Dr. Off Limits by Louise Bay

Author:Louise Bay [Bay, Louise]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Twenty-One

Jacob

I’d spent the last twenty minutes sorting out the conference room, ready for twenty-five FY1s to shift from doctors to management consultants.

People filed in and I surreptitiously glanced at Sutton, half hoping she’d catch my eye and half praying she didn’t, because I was sure everyone would see the electricity between us. How did she look even more gorgeous today? She wore her ponytail high and Madonna had been replaced with Prince on her t-shirt. Apparently she liked her eighties pop.

“You’re glowing, Sutton,” Veronica said as they took a seat at the table at the back. “That early night last night did you good.”

I couldn’t help but smirk as I set the flip chart up by the front. Each table had a flip chart as well as markers, Post-it notes, and an array of stationery.

“Please take your seats. Make sure you’re not in the same groups as yesterday.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and typed.

My place for dinner tonight. 3 Holford Road. I’ll be back around eight.

I pressed send and heard Sutton’s phone bleep. I hoped no one connected the two. I scanned the room. Everyone was on their phones. No one was paying attention to Sutton and me.

As people took their seats, Sutton typed on her phone.

Your place? Isn’t that too risky? Don’t people know where you live?

It wasn’t like anyone could see through my windows. My place was set back from the road and gated.

It will be fine. Trust me. Come at eight. And then again at eight thirty and nine. And ten . . .

I pressed send, grinned at the thought of the blush my message would elicit, and then turned off my phone. I needed to focus. I had plenty of distraction already today just having Sutton in the room.

I deliberately didn’t watch Sutton open my message. Instead, I brought the room to attention.

“As you know, we surveyed you about the one thing you would change at the Royal Free if you had a magic wand.” If I was honest, the results had been a little disappointing. Most people talked about hours or staffing levels or pay levels. Nothing about any of that could be sorted by us today in this room.

“Out of the issues raised, I’ve identified three I thought we could work in our groups to try and come up with some kind of fix for. It might not be a complete fix. Maybe it would just ease the problem, but let’s put our heads together and see what we can come up with.”

The way I saw it, even if we didn’t manage to come up with any solutions, just the idea that the new doctors saw the problems in the hospital as part of their responsibility would provide a useful mindset shift. It was all too easy to blame those in management or lack of funding—and they were understandable targets—but they didn’t help morale. If problems at the hospital were perceived as issues that we all could solve, then it may have several effects.

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