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"You got it. I won't forget," Hugo called after me as I left the staff room.
I walked down the hallway to my examination room. Grabbing the folder in the tray outside the room, I opened it, did a quick scan, and walked inside. As I chatted with the patient and began examining them, I was reminded of why I had chosen this path in life: to help others and make a difference in their lives through my medical expertise. I loved doing this job.
But everything was pointing to the fact that I needed more balance in my life. I need to think about the future.
The morning passed quickly. Patient after patient came and went, and I felt satisfied that I had found a solution or at least charted the next steps for each of them. Rachel popped her head into my office again.
"Dr. Harrington, you're needed for your weekly ops meeting in the conference room," she informed me. She was so good at keeping us all on track, but I know keeping all of our schedules top of mind has got to be driving her nuts. I knew I could barely keep myself organized.
"Thanks, Rachel. I'll be right there," I replied, feeling the pressure mount as I hurried toward the meeting.
As I entered the conference room, I was the last one there. Austin and Hugo were waiting and discussing a case Austin had this morning. I noticed Austin enjoying one of the apples I bought. I picked one up for myself as I sat down.
"Hey, 'bout time you joined the party." Austin raised his apple up in recognition of my entrance.
I knew it was time to address the elephant in the room and consider hiring an office manager to help me handle my growing responsibilities. It was essential to find the right person; someone who would fit seamlessly into our tight-knit team and contribute to the continued success of our medical center.
"Guys," I began, catching their attention. "I think it's time we start looking for an office manager."
"About damn time!" Hugo exclaimed in his typical Italian flair. "Let's discuss what qualities we're looking for and find the perfect candidate."
"Agreed," Austin chimed in, his piercing blue eyes reflecting his determination. "We need someone who can help you maintain the balance we all strive for. I know things have been pretty busy since Simone left."
"Thanks for noticing," I said, genuinely happy they continued to support me and be in my corner. "I just have one request. I really can't handle the hiring. I'm just swamped. I need someone else to organize the ads and get candidates. I would like to be in on the interviews because I'll have to work closely with the person, but I just can't do anything else. I hope you understand."
"Totally," Austin said. "And that's no problem. We'll just hire a headhunter agency and get them to vet the candidates and maybe give us a top three candidates to interview. We can do the interviews together if you'd like the support."
"Perfect solution." I looked at Rachel, who was taking notes. "Rachel, can you contact the headhunter? We'll put together the job description and feel free to add in whatever support you need. Maybe we can find that unicorn we need."
Rachel nodded. "And," I continued, "I know this is yet another thing on your plate, but once we get this done, both you and I can take a bit of a breather."
"Got it," she responded with a weak smile. "It would be great to get a little help around here, that's for sure."
We continued the meeting, going over the upcoming week and any needs we see.
The door opened and Mary, one of the nurses, entered. "Excuse me. Dr. Harrington, the lab called. They need your immediate approval on the new supplies order."
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. "I'll get to it as soon as I can." I forced a smile, mentally adding another task to my ever-growing list.
"Hey Dominic!" Hugo's voice brought me back to reality. As I turned to face him, his easy-going grin was a stark contrast to my own furrowed brow. "You look like you could use a break, man."
"Break?" I scoffed. "I don't have time for a break, Hugo. I just need to drown a little longer until we get some extra help."
I didn't mean to sound pitiful, but somehow it came out like that. Hugo and Austin sighed, knowing I spoke the truth. There really wasn't much anyone could do. At least, not until the hiring was done.
As I left the meeting room, I could only hope that we could get someone before I cracked.
Chapter 2
Calla
With a sigh, I closed my laptop and glanced at the clock. It was already getting late, but there was still so much to do. Being a recent business school graduate with an MBA in Marketing Management, I expected life to be much simpler, but it wasn’t. I felt so lost. My life was going in circles.
"Alright, back to the applications," I thought determinedly. In this competitive job market, resilience and ambition were key, and I had that in spades. I opened the online job board, scanned through the list of potential employers, and began attaching my resume to another round of applications. I had spent the last few weeks attending job fairs, networking events, and sending out countless resumes, determined to find the perfect fit for my skills and aspirations.
"Ugh, this process is so fucking tedious," I complained to myself. As I typed yet another cover letter, I couldn't help but feel exhausted by the endless grind. But I knew that giving up wasn't an option. At least not for me. I had worked too hard to get where I was today, and I refused to let anything stand in my way.
"Calla, are you still working on those job applications?" Cassie, my younger sister, called from the other room. Her sweet, bubbly personality made her the perfect opposite to my more guarded, serious nature.
