together. Being of the younger, hipper generation you can add a
different perspective, something to draw in the younger crowd and get them
interested in doing charity work. And,” he hesitated.
“What?” Eli asked.
“Well,” Dr. Slessinger pulled his glasses off and started wiping the lens
with the tail end of his white coat. “There’s something else.” His voice had
lost some of its jolliness. He looked uneasily at Eli then at her, before
blowing out a huge puff of air. Monica was instantly on guard.
“What is it?” Eli asked, the urgency in his voice telling her that he’d
latched onto the uncertainty suddenly radiating from the chief of staff.
“The Parenting Center,” Will Slessinger finally admitted. “The state has
threatened to cut the program.”
“What?” Eli asked, his hands poised on the armrest of his chair, as if he
were seconds from jumping out of it.
“The word came down yesterday. Apparently, the state believes its revamp
of sex education courses in the area high schools will help curb teenage births
enough to negate the need for the Parenting Center.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s the stupidest line of reasoning I’ve
ever heard in my life. If the state thinks handing out a few condoms in health
class will actually lower the number of pregnancies we see then some of them need to go back to school.”
The passion emanating from Eli was tangible. It was clear to Monica this
was a subject close to his heart.
“What about all the people who use the program who are not teenage
mothers? What about the young couples just starting out who can’t afford
private physicians? With Charity Hospital still closed, these people have
nowhere to go.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Eli. I wish you were at the state capital
pleading our case to the people making the decisions.”
“Well, someone needs to. There’s no way they can shut down the Parenting
Center, Will.”
“There is a way we can prevent it,” Dr. Slessinger said. His calmly
spoken words were apparently enough to soothe Eli’s raised hackles. The younger
doctor pushed back in his chair.
“How?” he asked.
Dr. Slessinger flexed his fingers several times before folding his hands
on his desk. When he spoke, it was with weary agitation, as if he was only at
the beginning of what promised to be a lengthy battle. “The Board of Health and
Hospitals has agreed to keep the program in next year’s budget if we can fund
it for the remainder of this fiscal year.”
“That’s our only option? Raising the money ourselves?”
“I know it’s a long shot, Eli, but at least it’s something.”
In the midst of their debate, Monica found herself focusing not on their
words, but their tone. This was not your typical superior and subordinate
conversation. It was obvious Dr. Slessigner respected Eli on a deeper level
than most chiefs of staff held for their attending physicians. It also
confirmed what she’d suspected over the last few days. Elijah Holmes had not
only made a name for himself in the delivery room, he’d earned the admiration
of his peers—something Monica knew, firsthand, was very hard to do.
Eli was shaking his head. “There’s no way we can raise the kind of money
we would need to keep the center going for the rest of the year. The cost in
prenatal vitamins alone is in the thousands. The fate of the center cannot
hinge on a banquet that has only pulled in, at best, five grand. And that’s
during normal times. With everyone still trying to put their lives back together
after Katrina, we would be lucky to bring in our usual amount, let alone enough
to fund the center.”
“That’s why I need the two of you to really put your heads together on
this.” Slessinger turned to Monica, finally bringing her back into the
conversation. “I know this is an awful lot to ask with you just taking over Dr.
Millgram’s position, but the Parenting Center is vital to this community. It’s
all many
different perspective, something to draw in the younger crowd and get them
interested in doing charity work. And,” he hesitated.
“What?” Eli asked.
“Well,” Dr. Slessinger pulled his glasses off and started wiping the lens
with the tail end of his white coat. “There’s something else.” His voice had
lost some of its jolliness. He looked uneasily at Eli then at her, before
blowing out a huge puff of air. Monica was instantly on guard.
“What is it?” Eli asked, the urgency in his voice telling her that he’d
latched onto the uncertainty suddenly radiating from the chief of staff.
“The Parenting Center,” Will Slessinger finally admitted. “The state has
threatened to cut the program.”
“What?” Eli asked, his hands poised on the armrest of his chair, as if he
were seconds from jumping out of it.
“The word came down yesterday. Apparently, the state believes its revamp
of sex education courses in the area high schools will help curb teenage births
enough to negate the need for the Parenting Center.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s the stupidest line of reasoning I’ve
ever heard in my life. If the state thinks handing out a few condoms in health
class will actually lower the number of pregnancies we see then some of them need to go back to school.”
The passion emanating from Eli was tangible. It was clear to Monica this
was a subject close to his heart.
“What about all the people who use the program who are not teenage
mothers? What about the young couples just starting out who can’t afford
private physicians? With Charity Hospital still closed, these people have
nowhere to go.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Eli. I wish you were at the state capital
pleading our case to the people making the decisions.”
“Well, someone needs to. There’s no way they can shut down the Parenting
Center, Will.”
“There is a way we can prevent it,” Dr. Slessinger said. His calmly
spoken words were apparently enough to soothe Eli’s raised hackles. The younger
doctor pushed back in his chair.
“How?” he asked.
Dr. Slessinger flexed his fingers several times before folding his hands
on his desk. When he spoke, it was with weary agitation, as if he was only at
the beginning of what promised to be a lengthy battle. “The Board of Health and
Hospitals has agreed to keep the program in next year’s budget if we can fund
it for the remainder of this fiscal year.”
“That’s our only option? Raising the money ourselves?”
“I know it’s a long shot, Eli, but at least it’s something.”
In the midst of their debate, Monica found herself focusing not on their
words, but their tone. This was not your typical superior and subordinate
conversation. It was obvious Dr. Slessigner respected Eli on a deeper level
than most chiefs of staff held for their attending physicians. It also
confirmed what she’d suspected over the last few days. Elijah Holmes had not
only made a name for himself in the delivery room, he’d earned the admiration
of his peers—something Monica knew, firsthand, was very hard to do.
Eli was shaking his head. “There’s no way we can raise the kind of money
we would need to keep the center going for the rest of the year. The cost in
prenatal vitamins alone is in the thousands. The fate of the center cannot
hinge on a banquet that has only pulled in, at best, five grand. And that’s
during normal times. With everyone still trying to put their lives back together
after Katrina, we would be lucky to bring in our usual amount, let alone enough
to fund the center.”
“That’s why I need the two of you to really put your heads together on
this.” Slessinger turned to Monica, finally bringing her back into the
conversation. “I know this is an awful lot to ask with you just taking over Dr.
Millgram’s position, but the Parenting Center is vital to this community. It’s
all many
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