Chapter 17
Regan
Istareatthesurgical schedule board, my coffee withhis creamercooling fast in my hand.A slow unease creeps into my gut… something’s off.
Brant’s name sits in two time slots for tomorrow morning: a hernia repair at seven a.m., and then an abscess drainage, where they are looking for osteomyelitis at eight.My eyes dart back and forth between the listings, my stomach sinking with every second.
That abscess drainage?It’s the case.The Chief of Administration’s daughter.The kind of surgery that can shift someone’s entire career trajectory.
And now he’s double-booked.
I blink and set my coffee down on the edge of the counter, no longer interested in drinking it.I tap the screen.Mason’s name is beside both entries.The hernia repair was added just this morning.
I clench my jaw.I know exactly what this is.
Mason’s trying to ruin Brant’s chances for chief.In a hospital, you don’t just miss surgery, especially one not involving the Chief of Administration’s daughter.If Brant’s in the OR doing a hernia repair when he’s supposed to be performing that abscess drainage, he’ll ruin his career.He can’t cancel the hernia repair or delay it either.Either way, it makes him look unreliable, unprofessional, and incapable of managing his schedule.The kind of surgeon who can’t be trusted with the role of chief.And Mason knows that.He added it this morning, deliberately scheduling it to overlap with the most important surgery of Brant’s career.If Brant doesn’t catch this in time, if he shows up to one case and realizes he’s supposed to be in another OR, the hospital protocol committee will have questions.And his shot at chief gone.
I check the time.If I’m lucky, Brant’s still doing rounds.I head down the corridor, weaving past nurses, doctors, and med students with a purpose that quickens my pace.By the time I reach the exit, I spot him.Case in hand, already halfway out the door.
“Dr.Harrison,” I call out.“Got a minute?”
He turns, clearly tired, but something flickers in his eyes when he sees me—surprise, or maybe even warmth.“For you?Maybe thirty seconds.”
I bite my lip, but step closer, steering him toward the empty corridor, out of earshot.“Did you see the surgical schedule for tomorrow?”
His eyebrows knit.“The Hendricks abscess drainage.Yeah.Why?”
“And the hernia repair?At seven?”
His head tilts.“What?”He sets his bag down and moves in beside me, shoulder brushing mine.“I didn’t schedule a hernia repair.”
“I know.”I hand over the papers.“Dr.Gould added it this morning.You’re double-booked.”
I watch his expression tighten as he scans the entries.His jaw locks as he exhales through his nose, causing his nostrils to flare.
“If you miss Hendricks,” I say, “Mason gets to swoop in.High-profile surgery.The board watching.Perfect opportunity for him to play hero.”
Brant runs a hand through his hair, the tension rippling off him.“If I cancel the hernia repair now, I look careless.But if I miss Hendricks…”
“You miss your shot,” I finish for him.“With the Chief of Administration right there.”
His eyes lift to mine.There’s something unreadable in them.“Why are you showing me this?”
The question catches me off guard.My mouth opens, then hesitates.Why am I?
“Because it’s wrong,” I say finally.“And because…” I trail off, honesty clawing at the back of my throat.“You shouldn’t lose your chance at chief because of sabotage.”
He studies me like he’s seeing something he hasn’t quite let himself look at before.“You’d do that?”
“I’d do it for any colleague being set up to fail.”The words come out too fast.We both know it isn’t true, not entirely.Because I’ve watched residents struggle before.I’ve seen them miss opportunities, make mistakes, get buried under impossible schedules.And I never stepped in.I told myself it wasn’t my place, that they needed to figure it out on their own.But with Brant?I can’t just stand by.
He nods.“Let’s fix it.”
We settle in side by side, phones out, calling to change the list.His arm brushes mine again.Each time, it sends a spark through me that I pretend not to feel.
“There,” I say after fifteen minutes, knowing I should be reviewing patient charts and preparing notes.But this feels more urgent.“Problem solved.”
“Not quite,” a familiar voice drawls behind us.
