Loose Ends

24 Weeks
January

Kerry sank gratefully into the leather chair behind her desk. She'd been on for three hours and already she felt like she needed a nap. While she knew that wasn't an option, escaping to her lair to begin tying up some loose ends was both a viable and sufficient opportunity.

After a long while spent creating outlines of the next six months worth of budget projections, Kerry pulled her glasses off and cupped her forehead in the palm of her hand. There were so many things, both big and small, she had to do at the hospital before she left on maternity leave. It was a little overwhelming, which was why she was starting so early before she was bound to leave, but even the prospect of spreading it out couldn't fix the fact that she had a lot of work to do.

Kerry wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting stooped over at her desk when there was a knock at the door. She straightened automatically, smoothed out her hair, and then called out for the person to come in.

"Is this an okay time?" John Carter asked from where he stood in the doorway.

Kerry waved him in. She'd been planning to meet with John after he shift but figured now was as good a time as ever.

"It's quiet out there and I saw you heading down here so I figured I'd see if we could have our meeting now." John said, positioning himself so he was half-sitting, half-leaning on the arm of the chair in front of Kerry's desk.

"Good, good." Kerry said, flipping the chart in front of her closed, pulling off her glasses, and clasping her hands in front of her. "I just wanted to have a conversation with you about your role in the ER."

"My role?" John echoed.

Kerry nodded. "You've been forced to step up a lot over the past eight months and you've done extraordinarily well filling in the gap that Mark left. Between you, Susan, and Luka this place has been operating as smoothly as it ever has, if not more smoothly."

John grinned. This kind of praise was rare coming from Kerry. "Thank you."

Kerry gave a flash of a smile before continuing on, "And on a personal note, I am very pleased with…with how far you've come since Atlanta. Save for one small incident, you've made a remarkable recovery from a very serious addiction. I don't think I have told you how happy I am for you or how proud I am of you."

John glanced at his hands, an embarrassed blush warming his face. It was rare that he talked to anyone about his addiction anymore, and the way Kerry talked about it so candidly…well, it wasn't something he was used to.

Noticing his discomfort, Kerry shook her head and moved on. "Anyway, the specific reason I wanted to talk to you today is to discuss who you think would make the best interim chief while I'm on maternity leave."

"Who I think?" John asked in surprise.

"Pregnancy can hurt one's objectivity," was Kerry's dry response.

John barked a laugh, appreciating his boss' sense of humor, then slid off the arm of the chair and into its seat. "Who are your choices? Susan, Luka, and Chen?"

"Not Chen." Kerry said quickly.

John thought for a moment then nodded. "That's probably good."

"Susan, Luka, and—"

"No." John said suddenly, not having to hear the third name to know whose it was going to be. "No way."

Kerry sighed, "He's lost all of his privileges in the OR, he's not acting as Chief of Staff or Chief of Surgery…" Kerry explained, "He's a fantastic physician with many, many years of experience. He could be invaluable."

"Yeah, in a lecture hall." John replied. "Kerry, he has a horrible bedside manner, has no organization or non-dictatorial leadership skills, he doesn't even know the floor!"

Kerry held out her hands yieldingly. "It's something to consider. He has more experience than Susan and Luka combined and it would mean there'd be another hand on the floor."

John laughed again. "That's a good one: 'another hand…'"

Kerry narrowed her eyes at the resident and spoke with an icy tone, "I wasn't making a joke."

John quieted himself instantly, feeling like he'd just put his hand to a hot burner. "Uh…"

Kerry chuckled, her face softening. "I'm kidding, John. I've wanted to use that one for months now."

John relaxed; Kerry's sense of humor always had a way of catching one off guard. Well, that is if they understood it to begin with.

"Anyway, I think my first choice would be Susan." Kerry began, "She's organized and the staff respects her, but—"

"But she's a little too frantic? Or unfocussed?" John finished.

Kerry nodded. "On the other hand, Luka has had problems with some staff members and he's a little unpredictable, but he's a very good clinician, efficient, and exceedingly organized."

John considered the two doctors' qualities and drawbacks. He enjoyed working with both individuals and respected them immensely, despite his personal issues with Luka and convoluted history with Susan. Susan was definitely unfocussed from time to time, but who wasn't? She was a fantastic doctor, had a great rapport with staff and patients alike, and wasn't afraid to assert herself was a leader when need be. Luka was good, too, but his unpredictability would almost certainly be a liability when placed in a leadership position.

"Susan," he said at last. Kerry arched an eyebrow, silently urging him to explain his reasoning. He did, telling her exactly how Susan's attributes outweighed her insufficiencies and how he felt the staff related to both doctors. "It should be Susan."

"Good. Thank you." Kerry said in response.

John looked on expectantly. "So is that it?"

Kerry nodded. "I'll talk to her next week. Thank you, John."

The resident nodded and rose from his seat, turning and heading for the door. His hand was on the doorknob when he stopped and turned back around to face his boss. "Uh, how are you doing?"

Kerry narrowed her eyes at him questioningly.

"You know, the baby. I'm just wondering how you're holding up?"

"Oh, uh…" Kerry thought for a moment, "I'm doing well. I feel better than I have in weeks."

"That's great. Just…uh, just let me know if you ever need anything, out on the floor or otherwise. And take it easy, okay?" John offered kindly.

Kerry smiled at his sentiments and nodded then waved him off. "Thank you, John—now please get back to work."

With one last grin, the young man pulled the door open then walked out. Once the door to her office had swung shut, Kerry let out a sigh and leaned back into the backrest of her chair. She had a lot of work to do.