Read Online Could I Have This Dance? by Harry Kraus - Free Book Online

Rogers.”
    The crowd started dispersing as Dan added, “Let me see Doctors McCall, Hayes, Button, and Neal.”
    Claire gathered her things and joined the other named physicians in front of the small podium. She held her hand up to Dan. “I’m Claire McCall.”
    “I’m Dr. Hayes,” Bea responded, following Claire’s lead.
    The two other interns nodded. “Wayne Neal.”
    “I’m Howard Button.”
    The large resident beamed. “My new terns. You four have been assigned to the trauma team. And for the next three months, it’s my trauma team, and you’re my terns. We’ll rotate every other night with two terns on each night. We only have one call room for the terns on this team, so I’d suggest keeping McCall and Hayes on the same night. Not that you’ll ever see the inside of a call room,” he added with a tense smile.
    “I don’t mind sharing call quarters with a guy,” Bea interjected quickly. “I don’t want any special treatment.”
    Claire stayed quiet. I’m not sharing my call room with a man.
    Dan raised his eyebrows. “Uh. Okay. I’ll decide how to divide the duties in the morning. We need to meet by six A.M. in the SICU.”
    “The SICU?” Howard scratched his forehead.
    “As in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Second floor, directly across from the MICU, the Medical Intensive Care Unit. Come early and wear scrubs. This isn’t a street clothes type of rotation.”
    The four nodded. Bea leaned toward Dan. “See you tonight?”
    “Wouldn’t miss it. The Bay Club has great food. And this reception is your first chance to meet the house staff outside the confines of this place.”
    Claire made her way to the Ethicon display to receive a knot-tying board. She already had one, but another would be nice. Besides, maybe she’d send it back home to her cousin who was showing an interest in medicine. The board had several tall thin cylinders mounted on a plastic base. At the bottom of the transparent cylinders, a small hook had been mounted. The object was to tie a knot around the small hook, simulating the placement of a knot within a small body cavity or through a small incision. Claire had been tying practice knots since the first week of medical school. Surgery was the whole reason for her medical training. She’d never considered anything else.
    She greeted Bill, the sales rep, who immediately turned his attention away from the other interns to the only women in the group.
    “I’m glad to see a few women in the ranks this year,” Bill began. “I was beginning to think I’d never see another in this program. The one they matched last year didn’t last six months.”
    “They only take the best,” Bea snipped. “And not many females are cut out for this.”
    Claire eyed her pensively. I’m surprised to hear that chauvinistic junk from you. She changed the subject. “Thanks for the knot board.”
    “Where’d you go to med school?”
    He was clearly focused on Claire, but Bea interjected. “Yale.”
    Bill seemed to be appreciating Claire’s blouse. She cleared her throat, hoping to lift his eyes to her face. “I attended Brighton University.” Then she backed away and turned for the door.
    Bill called out, “See you ladies tonight.”
    Claire walked out with Bea, Howard, and Wayne. “He’s going to be at the Bay Club?”
    Wayne chuckled. “Ethicon picks up the whole tab for the intern reception every year. I suppose they think it will make us buy their products.”
    At the end of the hall, Bea made a right turn. “I think I’ll go to the SICU and review some patient charts.”
    Wayne shook his head. “Not me. They don’t own me till tomorrow.”
    Howard kept plugging toward the front entrance. He looked at his watch. “I’ve got sixteen hours of freedom left. Just sixteen hours.”
    Claire waved weakly in Bea’s direction, who was either suddenly interested in getting to know her new patients, or competitive enough to want to shine on the first day. Claire thought momentarily