I shift my briefcase to my other hand, wiping my palm against my pants, hoping she doesn’t notice.Then I reach out and shake hers.Her handshake is firm and confident without an ounce of stiff formality.She smiles, genuinely.I’m not sure what to do with that.
“Take a seat, Dr.Pierce.”
“Please, call me Adrian.”The title feels heavy, dragging up memories I’m trying to leave behind.“Dr.Pierce is… Just Adrian is fine.”
“Fair enough.”She settles back into her chair, still smiling.“I’m really happy you’re here.Keith’s been excited about your arrival, and we’re lucky to have you for the year.”
Unsure how to respond to that, I nod.
“Obviously, if Keith’s practice is up and running before the year’s up, you’re not locked in.We’d be happy to let you out of the contract.”
“Really?”I’m relieved.I hadn’t considered that possibility.I’m so used to contracts, so this kind of flexibility feels almost too good to be true.
She nods.“Keith needs the help, and we’re a close community.We look out for each other.If things wrap up early and you want to move on, we’ll work something out.”
I exhale, tension easing just a little.“I appreciate that.”
Keith’s practice didn’t make me feel… this anxious.Even just touring the building, it felt welcoming, a place where I might find some footing.But being here, with familiar hospital sounds and smells, has my past pressing in from all angles.But I can do this.I can make it through a year.
Redeem myself.Set myself up for a fresh start, a different future.
Anita rises, grabbing a sheet of paper.“Before we start the tour, I just need to give you your work email address.It’s linked to the hospital’s bulletin system, a kind of hospital pulse point.Keeps you in the loop.”
She chuckles to herself at the reference to Pulse Point, the town, and I find myself smiling.
Maybe this won’t be so bad.
I take the paper, glancing over the printed details of passwords, logins, basic information.It’s routine, but it feels like the first real step into this new life.
“Alright,” she says, standing.“Let’s get started.”
I follow her out the door, preparing myself for the moment I meet my colleagues.
“I don’t think you’ll get too lost, but everyone here will help you.”We turn left, and she gestures toward a section of the ward.“This is the trauma unit.”
That’s where I first entered the hospital from… the emergency waiting room.The receptionist doesn’t notice us, too busy talking to a family that’s just entered.
There are only two things that are different from the city.It’s a much smaller scale, with no research center but they’ve got most of the same equipment for basic emergencies, which relieves me.
She walks me through the hospital, pointing out the pediatric wing, trauma, orthopedics, and other wards before we finally arrive at the medical floor… my new home base.
At the central desk, a few nurses are huddled together, whispering.Their gazes flick toward me, probably gossiping.I hate it.I just want to settle in, to stop being the center of attention.I bet they’ve all seen the article.My name in bold.The piece Miss Amelia wrote about me haunting me even here.
“Okay, let me show you a room on the ward.This is where you’ll mainly be.”
She leads me down a hallway lined with doors, some open and some closed.“These are the patient rooms.Some have two beds, some have four.That one is for infectious diseases or for VIP patients.”
“VIP patients?”I ask, raising an eyebrow.In this town, who gets special treatment?
“The receptionist will sort that out.You won’t need to worry about it.”
Sure.Except for the number of beds, the rooms all look the same… hospital beds, bedside tables, chairs, oxygen masks, dull white walls.But the view from the windows is different.Instead of city buildings looming outside, there’s greenery.That’s something, at least.A better view for patients to recover with.
I meet a couple of nurses, Jacalyn and Matty, who greet me politely as they walk by, and another doctor, Rowan.He barely acknowledges me, just a curt nod before hurrying off.He seems busy, and that’s fine by me.The less attention, the better.
“All right, let me show you your office.”
I’m excited to be finished with the tour.
