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I tried to push that thought out of my mind and not expect the worst, but I had a bad feeling about it that I couldn’t shake.
Later, after I’d seen my patients, I went back to the ward to check on those I had already operated on the previous few days. I stopped in at each room and spoke with the patients, checking out their incisions, and asking how they were feeling, reading the patient charts and the nursing notes on the patient’s progress. Everything was going smoothly, and I felt positive that if I kept the right attitude, I’d be able to manage the semester with Lisa Monroe present.
I had enough on my mind with my wedding to my beautiful, loving fiancée coming up, my fellowship and my practice. Life was good.
On my way out of the ward, Lisa caught up with me again. I sighed, frustrated that she seemed intent on following me around.
“Hey, Drake,” she said and caught up with me, despite how fast I was walking down the hallway trying to avoid her.
“Hello, Lisa,” I said, pushing the door to the stairwell open so hard it slammed against the wall. “Sorry, I can’t talk, gotta run.”
She didn’t take the hint and followed me down the stairs.
“Come on, Drake,” she said playfully. “Be collegial. We have so much to talk about. Why don’t you come for coffee and we can talk about our mutual interests?”
I stopped when I reached the landing, my hand on the door. “Sorry,” I said softly. “I’m busy and can’t stop. Got some research to catch up on.”
I left the stairwell and of course she followed me out. When I arrived at my office, I used my key card in the lock, hoping beyond hope that she’d take the hint. She didn’t follow me or respond, so she must have. When I opened the door, I glanced down the hallway to see her still standing there, her face determined.
She did not look happy. Not at all.
Something in the way she looked made me feel a little uneasy, like I was making a mistake I’d regret down the road.
I shoved it into the back of my mind, determined not to let her affect my day at all.
Still, a sense of gloom hung over me whenever I was at NYU, in case I ran into her or she tried to be friendly. Usually, I could handle these things quite well, but with Lisa, I was uncertain how much she knew about me. If she knew nothing and merely was trying to be collegial, I hoped I didn’t come off as unfriendly. If she knew everything, I didn’t want to be too dismissive. I wanted my private life to remain private and if she was angry with me, she could cause problems.
Things were going well for the next week. Lisa seemed preoccupied with her own work, and so I relaxed and even accepted an invitation from Fred to go out with the new residents to a local pub for a drink after we’d all finished for the day.
Big mistake.
I made sure not to sit next to Lisa, but during the hour, with people getting up for more drinks or to use the washroom, seating changed and down plopped Lisa beside me when the seat became empty.
“Lisa,” I said, trying to be polite but slightly cool.
“Drake,” she said and held up her glass of draft. “Let’s toast,” she said, a slight slur in her words.
“To what shall we toast?” I asked, trying to humour her.
“To our mutual interests,” she said and wagged her eyebrows, then she turned to the other residents, “to neurosurgery, of course!”
They all raised their glasses and repeated To neurosurgery! With slightly tipsy enthusiasm.
“Drake moves in the same circles as my former boyfriend, a big financier type on Wall Street,” Lisa said, turning to me with a smile. “He may come off as a mild-mannered neurosurgeon, but he’s actually a very rich man with connections. He was also at NYP when I was there. I know quite a few tales of Dr. Delish. You had other names as well, didn’t you?”
The other residents tittered at that. I was sure my Dr. Dangerous moniker also followed me around. A few bent together to comment in private.
“I have no idea what the nurses called me behind my back,” I said with a laugh, trying to be a good sport.
“Oh, come on, Drake,” Lisa said, punching my shoulder playfully. “Don’t be so coy. Doctor Dangerous, right?” She wagged her eyebrows suggestively and took a big drink of her beer.
I didn’t say anything, but the other students seemed slightly uneasy after that mention of my other nickname. It was private and Lisa shouldn’t have been talking about it, but she’d had quite a few glasses of beer and her voice was g
etting louder by the moment and the more she drank.
“Now, don’t be giving away all my secrets,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, smiling at the others.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of giving away your secrets, Doctor D,” Lisa said and raised her eyebrows again. “Although they are juicy, now, aren’t they?” She turned to the others. “Drake’s quite the lady’s man, aren’t you Drake? Kept a list of those who like a certain kind of man, if I remember correctly…”
