Elmer trudged down the hall towards the meeting room the next
morning having to fight to keep his eyes open. He hadn't been able to make
himself go home the night before. What if someone had found Lona and she
was really sick and needed attention? Okay, he knew that Hook would be
there, Hook was always there. The only think that Elmer could figure about
Hook always being there was that he must have took the title resident a
little too seriously or something and moved in all of his stuff years ago.
Why else would someone live at their job?
He had went down to the sleep lab the night before to try sleep,
thinking that being close to some place so important to Lona, the last place that he had seen her might help. It hadn't done any good though and he had just tossed and turned for hours, Lona's robe pressed to his face,
without ever being touched in the slightest by sleep. Where was she? What if something had happened to her, something bad? Horrible images had been running through his mind, steadily growing worse with each passing minute that she didn't turn up.
"Elmer, you okay?" Hook asked as he saw the younger doctor come in. Okay, the answer to that question was pretty easy to guess. He thought Elmer was still wearing the same clothes that he had had on the day before and it looked like he had sleep in them.
"Would you be okay if Chris was missing?" Elmer replied. Okay, he knew that was a bit harsh to say but.... "Hasn't anyone found anything let?" He asked Hook anxiously. He had told Otto to page him if Lona came in but....
"Liz has the people from the mission looking and as soon as the meeting's over, Chris and I are going to check some more places, see if we can figure out where she might have went." Hook had already contacted some of the other hospitals in the area, calling down to Portland as well and letting them know the situation, calling in favors with some friends to get them to keep their eyes open for Lona. This entire situation was just too strange and the longer that it continued, the more concerned he was getting.
Louis looked over, glad to see that Hook was talking to Elmer as he entered. Louis wanted to go over to his son, to try to comfort him, but after how upset Elmer had been the day before, he was a bit afraid to. He didn't want to upset Elmer even more. He shook his head as he though of both his son and Lona. He had drove around the town for hours after he got of shirt just looking for her but there had been nothing.
"Hello!" Jesse called as he breezed into the room with Stegman and Brenda just behind him. He frowned slightly as he saw the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces. Now this wasn't the way he liked to see his doctors look at all. Worried, gloomy looking doctors did not make for happy patients and repeat business. "Haven't we all had our fresh Morning Air this morning?"
"No, we've been a little too busy looking for Lona." Hook said with a shake of his head.
"I looked outside. Her car's still there. Does that count for Morning Air?" Elmer asked.
"Ahhhh, the situation with Dr. Massingale." Dr. James frowned slightly himself as he thought about it. Okay, something did seem definitely off about the entire thing but he really didn't want to make too much of it. It would draw unpleasant attention down on the hospital if people thought that they had staff just vanishing, after all.
After a moment, he made a decision. Best for the hospital as a whole if they just took the resignation at face value and moved on. "Yes,
I know that we all miss Dr. Massingale tremendously. I'm sure that she's very happy in her new endeavors, though. And her departure will benefit several other projects as well." As he spoke, he looked over from Hook to Stegman trying to decide what move was best. Stegman was a pain and hadn't been there long. And with how he kept repeatedly goofing up surgeries,
Jesse didn't think he would remain much longer either. Hook, on the other hand.... "It seems Dr. Massingale had a grant arrive this morning, 50,000 in funding for research. However, with her sudden departure, that money will need to be rerouted to active projects. Dr. Draper, I'm sure you'll make good use of it."
Chris was still in shock when the meeting broke up a few minutes later. Fifty thousand dollars. Lona had always managed to net more funding than Chris ever could. Chris didn't think she had ever received that much money at once. Normally she would be squealing with glee and dragging Hook downstairs to celebrate in private but considering how she had gotten the money. As Elmer exited the room, he turned and glared at her suspiciously. Suddenly, Chris thought she might be in a bit of trouble.
Why else would someone live at their job?
He had went down to the sleep lab the night before to try sleep,
thinking that being close to some place so important to Lona, the last place that he had seen her might help. It hadn't done any good though and he had just tossed and turned for hours, Lona's robe pressed to his face,
without ever being touched in the slightest by sleep. Where was she? What if something had happened to her, something bad? Horrible images had been running through his mind, steadily growing worse with each passing minute that she didn't turn up.
"Elmer, you okay?" Hook asked as he saw the younger doctor come in. Okay, the answer to that question was pretty easy to guess. He thought Elmer was still wearing the same clothes that he had had on the day before and it looked like he had sleep in them.
"Would you be okay if Chris was missing?" Elmer replied. Okay, he knew that was a bit harsh to say but.... "Hasn't anyone found anything let?" He asked Hook anxiously. He had told Otto to page him if Lona came in but....
"Liz has the people from the mission looking and as soon as the meeting's over, Chris and I are going to check some more places, see if we can figure out where she might have went." Hook had already contacted some of the other hospitals in the area, calling down to Portland as well and letting them know the situation, calling in favors with some friends to get them to keep their eyes open for Lona. This entire situation was just too strange and the longer that it continued, the more concerned he was getting.
Louis looked over, glad to see that Hook was talking to Elmer as he entered. Louis wanted to go over to his son, to try to comfort him, but after how upset Elmer had been the day before, he was a bit afraid to. He didn't want to upset Elmer even more. He shook his head as he though of both his son and Lona. He had drove around the town for hours after he got of shirt just looking for her but there had been nothing.
"Hello!" Jesse called as he breezed into the room with Stegman and Brenda just behind him. He frowned slightly as he saw the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces. Now this wasn't the way he liked to see his doctors look at all. Worried, gloomy looking doctors did not make for happy patients and repeat business. "Haven't we all had our fresh Morning Air this morning?"
"No, we've been a little too busy looking for Lona." Hook said with a shake of his head.
"I looked outside. Her car's still there. Does that count for Morning Air?" Elmer asked.
"Ahhhh, the situation with Dr. Massingale." Dr. James frowned slightly himself as he thought about it. Okay, something did seem definitely off about the entire thing but he really didn't want to make too much of it. It would draw unpleasant attention down on the hospital if people thought that they had staff just vanishing, after all.
After a moment, he made a decision. Best for the hospital as a whole if they just took the resignation at face value and moved on. "Yes,
I know that we all miss Dr. Massingale tremendously. I'm sure that she's very happy in her new endeavors, though. And her departure will benefit several other projects as well." As he spoke, he looked over from Hook to Stegman trying to decide what move was best. Stegman was a pain and hadn't been there long. And with how he kept repeatedly goofing up surgeries,
Jesse didn't think he would remain much longer either. Hook, on the other hand.... "It seems Dr. Massingale had a grant arrive this morning, 50,000 in funding for research. However, with her sudden departure, that money will need to be rerouted to active projects. Dr. Draper, I'm sure you'll make good use of it."
Chris was still in shock when the meeting broke up a few minutes later. Fifty thousand dollars. Lona had always managed to net more funding than Chris ever could. Chris didn't think she had ever received that much money at once. Normally she would be squealing with glee and dragging Hook downstairs to celebrate in private but considering how she had gotten the money. As Elmer exited the room, he turned and glared at her suspiciously. Suddenly, Chris thought she might be in a bit of trouble.