Page 76 of Sinful in Scrubs

Marcus shook his head and shrugged. “Haven’t heard anything. I figured that’s what this meeting is going to be all about.”

“I certainly hope it’s good news because I hate this feeling. It’s like being called into the principal’s office,” I admitted. “I’m freaking out over what I could have done wrong, and considering how bad the reception was the last time I made a presentation to that group…” I just shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it, shouldn’t be thinking about it, and yet, here I was, reliving Kevin’s abuse during that presentation. He had set me up to fail, and he had succeeded. For more than a brief moment, he had won, and I retreated.

Marcus reached out and picked up my hand. “It’ll be okay. No matter what James says in there, it’ll be okay.”

His hand was warm against mine. I looked down at how his large, capable fingers wrapped protectively around mine. I never considered my hands to be particularly delicate—small, yes. It was one of the things that made me a good fit for pediatric work. I had small hands for small places. But nestled safely in Marcus’s grasp, I felt delicate.

“You sound entirely too optimistic,” I said.

“And you are freaking out for no reason.”

“I have a reason. Remember Kevin? He sabotaged me before.”

My stomach was in knots as James waved us into his office, but did not look up from the paperwork in front of him. “Come on in,” he said. “Have a seat.”

Marcus stood behind me as I parked myself in the chair across from James’s desk. I tried not to be too obvious with my nerves, but it was hard. Finally, James looked up. Any reason I had for worrying immediately went out the window as soon as I saw the smile on James’s face. That expression could only mean good news.

“You did it,” he said.

“Did what, exactly?” Marcus asked. He gave my hand a squeeze.

“You got approval for a triage liaison in the emergency department. Apparently, the board was very impressed by what you had to say. They have approved a triage liaison position based solely on the recommendations of your presentation.” He hesitated. “And yeah, I probably shouldn’t say anything, but apparently, it didn’t go too well for—well, let’s just say the board was very impressed with what you had to say. So, congratulations!”

“That’s amazing!” I said. I almost felt like clapping my hands in happiness. Instead, I crooked my finger at him in a ‘come here’ motion. “You need to spill what you were just about to say… Didn’t go well for whom?”

“Are you encouraging me to gossip, Dr. Chen?” James asked with a sardonic grin on his face.

I shook my head. “I’m not encouraging anything. I’m demanding that you tell me.”

“You’ll find out eventually. Kevin Thompson was asked to step down from the board.

“That’s fantastic,” Marcus said with a laugh. His hand squeezed my shoulder. “That’s absolutely fantastic!”

“Oh, that is icing on the cake,” I said. Kevin would finally be out of my way.

James continued, “And…”

I swallowed hard. “And?” My employment at Manhattan Memorial was still not confirmed. I was technically here only in a consultancy position.

“And we have a job here for you,” James said. “If you want it.”

My emotions took flight at the announcement that I had my job back. However, my stomach plummeted on the roller coaster of this office visit. It was quickly turning into a ride I wasn’t sure I would survive.

“We could really use you in a more administrative position.”

“Pardon?” I couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying. I was excited that we had gotten the liaison position approved and created, but that wasn’t the job I wanted. I still wanted to be a surgeon. Having a more hands-on approach, having more ability to directly help patients, was important to me.

“We would like to add to your job description. If you are open to the idea,” James started to explain.

“Yeah?” I asked dubiously.

“Every quarter, we would like you to complete a departmental assessment. Let us know where and how we can be expanding and improving things around the hospital. You’ve really proven that while we’re doing things pretty well, there's always room for improvement. But your primary role here is trauma surgeon, specializing in pediatrics.”

“Yes, of course,” I said. “Absolutely.” I was beyond thrilled at the opportunity to expand my duties. It was exactly the expectation I had for moving to L.A. And here I was back home in New York, with the job I really wanted. I cut a quick glance to Marcus. And the man I wanted. Today was turning out to be a very good day.

As we stepped out of James’s office, Sarah was waiting in the hallway. “Oh, my God! I heard the presentation went really well. Tell me everything.” She grabbed my arm and pulled in close by my side, looping her elbow through mine.

“How do you know these things before I do?” I teased.

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