I already knew what was waiting for me before I even reached the door.
The Chief of Staff, Dr. Patricia Norms, sat behind her large mahogany desk. She was in her fifties and had always been fair and professional during the years we had worked together.
“Riven, thank you for coming on such short notice.” She gestured toward the empty chair. “Please, take a seat.”
I sat down and waited for the blow to fall.
“I’ll get straight to the point. We have received a formal report from Dr. Jason Henley regarding your personal conduct at the conference in Boston.”
“What exactly does the report say?” My voice came out tight, clipped.
“Dr. Henley claims he witnessed an altercation at the hotel check-in desk regarding shared lodging, and later observed behavior suggesting a personal relationship.” She folded her hands on the desk. “He felt obligated to report the matter due to hospital policy.”
My vision narrowed. “He overheard a conversation.”
“Yes, that’s what he stated.”
“And he decided to turn that into a formal complaint against us.”
“It's a formal report, yes.”
I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to maintain my composure. “Dr. Norms, my relationship with Mireya isentirely consensual between two adults. It has no negative impact on our professional performance in the hospital.”
“I’m not questioning your skill or your professionalism, Riven.”
“Then what’s the actual issue here?”
“Hospital policy strictly requires the disclosure of relationships between staff members, especially those who work together.” She pulled a document from a folder. “You and Nurse Rosen work together on a regular basis. That creates a potential conflict of interest that the board can’t ignore.”
“We’re both professionals who maintain appropriate boundaries while we're on the clock.”
“I believe you, but the board is very concerned about optics and maintaining professional standards. They need to ensure there’s no favoritism or coercion happening.”
“There’s no coercion involved here. Mireya and I are equals in this relationship.”
“In the eyes of the institution, she's a staff nurse and you're an attending physician. That’s not an equal balance of power.” She spoke gently, as if she were trying to soften the news. “I'm not accusing you of anything illegal. I'm simply explaining how the board views the situation.”
My hands clenched into tight fists in my lap. “What happens next?”
“You’ll need to formally disclose the relationship immediately. There will be an investigation to ensure that no policy violations have occurred.” She looked at me with a sympathetic expression. “Depending on the findings, the board may likely ask Ms. Rosen to transfer to a different department or change your shifts. They want to eliminate the direct working relationship entirely.”
Transfer.
A different department.
The words echoed in my mind like a death sentence for our daily lives.
“How long is this investigation going to take?”
“It will likely take a few weeks, perhaps even longer.” She looked at me with kindness. “I'm sorry, Riven. I know this is a difficult situation, but we have to follow the protocol.”
I left her office hollowed out. The hospital hallway was too bright, the noise too loud. People passed me by while talking about normal things like lunch plans or weekend trips.
I walked back to my office and closed the door firmly. I sat at my desk and tried to process the reality of the situation. A formal report had been filed, an investigation was starting, and a transfer was on the horizon.
I miscalculated the situation. I thought being careful and keeping things private would be enough to protect us both.
I had been devastatingly wrong.
