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Rex would have to speak to the housekeeping staff about letting people into his office when he wasn’t there. Obviously Ms. Romano didn’t mind doing whatever it took to get her way. Ignoring her wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought.
She bent and started gathering her papers. “You didn’t return my calls.”
Rex went down on his heels to help her. “I’ve been here since 2:00 a.m.”
Lowering her chin, she said, “I thought you were just dodging me.”
Guilt pricked him. Ms. Romano said what she thought. She was honest. He respected that. Continuing to pick up the fallen pages, he was adding them to the growing stack in his hand when he glanced down at one of them and saw his name. He looked at her. “Is this your research portfolio on me?”
Her dark green eyes rose to meet his. “You’re an important part of my plan. I need to know all I can about you.” She took the papers from his hands and stood.
Rex did as well, snapping, “The hospital should be the focus, not me.”
“This is about you too. I can drag you in kicking and screaming but you’re still going to be a part of the campaign.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. “And just how do you plan to do that?”
“As I said before, Mr. Nelson assured me you would cooperate with me.” Her obstinate expression didn’t waver.
Rex detested her threat of blackmail, but he didn’t want Dr. Nelson aware of his determination to take as small a role as possible in this PR nonsense. “Look, I’ve had a long day. I’m tired and hungry. Can’t we do this later?”
“No. We’ve already lost twenty-four hours. We don’t have time to waste.”
He let out a deep sigh of disgust and sank into his desk chair. “Then let’s get on with it. I’m hungry and need some sleep.”
She apparently wasn’t in the least bit sympathetic that he’d been at the hospital for eighteen hours.
She placed the folder on his desk in front of her, opened it and sorted papers with precision.
Maybe all he’d be required to do was to listen while she talked. He had naught to contribute, except that he wanted nothing to do with this complete waste of his time and the hospital’s resources.
“I need to go over a few things with you so I can make calls first thing in the morning. We have such a small window of opportunity we’ve got to immediately start pitching ideas to the media.”
Rex watched her continue to organize her papers. At this rate, it would be a long month.
“I have some very exciting ideas I want to run by you,” she said in a swift, cheerful manner.
Rex knew better than to ask but did so anyway. “Such as?”
“I’d like to do an ‘in-your-face’ campaign. I want to show the hospital trusts you enough to make you their ambassador. Put it right up front. ‘Neither I nor the hospital was guilty of malpractice. You can trust us with all your health needs.’” She pointedly looked at him. “If you gain people’s trust then the hospital will be trusted too. It all works hand in hand. I have in mind you doing a couple of medical segments on some morning talk shows. Maybe talk about sports health. Hopefully put an article in Memphis Magazine. But time might be against us there.” She was talking fast while flipping through her portfolio. “A newspaper ad on Sundays might be very effective. People need to get to know the real you.”
The PR woman was in her zone. A sour taste formed in his mouth. She seemed to no longer be aware he sat across from her.
Any hope of not being overly involved was waning fast. He had to put the brakes on this madness. A little louder than necessary, he announced, “People who have met me do know the real me. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. I’m not about to rub elbows and smile ingratiatingly at the same people who were burning me at the stake a month ago.”
She kept her attention on her file, which was now tightly clenched in her fists. “Yes, you will! Not everyone trusts doctors and hospitals. To have any hope of swaying public opinion in your favor, we need to get the media on our side ASAP.”
Rex narrowed his eyes and watched her closely. “So, what’s in this for you?”
With a startled jerk, she looked directly at him. “What do you mean?”
“I know why I should be so interested in improving the hospital’s rep, and even mine, but why’re you so enthusiastic about it?”
She studied him for a moment then said with a harsh note in her tone, “Because it’s my job.”
Had he hit on something? “It seems to me you’re going beyond the call of duty to sit in my office, waiting on me for who knows how long, working overtime on just another job.”
“If I pull this off, with your help, I have a real chance at a promotion I really want. Need, in fact.”
There was her blunt honesty again.
“I see.”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t but that isn’t the issue.” She looked away. “I want to have a couple of billboards put up around town. Have people see that the hospital is here for them and that you are part of what makes it...great.” She faltered on the last word. As if she weren’t sure it was the correct one.
“Me?”
“I want you on the billboard, standing in front of a picture of the hospital. With a healthy, happy patient. You know that kind of thing.” She absentmindedly waved one hand in the air.
Rex’s insides tightened. His hunger had vanished. This was starting to sound like what his parents had done when he’d been a kid. Make their family look all perfect on the outside. He turned his head to the side and looked down his nose at her. “You want my picture on a billboard?”
“That’s right.”
He shook his head. “No.”
“We need to put you out there in front of the public. Let them know who you really are.”
Rex leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “I don’t think me being on a billboard is going to tell them anything.”
Her expression was stony. “Dr. Nelson thought it was a good idea.”
She was playing hardball again. Rex felt the walls closing in. He was being left no choice. If he wanted to keep his job, or any chance of becoming department head anytime soon, he would have to go along with this. But he wouldn’t make it easy. “I don’t have time for these extracurricular activities. My surgical practice and responsibilities to my patients monopolize my time.”
“We’ll work around your schedule.”
His refusal, his objection hadn’t even slowed her down.
She studied him a moment. “One more thing. We need to work on your image.”
His gut tightened. This was getting worse by the minute. “What’s wrong with my image? My appearance is part of my identity.”
After looking him over for a moment, she answered in a quiet but steely voice, “You have a bad-boy image. One that has to be softened up a little bit.”
“And just how do you plan to do that?”
“A haircut here, some clothes there.”
This was going too far.
“Not going to happen. I don’t do makeovers. You can talk to Nelson all you want but that’s stepping over the line.”
She slipped the now organized papers into her folder. “After this campaign, you can go back to your slouchy, unkempt look, but you will look sharp and reliable for the media. You think about it. From what I understand, this is all sanctioned by the board. I’m not telling you your business but can you really afford to go against them?”
He hated this. Everything about it brought back memories he’d thought he had gotten beyond. “Again, where do I find time for this makeover to happen?”
“Don’t you have a day off?” She sounded as if it wasn’t a big deal for him to get away.
Yeah, but not one he wanted to spend her way. “Tomorrow, in fact.”
“Perfect. I’ll make an appointment with my hairdresser for tomorrow afternoon. First we’ll do a little shopping. So, I’ll be on my way. Goodnight.” She stood, put her bag over her shoulder and turned toward the door.
“Hey, wait a minute. You don’t need to be going to your car alone at this time of night.” Rex picked up his jacket.
She had stopped and was looking back at him. “I’ll be fine. I’m in the main parking lot up front.”
“I’m still going to walk you out.”
She shrugged and walked away. He followed. They said nothing to each other as they went down in the elevator and stepped out into the parking lot. The silence wasn’t so much uncomfortable as it was mutual.
“This is it,” she said when they reached a white compact car. With a click, she unlocked it with her fob. “Why don’t you get in? I’ll take you to your car.”
Rex wavered a moment, fearing that if he managed to get his long body in he might not be able to get it out. “My bike is in the back. I don’t mind walking.”
“You ride a motorcycle?” The unusual high note in her voice irritated him.
“Yes. You mean that wasn’t in your notes?”
Her perplexed demeanor was almost comical. Had she really thought that everything there was to know about him was in black and white in her folder? “Actually, it wasn’t, but it should have been.”
