Page 132 of Toxic Salvation
“But—”
“No buts. This is a private meeting between me and my boss. And there’s nothing between us but this very thin wall right here. So mind your own business.”
Nikolai smiles. “Youaremy business, ma’am.”
“Put that smile away,” I snap. “You will wait out here for me.”
He hesitates. Then he looks over his shoulder at the three other men standing behind him. There’s some sort of silent conversation I’m not privy to because a moment later, Nikolai turns to me and sighs.
“We’ll be right out here if you need anything, ma’am.”
I wink at him gratefully and head into Richard’s office. It doesn’t look much different from when Jeremy was board director. Thespace still gives me creepy vibes. It doesn’t help that Richard Lovell has long white hair and the aura of a hippie at a love-in.
Whatever. I can forgive his appearance as long as he does the job well.
“Mr. Lovell, thank you for meeting with me.”
“It’s my pleasure, Dr. Krayev,” he says as he shakes my hand.
That one has me reeling.Dr. Krayev?It sounds so weird… but it’s the good kind of weird that makes my stomach flutter and my legs feel unsteady.
A few months ago, I would have thought it was farfetched. But ever since I heard Kovan mention marriage to my mother, it’s been an ever-present thought, sneaking around in the back of my head, ready to surface at the most inconvenient moments.
“It’s Fairfax, actually,” I correct politely. I take a seat in front of his desk. “But feel free to call me Vesper.”
“Of course, my apologies.” He clears his throat and I wonder if he’s naturally jumpy or nervous about this meeting. “So, you wanted to discuss a replacement for you while you’re on maternity leave?”
“That’s right. I plan on taking six months off and I want to make sure my replacement can handle my caseload. I have several patients with serious complications that require close monitoring.” I pull out the file I’ve been carrying around since morning. “Here are the two candidates I think would be perfect to fill in for me. Dr. Patton has a stellar reputation and he’s currently between jobs. I think he’d be willing to come work here if you make him the right offer. The second option is Dr. Jennifer Walters. We went to med school together. She was a few yearsahead of me and completely brilliant. You can’t go wrong with either candidate.”
Richard accepts the files but doesn’t even glance at them. “Unfortunately, Vesper, I’m not sure we can go with your choices. The board has already decided on a doctor to take over for you while you’re on maternity leave.”
“Who is it?”
“Dr. Henry Fielding.”
“Henry Fielding…? I haven’t heard of him.”
“He’s a fellow at Boston General. He comes highly rec?—”
“No.” I cut him off. “I can’t have a fellow taking over my caseload. I need an experienced attending surgeon, Mr. Lovell. It has to be either Dr. Patton or Dr. Walters.”
Lovell sighs. “The problem is, we just don’t have the budget to hire either one of them right now. With the board overhaul and the number of administrative changes that have been made recently?—”
He is interrupted by my phone, which starts vibrating violently in my coat pocket. I usually wouldn’t check it, but I’m still worried about Kovan and his arm, which has been slow to heal.
Speaking of the devil, his name is flashing across my lockscreen.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lovell.” I point at my phone. “Do you mind?”
The moment he sees the name on my screen, he gestures for me to take the call. “Of course, please, feel free…”
I suppress a smile. Sometimes, Kovan’s name really comes in handy.
I pick up and walk to the corner of Lovell’s office. “Is everything alright?”
“Of course. Just wanted to check on you.”
“As if you’re not already getting hourly updates courtesy of the five stooges out there.”
