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"Mrs. Huntzberger, what would you say has been your biggest struggle since coming to HPG?" a reporter asked as Rory and Logan tackled the press line outside the office.
"Honestly, I've had it pretty easy here. I have a wonderful team in place that I was pretty much able to hand pick. When I was asked to step in when my father in-law had his first heart attack, Logan and I sat down and discussed everything he thought I would need. I was able to immediately hire a friend of mine from when I worked at the Yale Daily News. We were both editors of the paper, and he was working for USA Today, so I knew that bringing him in with me would be extremely beneficial. With both of our past experience, with me having been at the Times, we just make an amazing team. And I of course have Logan's lifetime of experience with the company to fall back on. We really have some amazing teams in place here, and they've made my transition super easy." Rory answered
"Have you had to make any staffing changes?"
"I haven't had to make too many. The biggest change has been that it has taken several people to replace Mitchum. He did so much for this company, that I have had to add several people to help me cover all of the work he did every day."
"Do you speak to Mitchum often? Has he been helping to train you to take on your new position?"
"I actually see Mitchum almost every day, but we don't discuss work at all. As a family, we've decided that it is in Mitchum's best interest to remain distanced from all things business. We don't want to jeopardize his recovery in any way. Logan has taken over his phone and computer, and we've been fielding all of the calls and emails he received. Everything goes through the two of us. Stressing Mitchum out with business isn't at all conductive to his healthy and continued recovery. We have to put him, and our family's future first, so we've chosen to more or less live two completely separate lives. When we are home, or with family, business is the very last thing on our minds. Luckily, separating the two has been pretty easy for us to do."
"So you haven't had any help from the former CEO at all?"
"Not at all."
"Do you get along well with your new family? You and Logan are newlyweds, right?"
"We are technically, but we've been together on and off for a really long time. We've all known each other since Logan and I were in college, and Logan's family has been friends with mine since way before that. We've of course all had our differences over the years, but we work really well together. We're family. Logan and his sister are incredibly close. We actually live across the street from her, and Mitchum has been staying with her throughout his treatment, so we are all together a lot. Definitely more than I ever expected us to be."
"Do your families get along well?"
"They actually really do. My grandfather recently joined our board here at HPG. Him and my Grandmother have been friends with Mitchum and his wife for a couple decades. My Grandfather is an incredible businessman himself, so having his expertise on our board has been invaluable! And my parents are just amazing! My Mom and I are extremely close, and she's now super close with Logan's sister as well."
"It's like having a second set of parents that I never realized I needed." Logan added. "Rory's family is absolutely amazing. We are so lucky to have them."
"What made you decide to open a medical clinic here at HPG?" the reporter asked.
"Actually, that is kind of a crazy story." Rory started. "We were at a family party over the Thanksgiving holiday, and my mom's business partner who is basically my aunt, and helped raise me, was telling us about these big companies she had been hearing about who were opening private medical clinics for their employees, where the employees were able to receive all the same services that they would at any other doctor, but they didn't have to pay even half as much as they would with other practices. It was very interesting to hear about how they were working things, and allowing their employees time off work to see the doctor. Most of the companies require their employees to use their breaks and clock out for medical appointments."
"Rory and I loved the idea of providing convenient medical care for our employees, but we wanted to be different than the other companies. We wanted to go above and beyond for our employees, so we decided that while we are providing them with the convenience of medical care, and the added benefit of it being at a much lower cost than they would pay going elsewhere, we decided to give them their treatment while they are on the clock. They can still use their breaks to get treatment, but they are not required to clock out. We've also installed a program on our computers that allows all or our employees to schedule their appointments right from their desk, and then sends each appointment right to my phone. That way, if I am out of the office, whether I am upstairs helping Rory and her team out, or if I am out of the office working in the hospital, I still get an alert on my phone, telling me when I need to be back to see a patient. It also allows me to schedule my time off around when my patients need me." Logan added
"So this clinic is only for employees then? It's not open to the community?"
"We've partnered with Columbia University and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to open the clinic, so those are the employees we will be accepting. Any employee of the University, the hospital, or HPG can come get mecial care from us, and also bring their family. When Rory and I got married, and combined our insurance policies, we realized that both companies use the same insurance provider, so when we were looking into partnering with the hospital, we went to the insurance company and presented our idea to them, asking if there was something that we could do that would mutually benefit all of us. Luckily the insurance company has experience with exactly this type of situation, so they were more than happy to adjust the company plans to accommodate us."
"So you haven't always worked for HPG then?"
"Not always. I actually hadn't been an active employee in about nine years, until recently. I was raised in the HPG offices both here and in Hartford, and I worked in the London office for a year, but I left after graduating from college, and hadn't been employed here since then. I've been a Columbia Presbyterian employee for the last five years."
"When did you come back to HPG?"
"I came back with Rory. Originally, I wanted nothing to do with the family business, and having Rory take over was my way of ensuring the the company was in capable hands, without me having to even think about it. It gave me the distance that I needed when my Dad got sick. I love being a doctor, and I didn't want to give up my life or my career, to step in for my Dad, and run this place. I've spent so many years of my life here, and I just wasn't interested in coming back. I brought Rory in to take over because she is the one person who I know incredibly well, and who I know is more than capable of handling running this business, and not running all of my family's decades of hard work, directly into the ground. I knew that the business would be safe with Rory at the helm. But then someone needed to train Rory, and that fell on me. I was the only one other than my Dad, with the experience to train her. I came back on board, originally just to help train Rory. For the past several months I've been working full-time both here and at the hospital."
"Wow! That sounds pretty insane!"
"It definitely has been. We worked it out so I was working three days a week in each place. But then I also was working at home with Rory when we weren't in the office. It's been a lot! So actually opening this clinic is a very welcome change. I get to work full-time in one place instead of two, but I can still do both jobs. I am always on call for my patients, but when I have down time, I can still help Rory out if she needs it."
"What hours will the clinic be open?"
"We will be open the exact same hours as the office. 9am-5pm every day. But I may start occasionally taking patients as early as 8am since Rory and I are usually here at that time anyway. We are trying to make ourselves as accessible to our employees as we can, so if they need us, and we aren't doing anything else, they will be able to come right in."
"Will you still be working in the hospital at all?"
"Only on occasion. I've been working in the emergency room for the last several years, and everyone there knows that if they need help, they can call me. I love working there, so I would never completely leave. If my old team needs my help, I will gladly go back. It just won't be every day the way it used to be."
"Where did you get your medical training?"
"I got it all right here from Columbia. I have a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Yale University, but I went to medical school at Columbia."
"What certifications do you have?"
"I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine."
"You are just keeping it all in the family then."
"I really am. I was raised in a family that put a major emphasis on working together and supporting each other. Family is very important to me. I was brought up in HPG and even though I did leave it for a while, it is still my family's business, and I've always known that I will never fully be rid of it. My father always told everyone that when he retired, I would be the one taking over. I obviously have had much different plans, but I've always known that I can't ever possibly be completely through with HPG. I've been a shareholder since the day I was born, and had to attend shareholder meetings my entire life. I was raised to be loyal. Columbia gave me the education and training that I needed to become a doctor, and I loved working in the hospital through my residency. I have no reason to ever want to leave. Everyone I've worked with has been wonderful. We've become one big family. By partnering with Columbia to open the clinic, I've been able to combine the two things that make me who I am."
"What services will your patients have available to them?"
"We will be providing the exact same services as every other medical clinic you could go to. We have portable x-ray and ultrasound equipment, so we will able to provide those without having to send our patients elsewhere, as well as vaccines, stitches, casting, and laboratory testing. The only thing we don't have in office is our own laboratory, but we have a courier service that will be picking up for us twice a day, and delivering directly to the hospital lab. Any testing that needs to be done, we can have results usually within 24 hours. We will be able to run flu, strep and iron testing in office, but anything that needs to go to the lab will usually take about 24 hours. If any of our patients need to be referred to a specialist, we will be able to send them to one of the 60 different specialty departments at the hospital. We won't ever have to refer patients anywhere outside of our hospital system. Our computers are all synced up, so the referrals will go right through the very same day, and usually our patients will be able to make an appointment with whatever specialist they need, the very next day. I of course, can't guarantee the availability of appointments as specialty doctors are often booked out several weeks in advance, but the patients will definitely be able to call to schedule an appointment within 12-24 hours of receiving their referral."
"That is pretty quick! Most places take at least a week or two to process referrals."
"It can definitely be a long wait going out of network, but we take pride in providing the best possible care for our patients, and being able to expedite specialty referrals gives patients every reason to remain in our network. The other added benefit of remaining in network is that all of our patient information remains in one simplified computer system, so any doctor that you see has full access to your medical history. They can see every medication that you are currently taking and have taken in the past, and they can read the notes about what has and hasn't worked for you from time to time. There is no need for us to have to request your records from anywhere else, and then have to try to make sense of what other doctors have done and why. We can easily communicate with other providers within our own network about what the best plan of care is for each individual patient."
"That is amazing! You definitely don't get that going anywhere else."
"Here at HPG we take pride is going above and beyond for our employees, and that is what I love about being a Columbia employee as well. The hospital has always taken care of me. My wife and I both see doctors within the Columbia network. They've been absolutely wonderful to us. We have no reason to want to go elsewhere, and we want to provide that to all of our employees and patients as well."
"Rory, what do you think of the services that you've been provided at Columbia?"
"They are absolutely incredible! My first experience with Columbia was actually back in September when I had an accident at work, and had to be transported via ambulance. I had to get a blood transfusion, x-rays, and MRI, stitches, and a cast for two weeks. I had an absolutely wonderful doctor in the emergency room who took the most amazing care of me, and an incredible nurse. I was covered in blood and probably looked pretty zombie like, but they were all so wonderful to me. They referred me to an orthopedic specialist who took great care of me, and I've made a full recovery. There have been zero lingering concerns."
"What doctors have you seen over there? Anyone that you would recommend?"
"Well, of course there is this guy right here." Rory blushed, looking over at her husband as he slid an arm around her. "He was the first doctor to see me in the emergency room, within seconds of my arrival. I knew him from college, but we hadn't seen each other in years until that day. He was pretty shocked to see me, but he was so gentle and absolutely amazing! He did his best to make sure I was comfortable, and explained everything to me, making sure that I understood it all. He even stitched me up and casted me himself. I've also been seen by doctor Greenley and Doctor Gellar, who I am actually really good friends with. Doctor Gellar is a great OBGYN. I highly recommend her for anyone who may be in need. We've been friends since high school and she is wonderful! Doctor Levan I've worked with as well, and he is the nicest guy in the world. Also doctor Johnson. I know them the best. But there are so many others. I've never heard anything bad about anyone in the Columbia system. Every employee there is so nice and extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I would see anyone there, for whatever I needed."
"So you married your emergency room doctor?"
"I did. I'm guilty as charged." Rory chuckled. "We dated for 3 years in college, so it's not like being together was anything new. We used to be very close, but had lost contact for a long time, until we suddenly ran into each other again. Things just worked out for us. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I guess we were just ready to take the next step."
"Three years is a really long time to date. Most people are usually married within a year of dating. Did you guys ever consider marriage when you were together previously.
"We did . . ." Rory answered, looking at Logan.
"I actually asked her to marry me once before." Logan explained. "We just weren't ready back then. We were both young and immature. We needed time to grow up, and figure out who we both were as people before being ready to get married. We knew that we loved each other, but we were young, and we both had our own ideas of how our lives were supposed to go. We needed our time apart to grow as adults, and to figure out who we are and what we want for ourselves. Rory went on to work on the campaign train with President Obama, then worked as a writer and editor for the New York Times, and I moved to California to be a part of a major tech start up, before leaving to attend medical school. If we had gotten married back then, we wouldn't be who we are today. We wouldn't have the knowledge and experiences that we have now. And who knows if our marriage would have worked out. Like every couple, we had our differences, and we've definitely had some issues. But because we took that time apart, we've been able to grow as people, and it's allowed us to figure out how to better meld our lives together. Our relationship now is completely different than it was back in college. It's better, and so much stronger. We are both completely different people now than we were back then."
"How long have you been married?"
"Four months." Rory smiled.
"You said that you ran into each other back in September?"
"We did." Logan confirmed. "Our marriage was quick, but then again, it was twelve years in the making. It was one of those things that just didn't seem right to wait for. We were both ready, and knew what we wanted, and we didn't feel like waiting anymore. We got engaged, and then late one night we decided that if we were going to have the big wedding that both of our families expected of us, it was going to be at least another year before we would be able to get married, and we just didn't want to wait anymore. We decided that what we wanted was to be together, so we got on a plane, and eloped. It's the best decision we've ever made."
"And I see that you guys are now expecting a little one too?" the reporter asked, gesturing to Rorys stomach.
"Yes, we are." Rory smiled, placing her hands over her stomach.
"When are you due?"
"Early summer."
"No specific date?"
"Sorry, we are keeping all details strictly for family." Logan told her. "Our lives are public enough as it is. Everything we've done since Rory stepped up to take over HPG has become tabloid fodder. But this," he said, laying a hand over Rory's on her stomach. "This is just for us. It's the one thing that we've decided to keep private, and only share with those closest to us. And we hope that everyone can please respect that. We appreciate all the love and support that we've received the last several months, it truly means a lot to our family. But this one thing, we really want to keep just for us. We'll of course print an announcement in all of the Huntzberger papers when the baby is born, but we do ask for everyone's respect for our privacy during this pregnancy, and after the baby is born. We share enough of our lives with the public, but our baby deserves anonymity. They didn't ask to be thrown into the public eye, and to be tabloid fodder. They don't deserve that. So we're sorry, but this baby is just for us."
"I am so sorry to do this, but I need to get Rory and Logan inside. The press conference is getting ready to start." Doyle said interrupting them.
"I'm so sorry, please excuse us." Rory smiled, then turned to face Doyle, mouthed a 'thank you', took Logan's hand and headed inside.
"Rory!" Emily called out as soon as she saw her Granddaughter walk in the door.
"Hey Grandma! Thank you so much for coming today!" Rory said giving her hug.
"Happy birthday Logan!"
"Thank you!" Logan said hugging Emily as well.
"I saw you guys outside when we first got here. We would have said hi then, but we didn't want to interrupt your interviews."
"You feel free to interrupt any time you want!" Logan told her.
"You two have glitter all over you."
"Yeah, we might have gotten in a fight with confetti earlier." Rory told her.
"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, this is a very important day for your husband! You two should be ashamed of yourselves! You need to look presentable for this!"
"It's fine Emily, it's my birthday, we're allowed to celebrate a little bit. It's only a little bit of glitter and I doubt anyone else will even notice." Logan told her.
"Plus, it's festive to be glittered up for a birthday." Rory added. "We got all the confetti off, but glitter clings."
"The two of you act like such children sometimes."
"I blame Honor! She's the one who snuck into my office, and made it look like a party store exploded." Logan told her.
"In your office?"
"Yep. The clinic where we are supposed to be giving tours. Some little vandals snuck in late last night and decorated for my birthday. There are balloons and stuff everywhere!"
"Oh no! Can we run in there and get it all cleaned up really quick?"
"It would take much too long. We thought about it. But right now, it's kind of amusing to us. Mitchum will completely hate it, so we've decided that in honor of Logan's birthday we are just going to leave it all there, and laugh off the birthday prank to anyone who comments. We like doing things differently than the other staunchy stuffy businesses. Birthday décor at a grand opening is completely unheard of. But we're celebrating both today, so the party explosion gets to stay."
"What in the world are we going to do with the two of you?!"
"It'll be completely fine Grandma. You'll see." Rory told her.
"Logan!" Honor's voice rang out from across the lobby.
"Oh look, it's the little vandal herself!" Logan laughed as Honor hurried toward them.
"Hey Honor. Thanks for coming." Rory said giving her a hug.
"I hear the two of you enjoyed your office this morning." Honor laughed.
"You suck!" Logan said hugging his sister. "Payback is coming!"
"What are you talking about? You can't prove that it was me." Honor told him.
"I was told that it was my security card that opened the door. The only person who had access to that card, and was unaccounted for last night, was YOU! We know that it was you. We also know that you had several accomplices in the form of nurses."
"How!?"
"Said nurses called my mom last week." Rory told her. "Mom wouldn't name any names, but she did confirm that your information was given to the accomplices, which completely incriminates you."
"At least it wasn't Carlos who ratted us out."
"Carlos refused. He just said that the computer showed that it was my card that opened the door, and that we needed to look to those closest to us to find the criminals." Logan told her.
"Dang! You guys are hard to outsmart!"
"Payback!" Logan said again.
"Logan, son, Happy birthday!" Richard said as he joined the group, and holding an envelope out. "This is for you."
"Thank you Richard! Thanks for being here today."
"I'm surprised to see your parents here."
"Wait, what?!"
"Your parents, both of them, are right over there." Richard said, pointing across the lobby.
"Honor! I agreed to Dad coming, but you didn't say anything about Mom! What is she doing here?!" Logan asked.
"Logan, before you get upset, Mom's therapist, Gayle, is here too. This was totally a last minute thing. They came to me about it yesterday. I didn't want to say anything to you, because it means a lot to Mom to be here for you today. She's been talking about it with Gayle all week, and I just couldn't say no. After everything that happened last week, Mom REALLY wanted to do this, and Gayle was ok with it as long as she could come too, to help Mom through all of it. I bought their plane tickets, and they are going back first thing tomorrow morning. Please don't be upset. This is a really good thing."
"I wish you had told me."
"I know, but it's your birthday, and they wanted to surprise you. I picked them up at the airport late last night, and took them to the house, then came straight here today. Please, promise me you will at least pretend to not be upset with them."
"It's fine. I just wish I had known. I don't like being blindsided." Logan told her. "I'm sorry Emily, Richard, will you excuse us? We need to go say hi to my mom before everything starts."
"No, of course! Your mom looks fabulous! You two go. We'll see you in there." Emily said as Logan reached for Rory's hand, then headed toward where his parents were talking with a couple friends.
"Mom, Dad, it's nice to see you today!" Logan said interrupting everyone.
"Logan! Happy birthday Sweetie!" Shira gushed, throwing her arms around her son.
"Thanks Mom! What are you doing here?! We are surprised to see you."
"Oh Honey, I couldn't possibly miss your big day. Gayle and I worked things out so we could both be here to see you open your clinic today. We leave early tomorrow morning, but we wanted to be here for your big day."
"Hey Gayle." Rory greeted. "How was your flight?"
"It wasn't too bad at all. A little crowded, but not too bad."
"Oh excellent! Thank you so much for bringing Shira out here! We are shocked, but today is such a big day for this family, and we are so glad everyone was able to make it to be here for Logan."
"Yes, of course! This is all Shira has talked about all week. She really wanted to be here."
"Well thank you so much. It means a lot to us."
"Of course Honey. It's my pleasure. It's really nice to see you all again."
"Son, Happy Birthday!" Mitchum said patting Logan on the shoulder. "Are you ready for your big day?"
"I am. We've been really busy all week, trying to get ready."
"Can I ask why you are covered in glitter?"
"You should ask your daughter that. Apparently she decided to break into and vandalize my office late last night. It looks like a party store exploded in it."
"Your office?"
"My brand new clinic. It's covered in streamers, balloons, and all kinds of birthday party décor."
"But you cleaned it up before everyone arrived, right?"
"Nope! It's all still there."
"Logan Elias Huntzberger!"
"Geez, you and Emily today! It's fine Dad. It's not so bad. We are just going to laugh it all off as a silly birthday prank for anyone who comments. If it wasn't my birthday, this whole thing would be incredibly tacky, but being a birthday celebration as well as a grand opening, it just makes things more festive. It will all be fine. I promise!"
"I hope you both know what you are doing."
"We do. Everything is great Dad. I promise! If it wasn't, I wouldn't have let you come today."
"I promise Mitchum. Everything is going to be great. I've got everything fully under control. You just sit back and try to enjoy yourself, ok?" Rory told him. "Can we get you anything to help you feel more comfortable? We've got coffee, donuts, cookies? What would you like?"
"Coffee might be nice."
"No problem. Gayle, Shira, would you like coffee, cookies, a donut? What can I get for you ladies?" Rory asked.
"Some coffee would be great. Thank you Rory." Gayle answered.
"Just water for me." Shira told her.
"I'll be right back." Rory told them.
"Logan, Honey, I'm sure you already know this, but the CEO shouldn't be fetching drink orders at events. Especially not this one." Shira whispered to Logan, latching onto his arm.
"We are doing things differently here now, Mom. It's fine. Everyone loves and respects Rory because she helps out and leads by example. Don't worry about it. Just try to enjoy yourself, ok? Excuse me for a moment, there is something that I need to go talk to."