you all together. Patty Kelt, Sylvie Grant. Mikaela Finn.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Mikaela said to each as she shook their hands.
“Lunch is the department’s treat.” She turned to Mikaela. “You’re meeting with Bob Crispin at two o’clock and then that’s it for the day. His office is on the fourth floor. Would you like me to come back and take you there?”
“Thank you, Shirley. But it isn’t necessary. I’ll find my way. Thank you so much for showing me around and introducing me to everyone today. It’s been really helpful.”
“Oh it’s been my pleasure. If you need anything else you, don’t be afraid to ask.”
“I won’t. Thank you.”
Shirley followed them into the cafeteria and swiped them through the cash. With a cheerful wave, she bustled away.
Mikaela followed the others and they sat down at a table for four in a quiet corner.
“How long have you been at Emerson?” Mikaela asked.
Patty looked at Sylvie. “Two and half, three years?”
Sylvie nodded. “Yes, about that. It doesn’t seem that long. And you were here a year or two before that, right Ken?”
Ken nodded. “I’ve been doing obstetrics for a year, but I’ve been here for about four years practicing family medicine. I had a lot of young women who wanted to start families and they didn’t want to travel to Rivermede to deliver, so I ended up adding obstetrics to my practice.”
Perfectly Honest Page 7
