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All excited, Anthony grabbed his arm. “Matt, have you seen the new nurse?”
“I interviewed her, Anthony.” Matt raised his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
“An angel’s face with a stunning figure.” James’s expression bordered on veneration.
“A beauty with incredible eyes, and her hair—”
“Hold it, doctors.” His gaze flitting from one resident to the other, Matt stared them down. “I hired herbecauseof her excellent qualifications and experience.” He poured himself coffee and glanced over his shoulder. “By the way, our ER regulations haven’t changed.”
“Damn your regulations.” Anthony twisted his lips on the barely audible curse.
“Excuse me, doctor?”
“Right, right, they’re still in place.” Anthony mumbled in dismay, and James shrugged.
“James?” Matt insisted.
“Yes, yes. By the way, Anthony’s right. Your rules suck big time,” James snapped. “I don’t see why the ER personnel are off limits, but you don’t mind your staff, and yourself, dating co-workers from the rest of the hospital.”
“My ER, my rules, doctors. I follow them as much as the other guy.” He sipped his coffee, invigorated enough to offer an explanation. “With the number of patients we see every day, and the stress we face, we can’t afford to waste a minute on extra-curricular activities in the ER. Imagine the time you’ll lose if you try to charm a female doctor or nurse who’s not willing and have to clear the air before you can work together again.”
Anthony groaned, but James nodded. “Seriously, who needs that type of headache?”
“We’ll have a quick staff meeting to introduce Catherine Cooper in …” He glanced at his watch. “In fifteen minutes, in the conference room.” He left to glance at Ms. Cooper’s resume some more—the impressive resume that had prompted him to call her for an interview.
Of course, he’d noticed she was a beauty. He’d also realized from her confident demeanor, her composed voice, and her straight-to-the point explanation that Ms. Cooper meant business and wouldn’t be easily ruffled by novice playboys such as his residents. Let them find out on their own, but not on ER time.
He called Human Resources and asked them to send his new recruit to the conference room. On his way, he stopped by the breakroom for another cup of delicious coffee.
By the time he arrived, the staff had already gathered around the conference room’s oblong table, leaving the head of the table for him, and the seat next to his for the new employee.
“She’s with HR, filling out papers. She’ll be here soon,” he informed the six people present.
Five minutes later, a knock on the door announced the new comer.
The HR Director entered with the young woman behind him. “Dr. Lopez, here’s Ms. Cooper.” The man nodded and left.
In black pants, white shirt, her hair pulled back into a bun, no make-up, and a pair of glasses on her nose, the young woman was a subdued replica of the stunning person who’d come for an interview two weeks ago. Was she trying to detract people from gaping and ogling?
Matt stood, walked over to her, and offered her his hand. “Good morning, Catherine. Please have a seat.” He indicated the empty place next to his.
“Good morning.” Catherine shook his hand, smiled, and sat.
He almost choked on his coffee, stunned by the radiance swirling around her. Composing himself, he addressed the group. “My friends, let me introduce our newest staff member, Nurse Practitioner, Catherine Cooper. Catherine, these are some of your co-workers. On your left is Dr. Jacquie Chen, attending physician, Drs. Anthony Ray and James Jorg, residents, and our nurses, Gale Karl, Susanne Rain, and Dave Torne. You’ll meet the rest of the group when you join them on the night shift.”
Catherine shook hands with each person.
“Now, tell us about yourself.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lopez.”
“We go by first names here to save time. The staff calls me Matt.”
“All right. In that case, you can call me Cathy.” Her gaze shifted from one person to the other. “I went to college in Atlanta and worked as a pediatric nurse. Later, I returned to school in Boston to become a nurse practitioner. Prior to coming to Miami, I’ve worked in various hospitals in Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. I’m eager to get to know you all.” She asked them a few questions about their specific responsibilities and responded politely to their explanations.
After carefully analyzing her words, Matt congratulated himself on hiring her. In addition to her excellent qualifications, Cathy knew how to make her colleagues feel appreciated. Not to mention, the sight of her was guaranteed to lift the spirit of any depressed male.
The women present, Dr. Chen, Gale, and Suzanne nodded, accepting their new colleague without reservation. The two residents and Dave Torne stared like besotted idiots.
Damn it. Would he have to remind them to control their expressions as well as their thoughts?
He checked his watch. “We have patients waiting for us.Meeting adjourned. Back to work.” Standing, he faced the other attending physician. “Jacquie, would you take Cathy under your wing for the first week?”
“Sure. Come on, Cathy. Let’s get you a white coat and tour the first floor.”
Before getting to work, Matt called Jacquie. “Don’t forget to invite Cathy out for a welcome dinner with us.”
“Usmeans who?”
……………
