Page 18 of Drake Eternal

I’d do everything I could to keep her happy until the three of us would be reunited.

CHAPTER 6

Iworked the rest of the afternoon, and when I was finished the very complex surgery on a critical patient, I went to the change room and had a quick shower. After I dried off, I went past the on-call room where residents slept during their shifts, which were long and grueling, and heard the unmistakable sound of people having sex. The halls in the wing were deserted, so it was quite clear what was taking place in the room. I smiled as I thought about my own past as a resident and how I had frequently spent time in the on-call room with a favorite nurse or fellow female surgeon.

I shrugged and went to the break room to get a bottle of soda, and when I came back down the hall, who did I see leaving the on-call room but one Sam Cuttington and her resident, Paul.

Her hair was a mess, and their scrubs were even more disheveled that usual after a busy day of surgery. Paul’s cheeks were flushed, his own scrubs disheveled.

She closed the on-call room door behind her and adjusted her ponytail nervously.

“Ah, it was you in there,” I said to her quietly after Paul rushed by me down the hall to the break room. “With your resident? That’s not a good idea. Besides, I thought you were married?”

“What?” She made a face at me. “Who are you to tell me what’s a good idea? You with the checkered past. Doctor Dom. Doctor Dangerous…”

“It’s against the code of conduct for staff physicians and you know it,” I replied. “No personal or sexual relationships with your own students or residents. The power differential makes it off-limits. You signed a contract and that was a clause that you agreed to.”

She sneered at me. “You talking about power differentials being off-limits is a joke, right?”

I crossed my arms and stood my ground. “Sam. You know it’s forbidden by the code of conduct. I won’t say anything to Michael, but you have to promise that it will stop at least until Paul’s done his rotation. Besides, what about your husband? I read that you are recently happily married?”

“None of your damn business and you better keep it that way,” she said, her voice low and threatening. Her cheeks were bright red and not only because of having a quickie in the on-call room. “Of all people to chastise me about marital fidelity…”

I shook my head, disgusted with her. “I’ve never cheated on my wife and never would, unlike you, apparently. I have every faith that my wife wouldn’t either. I’m sure your new husband probably thinks that way as well. Unless maybe you have an open marriage or something?”

“Oh, do you mean your perfect Kate would never cheat? You can go to hell,” she said and marched away. Then, she turned when she was a dozen feet away. “Don’t you dare say anything to Michael or you’ll regret it.”

“Is that a threat?”

She pointed a finger at me. “No. It’s a promise.”

I shook my head and watched as she stormed down the hallway to the break room where her lover was hiding.

As I walked back to my office, I took in a deep breath and considered what I should do. In principle, I should inform Michael that she was sleeping with her resident. It was unacceptable and would interfere with the proper training and promotion of the resident in question. Michael could then decide how to proceed. He might simply note it on her record and insist that the relationship stop, with Paul being transferred to a different surgeon for the rest of his rotation. Or he might fire her, but given we were already short on qualified neurosurgeons at the time, I had a feeling he would just let her stay and not do anything until we had replacements on staff. Then, he might proceed with firing her.

I decided that discretion was the better choice and so I sat behind my desk and wrote her an email.

Sam: I won’t say anything to Michael about your relationship with Paul, but I do suggest that you stop immediately and at best, Paul could transfer to a different neurosurgeon and thus, there would be no conflict of interest involved. I don’t want us to be enemies, but there’s a rule against personal relationships, especially of a sexual nature, with residents under our care. It’s not just about stuffy morals. It can negatively affect the proper training and advancement of the resident in question. I know you understand. Thank you for taking this seriously and ending the relationship now, at least until after Paul is finished this rotation for his sake and yours. I don’t want to get into a confrontation with you, so please, let’s be grown up and just deal with it quietly. No drama. Just confirm that you understand and that you will comply with hospital and professional policy. I can start the process of switching Paul over to another supervisor. Let me know. Thanks, Drake

I read the email over several times, but felt it said everything I wanted and needed to say, so I sent it off. After I did, I re-read it one more time, and hoped I wasn’t doing the wrong thing. I knew that Michael wouldn’t tolerate it and it wasn’t good for the team to have a supervisor and resident in a sexual relationship, but I also knew that Sam would not be pleased.

She wouldn’t like it that I knew, and even less that I was telling her to end it — even if only temporarily. Surely, she could wait out Paul’s rotation if the relationship was serious.

I scratched my head. She was only recently married. Did they have an open marriage? It really didn’t matter if they did. What mattered was hospital policy on relationships between residents and anyone in a position of power over them.

Sam would be angry, but if she wasn’t going to be an adult about it, I would go to Michael. It was her choice.

I spent the rest of the day reading over files and by the time seven o’clock came around, it was time for me to head back to the hotel. On my way out, I saw Michael walking down the hallway with Sam. From the glare in her eyes, I could tell that she was angry with me, and figured that she had spoken with Michael about the matter. Michael smiled and said hello, and didn’t seem upset, so I imagined he felt that I had done the right thing.

“Hey, Drake,” he said goodbye to Sam and stopped by my office as I was closing the door. “Feel like getting a drink? I’m beat.”

Sam kept walking down the hallway to the break room.

“Sure,” I said, turning to Michael. “Want to go to the bar in my hotel?”

“Sounds perfect. Let me get my case and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

I nodded. On my way past the break room, I saw that Sam was talking to Paul, who was wearing scrubs and a surgical cap. He looked like he’d just come out of surgery.

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