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I laughed and shook my head. “Tell you what, you get healthy on my schedule and if you can catch me, I’ll let you.”
A slow grin spread and turned into a laugh. “I guess I’ll just have my daughter video it for me.”
“The school might stream the opening night performance and you can see it live. At home with snacks and tea.”
Surprise flashed in her eyes. “You think so?”
I nodded toward the phone. “Why don’t you call the theater teacher and find out?”
“You know darn well it’s the theater director, Dr. Jackson. It’s the same man who directed your wife all through high school. That girl could light up a stage, and her voice. Divine.”
She wasn’t wrong. Megan sang like a bird. She was so good I was sure she’d flee town the moment we got our diplomas for the bright lights of a big city that would allow her to show off her skill. Instead, she’d stayed in Jackson’s Ridge.
“You’re not wrong,” I agreed and tapped the foot of her bed. “Rest up and I’ll be back in a few hours for another test.”
“So many tests I feel like I’m in school again,” she grumbled to herself as I walked out of her room and nearly plowed right into the hospital administrator.
“Suzie, where’s the fire?”
She pushed her glasses up on her nose, stepped back, and let out a low sigh that accompanied a smile that said she was about to ask me for a favor. “No fire, I was just focused on my next task—which is you, as it happens.”
Here we go. “Me?”
“Yes.” She tugged on the hem of her black blazer and stood a little taller. “We have a VIP patient coming in three days and they specifically requested you.”
“Okaaaaay.” I drew the word out into several syllables. “And?”
She sighed. “And you know what that means. Heightened security protocols, clearing as much of the floor as we could, private OR, and a non-disclosure agreements.”
“I know all that, but there’s something else, right?”
“Yes, but I can’t tell you.”
Oh, great, one of those. “Will I have to wait until an hour before the surgery to find out what needs to be done?”
“No,” she sighed. “I have everything you need in my office.”
Good. “Does this mean I’m off the overnight shift?” There was no way in hell a VIP would agree to a middle-of-the-night surgery.
“In two days, it does.”
“Oh, come on, Suzie. You can just screw up my schedule like that when a VIP is coming in?”
Suzie rolled her eyes. “Save it, Casey. I know you’re a good surgeon, able to switch those skills on whenever they’re needed. But because I’m a good administrator, tomorrow can be your last overnight shift.”
“Thank you. I’ll be up to see those scans as soon as I finish my post-op rounds.”
She nodded and walked off, probably to talk someone else into a favor. It made her a good administrator, but it also made most of the hospital staff groan and run in the opposite direction when they saw her. She was good at her job, and I only gave her a tough time when it was necessary.
Like to get off the overnight shift.
Rounds only took about an hour and most of those were patients from outside of Jackson’s Ridge, since the medical center served a wide swath of western Oregon that didn’t have access to top-notch medical care. They drove from as far as a hundred miles away to get the care they needed, and I made sure none of my patients ever felt like a number, spending time chatting with them if necessary.
“Casey, hold up!”
Persy’s voice echoed in the hall and I turned with a frown for Dr. Persephone Vanguard, who insisted everyone call her Persy or Dr. Persy.
She rolled her violet eyes and flashed a devilish grin. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. This is the neurology department, not the library.”
“What can I do for you, Dr. Vanguard?”
Her eyes narrowed but she bit back whatever retort was on the tip of her lips. “I need your assistance with a patient.”
I folded my arms and grinned. “You mean, you need my expertise?”
“Not me. Bethany,” she said on a sigh and handed me the tablet. “Eleven-year-old hit her head during rugby practice. Cracked it right on the edge of those metal bleachers so there was lots of bleeding, which has her folks worried. She’s experiencing dizziness, nausea, and some blurred vision. Said she’s sure she lost consciousness at some point, but she doesn’t know for how long.”
Damn. Kids were my weakness. “All right, I can lend my expertise for Bethany.”
Persy smiled and patted my shoulder. “Thanks, Casey. Bethany is tough, but her mom is already talking about pulling her off the team.”
I nodded as she spoke, my thoughts on the head wound rather than the family drama.
