28 - THE SHORE, SIGHTED
Derek
I watched her walk out.
She looked good. The outfit, the posture, how she walked like she was escaping.
I'd had Lacey Bonds figured for five years. Controlled, contained, extremely competent as a physician, but repressed, even mousy. Today she was different. She snapped at me in front of the board. The memory made me almost grin.
I was still turning it over when Thomas Aldridge leaned in from two seats down.
"I'm so sorry about that, Derek. That was completely uncalled for, and I want you to know—"
I cut him off. "What are you apologizing for?" Fucking ass kisser.
He stopped.
I looked at him, then around the table at the other faces, several of them wearing the same careful placating look that I hated.
"Allison." I looked at her. "You put Bonds in front of this board because she knows what the hospital needs and she'll stand behind it. Right?"
"That's correct," Allison said, brightly.
"Then I don't know what the apology's for."
She smiled. "I'm not apologizing, Mr. Harrington."
"She knows her data," I said. "She knows her cases.
She answered every question I put to her without hedging once.
" I looked back at Aldridge. "That's what we want standing up there representing our hospital.
Someone who won't fold the second the room gets uncomfortable.
Someone with a damned backbone. She did good. "
Looked good doing it too. I caught that on the way up and put it back down. Get a grip, Major.
I looked at the numbers I'd written during the presentation. There were a lot of them.
The ask was too broad, though. She wanted everything at once: the MRI suite, the expanded capacity, the staffing, the retrofitting.
I understood that. But I don't fund things that way.
I cleared my throat. The murmur settled.
"That was an extensive wish list," I said.
"I'm not rebuilding the whole department at once.
I'm also not saying no. I'd like to sit down with Bonds directly and work through the priorities.
She knows the clinical detail better than anyone in this room, and I don't want to be filtering it through committees.
" I looked at Allison. "Have her contact me directly.
We'll do it at my home office. Easier than finding time here. "
Allison looked satisfied. "I'll let her know."
The nods and thanks from the rest of the board ran too long. I gathered my things while it went on around me and thought about catching her before she vanished back onto her floor.
I decided against it. Not today. Let her have today.
Aaron had the car at the front entrance, engine running, standing by the driver's door. My brother for over half my life.
"Hey, D." He clocked my face as I came through the doors. "You look happy. Must've been a good meeting."
"It was okay," I said. "Let's get coffee. Want me to drive?"
"Naw, I got this. You're in your monkey suit." He pulled into traffic.
"Josie's got that new roan about ready to ride. You wanna give her a go later?" Josie was Aaron's wife, and a lifelong horsewoman.
"Yeah, that sounds good," I said, distracted.
I'm trying to convince you to help save children's lives, Derek. I'm not here to entertain you.
Not a mouse after all. I was looking forward to being wrong again.
"What are you grinning at?" Aaron asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing."
He looked like he didn't believe me but wasn't going to say so.
"Coffee," I said.
"Coffee," he agreed.