Elmer hurried down the corridor shaking his head even as he rushed.
He was going to be so late for today's staff meeting that it wasn't even funny. And today it wasn't even his fault. Lona had wanted to talk to him about her latest idea for an experiment and he had ended up waiting for her for what seemed like forever down in the sleep lab onto for her not to show up to meet him. He shook his head a bit as he thought about that. Maybe that had been her experiment, to see how well he could handle waiting or something? he really hoped that that wasn't what Lona was going to try testing next with him, or if it was, please don't let her figure out one biggie that he had been waiting quite some time for. He would be terrified to see what she would cook up to test his patience in that area.
Dr. James stopped speaking as Elmer entered, drawing attention to the fact that he was late pretty nicely. Elmer felt his face reddening as he dove into a seat next to his father. As he sat down, he glance around the room for Lona sure that she would be trying to hold back laughter at making him late. No sign of her though. "Dad?" Elmer hissed into his father's ear. "Where's Lona?"
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Dr. James continued, shooting a look at Elmer that said without words that if the young man didn't behave himself and stop disrupting Jesse's beloved meetings that he was soon going to be heading for the most unpleasant hospital duties that could be found. "I'm sure that some of you have noticed that Dr. Massingale is not with us this morning. I'm sad to announce that effective last night, Dr. Massingale turned in her resignation for a position out of state and will no longer be with us. I'm sure that you'll all join me in wishing her very well in her future endeavors. Her absence does leave us a bit short handed, though so until a replacement is located, the sleep lab will be closed."
Jesse continued to talk but Elmer was no longer listening. Lona had resigned? No matter how many times he said the three word phrase inside his head, it refused to sink in. Why would Lona resign? She had never said anything about another job offer. When he saw her last night,
the only thing she had said was about needing to talk to him about her new experiment idea. Would she have done that if she was on her way to tender her resignation? And Lona just leaving the sleep lab to whoever Jesse ended up dumping it on? That place was like Lona's baby. She wouldn't just leave without making sure it was in good hands!
As soon as the meeting was over, Elmer jumped up and rushed to talk to Jesse. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "Where's Lona? She wouldn't just suddenly quit her job like that! What's going on?"
"That's what I would like to know." Hook said as he joined Elmer with Chris and Louis right behind him. "I saw Lona yesterday and she didn't say a word about leaving. What's going on? Where did she go?"
"I wish I could tell you," Jesse said with a glance down at a paper on the top of the stack that he was carrying. "I'm afraid that I'm as baffled as the rest of you. I found Dr. Massingale's letter of resignation waiting on my desk when I came in this morning." He deposited the paper in question so that they all could inspect it. "As you can see,
all she says is that another job opportunity opened up and she's resigning effective immediately. And a fine predicament she's left me in too. I don't know where I'm going to find someone to take her place. For some reason, people aren't eager to apply to our neurology department. I can't understand it at all. And we just upgraded it so much too."
"Too bad we upgraded at the same time that we downgraded things with hiring Stegman," Hook muttered under his breath. "So, did Lona say where she was going to?" This situation sounded a bit strange still to him.
"No idea. I'm sorry." Jesse said with a shake of his head as he left the room to spread more demoralizing Morning Air throughout the hospital.
Elmer looked around the room as soon as he was gone, a desperate,
heartbroken look on his face as if his entire world had fallen apart.
"Lona wouldn't leave like that! She wouldn't!" He felt sobs building up and he quickly lowered his head and rushed from the room before anyone could see him starting to cry. What had happened to Lona? She couldn't have just walked away without a word. She couldn't!
He was going to be so late for today's staff meeting that it wasn't even funny. And today it wasn't even his fault. Lona had wanted to talk to him about her latest idea for an experiment and he had ended up waiting for her for what seemed like forever down in the sleep lab onto for her not to show up to meet him. He shook his head a bit as he thought about that. Maybe that had been her experiment, to see how well he could handle waiting or something? he really hoped that that wasn't what Lona was going to try testing next with him, or if it was, please don't let her figure out one biggie that he had been waiting quite some time for. He would be terrified to see what she would cook up to test his patience in that area.
Dr. James stopped speaking as Elmer entered, drawing attention to the fact that he was late pretty nicely. Elmer felt his face reddening as he dove into a seat next to his father. As he sat down, he glance around the room for Lona sure that she would be trying to hold back laughter at making him late. No sign of her though. "Dad?" Elmer hissed into his father's ear. "Where's Lona?"
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Dr. James continued, shooting a look at Elmer that said without words that if the young man didn't behave himself and stop disrupting Jesse's beloved meetings that he was soon going to be heading for the most unpleasant hospital duties that could be found. "I'm sure that some of you have noticed that Dr. Massingale is not with us this morning. I'm sad to announce that effective last night, Dr. Massingale turned in her resignation for a position out of state and will no longer be with us. I'm sure that you'll all join me in wishing her very well in her future endeavors. Her absence does leave us a bit short handed, though so until a replacement is located, the sleep lab will be closed."
Jesse continued to talk but Elmer was no longer listening. Lona had resigned? No matter how many times he said the three word phrase inside his head, it refused to sink in. Why would Lona resign? She had never said anything about another job offer. When he saw her last night,
the only thing she had said was about needing to talk to him about her new experiment idea. Would she have done that if she was on her way to tender her resignation? And Lona just leaving the sleep lab to whoever Jesse ended up dumping it on? That place was like Lona's baby. She wouldn't just leave without making sure it was in good hands!
As soon as the meeting was over, Elmer jumped up and rushed to talk to Jesse. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "Where's Lona? She wouldn't just suddenly quit her job like that! What's going on?"
"That's what I would like to know." Hook said as he joined Elmer with Chris and Louis right behind him. "I saw Lona yesterday and she didn't say a word about leaving. What's going on? Where did she go?"
"I wish I could tell you," Jesse said with a glance down at a paper on the top of the stack that he was carrying. "I'm afraid that I'm as baffled as the rest of you. I found Dr. Massingale's letter of resignation waiting on my desk when I came in this morning." He deposited the paper in question so that they all could inspect it. "As you can see,
all she says is that another job opportunity opened up and she's resigning effective immediately. And a fine predicament she's left me in too. I don't know where I'm going to find someone to take her place. For some reason, people aren't eager to apply to our neurology department. I can't understand it at all. And we just upgraded it so much too."
"Too bad we upgraded at the same time that we downgraded things with hiring Stegman," Hook muttered under his breath. "So, did Lona say where she was going to?" This situation sounded a bit strange still to him.
"No idea. I'm sorry." Jesse said with a shake of his head as he left the room to spread more demoralizing Morning Air throughout the hospital.
Elmer looked around the room as soon as he was gone, a desperate,
heartbroken look on his face as if his entire world had fallen apart.
"Lona wouldn't leave like that! She wouldn't!" He felt sobs building up and he quickly lowered his head and rushed from the room before anyone could see him starting to cry. What had happened to Lona? She couldn't have just walked away without a word. She couldn't!