Chapter 16 #4
She heard a familiar throat clear to her left and tried not to visibly bristle as she recognized the coarse voice of Dr. Vanders.
“It’s clear she needs corrective rod placement.
I can clear my schedule this afternoon and evaluate her.
She should have surgery as soon as possible—try to give her back some of the life her…
unfortunate home life has failed to provide her so far. ”
Her hackles rose. He hadn’t even seen the girl’s most recent films and he was already talking surgery?
And he was volunteering for a pro bono case?
She knew for a fact Surgery had to practically strong-arm him into meeting his no-cost quotas each year, tracking him down and assigning him cases just to fulfill the requirement.
He never willingly worked for free—and certainly not on cases he couldn’t publish. What was he playing at?
“I disagree,” Haleigh said matter-of-factly.
She sat to Dr. Vanders’s immediate left, shoulders squared.
“We haven’t evaluated her ourselves—we have no idea what her system is like.
Even if the report recommends immediate surgery, I feel it would be rash to assume it’s true without evaluating her.
We need to evaluate her entire system, not just her skeleton. ”
Grier buried a smile, grateful her friend was defending the child.
She knew she’d likely need surgery, but not before they knew what they were walking into.
If they could implement some alternative treatments to help relax the girl’s muscles and skeletal structures—even by a few degrees—her surgical outcome would likely improve significantly.
Still, there was something nagging at her about this case. Something in the periphery of her mind was scratching at her, clawing for attention. Something she couldn’t quite name.
“Her latest report from the regional hospital shows compromised lung function, reduced oxygen levels, and an increased heart rate,” Vanders countered. “She needs surgery. Now.”
Grier’s gaze flicked to Dr. Miles as he turned toward Haleigh, clearly waiting for her rebuttal. But that scratch in her mind grew insistent, like static turning to a hum.
What did Dr. Miles say about her double major curvature? There was something there.
Haleigh persisted. “And if you’d read the entire report instead of skimming it, you’d have realized those numbers were acquired during active pneumonia, where oxygen levels would be obviously reduced and fever would naturally elevate heart rate.
Values preceding the infection were borderline normal—weak, maybe—but still stronger than during the illness.
I reiterate: there’s a need to evaluate before we cut.
That left thoracic curvature is going to be more difficult to address than the more common right curvature as it is; she needs to be as healthy as possible before we cut. ”
That was it! Haleigh’s mention of the curvature triggered a memory from Grier’s advanced scoliosis class in grad school— specifically, how laterality of spinal curvature was influenced by other underlying factors.
“I agree with Dr. Rhodes. I think there’s more going on here.” Grier drew herself upright, steadying her nerves as she prepared to present her case. “Do her existing records have a brain MRI?”
“It’s scoliosis, Grier. You of all people should understand that scoliosis affects the spine and leaves the brain unaffected,” Vanders scoffed, deliberately dropping her title to insinuate his superiority.
“I understand that, Dr. Vanders—thank you for your board review.” She smiled at him, the kind of smile that stopped short of her eyes.
“The opposite can be true, however. A brain tumor can affect the spine. I’ve read studies correlating a dominant left thoracic curvature with pituitary tumors.
I think it would be prudent to at least consider the possibility of a tumor and its associated pathology prior to a surgical intervention that may be doomed in the absence of due diligence. ”
“A pituitary tumor? Are you serious?” Vanders glowered at her.
Grier remained poised, refusing to let him intimidate her— especially when it came to appropriate patient care. She’d be damned if he was going to bully her into acquiescing when a patient’s quality of life was on the line.
“I have to agree with Dr. Savage,” Haleigh offered, directing her comment to Dr. Miles and bypassing Vanders altogether.
“This girl has been mishandled by every previous physician she’s come across.
She’s likely terrified of us by now. If we can properly diagnose her, we may be able to spare her from numerous unnecessary interventions as her body grows. ”
The room grew quiet—and tense—as all eyes rested on Dr. Miles, awaiting his verdict. Grier watched as the senior surgeon deliberated internally, rolling his lips between his teeth as he weighed the opposing arguments.
“I agree with Dr. Savage and Dr. Rhodes,” he finally said.
“This girl has been through a lot, and it would be negligent of us to evaluate her for surgery without considering all possible diagnoses. An MRI of the brain is warranted, and will be performed this afternoon, alongside Dr. Vanders‘s physical assessment. Then we’ll determine the best course of action. Regardless of what the MRI shows, Dr. Savage, I want you and your team on this case. She’s going to need to be co-managed for best outcomes. ”
“Yes, of course. Whatever you need.” Grier kept her expression professional, but inside she was doing an uninhibited victory dance. Dr. Miles dismissed them with a nod. “I’ll see you all next week.”
Grier didn’t see Vanders leave, but she heard his irritated grumblings as he aggressively pushed through the doors.
She was collecting her iPad and papers when she felt a gentle hand brush against her forearm. Looking up, she found Haleigh standing beside her, a conspiratorial gleam in her eye.
“Thanks for the assist.”
“Against Vanders? Anytime—nothing makes me happier than to see his grand schemes kiboshed.” She knew she should be more tactful when discussing colleagues, but sometimes she just couldn’t bite her tongue with that man. Besides, she felt relatively safe with Haleigh as her co-conspirator.
“He’s irritated because the hospital is already on him for his pro- bono percentages this year,” Haleigh divulged.
“He’s had multiple surgeries canceled in the last several weeks, so he’s itching to cut.
He doesn’t care what he cuts; he just wants to feed his ego.
He’s been miserable on the floor. Several of the staff have lodged complaints, coming to me or Dr. Miles in tears after one of Vanders’s tirades. It’s getting rather old.”
Grier noticed Haleigh‘s eyes lighten a little bit. “And pathetic.” They both chuckled as they made their way to the door. Grier’s phone buzzed in her lab coat pocket, and she had to restrain the urge to pull it out immediately.
“Well, I’m curious what her MRI shows later. I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that something else is going on,” Grier said, reaffirming her earlier stance.
Her phone buzzed again, and then again shortly after. She offered Haleigh an apologetic glance as she shuffled what she was carrying to grab her phone.
“Popular today,” Haleigh chided playfully.
Grier couldn’t hide the giddy grin that spread across her face when she finally looked down at her phone and confirmed what she’d been hoping—Tobin was back from a blackout.
“I’ve been hearing that a sexy helicopter pilot has caught your eye lately. By the look on your face, I’d bet that’s her.” Haleigh winked.
A flush of mild embarrassment crept up Grier’s neck, quickly overshadowed by confusion. Who could’ve told her about Tobin? She’d only confided in Alix and Maren, and she trusted them implicitly not to gossip about her private affairs around the hospital.
With an air of nonchalance, she tried to dismiss the claim— more to extract information about the gossip’s source than to actually deny it. While she and Tobin hadn’t explicitly discussed going public,
she didn’t want to risk exposing Tobin before she was ready.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been the main topic of hospital gossip,” she said lightly.
Haleigh grinned tightly, restraint evident as she fought a larger smile. “I haven’t heard anything around here.”
Grier cocked an eyebrow, watching as Haleigh’s misstep registered. Haleigh coughed, color blooming in her cheeks as she fumbled for her phone. “I, uh—I need to get back. I have a consult in five minutes.”
She spun on her heel and hurried down the hall, the clack of her heels an echoing anthem of her hurried departure.
Grier stared after her in astonishment. Only one other person had the information Haleigh was privy to—the same person who had recently embarked on a clandestine rendezvous with an as-yet unnamed individual.
Grant.