Chapter 46: Raleigh
"You're ready?"
"Just a second, I can't find my lucky necklace. I swear I put it there last week…"
She was turning in the bedroom, lifting every single one pillow, the quilt and actually everything she could find.
"Claire, we're gonna be late for our plane. Let the necklace here. "
"No, I need it… You don't understand, I just need it…"
She kept looking for it which made Neil stamped even more.
"It's Ok, I've just found it. We can go. And stop doing this, this is annoying."
They put their baggage in the trunk of the taxi waiting for them in front of the building. For the whole road, they remained silent, still at odds because of what had happened in the apartment. She knew he didn't like to be late but they were 4 hours early. She could have some more minutes to look for her necklace…
The taxi driver let them at Terminal 3 where their flight was landing in a few hours. They went to register, went through security and then reached the waiting room. Both of them remained silent, busy on their phones. Finally, Neil broke the silence.
"I'm sorry for earlier. This is just you know I don't like being late…"
"Neil, we were five hours early at the time…"
He made his face, the one he always did when he was concerned and embarrassed.
"Sorry if I offended you but you were so obsessed with this necklace. It had made me crazy."
"It's just this necklace is special. I love to take it with me every time I do something important."
He bent his head. He had really hurt her. He didn't like this. She sulked a little more, she needed some time to process. She talked to him when she was ready. After a long moment, she turned to him.
"My grandma gave it to me when I was a little girl… This is the last thing I've got from her… And that my mother didn't sell to buy alcohol or drugs…"
He lowered his head as a way to apologize. He should have been less rude this morning.
"Sorry if I've been rude to you… It's just that necklace is very special… You know… It's the only thing I've from my childhood… The only thing that reminds me of good moments during my childhood. Sorry if I got on your nerves this morning, but I did need to bring it with me…"
He cut her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know... If I have known…" He was confused, he had been so nasty this morning when she was just looking for a piece of her past she cherished. Actually, he felt bad.
"You couldn't know… I didn't say about this to anyone… Except you by now…" She touched her necklace frenetically.
"And I thank you for this… Claire, please don't keep me in the dark for such important things."
She nodded at him shyly. She still hid parts of her complicated past to Neil. She didn't like this but they were still vivid and hurtful. She also knew that talking about them out loud could help her. Her therapist told her to do so, even if she explained her it would be very painful.
"I'll tell everything, just not today…."
He took her hand and pressed it. "Anytime."
They were finally called to board. Finally waiting for the flight was not too long. They gave their passports and boarding passes to the flight attendants who smiled at them. "Everything is in order, you can go."
Claire and Neil walked to the plane and sat at their seats. "Window, I presume?"
She gave him a faint smile and made this little something with her nose that drove him crazy. "If you don't mind…"
The flight was 7-hour-long. It was not too long when they thought about the 24-hour-flight they bore to come back from Thailand. Claire read her book, Neil took advantage of his free time to empty his email boxes. Then they watched a movie. She enjoyed Neil's shoulder and put her head on it. From time to time, he dropped a kiss on her head. He needed to show her how much he cared for her, how much she was important to him.
When they arrived In Raleigh, it was raining. The flight attendant warned all the passengers. Today's weather was not mild but tomorrow, it will be ok. "Just time for the ocean to clean the clouds". They greeted her as they got off the plane and reached the airport. They had some time left. "Woman's time" as she used to say. He waited for her in the large terminal, using his free time to watch people around him. It was as if people were less stressed here. Life seemed easier, people were smiling. Maybe they had found the good place to start over. Or maybe it was just his fantasy to leave San José for good which made him see the things he wanted to see.
Claire joined him a few minutes later and they went to get back their luggage. Both were tired. They had woken up really early, they fought, they took a plane... All they dreamt about was to rest in their hotel room. And to be fair, the meeting with Dr. Cameron tomorrow was stressing them a little. They took a cab and registered at the hotel. When they finally entered their room, they sighed of relief. All they wanted was eating something and sleep. They ordered food from the hotel restaurant and ate watching a movie, cuddled in their bed. Like any normal couple. Just happy to be there. Ready to start a new life. But before they needed to reload their batteries.
The morning after, their minds were elsewhere. Both focused. Both stressed by the issue. They got dressed – black suit and white shirt for him, black and yellow dress for her – and left the hotel room. On their way, they stopped in a small café to drink coffee and eat something. Their stomachs were growling.
"Ready for our big oral exam?"
"Kind of stressed… But I think you already knew it?"
"I noticed… But you don't need to… You're gonna kill it like every time… Remember when you figured out why this man on your operation table was bleeding out when no one did… Remember when you saved Greta's life… Remember when you saved my life while Audrey and Aaron had given up on me…"
She gave him a faint smile.
"Some croissants?"
The waiter interrupted them. "Of course!"
Claire bit into one of them and couldn't stop herself from letting a "mmmmmhhh" escaped from her mouth.
"Nothing than a good croissant can heal!"
They took time to eat their "viennoiseries" and drink coffee before going to Raleigh General Hospital. Dr. Cameron was waiting for them at 10 AM. They had more than one hour before their meeting. They decided to go by foot to enjoy the atmosphere of the town. Raleigh was really different from San José. Things seems more peaceful here, less in a hurry. They walked through the city, along the river, enjoying the colors of the autumn leaves. Hand in hand. After 40 minute-walk, they finally reached the hospital.
"Time of truth!" Neil announced as they were about to enter the hospital.
"Let's do it!"
They shared a kiss before coming into the ring. As a way to give them courage. In a few hours, their lives might change forever. They went to the reception desk to ask for Dr. Cameron. The receptionist told them to go and have a sit while waiting for Dr. Cameron who was with a patient right now. She arrived thirty minutes later. She was embarrassed to be so late.
"I'm so sorry for being so late. I was on a case with my husband and we didn't see time pass! Can I offer you something? A tea? A coffee?"
Both Neil and Claire declined. They didn't need more stimulants right now. Their heartbeats were already too much crazy. She nodded in agreement and led them to her office on the 4th floor. "A sign" Neil thought. It was at the same floor as his office at Bonaventure.
"Thank you for coming to Raleigh to talk. We could have scheduled a video call but I'd rather meet people in person. My old-fashioned side as my husband always remembers me!"
Claire and Neil shared a look. So she was also working with her husband. They like this Dr. Cameron more and more as far as time passed.
"So you work with your husband?" Claire was the first to talk. She needed to know more about her.
"Yes, indeed. But he's more into diagnostic. He's a lone wolf, this is his style. I'm more into empathy with the patient while he's searching and analyzing the details. This is why it works so well, I guess. But enough talking about me! Tell me more about you! Why are you looking for a new job so far away from San José?"
Claire explained to her the earthquake experience that had traumatized both. How they lived in the fear it happened again and this time, one of them didn't make it. "We've been damned lucky the first time… We've been through hell… Neil almost died… I don't want to relive this…"
He took her hand in his. "The only good thing that came out of this is that we found each other. For the rest, we prefer to forget them."
Cameron gave them a faint smile. They were nice and according to their CVs, they were excellent at their work. She could hear her husband telling her "You don't hire people because they're nice, nice mean anything. We hire them because you're forced to and also because they know how to work."
She asked them about their specializations, their expectations when it came to join Raleigh General Hospital. Neil let out a laugh. "I think we've come to a point of our life when we need to find a less competitive hospital. We want to be doctors because this is in our DNA, this is a part of who we are. But we also want to have a private life. Those last months have been very grueling, tiring. And we have lost sight of what we really wanted…"
He paused and swallowed hard, thinking all the useless arguments they had when they were just exhausted. "We'd like to find a place to do what we do the best, a place where the human side is not neglected… Both for the patients and the doctors."
Dr. Cameron nodded in agreement. She knew the feeling. She experienced the same after leaving Princeton Plainsboro. It was great to teach to residents, to work on several cases at the same time. But after a while, it destroyed all kind of personal life. Her marriage with Chase didn't survive this. Her second marriage had been a failure too because she was drowned into her work in New York General. This was why she understood their approach. She came here for the very same reasons.
"We're looking for a place where we can be doctors, help people but also preserve our marriage. And if possible, be away from any earthquake…"
Cameron smiled. "Dr. Browne, I do understand how you feel. To be honest, I used to be you… Except, I didn't choose to save my personal life at the time. And all felt apart… I went through a very difficult time and this hospital saved me. So I do know you… When you say you are ready to start over, how many months are we talking about?"
Claire and Neil were surprise by Dr. Cameron's move. "Are you saying we get the positions?"
"I am, Dr. Browne. As I said, this hospital saved me. But I have to save it now… This place was left to die when I was hired two years ago. My husband was supportive to me even if he called this place, and I quote, "a giant waste of time". Two years later, the hospital is going better but I really need to improve my cardiothoracic and trauma service. Would you agree to help me?"
"Of course!" Claire was almost shouting when she answered. "Oh, sorry. I may have answered too quickly…" She looked at Neil. "What are you telling about this offer?"
He smiled. "I'm in obviously!" She smiled to him too. She was happy, he could say this by the way her eyes were sparkling. "We spoke off the record with the HR and she told us our hospital could block us for some months before letting us go. Is that a problem for you?"
"I won't say you it's good news. But I know how it can be complicated to resign from a hospital… I've made without you up to now, so I guess, I can do some more months! Welcome to Raleigh General Hospital.. If you're still Ok."
Neil and Claire shook her hand. Maybe too strong, they thought. But they were happy. A new life was right in front of them.
"Ohh, it's already greetings season and I've not been invited?"
Dr. Cameron turned and smiled to the man showing up at the doorstep.
"Please Greg, come in and say hi to Dr. Browne and Dr. Melendez. They'll join us in the next few months."
"Yeah hi. Can I go to work now?"
"Yep and don't be late tonight, we have guests!"
He walked through the corridor. He had a very interesting gait with his cane decorated with flames.
"Pretty interesting character, your husband." Neil told to Dr. Cameron.
"And believe me he's way better than when I first met him! But he's a good man despite all his flaws and his bad temper. After all I married him, that must mean something! And don't judge him by what you've just seen… You'll just get to it. He's not so despicable. He's just an ignored genius, as I used to say. Even if sometimes, he can be a real pain in the ass."
She laughed. "I'm sure you're gonna like him! Just a matter of time!"
This new hospital was about to be very interesting to live in was the first thought that came across Neil's mind.
