Something New

Chapter 22

As promised, Kit drove him home the next day and they went to the hospital together. As soon as he entered the hospital, he knew that he had to put a pin in all of his emotional turmoil, because N'Star's surgery was scheduled for that day and he needed to focus on it.

Just a couple of hours before the surgery, the father of the patient kicked up a fuss about not trusting Beam to perform the surgery and demanded that the chief be present to oversee it. Beam felt humiliated because he chose to cause a scene in the corridor.

He felt helpless, because neither him nor Dr. Sutthee could calm him down and just then, the chief walked up and asked what all the commotion was about.

Once he was briefed about the situation. He turned to Beam with an apologetic look in his eyes. Beam resigned himself to the fact that the Chief was probably going to have to side with the patient's father. But he shocked everyone when he said, "Mr. Thiti, I can assure you that I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Beam's abilities. He is one of the smartest and most competent surgeons in this hospital. I will not stand here and just watch you disrespect him, based on your prejudiced views. If you still insist that someone else oversee a perfectly competent surgeon, that is not only insulting to him, but also an insult to all of us here."

He stared at the father who was gaping at him, "My time is very precious Mr. Thiti and I don't appreciate people wasting it. Now, if that is all, I'm leaving." He turned around and walked away. Beam was stunned but recovered quickly. He put on a polite smile and asked, "Mr. Thiti, do you have any questions at all about the surgery?" He just shook his head and said, "Dr. Beam, I put my trust in you. Please take care of my son."

Beam saw the father's concern when he said that, so he smiled genuinely and said, "Please rest assured that I will do everything in my power to successfully complete this surgery." And shook his hand.

After all that fuss, the surgery went without a hitch, the patient was safe and healthy, the father was grateful and unbeknownst to Beam, Dr. Lee had observed him perform the surgery and was very impressed. Post-surgery, Beam was in the break-room munching on an energy bar when he got paged to the Chief's office.

When he rushed over, he was surprised to see Dr. Lee. He was pleased when the older man greeted him by name. Beam smiled and said, "Dr. Lee, it is such an honor to meet you. I've always admired your strides in our field." Dr. Lee smiled back at him, "Thank you, but I am very impressed by how you maneuvered skillfully and performed the congenital heart surgery just now."

Beam was confused, "What do you mean? Did you come in and observe me?" Dr. Lee chuckled, "Yes indeed. And I think it's safe to say that we will be working together soon." Beam was speechless, but he shook his hand and thanked him before the older doctor took his leave. The chief winked at Beam and said, "Congrats Dr. Beam! You deserve it." Beam smiled and thanked the chief and walked out of there, still processing the good news.

He texted Pha and Kit and told them that he wanted to meet them after work and they both readily agreed. They all met up at the sushi restaurant near the hospital. There, he broke the news to them, and they were so happy for him, Kit actually hugged him so hard that he almost jostled the table in his haste to get to him. Seeing his friends' happy faces, made it seem real to him and he basked in the accomplishment.

Once he got home, he called his mom to share the good news. His mom squealed and said, "Oh sweetheart, that is such great news. You have worked so hard to get there. I cannot be prouder of you." His dad spoke up, he sounded happy, "Beam, son, that is amazing news. Dr. Lee is the best and I'm happy that you will get to work with him. Make sure to learn from him and also foster a good relationship with him. You have to be connected to the right people." Beam was smiling throughout the talk but frowned at the last part.