Page 73 of Offside Attraction

She recognized Doctor Mallory immediately. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard, and he was looking at them with either intrigue or pure disgust. “I didn’t realize you’d changed your name to Gertie.”

Jordan picked up the name card. “She wasn’t available tonight, but you can call me that if it makes you more comfortable.”

The other doctors chuckled, and Rhonda tried not to panic. Dr. Mallory didn’t know they were coming.

Jordan motioned to Rhonda. “This is Rhonda, my plus one.”

Plus one. The words stung like a slap, even though she had no right to expect he’d call her anything else. She gave a small wave and looped her purse over the back of the chair.

“We met a few years ago, didn’t we?” Dr. Smithson leaned forward.

Rhonda nodded. “Yes, you were over at Hilltop.”

Dr. Smithson smiled, pleased she’d remembered. “Are you still with Cantra?”

Rhonda nodded. “I am.”

Dr. Mallory visibly stiffened. His eyes flicked to Jordan, but Jordan was turned, waving to an elderly woman at a neighboring table with a brunette bob. Rhonda suddenly felt like she’d swallowed a handful of gravel.

Jordan turned, then leaned back in his chair as a server approached to fill their water glasses and offer them a wine list. The rest of the doctors introduced themselves to her. It was obvious Jordan already knew them, and they easily jumped into conversation about the hospital. Jordan ribbed them about their various quirks, and they preened at the attention.

Jordan was smooth. Funny. Rhonda smiled and added in a sentence here or there, but couldn’t take control like she usually did. She didn’t want to. From the second she’d seen him across the hall, all the energy she brought to events had been sucked out of her. She was like a white dwarf, an impotent core left behind to orbit any other object with greater mass.

She tried to be interesting when their appetizers arrived and succeeded at pulling out a few comments about the best wings in Calgary. Then, she asked questions about their various professional struggles and goals. She’d hoped to bring that back around to her own goals with Reviact, but then the lights dimmed, and the hum of conversation dissolved into expectant silence.

A microphone crackled to life, and a well-dressed man in his sixties stepped onto the stage at the front of the ballroom. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice resonating through the room. "I'm Dr. Andrew Keller, and it's my privilege to welcome you to the annual Calgary Founder’s Event. Tonight, we celebrate the remarkable strides we've made in cancer research and treatment, and we look forward to the future with hope and determination."

Applause sounded through the room. Rhonda tried to focus on the speaker, but her eyes kept drifting to Dr. Mallory, who nodded thoughtfully, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the tablecloth.

Dr. Keller continued, introducing a series of speakers who shared stories of breakthrough treatments and heart-wrenching patient testimonials. Each anecdote was punctuated by the soft clink of silverware as servers began to bring out the second course of their meal.

The aroma of seared scallops and tender filet mignon wafted through the air, and Rhonda's stomach growled in response. She reached for her fork, and then her attention was pulled back to the stage as a young woman stepped up to the podium.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Sarah, and I'm here to share my story as a survivor of stage three breast cancer."

Rhonda's heart clenched. Stories like this never failed to hit her in the gut, which of course was the point. But she couldn’t handle another infusion of any kind of emotion at the moment.

Dr. Smithson leaned in. "Isn't it incredible what they're able to do now with targeted therapies?"

Rhonda glanced up as she cut into her scallop. "I've been reading about some new advancements in immunotherapy."

"Mmm," Dr. Smithson murmured, her focus on her plate. “It’s exciting. To be able to tailor treatments to individual genetic profiles.”

Rhonda nodded, relief rushing through her. “I agree. I’ve been educating doctors around the province on a new addiction treatment drug. I know it’s working well, but I can’t imagine how much more effective it would be if it were individually targeted.”

The doctor across from her, thin and wiry with a slightly wrinkled white shirt, looked up from his plate. "Addiction medicine is a complex field."

"Absolutely." She took a sip from her water glass and drew a deep breath. “That’s why it’s so exciting to see real results.”

Dr. Mallory's eyes flicked to her, and Rhonda's heart skipped a beat. He held the key to getting Reviact into Rocky Ridge, and she wasn't about to miss her opportunity. “What addiction services do you offer at Rocky Ridge?”

Dr. Mallory leaned back in his chair, folding his hands neatly in his lap, his expression measured and deliberate. “At Rocky Ridge, we pride ourselves on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to addiction treatment,” he began, his tone as crisp as the white coat hanging in his office. “Our services range from counseling and outpatient programs to medically-assisted detoxification and long-term recovery planning. We’re thorough, because we need to be. Addiction treatment is an area where lives are at stake, and every decision carries weight.”

Rhonda nodded, her face open and attentive, but inside, she braced herself. This was the kind of conversation that could either soar or crash.

Dr. Mallory’s gaze sharpened. “That’s exactly why we’re cautious about new medications entering our formulary. It’s not just about the numbers on a trial sheet or a slick presentation—no offence.” His lips twitched in something resembling a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s about the real-world impact. The long-term outcomes. How the drug performs when faced with the complexities of actual patient care.”

Rhonda resisted the urge to shift in her seat, keeping her smile steady. “Of course, Dr. Mallory. That’s precisely why Reviact is such a game-changer. It’s been thoroughly tested not just for efficacy but for safety. Its mechanism of action allows it to?—”

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