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London squeezed her hand. “You’ve been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, but everything will work out.”
As she exited the room, London released a string of curse words under her breath. How many worried parents had she comforted over these past five years whose concern about going bankrupt was as virulent as their worry over their sick children? It was unacceptable for a country as wealthy as this one to have any person stressing about hospital bills.
London caught up to the team and continued rounds, visiting three more patients on the main wing and another two in the PICU. She finished just in time for her ten a.m. hernioplasty.
It took longer than usual for the patient to respond to general anesthesia—the one thing she could not control in the operating room—so the surgery ran over by nearly twenty minutes. After leaving instructions with the post-op team, she shucked off her PPE and deposited it in the discard bin for personal protective equipment on her way out the door. She quickly went through her ritualistic post-surgery cleanup and then took off for the first floor, where today’s meeting was being held.
London slipped in just as Dr. Coleman started to speak. The room was packed with people from every department, eager to hear news about the fate of the hospital. He began with his usual monologue about the state of public medicine and the important role it played in the well-being of Austin’s residents.
So why in the hell were you considering selling thispublichospital to aprivatecompany?
The question was on the tip of London’s tongue, but she refrained from saying anything just yet. One of her colleagues had bet her that she couldn’t get through five minutes of a meeting without playing devil’s advocate, so London had made it a personal challenge to wait at least ten minutes before speaking up.
She looked around the room for Aleshia Williams, the head of radiology and her closest confidant here at the hospital. As her gaze roamed over those seated at the oval table in the center of the conference room, she stopped short and squinted in confusion.
It took several seconds to register that she was indeed looking at Drew Sullivan. He stared back at her, his face expressionless except for his eyes, which were piercing. Knowing.
What in the hell washedoing here?
“News of a potential sale of the hospital has been the poorest-kept secret in town,” Dr. Coleman was saying. “The rumors were never confirmed or denied by anyone on the board, but I can tell you now that, yes, we have been discussing selling the hospital to a private firm. There are a number of factors the board of directors and hospital administration have weighed these past few months, and we’ve come to a decision.”
London held her breath.
“Before we take the next steps, we’ve decided to bring in consultants to audit our finances and procedures so that we can have a clearer picture of what we’re dealing with,” Dr. Coleman continued. “And this is the gentleman who will help us get to that clearer picture.”
Dr. Coleman turned in his seat and motioned to Drew, who sat a few chairs down from him.
“I would like you all to meet Drew Sullivan. Drew is a partner in Trident Health Management Systems, which specializes in revenue generation, overhauling information technology, and reallocating resources so they are used to the hospital’s best advantage.”
That son of a bitch.
London started to speak, but a familiar voice beat her to it.
“So, what does this mean regarding the sale of the hospital? Is that off the table?” Aleshia asked from where she stood in the corner of the conference room. She was on the same side of the room as London, which was why she hadn’t seen her.
“I want to caution everyone that Trident’s involvement doesn’t mean a sale is imminent,” Dr. Coleman said. “Nor does it mean that it is out of the question. We’re still in the assessment stage, and we will be deciding our next steps once Mr. Sullivan and his team complete their work. The board of directors is asking for the staff’s support. You may not realize it, but this is a compromise. Half the board voted for an outright sale.”
There were murmurs throughout the conference room.
London was so mad she could barely see straight. She crossed her arms over her chest and squeezed them tight in an effort to curb the anxiety pressing against her skin. Her head started to throb at her temples, a sure sign she needed to calm down.
“Trident will be here for the next three to four weeks. Trina Erickson from HR will be contacting many of you over the next few days to schedule an interview time with members of the audit team. We expect full participation and expect honest, unbiased answers fromourteam.”
The hint of reprimand London heard in Coleman’s voice went down her spine like a cheese grater. If there was one thing she could not abide, it was that paternalistic bullshit. They were professionals and adults, and not a damn one of them needed Coleman to play the role of daddy. She didn’t put up with that shit from her own father.
“That’s it for now,” Dr. Coleman said. “When you run into members of the Trident team around the hospital, give them a warm Texas welcome.”
London knew one member of the team that she wanted to run into. With her Mini Cooper.
The ancient relic of a beeper she carried—okay, she would admit they could use help in the technology department—went off, paging her to the PICU, where her hernioplasty had just been wheeled in for recovery. She waited a second, just long enough to catch Drew’s attention, and pointed her middle finger at him before leaving the conference room.
7
Drew’s leg bobbed nervously underneath the table as he waited for the man next to him to finish opining on the necessity of raising insurance premiums on a yearly basis so that people didn’t get too comfortable. Drew wished he could rip into this asshole. How had someone like this even made it to a public hospital’s board of directors?
A better question: How hadhebeen roped into this conversation?
He’d tried to make a getaway the moment the meeting was over, but Dr. Coleman had pulled him into a discussion with two members of the board. He’d kept his eyes on London long enough to see her flip him her middle finger, and then she was gone.
