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My eyes nearly rolled, but I stopped myself. If I had a nickel for every time Phil mentioned the world going to hell in a handbasket because of millennials, I’d have a lot of nickels. The fact he thought this new doctor we were only bringing in temporarily should sacrifice a vacation which had probably been well earned was a testament to how out of touch he was with reality.
I made a mental note to reach out to Meredith later today. I was sure being told she had to go on bed rest was the last thing she’d wanted. It must have been especially galling if she’d had to bear a reaction from Phil that was even a fraction as irritated as he sounded now.
“I won’t do house calls,” Neil Simmons whined. He was our other obstetrician and supported quite the patient load between himself and Meredith. “Was a mistake to start in-home visits in the first place.”
Of course he leveled his gaze on me as if the entire problem at hand was my fault. I suppose I had been the one initially to talk Meredith into switching her practice to a hybrid of house calls and office visits. But she’d enjoyed the in-home appointments as much as I did and hoped to shift to doing them full-time.
Phil went on. “I’ve reached out to a placement agency. Hopefully, they can find me an obstetrician. In the meantime, Ramona is busy rescheduling patients and asking them to come into the office.”
“Great, just what I need is to take on more patients,” Neil complained.
Neil’s tone rubbed me the wrong way. “It wasn’t as if Meredith did this on purpose. I’m happy to take on whatever I can to help.” I’d done my rotation in the OBGYN ward and could pitch in.
Phil nodded. “Good because we’ll schedule you with regular checkups. We also have Dr. Lewis at the hospital to cover for deliveries. But she won’t be able to sustain coverage for long.”
It would mean later nights, but no one wanted a pregnant woman to have anxiety about her care. “I’ll touch base with Meredith to get an overview of any details I need to know.”
Neil shook his head. “Tell the women they’ll have to come into the clinic. Period. It’s easier to do checkups here.”
How the hell would he know? He’d never set foot outside of the clinic to practice. “We’ll lose patients if we insist they come in. Give me a chance to cover and for us to find someone.”
Phil didn’t exactly back me up, but he didn’t argue, either. “We’ll give it a few days, Lucas, but you and I both know we might not have another choice. Meanwhile, gentlemen, reach out to all of your contacts and see if you can find someone. We’re desperate.”
Yes, we were. Especially since the entire model I’d introduced for the clinic was now in jeopardy.
Again, Brooke came to mind. But if a second night with a one-night stand was a faux pas, then pursuing her in a professional capacity to come work with me would be a full-scale disaster. We’d find someone else. We had to.
