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"Congratulations, Jude," he said, his voice firm but the glimmer in his eyes revealing his delight. "You are the new OR manager."
I was momentarily stunned, the news too good to comprehend. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” I nearly gushed.
Tony chuckled, his laughter warm and contagious. "This is good news, it's worth celebrating. Anyway, I won’t keep you. Ms. Waller from HR will be in touch via email with next steps. For now, I’ll give you a chance to let the good news sink in.”
“Thank you again,” I said, the words seeming nearly not enough for the news I’d just been given.
“It was your hard work that brought you to this point. All we did was notice what was clearly there.”
With that, he opened the door to his office to dismiss me.
"Congratulations, again," he said, his voice returning to the professional tone. I nodded, thanked him again, and made my way to the exit. As the door shut behind me, I could hardly believe my ears. I was the new OR manager. I felt like I was walking on air.
Despite my joy at hearing the news, his abrupt dismissal from the night before still lingered in my mind. There was an unfinished tension between us, a personal connection that had been placed on hold during our professional discussion. Although I was thrilled that I had gotten the job, I still felt an underlying current of uncertainty. I wasn't sure where we stood on a personal level, and that thought was an ominous cloud on an otherwise sunny day.
A pang of disappointment hit me, but I was quick to swallow it down.
I’m not going to spend a single second upset about him, not with this kind of news to celebrate.
I knew I was catching feelings for him that were raw and vibrant and altogether too potent. But I had a resilience inside me, a stubborn determination. If he was drawing lines, then so could I. I could squash those budding feelings, push them into the farthest corners of my mind.
"Fuck that guy," I whispered as the elevator doors shut, a small, pleased smile forming on my lips.
Emerging from the elevator on my floor, I could see Sally at her desk, her head bent over paperwork. With newfound vigor, I strode toward her, my triumph a shining beacon against the taint of Tony's coldness.
"Sally," I called out, my voice ringing through the quiet floor. As she looked up, I couldn't contain the grin spreading across my face.
Part of me wanted to play it cool, to deliver the news as if it were nothing at all.
No chance of that.
"I got the job!" I yelled, a wave of pure, undiluted joy washing over me. The sting of Tony's coldness was momentarily forgotten in the rush of my victory. The triumph was mine, and nothing, not even a handsome, arrogant doctor, could take it away from me.
Chapter 21
Jude
Sally's squeal of joy reverberated through the space, turning heads and causing smiles to bloom across the room. The energy was infectious, a wave of excitement flooding the normally calm environment. I stood, shocked for a moment before a laugh erupted from my chest, my surprise morphing into shared elation.
"We're going to celebrate, Jude!" Sally declared, her arms wrapped around me in a bear hug. “You bet your asswe’re going to celebrate!” The warm scent of her vanilla perfume filled my nose. I nodded, grinning despite the pang of regret at the back of my mind.
I had always hoped that Tony would be part of this celebration, that he would share in the joy of my achievement. Instead, he was a ghost, his strange behavior the night before and the cold demeanor he'd exhibited during the meeting hanging heavy in my mind. The chill of his aloofness was confusing and disheartening, and I couldn't help but feel a little heartbroken.
But I refused to let his actions dampen the thrill of my success. I was the new OR Manager, an accomplishment and a victory I'd worked so hard for. Tony was a disappointment, but he was one disappointment in a sea of achievements.
I pushed thoughts of him aside and nodded at Sally. "I'm down for a celebration," I said, determination lending strength to my words. "Let's go all out."
"Let's hit up Mellow tonight," Sally suggested, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Mellow was a hip bar, known for its artistic cocktails and trendy ambiance. I nodded, a smile curling up the edges of my lips. The idea of drowning my mixed feelings in a cocktail or two sounded rather appealing.
But before we started making plans, I could see Sally's gaze becoming more scrutinizing. She seemed to have a sixth sense for things, or maybe I was just easy to read. Either way, she furrowed her brows as she asked, "Jude, is everything okay?" her voice laced with concern. I was quick to plaster a reassuring smile on my face, shaking my head dismissively.
"I'm fine," I replied, perhaps a little too quickly. I could see the doubt in her eyes, but she chose not to press the issue.
"Okay, if you say so," she finally said, though her voice held a hint of uncertainty. She nodded, as if confirming to herself one last time what she had planned for the evening. "We're going to let loose tonight. This is your moment."
She was right. Thiswasmy moment. My success. I wasn't going to let thoughts of Tony interfere any longer. I decided I was going to let go and truly celebrate. And if in the process, I managed to forget about Tony's strange behavior, well, that would just be the cherry on top.
As the workday drew to a close, my mind was a whirlwind of emotion. The hospital's steady hum of activity faded into the background as I finished my final notes. It was strange to think that soon, I would be in a different role entirely, out of the OR and behind a desk.
