Chapter Seven- Resolving the Problem
"Oh no, no way Zosia, I know I helped with the whole you and Valentine thing. But under no circumstances am I your go to person for all your family issues! Especially when it involves Guy of all people!" Jac was pretty adamant.
Jac looked confused at the Junior Doctor, she was hardly the person to resolve a problem if Mr Self was involved; seen as they could barely have a conversation without it becoming a war.
"No of course, it's a professional matter: he has undermined Ollie's capabilities in front of the Patient. We all know that Ollie could do the operation with his eyes closed. But my Dad has done it purposely because he isn't happy about us being a couple and doesn't want to work with him on the case. He is being very unprofessional." Zosia explains to the consultant.
"And what do you suggest I do about this, because there is no way I am working in theatre with that ego driven idiot if Valentine isn't doing the operation."
"No Ollie does needs to do the operation, and then he can show my Dad how capable he is and how well we work together. But would you possibly persuade the patient of this? You don't have to speak to my father at all. I wouldn't wish that on anyone at the minute." Zosia tries to joke.
"Fine, if it means I don't have to work with that man." She stands and they both head to the ward.
"Thank you. I know it is my relationship with Ollie that has brought the problem to the ward, so I apologise." Zosia said to Jac.
She got no response from her.
Zosia enters the patient's side room first, while Jac briefly reads through the case notes.
"Self and Valentine, how well do you know them?" The patient asked Dr March.
Well that certainly is awkward. "Pretty well." Zosia carefully answered, it's times like this when she is glad she changed her surname.
"I don't have much patience for ego politics, especially if my life is in their hands in theatre." The lady said.
"No, no I understand." Zosia really needed Jac to come in any second before any more questions were put to her. She didn't want to be put in the position where the patient knew it was her boyfriend and father. And good timing, Jac walks in.
"Hello Ms…" She looks at the name card "Mrs Sales. I am Ms Naylor; I am in charge of this ward. Now do you have any concerns about the procedures that need to be carried out?"
"Mr Self is highly respected, I have read all about him and he has made me doubt that Doctor Valentine is capable of handling my heart operation." Mrs Sales replied.
"Yes well the wonderful Guy Self had absolutely no derestriction to undermine any of my Team. He is a Neurosurgeon; he has little knowledge of Cardiothoracic specialities. It is me that is highly respected in that field and I assure you that Doctor Valentine and Doctor March here who will be assisting are very capable surgeons. Doctor Valentine has worked on my team for many years now and I will vouch for his skills."
The patient nods to her and Jac forces a smile. Zosia hands Mrs Sales the consent form to sign, smiles as she leaves the bay with good news for Ollie.
She places the signed consent form on top of some paperwork he was reading and smiles at him. "How did you do that, after what your Dad said to her, I would have being surprised if she even let me near her with the pen to sign, never mind a scalpel in theatre!?" Ollie was genuinely shocked.
"Yes well sometimes, Jac's hatred of my father works in our favour. I just asked her to explain that you were more than capable to the patient. She did that and told her that he had no right to comment on your skills, it is not his speciality. She sang your praises in there!" She grins at Ollie and they look over just in time to see Jac approaching Guy.
"How dare you undermine a respected member of my team, simply because he is sleeping with your daughter?" Ollie and Zosia sit with awkward expressions as Jac casually brings that topic up on the ward, looking around to see how many people were listening.
But Jac was nowhere near finished shouting at Guy "How could you be any more unprofessional, you childish, stuck up… Ergh you are not even worth my cleverly thought up insults. Can't you see they are happy together? I am not one for soppy love stories but they are good for one another. Zosia was struggling a few weeks ago and did you notice. No, Ollie did, and he was there for her and got her through a rough spell extremely quickly and she is the most emotionally stable I have ever seen her. So back off! Or do you want her to be ill again?!"
The couple sat at the station not believing what they were hearing. Jac Naylor defending them. And leaving Guy Self speechless. What a strange day they were having!
"If I hear any more of this, Hanssen will be told about your unprofessional manner." Jac added.
Jac went back to her office loudly slamming the door. Guy then approached the couple. "Fine I'll do the surgery with you Valentine but the spinal work is priority."
Ollie took a deep breath, god Zosia definitely got her stubbornness from him "No if the patient has any chance of surviving, she needs the heart op before. Imagine if her heart stops while you are operating Mr Self, and we have to resuscitate? What is that going to do for her spine?" Ollie pleaded, he had the winning argument, it was undeniable.
"He is right Dad, please listen to him, no actually, listen to us!" Zosia places her hand on Ollie's shoulder.
Guy nodded in defeat. "See you in theatre" he looked at Ollie.
"You'll see us both." Zosia added.
"Oh so I'll get to be impressed by my daughter's wonderful skills?" Oh now things were different!
"Yes but mainly Ollie's" she smiled.
"Look forward to it." He said gruffly as he walked away.
"No pressure then" Ollie laughed as they both got up to go for their break before the operation. They continued talking as they went to the staff room.
Zosia laughed "Yeah I know, but pressure is good, and if we are brilliant in theatre, it might actually show him how good we are together. He speaks 'theatre'. Does that make any sense? It doesn't does it?" She had a confused expression as she considered her own statement.
"Coming from anyone else, it really wouldn't make sense; but you're the woman who gets 'the flutters' when you're cutting into people in theatre so you must have got your love for surgery from somewhere!"
They both laughed. Then Zosia remembered the time she had told Ollie that. "Argh yes that conversation we had about being in theatre, versus sex? And to me it was no competition, hands down operating was better than sex."
"I am never going to forget that, I enjoyed completely rubbing it in smarmy little Sebastian's face! And did you just say 'was' as in past tense Zosh?" Ollie smirked.
"Ergh don't even mention his name please! And yes… what I was going to say was that sex puts up a far better competition now." She smiled ear to ear looking at him.
He did the same an then considered it more "But still doesn't beat it?"
"Definitely on a par I think. No wait" She decided to rephrase. "I think I have achieved some 'equilibrium' between the two, now that I am with the right guy of course!"
He burst into laughter "I thought we weren't mentioning him, and that was one of his stupid buzzwords."
"I know but remember how we took the piss out of it at the time, when he caught us messing about in the corridor. You doing that cheesy little dance and then tripping me up. I loved that day."
"I fell in love with you a bit more that day." He said to her.
"Oh really Oliver, if I remember rightly that was around the time that I tried to kiss you and you shot back like I was about to poison you, you great oaf."
"You got your own back though! You said you would go to New York with the smarmy little git and snogged him in front of me, and when you weren't looking he waved me off."
"Really? I didn't know he'd done that, and I didn't even know you were still watching! You stalker." She joked.
"Yep he did. What a complete arse he was."
"Well you do know I'd of dumped him that day instead if you had of let me kiss you. I had always wanted to be with you, was just waiting for you to man up."
"Oh you meanie, rubbing it in my face what an idiot I was." He laughed.
"I wasn't being mean; I was just stating the truth babe. Remember, I dumped him the same day we had that lovely kiss after the explosion. Once I had that evidence you liked me back, I didn't want Seb getting between us anymore than he already had."
"Well nobody is going to interfere with us two being together anymore, including your Dad. I don't particularly want to come between you and your Dad; but know that I won't be scared off by him, because I love you to pieces Zosh." He smiles at her.
"I love you too Valentine."
Then she quickly stood up, holding her hand out to him.
"Come on; let's go show my Dad what we can do!" Zosia said, he took her hand and they headed off to theatre.
