I don’t utter a single word and walk past her like she doesn’t exist. At the end of the hallway, the conference room door is already open.
Heidi’s waiting, seated just off to the side in a tailored dress and sneakers, one foot tapping gently. She gives me a firm nod, her eyes softening slightly as they fall to Ivy in her wrap.
Paul Tallow sits at the head, running the meeting, same as last time. He glances up as I enter, expression neutral. “Dr. Park. Thank you for coming in.”
“Of course,” I say, sliding into the seat across from him.
Ivy shifts slightly in the wrap, one tiny sigh escaping her lips.
His eyes shift briefly to her, then back to me. “And congratulations, by the way.”
There’s a beat of polite silence, then the woman beside him—Karen from HR, I think—adds, “She’s beautiful.”
I don’t relax, but I nod once. “Thank you.”
Moreno is seated further down the table, not participating—just observing. His gaze meets mine, and he gives a neutral nod.
Heidi stands and moves to sit just behind me, my selected support person who is a verifiable witness, in lieu of Reid.
“I’m ready when you are,” I say, adjusting the wrap one final time.
My daughter breathes against my heart.
And I wait.
Tallow opens a manila folder and reads from a printed document. “This meeting is being formally recorded as part of the internal investigation into a potential breach of clinic policy involving a romantic relationship with a patient—specifically, Mr. Reid Hutchison.”
The words hang heavy, clinical and exact.
I nod once. “Understood.”
Karen from HR glances at her notes. “Dr. Park, could you confirm the nature and timeline of your interactions with Mr. Hutchison, beginning from his first appointment here?”
I answer clearly, without hesitation.
“Mr. Hutchison sustained a meniscal tear during a game and was referred directly to Dr. Moreno for surgical consultation following his hospital imaging. I was the senior resident assigned to his case under Dr. Moreno’s care, and I assisted with both pre-op and post-op management.”
I pause, then continue. “I remained involved in his post-operative care for approximately six weeks—handling wound checks, progress assessments, and surgical follow-up during his recovery period. Once his file was formally closed on the surgical side, he was referred internally to Ms. Heidi Grant for physiotherapy and rehab, also within the Moreno Clinic.”
“Thank you.” Karen marks something down. “And when did your personal relationship begin?”
I don’t flinch. “After he was no longer under my care in any capacity.”
“How long?”
“Several weeks—about a month.”
There’s a pause.
Paul interjects gently. “You understand, of course, that perception and power dynamics are part of what this inquiry is designed to assess.”
“I do,” I say. “Which is why professionally, ethically, I’ve done nothing to compromise my position or Mr. Hutchison’s treatment outcomes.”
Moreno’s gaze flickers with something unreadable, but he says nothing.
Karen shifts forward. “At any time during Mr. Hutchison’s treatment, were there any instances of blurred boundaries or inappropriate behavior, emotional or otherwise?”
I want to laugh, but I don’t.
