Page 43 of Moonshot

“Is that necessary?” I now recognize Edward’s screeching voice and determine he really is getting a thorough evaluation. The door suddenly swings wide, and Dr. Lee exits.

“You can stop at the receptionist desk on your way out to make your next appointment. I’d personally ask for Ava, as she’s our most gentle provider.” Without another word, Dr. Lee casually strolls toward the front of the office and exits.

A few moments later, Edward is stomping out of the exam room toward the front of the clinic.

“Oh, that’s probably my cue to get back there,” Joanie says with a bit of a giggle.

I bite my lower lip at how differently this day is going than I first expected.That Sebastian Lee is all right in my book. Not ever considering anything outside of the office with that playboy, but he’s still all right with me.

* * *

The following days seem to drag. The office is stressful, with Dr. Stark barking at everyone. Nosey Joanie thinks there’s trouble at home, but I bet that this is his norm. I can’t for the life of me imagine any woman putting up with him for long. I don’t care how much money he has.

“Ava, I need to see you in my office.”Speak of the devil.

“You needed something, Dr. Stark?”

“Have a seat, Ava.”

Not that I want to stay here any longer than necessary, but I do as requested, hoping we can get this over with, and I can get out of this office.

“We had a complaint about your care recently.”

“What?”

“Yes. I’m afraid I’m going to have to put a notation in your personnel file. This won’t bode well for your performance appraisal coming soon.”

“But I don’t recall having anyone I took care of upset-”

“Well, it’s inconsequential whether you recall it or not. As you know, our patient feedback scores directly reflect the level of reimbursement from some insurers. We must receive top marks in patient experience from all of our patients.”

He’s lecturing me? How on earth could this man possibly get good feedback scores?

“As I’ve mentioned, your care is a direct reflection on me, as you are, in essence, an extension of my care. I should actually make two marks in your file, given we’ve had a conversation about your professionalism once already. But I’ll let that one slide.”

I glare back at him. That damn interview tomorrow cannot come fast enough.

“Well, I’m sorry this occurred, Dr. Stark. I have always tried to give the very highest level of care and treat all of the patients assigned to me as I would treat any member of my family. I’ll try to place even more effort on the patient’s experience in the future.” Now, can I get the hell out of here before I fucking lose it?

“I appreciate that, Ava. It’s my duty to bring these things to your attention.”

Standing from my seat, I walk out the door without another word. I’ll get fired before I can quit if I sit in there one more minute. I can feel the color rising on my face. My skin feels hot. I’m so ready to be done with this guy. Oh, if only he could leave instead of me. But this guy, pompous asshole or not, makes the company too much money for them to let him go because he’s treating me like crap. So I might as well look elsewhere.

Once in my office, I reach for my purse. Grabbing my nausea pill and some ibuprofen, I reach for my bottle of water to swallow them down. As I place the bottle down on my desk, I notice the clock reads 1:00 p.m. Not only did I not realize the morning appointments had been running so late, but it’s also thirty minutes past when Mick would’ve been here.Hmm. Is he quitting too?Good riddance. No matter. Maybe once I have that interview tomorrow, I can completely put thoughts of him behind me.Unless he calls on them as well. Ugh.

I walk over to Joanie to determine how much time I have before my next patient arrives, to see if I can run to the cafeteria quickly.

“Oh, you have time, dear. Go run and get you something.”

“Hey, is Allison here?”

“Yes, I think I saw her in the breakroom.”

“Thanks, Joanie.”

Walking down the hall to the small room with a table covered in a cheap plastic tablecloth, a coffee pot, and a refrigerator, I see Allison placing a frozen meal into the microwave.

“Hey, Ava. How are you?”

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