Henrik Hanssen is a man of strategy and power. The altitudes in which his Sweedish brain sits must lack the amount of oxygen needed to function like a normal human being. His lack of almost any sort of emotion and his blaze attitude towards everything meant that this task should've been easy for the Director of Surgery. However, at twelve o'clock on a Monday night he found himself sat at his desk glareing over a list of his staff and a spreadsheet. He had been given the hurculean task of cutting down his spending to meet a government budget. This meant one of two things; cut backs in every department meaning less equiptment, more patients and longer hours, or redundancy. Unfortunately the only way he could see to fix this was staring him straight in the face; the names of two of his most highly acclamimed surgeons: Elliot Hope and Jaqueline Naylor. After all there really was only room for one consultant roaming the corridors of Darwin. Well the choice was obvious wasn't it?
Jac awoke suddenly that morning to the sound of her mobile, she picked up the phone and through half open eyes saw 'Henrik Hanssen'
"Hello? Mr Hanssen?" she croaked sleepily
"Aaah Ms Naylor, I do hope I didn't wake you, I'm just phoning to request that you come and see me in my office first thing this morning" the Swede announced confidently.
"Um...yes of course, what's this about if you don't mind me asking?" Jonny wiggled and rolled over in the bed next to her. She looked over to see his big brown eyes glareing up at her in confusion.
"Nothing to worry about" Hanssen replied "just make sure you're here" and with that he hung up. Jac replaced the phone on to her bed side locker and looked at the clock '6:45'.
"What was that about?" Jonny asked, sitting up and strokeing her hair. She huffed and knocked his hand away
"Nothing, Hanssen just wants me to go and see him when we get in." Jonny automatically detected her change of mood and knew something was going on to stress her out.
"Well...what about?" he asked cautiously. She glared at him icily as she slipped out of bed
"I don't know do I!? If I did then there'd be no need for me to go would there!" she hissed back.
Elliot found himself wakeing up in much the same way, alone in his double bed. He fumbled around to pick up his phone and noted the time '6:50' before he answered. Morning Mr Hanssen, how can I be of service?" he chortled happily.
"Good morning Proffessor Hope, would you come up and see in my office when you arrive at work please" he annonced again with authority.
"uh...um...yes...I mean, sure...but um..." his babbleing was interrupted
"See you then Proffessor Hope" Hanssen replied and once again hung up.
Jonny lay in bed for a while observing as Jac rushed about trying to find something to wear until she stopped suddenly and ran off to the bathroom. Jonny jumped out of bed and trailed after her. He found her doubled over the toilet chucking up as always in the mornings. He had become quite used to this routine after staying at Jac's for the last couple of weeks. She looked at him wearily as he held her beautiful red hair back for her and tried his best to support her. When she felt a little less...sicky she sat back on her knees and looked at the nurse sat next to her. He wrapped his arm delicately arround her shoulder and exhaled slowly as she leaned into him.
"Jac, whatever Hanssen wants to see you about i'm sure it'll be fine. You just need to stay calm and think about the baby." Jac refrained from making eye contact with him and stared solemnly at the floor in front of her.
On arriving at Holby Elliot head straight upstairs to Hanssen's office where to his and undoubtably her surprise he met Jac.
"Jac?" He greeted her in a confused tone.
"Elliot." She nodded back at him.
"Did Hanssen call you up here too then?" he asked concernedly as he noticed she was looking particularly pale.
"Yeah, any idea what he wants with us?" she inquired hopefully. Elliot shook his head
"no idea, sorry, but it can't be that bad if it's to do with both of us...surely" his words trailed off as he sank into his own train of thought, decifering all possible outcomes of this meeting.
They sat there in silence for a good twenty minutes before hearing the loud clunk of Hanssen's office door opening. They both stood up, looked at each other and headed towards the door way.
"Ah Proffessor Hope, Ms Naylor, good morning, do come on in" Hanssen greeted them a look of pleasure in his eyes. They walked silently in to his office contemplating the events which were unravelling. He advised them both to take a seat in the two conveniently placed chairs infront of his desk. Jac could feel butterflys in her stomach, of all the times to have a meeting why did it have to be early in the morning when she was most likely to have to run out and vomit.
"You're both probably wondering why i've summoned you here this morning" Hanssen began tactfully. "Well as know i've been under a lot of pressure form the board recently to make cuts to fit their budgets. Recently one of said budgets has been cut drastically meaning I have a choice to make. Do believe me when I say it's not an easy choice and if there were any other way then believe you me I would have found it. However it seems we're looking into redundancies and i'm afraid to say that you two were the ones left staring me in the face." He stood up and began walking towards the door. "Not to worry though, to make it fair i'm giving you today to prove your worth to me, i'll be talking to your collegues and keeping an eye on your performance until five o'clock this afternoon." Both consultant's look at each other in absolute shock.
"w...well...what happens then?" Elliot stammered in reply to this revalation. Hanssen now opened the door in preparation to show them out.
"Your fate will be decided and one of you will be leaving Holby." They both stood up and left Hanssen's lair with a solemn and terrified look on their faces.
Jac and Elliot walked back down the corridor in complete silence until Elliot stopped and looked at Jac.
"He can't do this!" He announced forcefully "this is madness!" Jac looked back at Elliot and with a tear in her eye said quietly
"Just leave it Elliot, he's made his decision, we just need to make the best of it" and walked off back to Darwin, leaving the proffessor looking baffled.
