Author's Note: No Cordano interaction in this chapter (sorry guys) but I
promise there is much more to come. I really appreciate all the feedback
I've gotten so far, please keep it coming!
***
"Hi, Shirley," Elizabeth said, greeting the nurse who was standing behind the surgical admit desk.
"Hello, Dr. Corday. I didn't think you were coming in today."
Elizabeth stopped at the desk to fill out some quick forms. "Well, I have a meeting with Kerry Weaver at two, and I thought I'd get caught up on some paperwork. Ella needed to get out of the house anyway."
"Do you want me to page you when Kerry comes up?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you, Shirley. I'll be in my office." Elizabeth picked up her bag and walked down the hall into her office. Everything in the small room was just as she had left it. Dictations and chart reviews were piled high on her desk. Elizabeth sighed, sat down, and took the first chart off of the stack.
***
Robert sat down on the couch and flipped on the television. After channel- surfing for a few minutes, he came across "General Hospital". Robert chuckled to himself and propped his feet up on the table. He reached for the bowl of popcorn that he had made, and let himself get lost in the pathetic lives of the soap opera characters.
***
Elizabeth came out of her daze when her pager began to beep. She had spent the last two hours writing chart review after chart review, and she hadn't even noticed that it was time for her meeting. Elizabeth got up and left her office. Shirley was still sitting at the desk. "Where did Kerry want to meet, Shirley?" Elizabeth asked.
"Her office, I think," Shirley said.
Elizabeth nodded and walked to Kerry's new office. She knocked on the door and stepped inside. The office looked completely different than it had just a week ago. The pictures that had graced the walls had been taken down and replaced by new and unfamiliar pieces of artwork. The stacks of charts were gone, and the pile of scrubs that always sat behind the desk was no longer there. Everything was neat and organized. Elizabeth sighed, and Kerry looked up from her work.
"Elizabeth. I'm glad you could make it. I'm sorry to have called you here on your day off."
"It's all right, really," Elizabeth said. "Ella needed to get out of the house anyway."
"Sit down," Kerry said, gesturing to the couch. Elizabeth sat down as Kerry crossed the room and leaned against her desk. "How is Ella?"
"She's doing quite well. She just turned two a few weeks ago, and she's really starting to develop her own personality. Naturally, she got my stubborn streak," Elizabeth said, smiling.
Kerry chuckled. "Good, I'm glad to hear she's doing well. Do you get to see her often?"
"Well, I have to work pretty long hours, as you know, but I do get to see her a lot. Chris, her nanny, will sometimes bring her down here during my lunch break, or I'll bring Ella here for the day if I don't have many surgeries scheduled. And I always get Saturdays off, which is nice."
"Good. I know there are many doctors who don't get to see their kids nearly as much as they would like to."
Elizabeth nodded. "Well, my situation is a bit different. Most of the doctors who are parents have a husband or wife to depend on. I don't."
Kerry looked down, unsure of how to respond. She decided to just avoid the topic. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your daughter any more than I have to, so I suppose I should just get straight to the point."
Elizabeth sat up straighter in her seat and adjusted her skirt. "Yes?"
"Well, as you know, Dr. Romano is no longer able to perform his surgical duties, and he's been moved to the ER. Since he can't perform surgery anymore, he can't be Chief of Surgery anymore. It just doesn't make sense." Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but Kerry put up a hand to silence her. "You've been Associate Chief of Surgery for more than three years now, and we think you'd been a excellent candidate for Chief of Surgery. So I'm offering you the position of Interim Chief. If you take it, it is more than likely that you will be offered the permanent position."
Elizabeth was silent. She wasn't sure if she wanted the responsibility of being chief of the department. Sure, she had been associate chief for years, but it had been different being Robert's right-hand person. She had responsibilities, but Robert had always taken care of the tough situations and made sure that her workload was manageable. If she was in charge, she wouldn't have that luxury anymore.
Plus, she would be taking Robert's job. Robert Romano was the one who had brought her to County in the first place. Sure, they had had their differences in the past, but they were friends. Robert had taught her so much about surgery, and had helped her get where she was now. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she could take this job without feeling extremely guilty.
"Well?" Kerry said. Elizabeth looked at her with a bit of contempt. She was sure that Kerry just wanted Robert out, and revoking his Chief of Surgery status was a big step on the way to getting Robert out of County for good.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "I'm honored that you would think of me, Kerry. I'll have to think about it."
Kerry nodded. "Just let me know by Monday, okay?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Is there anything else, Kerry?"
Kerry shook her head. "Thank you for coming, Elizabeth. I hope you will take the position- you'd be a wonderful Chief." Elizabeth smiled politely and let herself out of the office. She walked briskly to the elevator and jabbed the down button. When the elevator doors opened, she got inside and pressed 4, the floor that daycare was on. As the doors slid shut in front of her face, closing out the surgical floor from her gaze, Elizabeth slowly let out her breath. She had a lot of thinking to do.
***
"Hi, Shirley," Elizabeth said, greeting the nurse who was standing behind the surgical admit desk.
"Hello, Dr. Corday. I didn't think you were coming in today."
Elizabeth stopped at the desk to fill out some quick forms. "Well, I have a meeting with Kerry Weaver at two, and I thought I'd get caught up on some paperwork. Ella needed to get out of the house anyway."
"Do you want me to page you when Kerry comes up?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you, Shirley. I'll be in my office." Elizabeth picked up her bag and walked down the hall into her office. Everything in the small room was just as she had left it. Dictations and chart reviews were piled high on her desk. Elizabeth sighed, sat down, and took the first chart off of the stack.
***
Robert sat down on the couch and flipped on the television. After channel- surfing for a few minutes, he came across "General Hospital". Robert chuckled to himself and propped his feet up on the table. He reached for the bowl of popcorn that he had made, and let himself get lost in the pathetic lives of the soap opera characters.
***
Elizabeth came out of her daze when her pager began to beep. She had spent the last two hours writing chart review after chart review, and she hadn't even noticed that it was time for her meeting. Elizabeth got up and left her office. Shirley was still sitting at the desk. "Where did Kerry want to meet, Shirley?" Elizabeth asked.
"Her office, I think," Shirley said.
Elizabeth nodded and walked to Kerry's new office. She knocked on the door and stepped inside. The office looked completely different than it had just a week ago. The pictures that had graced the walls had been taken down and replaced by new and unfamiliar pieces of artwork. The stacks of charts were gone, and the pile of scrubs that always sat behind the desk was no longer there. Everything was neat and organized. Elizabeth sighed, and Kerry looked up from her work.
"Elizabeth. I'm glad you could make it. I'm sorry to have called you here on your day off."
"It's all right, really," Elizabeth said. "Ella needed to get out of the house anyway."
"Sit down," Kerry said, gesturing to the couch. Elizabeth sat down as Kerry crossed the room and leaned against her desk. "How is Ella?"
"She's doing quite well. She just turned two a few weeks ago, and she's really starting to develop her own personality. Naturally, she got my stubborn streak," Elizabeth said, smiling.
Kerry chuckled. "Good, I'm glad to hear she's doing well. Do you get to see her often?"
"Well, I have to work pretty long hours, as you know, but I do get to see her a lot. Chris, her nanny, will sometimes bring her down here during my lunch break, or I'll bring Ella here for the day if I don't have many surgeries scheduled. And I always get Saturdays off, which is nice."
"Good. I know there are many doctors who don't get to see their kids nearly as much as they would like to."
Elizabeth nodded. "Well, my situation is a bit different. Most of the doctors who are parents have a husband or wife to depend on. I don't."
Kerry looked down, unsure of how to respond. She decided to just avoid the topic. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your daughter any more than I have to, so I suppose I should just get straight to the point."
Elizabeth sat up straighter in her seat and adjusted her skirt. "Yes?"
"Well, as you know, Dr. Romano is no longer able to perform his surgical duties, and he's been moved to the ER. Since he can't perform surgery anymore, he can't be Chief of Surgery anymore. It just doesn't make sense." Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but Kerry put up a hand to silence her. "You've been Associate Chief of Surgery for more than three years now, and we think you'd been a excellent candidate for Chief of Surgery. So I'm offering you the position of Interim Chief. If you take it, it is more than likely that you will be offered the permanent position."
Elizabeth was silent. She wasn't sure if she wanted the responsibility of being chief of the department. Sure, she had been associate chief for years, but it had been different being Robert's right-hand person. She had responsibilities, but Robert had always taken care of the tough situations and made sure that her workload was manageable. If she was in charge, she wouldn't have that luxury anymore.
Plus, she would be taking Robert's job. Robert Romano was the one who had brought her to County in the first place. Sure, they had had their differences in the past, but they were friends. Robert had taught her so much about surgery, and had helped her get where she was now. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she could take this job without feeling extremely guilty.
"Well?" Kerry said. Elizabeth looked at her with a bit of contempt. She was sure that Kerry just wanted Robert out, and revoking his Chief of Surgery status was a big step on the way to getting Robert out of County for good.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "I'm honored that you would think of me, Kerry. I'll have to think about it."
Kerry nodded. "Just let me know by Monday, okay?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Is there anything else, Kerry?"
Kerry shook her head. "Thank you for coming, Elizabeth. I hope you will take the position- you'd be a wonderful Chief." Elizabeth smiled politely and let herself out of the office. She walked briskly to the elevator and jabbed the down button. When the elevator doors opened, she got inside and pressed 4, the floor that daycare was on. As the doors slid shut in front of her face, closing out the surgical floor from her gaze, Elizabeth slowly let out her breath. She had a lot of thinking to do.