Chapter 22
After a terrific weekend, Doug was on the road before six on Monday morning, witnessing a gorgeous sunrise as he drove east. He had a pre-office-hours meeting lined up with Kashvi Singh. She’d called to ask how serious he’d been about Hopewell. He offered to buy her breakfast to show his sincerity.
She arrived after him. Her bright, multi-coloured sneakers squeaked on the coffee shop’s linoleum floor. Like all the other doctors and staff at the Riverside Clinic, she wore a white golf shirt with the logo on the chest. She had a name tag she had to use at the office. Doug realized with a shock that the private clinic might have more staff than his entire hospital.
“Please say you already ordered coffee for me,” she begged.
“Extra-large, three sugars, one cream. And a scone.” He absolutely was not above bribery. “It’s on its way.”
“This is why we miss you so much at Riverside.” Kashvi took a deep breath of the steam coming through the lid and sighed happily.
Doug waited for her to take the first sip before he asked, “What specifically did you want to ask me about? Your message was kind of vague.”
Kashvi leaned forward, and her thick, black braid slithered over her shoulder. “You know that after you left, the clinic began interviewing for your replacement,” she began.
“I know.”
“Alastair and Whyte”—the clinic’s founding partners—“decided they wanted to expand instead of simply replacing you. They’re bringing in four new doctors, one GP and three specialists. Plus, the assorted staff to support them, including two new insurance specialists.” She looked at him expectantly, and he nodded.
“I see.” The more doctors the clinic had, the more patients they could see, the more insurance they could profit from.
“When I started with Riverside, they assured me they were building a small community practice. This is not the direction I intended to take my career. I’m uncomfortable with their business style, so I’ve been quietly looking for other options. Then I ran into you.”
“Are you seriously considering options in the country? Rural life is a big change.” Doug didn’t want to dissuade her, but he wasn’t going to trick her either. She needed all the facts before she made her decision.
“Hopewell isn’t that far away. It’s an hour if I want to commute from Brandon, if Manish and I think we won’t be able to hack the country and need to be in a city. But I think Hopewell is a viable option for us. I looked at listed properties in the area. We could purchase something twice the size of our current apartment with a huge yard, and the mortgage would still be half of what we’re currently paying in rent,” she told him.
“The person to get in contact with would be Victor Lang, the hospital’s administrator,” Doug said. “I know they’re desperate for doctors. Hopewell isn’t on anyone’s radar as a first choice. I’d be happy to talk to him for you, help smooth the way, arrange an interview.”
She raised her coffee to her lips. “Not so fast. Give me some details first.”
Doug talked, pumping his new reality for all he was worth. He told her about the benefits of living in a small town: lower crime rates, cheaper housing, a sense of community where people got to know their neighbours. He got her to laugh when he mentioned he’d been recruited to play softball. He cut back on the rhetoric when he discussed the hospital itself, not wanting to oversell it to the point where she’d be disappointed when she saw it in person; he told her it needed an overhaul but served an important purpose for the surrounding area.
His marvelous storytelling came to an abrupt halt when she posed the direct question he was hoping he wouldn’t hear. “It sounds promising. You say they have three GPs on staff, including you. Why do they need a fourth?”
“Doctor Roberts wants to retire in the next year. But you wouldn’t be taking his slot. You’d be taking mine,” he admitted.
Her eyebrows went up.
“I want out of my contract, but I need someone to take my place before I can leave.”
“Hence the recruitment spiel.”
“Yes.”
Her normal smile faded as her doctor’s face slipped into place. “Why are you trying to get out of your contract? Is there something wrong with Hopewell?”
Doug shrugged. “Aside from the fact I don’t want to be there? Not really. I took the Manitoba Rural Practice Bursary because I needed the money. I could do my two years in Hopewell if I have to, but I’m not a small-town guy anymore. Now, though, I can afford to buy out my contract and pay back the bursary, but the hospital won’t let me go without having a replacement in the wings.”
“You want me to be your wingman?”
“Yes. You’d be great for Hopewell. I think it would be good for you too.”
She took another sip of coffee. Her smile said she was keeping him waiting deliberately. “Why don’t we pick a day I can come check out your hospital?”
“It’s a deal.”