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Lucas
So we’d made out last night. Big deal. Yet the mere memory of it had me groaning in desire. Fortunately, driving home at six o’clock in the morning served to cool my thoughts and remind me it couldn’t happen again.
The entire night had screamed relationship, from me bringing over dinner to taking care of the baby and dogs together. Then I’d gone and spent the night. For a man who hadn’t wanted to give the impression of being open to a commitment, my actions had said otherwise. I cracked my window, letting the brisk morning air hit my face as if I hoped it would snap me out of it.
So much for getting Brooke out of my system. She was now taking up permanent residence in my brain.
Once I arrived home, I skipped showering to take the dogs for a long walk on the beach. Sunrise was my favorite time as there were few people out. But then Myrna’s words about finding someone to share it with hit me.
I shook my head as if it would rid me of the unauthorized thoughts. My true goal had nothing to do with love. If I hoped to lead a department of in-home care providers in the practice, I needed to focus more time toward the tasks designed to get me there. First, continue to grow my practice. Then, bring on more doctors. The latter meant it was time to meet with Dr. Marshall.
On Monday I dropped the dogs off with Myrna’s grateful neighbor who seemed thrilled to give the pups a permanent home. Relieved, I then headed into the office.
Dr. Marshall was waiting for me in the conference room. “Good job on finding Dr. Morrison. She’s hit the ground running.”
“Yes. She’s an excellent doctor. Which brings me to why I wanted to meet with you today.”
He frowned. “Look, I was reluctant to start house calls, but you’ve turned the model into a successful one.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“But it’s not a model I want to grow. Hell, if anything, Meredith going out early demonstrated how difficult it is to find someone who will do house calls. It’s not sustainable.”
“It’s the fastest growing segment in family medicine. The problem is we can’t keep up with the doctors we have now.”
“It’s because every appointment takes twice as long.”
“Yes, but you charge twice as much.” His argument didn’t hold water.
“We need to persuade patients to come in here instead.”
He wasn’t getting it. My frustration mounted. “This type of patient won’t come into the office. Instead, they’ll find another doctor who will come to their home. I’ve had twenty new patients contact the office over the last two weeks.”
He sighed. He might not like the model, but he was a businessman and money talked. “Any new celebrities?”
Ugh. “A couple, yes.” If gaining high-profile clients was the way to convince him to grow the practice, then so be it.
“Good. Word of mouth is bound to spread.”
Finally we were getting somewhere. “It is, and we need to be equipped to handle the influx of patients. Currently we’re more than a month out for appointments, and people don’t want to wait that long to be seen.”
He nodded. “Fine. We’ll start recruiting for another full-time doctor who can do house calls.”
Music to my ears.
