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Maybe I deserved that treatment, or maybe I’d made her feel that way. Either way, I didn’t like it.
“Ah, Dr. Croft.” Dr. Okafor explained the situation quickly, that too-bright grin still on her face. “But we can accommodate them, can’t we?”
“Happy to,” she said in a tone that did not convey the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
“Brilliant, let’s make our way to the conference room.”
I let Cassie walk in front of me, leaning close the first chance I got. “You should do the presentation. You’re the expert.”
She glanced over her shoulder, up at me. “You’re the assistant director here.”
“You’re way more qualified than I am.”
“You’re just trying to get out of this, aren’t you, Hardcastle?” she murmured.
Even hearing her call me that, which she did for all of twenty-four hours, stung. That was what she’d called me when she finally decided we might become friends after all.
At the door to the conference room, Cassie paused. “I was going to go over these with Dr. Okafor, but—here.” She shoved a stack of notecards, a sheaf of papers and a thumb drive into my hands.
In the conference room, I glanced at the papers—the guidelines. With the edits I’d made in the isolation room incorporated. I pulled up the thumb drive on the computer and the single folder held a PowerPoint.
Here went nothing. I opened the presentation and clicked Present, the title screen appearing on the room’s LCD. “Thanks for coming,” I began. “We’re happy to have you here. Today. So soon.”
I fought back a cringe and glanced down at the notecards. Cassie’s neat handwriting outlined an overview of the work we’d put into evaluating current guidelines and practices and bringing them into line with standards set by the CDC, and I tried to convey the spirit of her points.
I clicked to the next screen. “Some might say such an update would be unnecessary.” I glanced up at the slide, a photo of the very Health Department officials seated in front of me.
Yikes. Not that I begrudged her the jibe after the way they’d treated her initially.
I backpedaled as fast as I could. “Who we have here, however, are willing and forward-thinking forerunners who’ve turned to Beaufort for our expertise.”
I quickly fell into the rhythm of Cassie’s presentation. The language was clear, and the arguments even clearer, laid out in logical progression to explain each and every recommendation.
When I managed to look away from Cassie, the Health Department dudes were bobbing their heads at my vast wisdom. Cassie maintained an encouraging smile, though these were the very dudes who’d disrespected her—and Drs. Okafor and Ambrose—just a few weeks ago.
I reached the end of the second section of the presentation, “Surveillance, Detection, Reporting, and Response,” and looked to Cassie. Hopefully she wouldn’t hate me for putting her on the spot, but she’d made this presentation, after all, and it was high time these departmental dudes understood she was the brains here. I clicked to the next slide, a header for the next section, “Prevention.”
“Now I’d like to turn the time over to my esteemed colleague, Dr. Cassidy Croft, whose research in superbugs was foundational for writing these guidelines.”
Her eyes went wide, and she gave a tiny headshake. “No, no, I’ll defer to you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I tried an encouraging nod. “Your insight is instrumental.”
Cassie pursed her lips and cast a pointed look at the department officials. I didn’t have any favors to call in, but I added a silentplease?
“That’s all right,” the lead dude said. I finally remembered his name—Mr. Nielsen. Not even a doctor. “No reason to put her out of her depth.”
“Actually, I would like a medical doctor to go over the guidelines that will affect hospitals.” I again telegraphed silent pleading to her; she looked torn.
“I’m sure Dr. Croft is very qualified, but—”
“Dr. Croft has published papers on superbugs five times in three years,Mr. Nielsen.” I hoped Cassie could tell my smile for them was patronizing. “Safe to say, she’s the most qualified person in this room to speak on this issue.”
Mr. Nielsen looked away, shifting in his chair.
Cassie pressed her lips together, and I hoped she was fighting back a smile. She stood and took the clicker from me as if nothing had happened, though, managing not to touch me in the process. “Pennsylvania’s plan for preventing HAIs follows foundational federal guidelines. We’ve formulated our evidence-based recommendations into seven steps for the state.”
I glanced over at Cassie, but if she’d alliterated for my account, she didn’t acknowledge me.
