convenience store – Helen considered Nancy’s pointed comments. She couldn’t help wondering if she was being considered for promotion. If she was, she’d be the first woman to head the orthopedic department at this particular university hospital.
She wasn’t popular though. Her success didn’t sit well with many of her peers. They never asked her to go out for a beer with them, play squash or golf. Helen imagined herself in a plush office on the top floor telling her secretary to hold her calls while she went to play a round of golf. She snorted. OK, she didn’t play golf but maybe it was time to learn.
She frowned at the faded blue tiles on the floor. Perhaps it would be better to invest in self-defense classes and a Kevlar vest to protect her back. She just remembered to smile before she opened the door to exam room 3 and found Mrs Hutton waiting for her.
‘Sit down, Helen.’
Helen took the chair Peter Hart indicated and sat, ankles crossed neatly, hands folded in her lap. Her boss took his seat behind his antique mahogany desk and studied her. He was in his sixties, a suave silver-haired man who looked every inch the consultant. His hands were unlined, his nails buffed to perfection. She wondered how long it was since he’d actually touched a patient.
‘Thank you for fitting me into your busy schedule, doctor.’
Helen ignored the hint of sarcasm and simply smiled. He dropped his gaze to his gold pen and doodled something on his blotter. Helen refused to let him rattle her. He was notorious for his long silences. Years ago she’d learnt not to rush into speech and make a fool of herself. He cleared his throat.
‘I was wondering if you’ve heard any rumors about my future here.’
Helen raised her eyebrows. ‘Rumors?’
‘That I’m about to retire.’
‘There are always rumors, Peter.’
He smiled, displaying a flash of perfectly aligned teeth. ‘That’s true and, in this case, they might be right. I’ve received a very interesting offer from our drug company to head up the development of our little plastic gadget.’
She shrugged. ‘It’s hardly my drug company or my gadget. You were the one to take my idea and turn it into something commercial.’
She’d come to regret her decision to take the formula to her former mentor. But she’d been too ambitious to understand the implications of what she’d done and how far Peter Hart’s influence could take her half-formed concept and turn it into a project that the drug companies would fight over.
Peter seemed taken aback by the directness of her response but she knew it was an act. He must’ve expected her to be upfront. She’d long suspected he didn’t like female doctors after he insisted her ex-husband’s job was more important than hers.
‘As your name is also on the academic paper that proposed this new formula, it would seem odd if you weren’t involved in any decisions regarding the patenting of this product, wouldn’t it?’ His gaze was sharp and considering. ‘It would also seem odd if you weren’t considered for my job. Many people believe that I’ve groomed you to be my successor.’
Fucked me, rather. Her involvement would also give the gossipmongers more ammunition for their assumptions about how she had slept her way to the top. Peter had never come out and actually denied he was her lover. He seemed to relish the idea.
He watched her closely and she hoped her expression gave nothing away. ‘You would recommend me as your successor?’
He laughed gently. ‘Oh no, that’s not allowed anymore, but I’ll certainly suggest your name to the search committee. It would benefit Nifenberg to have a direct link with you, here, in the field, as it were. If you were appointed, they might be prepared to offer a substantial grant to the hospital for further research.’
Helen frowned. ‘The position will have to be posted, won’t it?’ Recruiting a candidate from within an existing team could be difficult. An
She wasn’t popular though. Her success didn’t sit well with many of her peers. They never asked her to go out for a beer with them, play squash or golf. Helen imagined herself in a plush office on the top floor telling her secretary to hold her calls while she went to play a round of golf. She snorted. OK, she didn’t play golf but maybe it was time to learn.
She frowned at the faded blue tiles on the floor. Perhaps it would be better to invest in self-defense classes and a Kevlar vest to protect her back. She just remembered to smile before she opened the door to exam room 3 and found Mrs Hutton waiting for her.
‘Sit down, Helen.’
Helen took the chair Peter Hart indicated and sat, ankles crossed neatly, hands folded in her lap. Her boss took his seat behind his antique mahogany desk and studied her. He was in his sixties, a suave silver-haired man who looked every inch the consultant. His hands were unlined, his nails buffed to perfection. She wondered how long it was since he’d actually touched a patient.
‘Thank you for fitting me into your busy schedule, doctor.’
Helen ignored the hint of sarcasm and simply smiled. He dropped his gaze to his gold pen and doodled something on his blotter. Helen refused to let him rattle her. He was notorious for his long silences. Years ago she’d learnt not to rush into speech and make a fool of herself. He cleared his throat.
‘I was wondering if you’ve heard any rumors about my future here.’
Helen raised her eyebrows. ‘Rumors?’
‘That I’m about to retire.’
‘There are always rumors, Peter.’
He smiled, displaying a flash of perfectly aligned teeth. ‘That’s true and, in this case, they might be right. I’ve received a very interesting offer from our drug company to head up the development of our little plastic gadget.’
She shrugged. ‘It’s hardly my drug company or my gadget. You were the one to take my idea and turn it into something commercial.’
She’d come to regret her decision to take the formula to her former mentor. But she’d been too ambitious to understand the implications of what she’d done and how far Peter Hart’s influence could take her half-formed concept and turn it into a project that the drug companies would fight over.
Peter seemed taken aback by the directness of her response but she knew it was an act. He must’ve expected her to be upfront. She’d long suspected he didn’t like female doctors after he insisted her ex-husband’s job was more important than hers.
‘As your name is also on the academic paper that proposed this new formula, it would seem odd if you weren’t involved in any decisions regarding the patenting of this product, wouldn’t it?’ His gaze was sharp and considering. ‘It would also seem odd if you weren’t considered for my job. Many people believe that I’ve groomed you to be my successor.’
Fucked me, rather. Her involvement would also give the gossipmongers more ammunition for their assumptions about how she had slept her way to the top. Peter had never come out and actually denied he was her lover. He seemed to relish the idea.
He watched her closely and she hoped her expression gave nothing away. ‘You would recommend me as your successor?’
He laughed gently. ‘Oh no, that’s not allowed anymore, but I’ll certainly suggest your name to the search committee. It would benefit Nifenberg to have a direct link with you, here, in the field, as it were. If you were appointed, they might be prepared to offer a substantial grant to the hospital for further research.’
Helen frowned. ‘The position will have to be posted, won’t it?’ Recruiting a candidate from within an existing team could be difficult. An
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