Courtship

Part 2

Rafe was furious. He knew that she had deliberately thrown caution to the winds when she had replied to his rhetorical question. It simply confirmed his worst suspicions, she really was not interested in being a team player, had no intention of making a career in medicine and was simply biding her time, wasting resources, his time and the hospital's finances.

Marina forced herself to relax her shoulders, which had practically reached her earlobes as she dealt with his response. She felt the pitying looks her peers cast in her direction. Knew that most of them would have a field day about this latest debacle. But she was past caring. She wanted an opportunity to have a word with him, to bring to his notice a few key facts. Enough was enough. If she needed to spell it out to him, to tell him that she was a committed, thoughtful doctor, she would do it. And today looked like the day to tell him. Marina did her best not to quake.

So he wanted to see her. Of course everyone knew what that meant. Trouble. Big T, trouble. But she still had the rest of the round to get through, so her panic and trepidation would have to wait. It was a miracle she managed to keep up for the rest of the round.

The rest of the group glanced at her with a mixture of pity and spite before returning their attention to the next patient and the man who was a consultant but whom they saw as close to a God. Ever since they had started this rotation she had known that they were taking their cues from his responses. Not surprisingly, they, like him, thought she was playing at being a medic. The six years that had gone into her studying and passing seemed to have passed them by. They treated her with a great deal of disdain, so she wasn't surprised by their reaction.

The round carried on, bed by bed, they discussed the patient, the diagnosis, the options and the next move. He pointedly refrained from asking her any other questions. Instead he directed questions at the remaining group of five house doctors. He commended their responses, offered some advice and was quick to praise. They of course basked in his feedback.

Marina loved this ward, the children's ward, and she'd been really pleased to find that it was to be her final rotation. Two months on the children's ward. Perfect. Well it would have been had it not been for the consultant with responsibility for this ward. When she'd seen the rotation she thought all her dreams were coming true. Her favourite ward and her favourite man. Or so she'd thought at the time. But from her first day on the ward, she had learnt that she was not his favourite. Her first day was a disaster. She had been keen to get on the ward, but by the end of the day she couldn't wait to get home. He challenged her diagnosis, used her statements to highlight the problems with rash judgements, and his attitude toward her had set the tone for the rest of the rotation on the ward.

Of course she shouldn't have mouthed off today. And not in front of the others. She hoped that by the end of the round he would have mellowed, and she did her best to keep a low profile as they made their way to each patient. She did her best to forget what was to come, and concentrated on the work at hand. But in the back of her mind she knew she was in trouble. Big trouble.