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Lucas
“Are you nervous about your interview tomorrow?” We sat down for dinner at my kitchen table.
“A little, especially since I turned them down the first time. But mostly I’m just ready to get the interview over with.”
I will not ask about the chance she could be staying in LA.
I will not ask about the chance she could be staying in LA.
Brooke staying or leaving the city didn’t change the expiration date of this arrangement, and asking her about it would only serve to piss her off. She’d assume I was freaking out yet again.
Hadn’t she made it clear she was done making choices based on other people’s desires when it came to her career? Which meant she intended to take the opportunity that served her best, whether it be up in San Francisco or down here in Los Angeles.
LA County spanned over five hundred square miles. She could work in any number of hospitals, and I’d never see her.
“I’m sure they’ll love you.” I paused, but was unable to help my curiosity. “What practice are you considering in LA?”
A strange look came over her face. “Sorry. It’s sort of confidential at this point.”
“No, I understand.”
“The headhunter also said there’s a clinic in Monterey hiring an obstetrician, and I have another prospect in San Diego.”
“Both are good places to live.”
“Yes. I want to explore all my options.”
“You should.”
“What about you?” she asked in between bites.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you happy working where you are?”
“Yeah, especially if I can expand care by getting a nutritionist on staff, plus a physical and speech therapist. For some of my elderly clients who are recovering from a stroke and aren’t mobile, it would be huge to have everyone they need come to them. For example, a diabetic like Myrna could have a nutritionist come to her house and talk to her cook or look through the pantry. As it stands, I have to refer out to my contacts who don’t necessarily make house calls. The thought of having a total health care under one roof—it gets me excited about growing this model. Hopefully, I could eventually lead the home health care practice.”
She chewed her lower lip. “You think Dr. Marshall will allow you to do that?”
“I believe he sees the business side as being lucrative enough. He agreed to bring on another doctor to do house calls, so it’s progress.”
“You’re a people person and do really well with all types, but your sweet spot is with the retirees. They absolutely adore you, and you them. Not saying working on star athletes and movie stars isn’t exciting, but the level of care you can achieve with the elderly hoping to live longer and healthier lives is remarkable.”
“I enjoy working with the elderly more than the stars too.”
“What if Dr. Marshall wants to focus on A-listers? What will you do?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m invested and hope he is too. Why? Has he said something to you?”
She hesitated before saying, “I get the impression he’s a bit starstruck by the A-listers and athletes. That he believes there’s more money in building up famous clientele.”
It was an accurate observation given comments I’d heard Dr. Marshall make. “Yeah. But he’s aware I don’t care about those things. I hope to foster a reputation for level of care, not as a doctor to the stars.”
“That’s good, then.”
The next day while Brooke got up early to fly to San Francisco for her interview, I went into the office to see Dr. Marshall. My conversation yesterday about his intent remained on my mind, and I wanted reassurance he was on board with the vision I had about the in-home care model.
I knocked on his office door, knowing he had another hour before he started seeing patients.
