Chapter 24

Doug had just finished texting the directions to the hospital when Victor knocked on his office door. “If you want any non-emergency X-rays taken, try to schedule them in the next couple weeks. The radiology schedule is going to change. I’d like anything that can be done to be done in advance,” the hospital administrator said.

“Is there are problem with the radiology department? I thought the roof leak was fixed.”

“Are you worried about your girlfriend?”

He was, but he refused to invite Victor into his personal life. “Worried about my patients. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll start making any necessary arrangements. I’ll confer with Dr. Roberts to see if he prefers mornings or afternoons. Then we can avoid booking conflicts.” That was the system his previous clinic used, and it worked fine. “I’ll be sure to talk to him before lunch. Then we can move forward with the new schedule this afternoon.”

“Dr. Roberts says he planned to suggest the same.” Victor frowned at him.

“Aren’t you glad we’re in agreement about something?” Doug asked. Since he’d started, he and Dr. Roberts had been at odds over every little thing, from preferred treatment plans to how to write up patient files. Doug had quickly realized he had a bigger problem with the senior physician on staff than he’d originally anticipated.

He expected the resentment about his new techniques. He wasn’t even surprised about the resistance of patients moving over to his practice. The real shock had been that he’d assumed, wrongly, he’d have lots of time off to visit his friends back in Winnipeg when he wasn’t working, because with three doctors, four people in the waiting room was considered an extremely busy day. But now that Doug was in Hopewell, it seemed the senior doctor wasn’t. The old man had an endless amount of sick days, vacation days, and other days off. What was supposed to be a slowly transitioned patient hand-over was, in reality, a dump of files on his desk while Dr. Roberts unofficially started his retirement early.

His phone pinged.

I’m here.

“I’ll see you in the meeting, Victor.”

Doug met his guest in the parking lot and personally walked her to the boardroom. He hesitated at the door. He was one step closer to freedom. He could feel it. He held the door open for his guest as they entered the hospital meeting room. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Dr. Kashvi Singh. She’s currently a general physician at the Riverside Clinic in Winnipeg.”

He didn’t need to say more than that. He knew Kashvi would be a hit. The board would be absolute fools if they didn’t grab her and run. Her reputation was impeccable. She was established enough to have significant experience but still young enough to be building a patient base. Perhaps most importantly to the Hopewell Hospital, she’d be their first female doctor in twenty years.

Kashvi was a sure thing.

Dr. Roberts approved of her immediately. Doug had weighed the pros and cons and decided to give him advance notice of the doctor he was introducing to the board. Dr. Roberts had done his research and told her he was especially impressed with her work at the Women’s Clinic. His was a “yes” vote.

Victor, on the other hand, was creating problems. His questions bordered on offensive, like he was trying to run Kashvi off before she even officially applied for the job. “What makes you think you are qualified for a position with us?”

“Besides my professional credentials, my practical experience, and my willingness to relocate to a small community that is advertising for doctors?” Kashvi cut him no slack. “My CV speaks for itself. If you have any specific questions or concerns, I’ll be happy to answer them, but I’d like to remind you that I already have a job. This is a new and exciting opportunity for me but if you pass on my application, I can say with confidence it will be entirely your loss. You have a nice town here. I could be a benefit.” She was dressed more formally than she would be at the clinic, in a navy suit and with her long black hair pulled into a severe bun. Today she wasn’t friendly Doc Kay; she was Dr. Kashvi Singh, M.D. and she had not driven three hours into the wilds of the Manitoba prairie to play games.

Doug let the two of them go at it, confident his friend could hold her own. Dr. Roberts joined him at the coffee carafe. “You actually did it. You found yourself a replacement. Does she know?” the older man asked.

“Of course. I’m not going to set up a friend and let her get blindsided by a detail like that. Just because I don’t think I’m a good fit for Hopewell, it doesn’t mean nobody is. Some people, like Kashvi, want to work in the country. She’s an excellent doctor. You’ll be lucky to get her.” Doug didn’t try to sell her any more than that. He didn’t need to.

Victor could be as mad as he wanted about Doug finding a replacement, but he’d done it. He’d even be leaving Hopewell in a better position than he found it, since Kashvi wanted to be there. He could be gone by Christmas, and Jackie could follow a little after that.

There was a Santa Claus, and he’d made a summer present delivery.

Dr. Roberts offered to take her on a tour of the hospital, and she let him, neglecting to tell them that Doug had already told her all about it. It was a smart move on two counts for her: she could compare what was shown and overlooked in both cases, and she kept any inside knowledge she’d received quiet. Doug smiled to himself. He wouldn’t want to be across the negotiation table from her.

Victor cornered him before he could return to his office and offered him a nasty smile. “I guess you’re feeling pretty smart, aren’t you? She’ll do.”

Doug was feeling very smart at the moment. But he didn’t like the smile. “Dr. Singh will more than do. You aren’t planning something, are you, like encouraging her to turn down the contract, are you? Because even with her here, ideally, you’ll still want one more doctor on staff. It would help your funding.”

“With the additional funding we could get if both of you were here, we could probably afford to bring Jackie back to her old hours.”

“Excuse me?” He could not have heard what he thought he just heard.

But he had.

“All our funding is interconnected. If we don’t have doctors, we don’t need a radiologist. If we have a full complement of doctors…”

“You said for yourself that Hopewell Hospital could survive on three doctors until your next bursary winner finishes their internship.”

“Survive, yes. Thrive, no.”

“I think you’ll be in a strong position if you can bring Dr. Singh aboard. Please excuse me. I have to catch up on some files. It’ll give you a chance to talk to Dr. Singh if you have any questions for her.”

Doug didn’t care if Victor Lang took credit for finding their next doctor. He just wanted Hopewell Hospital to do well and continue to support the community. Without him.

He finished updating three patient files before he was interrupted by a knock on his door. He looked up and Kashvi smiled at him. “May I come in?”

At his nod, she entered and closed the door behind her. “That was interesting,” she said.

“What did you think?”

“I think I’m going to do it.” She plopped herself into the guest chair and beamed at him. “I have a good feeling about this place.”

He didn’t want to rain on her parade, but she was a friend. “Victor told me that they cut Jackie’s hours after I told them I wanted out of my contract. He insinuated he could reinstate them if I stayed.”

She leaned back into the chair, then jumped when it squeaked at her. “Isn’t that interesting.” Kashvi folded her hands in her lap and tapped her forefingers together.

Doug shrugged. “I don’t know what they’ve said to Jackie. Is Manish willing to move out here? I don’t know what his employment options would be.” Doug knew for himself it was a massive change. Small towns had their upside for those looking for a slower pace and quieter life, but the transition period when there wasn’t a coffee shop within a thirty-minute drive was harsh at the best of times.

“He says yes. Pharmacists are usually in demand. We’ve been looking at places online. We’ve already started moving stuff into a storage unit since our lease is up in a few months.” She twisted the ring on her hand. “It’ll be a busy second half of the year. New job, new house, and a wedding.”

“Right. When is that?”

“Two months.”

“You’ll need a vacation before you start your new job.”

She smiled at him again. “That’s called a honeymoon, Doug. A long, relaxing, romantic vacation. Then we come home and go nuts all over again.”

“You’ll need another honeymoon.”

“Aw, shucks. That would be terrible.” Her cell phone beeped, although the sound was muffled by her purse. “That’ll be him, checking in. It’s a long drive back to Winnipeg, so I’m going to head out now. I’ll let you know how things go,” Kashvi promised.

“Don’t let them lowball you. They need you badly,” Doug said.

“You bet.”