Page 2 of Her Braun
Baldwin nodded and moved the bed into the hallway and toward the elevator. "I'll make sure she's settled. Then I'll be back."
"Thanks, Baldwin."
She turned around and saw Dr. Callen Webb turn the corner ahead of her. "Doctor Webb, how are you-"
"Doctor Hata. Good. Good. May I have a minute, please."
"Of course."
While Callen Webb had smiled and said 'please,' he wasn't someone you said no to unless you had someone's life hanging inthe balance or your hands in someone's chest. He was the head of Trauma Services at the hospital.
He smiled at her and gestured down the hall. "We can talk on the way to my office."
Okay?
Kay fell into step beside him, but she picked up her pace as she did. Callen wasn't an extremely tall man, but he had ground eating strides both in an emergency and walking normally. He always got where he needed to go as fast as he could without breathing faster or sweating.
"I'm glad I caught you."
Callen smiled.
Kay caught the gesture as she turned to look at him every few steps.
"I wanted to ask if you were able to go to the next Medical Administrative Conference in Chicago."
"The Admin Conference?" Kay almost stumbled in surprise. "Yes, sure."
She'd be stupid to say no.
She'd been interested in going to the conference since she started to work full time at Cole Medical. Going to those kinds of conferences were the only way to advance in trauma centers. Doctors in charge needed skills in Admin on top of their medical training and experience.
But usually, Doctor Roan Ashley was the one slated to go.
"When we get to my office, I'll have to fill out the paperwork. Wendy will send it in and once it's approved, she'll schedule your travel."
He opened the door to his office and Kay stepped through at his gesture.
She took the seat waiting for her at the desk and looked down at the paperwork that had been set out for her.
"The informational brochures and schedule are in the folder to the left. Go ahead and take that with you. I expect," he stepped forward and tapped his fingers on his desktop, "that you'll take that home with you and read it."
"Of course." She lowered herself into the chair. "I'll be lucky to get this filled out before-"
"Paging Doctor Hata."
The speaker just outside the door to Callen's office blared to life.
Kay got right back up and headed out the door.
Callen called after her.
"The form will be on my desk when you have a moment."
She cast a look back over her shoulder as she moved toward the nurse's hub. "Thanks!"
Lieutenant Gibson Braun of the Center City Fire Department was working shoulder to shoulder with the firefighters on Truck Forty-Two to get it restocked and ready to go. They were all exhausted, having battled a two-alarm fire in the wee hours of the morning. He looked around at the others and smiled to himself seeing how everyone was pitching in with equal gusto. The two youngest in the crew, Russell Webb and Jon Matsumoto, 'Webb' and 'Mats' respectively, were a unique pair. They ribbed each other mercilessly, but they were both driven to do their jobs whenever they were on a call. He never had to worry about either of them.
That didn't stop another member of their crew from grumbling about the two 'youngsters.' Hank 'Pits' Berg was likely the oldest crew member on the ladder truck, but you wouldn't know it by his shape or his fitness. He was a tank of a man, broad shouldered and powerful. Gibson had seen the man lift the front bumper of a car, lifting the front wheels up enough so that they could pull a man free and put him in an ambulance with one of the two teams that worked out of their same firehouse.
