Reed Walton seemingly has it all. He's attractive, has a good job, beautiful condo and a great group of friends. A Resident at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, he's always lived his life according to one thing: keep the Walton name presti...
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The next day as I was walking down the hallway I heard a page over the intercom.
Dr. Barrett Walton and Dr. Reed Walton report to the Chief Physician's office. The intercoms blared.
I looked to the nurses station and they all shrugged. I felt nervous as I made my way to the elevators. It was like being called to the principal's office in school.
By the time I reached the office my dad was already sitting outside.
"Do you know what this is about?" I asked him as I sat down.
"Not a clue," he grumbled.
I leaned back in the chair and sighed. The fact that my father seemed uneasy only added to my worry.
The glass door opened. Dr. Julia Francis was a tall and slender black woman with a keen taste for power suits. Anytime I saw her in the hospital she commanded the space she was in. So I knew whatever we were in for, there was no escape.
"Barrett, Reed. Come in." She opened the door a bit wider so we could enter.
Any light seemed to be eaten by the dark paneling and dark furniture in the room. We sat down on the black leather couch while Julia sat behind her behemoth desk.
She folded her hands and placed them neatly in front of her. "Now, I know you're both busy so I'll make this quick. As you know we have been building to expand our surgery ward."
My dad suddenly perked up a bit. He nodded his head. "Yes."
"Well, with all the donations that your family has given over the years, we wanted to name it The Walton Wing," Julia explained. "It feels even more fitting having the renowned surgeon who the wing is named after working here as well."
I could feel the happiness and excitement coming off of him. However, he kept his emotions calm and even.
"This is such an honor," he said. "Thank you."
"Yes, thank you," I piped in.
"Of course, the hospital was hoping that the two of you might give a speech at the unveiling," Julia continued.
"A speech?" My dad's eyes practically popped out of his head.
I felt a little satisfaction knowing that he hated giving public speeches. He could barely handle when medical students came in and he had to teach them.
"Yes. Just a little talk on the importance of modern medicine and how this ward will help the residents of Indianapolis and the surrounding areas." Julia shrugged. "That kind of thing."
"Right." My dad swallowed hard and his eyes were darting back and forth and I could see his mouth opening.
"We'd be honored," I jumped in, worrying he was going to decline. "Thank you."
