Page 6 of Drake Eternal

I thanked him and got inside.

“Where to, Sir?”

“New York Presbyterian, thanks.”

For the next half an hour as we drove through the streets of Brooklyn and then across the Brooklyn Bridge to the hospital, I read the news headlines. When we finally arrived at the hospital, I thanked my driver and then went to my office, which overlooked the quad. I had several piles of files on my inbox shelf and needed to read over a few before my conference call with a colleague about how the cases would be divided amongst the staff neurosurgeons while I was on leave for the summer.

I met with the crew, and we spent the first couple of hours discussing each case and then dividing them up according to experience and specialty.

“Lucky you,” Dane said and smiled, when I handed the last of the files over to him. “A whole summer off? Talk about dedication to your patients. I hope I can be you one day…”

I laughed. It was just good-natured ribbing and nothing serious. It was just Dane being Dane. I had come to know him quite well since I returned to NYP. He was my right-hand man, and I could count on him to manage things for the summer while I was away for two months. In fact, I think he relished the idea of running the practice while I was away. It would give him the management experience he needed to head up his own one day.

I had every faith that he would. He was that gifted as a surgeon.

While I was cleaning up my office before leaving for the day, I got a call on my cell and checked the call display to see who it was and whether I would answer.

It was from none other than my former boss and friend, Michael Owiti.

I answered right away, smiling at the thought of my old boss and long-time mentor, who gave me the job in Southampton and a lot of work in Africa.

“Michael, long time no hear. How are you? What’s new in Merry Old England?”

“I’m not calling from there, my friend. I’m actually in Kenya. You must have heard about the flooding that hit the region. Well, I’m here in Nairobi, trying to salvage what I can of the hospital’s neurosurgery department.”

“Oh, God, yes,” I said, rubbing my forehead. I remembered an article I’d read earlier in the day about catastrophic flooding in Kenya that destroyed vast tracts of crop land and the potential for crop failure. “I read about it. Terrible.”

“That’s why I’m calling. I was asked to come down and do some work for them. They lost two of their top surgeons in a flood that swept their vehicle away. There’s risk of food shortages and famine, so I’m here, trying to cobble together a team to take over. That’s where you come in, if you can spare the time. I need you, here, as soon as possible.”

I frowned and gritted my teeth, thinking about my plans for the summer. My immediate response was to turn him down even though I was just about to go on a three-month leave from NYP. I made a promise to myself that Kate and I would never again be separated, and so far, I had been able to keep that promise.

But my second more thoughtful response was to agree. This was an emergency. It was a life-or-death situation.

“How long will you need me?”

“Just until I can hire a new team, maybe a few weeks. No more than a month.”

“A month,” I said and made a face, glancing at the calendar on the desk. “Let me talk to Kate and call you back, okay?”

“Sure. I understand it’s hard to make a last-minute commitment like this. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

We ended the call, and I took in a deep breath and called Kate. She answered on the second ring.

“Hey,” I said and smiled when I heard Sophie’s voice in the background. “You and Sophie having a nice time?”

“We’re at the boardwalk and have just finished some ice cream after eating corndogs. What’s up?”

“I got a call from Michael Owiti about an emergency at the hospital in Nairobi due to the flooding. He was asked to go and cover for the neurosurgery department because two of the surgeons were killed in the floods. He asked me to go and help him until he can hire replacements.”

“Oh, Drake, that’s terrible. I saw coverage of the flooding on the news. You said yes, I expect.”

“I told him I had to call you first. I promised myself that I’d never separate us again and I don’t want to break it. The best option would be for you and Sophie to come with me, but I know you’re not done your article for the paper.”

“No, no,” she said, her voice firm. “You must go, Drake. This is important. Sophie and I can manage until I’m done. Then, we can fly to meet you in Nairobi. We could start our vacation once you’re finished. It will only be a few days unless I have to do any serious edits.”

I sighed. Of course, Kate would want me to go. In truth, I didn’t feel I could say no, considering I had the summer months off from NYP but at the same time, I didn’t want to say yes without feeling out how Kate responded to the idea.

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