Chapter 56 : Revolution

Life at Raleigh General Hospital was more and more easy. Neil and Claire found their footing. They had more patients every day as Cameron sent them when they needed a cardiothoracic surgeon. Claire had become an essential part of the ER. She used all she had learnt in Bonaventure to put in place a better handling of the service. She implicated the nurses at each level of the new process because as she told them "they were the ones who got the knowledge about the patients and the service".

As far as the nurses were happy about this new respect towards their job and role in the hospital, she was criticized by some of the doctors who considered their roles were depreciating. Cameron talked to her about this point of view felt by some of their colleagues.

"And not one of them came to me to talk about this?!"

Cameron laughed. "They may be great doctors, they're not the best listeners. And talkers. And their proudness prevents them from being tactful."

Claire remained thoughtful for a moment. "Would you mind if I organize a meeting to explain them the whole meaning of this new process?"

"I could even introduce your presentation if you like…"

"Two tiny ladies against the old dinosaurs of this hospital, I want to be at the first row when it happens. Give me the date and I'll bring the pop corn!"

Claire and Cameron jumped as House entered the office. "And how I can help you?"

"Thought you wanted to share your lunch with one of the old dinosaurs of this hospital… I can go and pick a younger version of yourself if you prefer."

"Ah ah ah. hilarious, Greg! Go and finish your lollipop, I catch you in a few minutes and you'll pay me my lunch at the restaurant for having been so insolent."

"Yes Ma'am!"

He closed the door and the two women remained alone in the office. "Your husband is one of a kind."

"That's why I married him." She let out a laugh. "Anyway, it's right, it's gonna be something. Changing these people' s way of thinking when they 've been working here for 40 years is about to be a hell of a challenge. But I love your style, Dr. Browne! Let's meet from tomorrow lunch to shape an action plan."

Claire came out of the office with Cameron. "See you later, Dr. Browne!" And she saw her hasten to House's office. She knocked at the door and he came out. In their own way, they were cute and in love. She could say this by the way their hands brushed as they walked side by side in the corridor leading them to the elevator.

The days that followed, Cameron and Claire met at every lunch break to prepare their meetings with the discontented doctors. One week later, they were happy with the work done and planned to host the meeting one week later, time for them to polish their contributions up.

On the day of the meeting, both were anxious. They wanted to explain their actions were only to make the hospital better and they had no intention to revolutionize medicine. They just wanted to make medicine more reachable, more affordable for all the people.

A few seconds before it started, Neil came to see Claire. "You're gonna rock this. You're a queen, darling. They just need to understand this. Once they will – because they will – their life will be easier and better." He dropped a kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes, taking all the strength he could give her at that precise moment.

"Ready, Dr. Browne?" It was Cameron. She was coming to get her. It was time. She kissed Neil one last time before entering the room. She took a deep breath while Neil joined his seat. As promised, House was in the front row with his popcorn bag. Cameron rolled her eyes looking at his husband, who waved at her grinning. She let out a smile. Claire smiled watching them. Then the two women nodded at themselves. Time to go and defend their project.

Cameron introduced Claire's ideas for the ER. She explained and insisted on the fact that nobody will be left behind, that the current system was 30 years old and that it needed to be refreshed. "I, now, give the word to Dr. Browne-Melendez who will explain to you all in details."

Claire took the lead and showed them how this new way to organize could save places, time and materials. She could feel the skeptical looks of the oldest doctors upon her but she didn't care and kept talking.

"I wanted to show you I don't want to keep your jobs away from you. I just wish Raleigh General Hospital grows and becomes the 21st century hospital this city needs. It's unthinkable that still now people refuse to go at the hospital because they have not enough money or because they are afraid of being charged with enormous bills they can't afford.

Three years from now, my husband, Dr. Neil Melendez, just here" She showed him with her hand. "Created a clinic in San José where we used to live because he thought all people need access to medicine, to care, to someone who can listen to their problems and not judge. I trusted him then and I still do."

She gave him a faint smile. "Today this clinic is still here. Even better, it welcomes more and more patients every day. It has been recognized as a public utility device by San José municipality. This is what I want to put in place here in the ER. This is why we need to change things here. They have been great 30 years ago. But they need some adjustments by now. Because the world has changed. Because people have evolved. I don't want to steal your job, your patience, your way of practicing. I just wish we could make everything better. If you have any question, please ask us."

She swallowed hard. The harder part was in front of her. But she knew she could count on Cameron and also Neil. She looked at House, he was silent but his malicious look made her understand she was gonna suffer. Questions were long to come. Cameron and Claire could hear whispering in all the room. Some of the doctor were murmuring, talking between them in a low voice.

"You know it's better to ask us instead of commenting everything between you, right?"

Cameron used her cutting tone. The one she learned from House. Judging by how he looked at her at this precise moment, he was proud of her wife. He stopped eating his popcorn and turned to look at his colleagues.

"You know she's right, losers. No need to keep things from these two women. They'll know anyway. Just be men, get your balls and ask them questions aloud."

Cameron smiled. Claire too. House was the only one who could allow himself of telling this kind of things and then returning to eat his popcorn as if nothing had happened. His punchline had the expected effect: as he shut up, questions burst out.

"Dr. Browne-Melendez?"

"Yes, Dr. Litt?"

"Why are you insisting on the roles of the nurses? When we, the doctors, are here? I mean… We all know who's running this hospital. If we're not here, there's no hospital."

Dr. Litt was congratulated by some of his pals .Claire and Cameron could hear the roaring of the nurses at the end of the room.

"Dr. Litt, I think you miss the whole point, here. I'm not excluding doctors. I'm including them in a bigger organization. You may be the doctors and save life. You will be nothing without the nurses. They know the patients, their files, their fears, they're doing all the treatments. You may be the one diagnosing and doing surgeries. But they are the ones who make the recovery of every patient possible. We are different parts of the whole system. Nurses don't work without doctors and doctors don't work without nurses."

"Then, even though, I couldn't do anything without nurses… Tell me why I should agree with your project which seems unrealistic."

"Indeed, it is. I'm sorry, Dr. Browne-Melendez. I hope you don't mind if I answer Dr. Litt."

"Be my guest!" She gave Cameron a conniving look. House let out a "Ohhh things are getting interesting" that both made them smile.

"Dr. Litt, you know I appreciate you. You're an excellent doctor but there, you seem to miss the whole point of this new organization. Try to work without nurses and you'll be lost in two seconds. As they don't know how to operate, you don't know how to deal with the patients and their treatment. They do because they spend most of their work time with them. They talk to them, they tell them about their feelings, good or bad, whatever, they are like confidents."

"May I add that your OR is nothing if the nurses are not on your side?"

Claire shivered as she heard Neil's voice. "I've experienced this one time in my former workplace and I won't experience this ever again." He winked at Claire. "At the time, a young resident went against me and my process. She was supported by the nurses. Because she had understood I was only an arrogant ass who believed he was God."

He turned to Dr. Litt. "I swear you don't want to live this. Because nurses are the heart of a hospital. They know everything about everyone. They are the memory we need because we, doctors, are too much busy understanding the machine that human body is. We fix, they heal. That's the deal. And there's no condition to this. Now if you excuse me I've to go because the nurses are currently taking care of my patient who's in the OR. Told you, you can't do anything without them!"

And he got out of the room followed by two nurses who assisted him in the OR. Claire was proud and moved that he talked about this time when she and a nurse drove him into a corner. This time when they put into question his skills and opinion as a surgeon. This time he booted her out of his team because he was too arrogant to recognize he was wrong. But also this time when he started to understand that arrogance was not a way to become a better surgeon.

"Any more question, Dr. Litt? Or anyone?"

A hand raised. Cameron saw him from the corner of her eyes. "Yes, Dr. Worth."

"I was just wondering when all of this was starting…"

Dr. Litt gave him a mean look. He was not expecting this from his colleague.

"In the next three months. Just time for me and Dr. Browne-Melendez to fix some details. We'll keep you updated as soon as we have more information."

"We thank you for having been with us today and to have listened to them. If you have any further question, please come to us or email us. We will answer all of them. This work can only be done if we are all in these together."

As the room was empty, House came closer to Cameron and Claire. "Well done. I must to admit I've appreciated the way you close the mouth of these old and idiot old asses."

"So it's a compliment?" Claire was looking at him with a mischievous look. House remained silent at first. Surprised she answered so quickly.

"Maybe… But don't get used to it, Brownie." And he got out of the room.

"You've made great impression, I can tell… Greg doesn't make compliments to a lot of people, you know." Cameron left, letting Claire alone in the room. She looked around her. She grinned. She did it. She told all these old doctors to go to hell with their old mentalities and she was about to make things change in the ER to allow people to have access to care.

She gathered all the stuff she had let in the meeting room and went to her office. The day was not over, she still had two surgeries to perform this afternoon.