Page 3 of Anxious Hearts
Eli’s eyes widened. ‘You counted?’
‘No. I remembered. I’m very good at that.’
‘But did you remember to have fun along the way, Kelly?’
‘Life’s not about fun, Eli. Not now anyway. Maybe after this year.’
‘When you’re an Advanced Trainee working sixty-hour weeks and running a research project?’
Kelly smiled despite herself. His poorly concealed grin and dogged persistence were kind of endearing. ‘Maybe that’s my idea of fun.’
Eli laughed. ‘If that’s your idea of fun, we are definitely going out together tonight.’
‘No, we’re not. When we’re done babysitting Raj, I’m going home to prepare for our next session.’
‘It’s Saturday. Take a night off.’ Eli rested his elbows on his knees, his hands in a prayer pose just below his chin. ‘I tell you what. If I get every question right for the rest of the afternoon, we go to dinner.’
Kelly shook her head at the absurdity of both ideas. ‘You’ll be eating alone, Romeo.’
When the session resumed, Eli answered six questions incorrectly.
Not even close.
Kelly was just a little bit disappointed.
Chapter Two
Friday 13 January
Michael was trying to remain calm, but Kelly could see the pulsating veins in his throat. ‘I’ve received another complaint about your behaviour.’ Despite his veins, Michael’s old brown eyes remained kind above his mask. ‘Kelly, what happened with the paramedic last Friday?’
So that’s it. Kelly hadn’t thought about that prick again in the week that had passed. She wondered if the gutless coward had complained straight away or mulled on it until his manhood was so maligned that he just had to seek vengeance.
She stared at the nameplate on Michael’s desk: Professor Michael Liu, Head of Paediatric Medicine. It was an enviable title unsuited to his utilitarian office: a desk, two chairs and nothing on the walls to brighten it up. Not like the children’s rooms on the wards, which were decorated with paintings and murals imbued with fun and joy the patients did not feel.
Kelly looked up at Michael and took a deep breath. ‘Well, he made the complaint. What did he say?’
Michael drew his eyebrows together in a scowl and rubbed his hand over his bald head as though he still had hair to pull out. ‘That you were unprofessional and your conduct was unbecoming.’
Kelly snorted. ‘Is he kidding? That jerk questioned my judgement in front of a patient. You want to talk about unprofessional?’
‘What did you say to him?’
‘He didn’t tell you?’
Michael shook his head. ‘It was an informal complaint.’
‘Then why are we even talking about it?’
Michael’s eyebrows came together again.
‘Sorry. Okay, so after he challenged my competence in front of a patient and her family, which is highly unprofessional—’
Michael tapped his fingers on the table. ‘Get to the point, Kelly.’
‘I told him that having a penis didn’t make him omniscient.’
Michael chuckled and shook his head.
