Sincerely, Dr. Cruz

Five: Meeting Dr. Stark

Chapter Five: Meeting Dr. Stark
Rhode Island Hospital: Providence, Rhode Island

“Neal?”

Neal looked up from his conversation to look directly at me, his hazel eyes highlighted with confusion. Yup, that was Neal. He just dead stared at me like he didn’t recognize me.

Ignoring whatever awkward feelings and memories were shooting through my head at the moment, I fished around in my purse for my glasses. I hadn’t put them on in three years, using my “amazing green eyes that needed to be seen” as an excuse, but I did for Neal.

Why? I don’t know. As I slid on the typical yet actually prescribed nerd framed glasses and looked up at him, I noticed his confusion turned into a fully fledged smile.

“Well if it isn’t Reina.” He turned to Williams.  “Please excuse me Dr. Williams, I have to go now.”

“Sure thing Stark.”  Dr. Williams said as he turned away. I noticed Katrina sending me a wink as she followed him.

Shit. Neal was Stark—I mean Dr. Stark.

“What are you doing here?” He asked quizzically. “Oh wait, if your last name is Cruz then you’ve ultimately found the right place.” He said with a grin.

I suddenly became conscious of my hair that was more out of place than before.
“Yup, that’s me.”

“I guess I’ll have to get used to calling you Dr. Cruz then. Reina doesn’t work in the professional setting now does it?”

“I don’t know. It can be whatever you make it to be, Dr. Stark.”

Sudden burst of confidence much?

“I see that you caught on quite nicely. I’ll excuse your tardiness for today, but just know that if I happen to be grumpy, you might be in for an earful.”

“Sir yes sir.” I fake saluted him as he laughed. We went into his office which was quaint. It has the image viewing board set up in the front, with his desk in the back and a client consultant area as well. I walked over to the boards without thinking, analyzing a CAT scan of a stomach.

“That’s an ulcer invading the left wall isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes ma’am. You’re quite curious aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that supposed to be in a doctor’s nature?” I answered.

“You’re right. Here, sit down and we’ll discuss some of the work we have to analyze.”

“Okay.”

I sat down in front of him at his desk. I noticed that even when he sat down in his chair, he was still taller than me.

Being 5’3” wasn’t much fun. Sigh.

“So we have four patients needing joint remedial surgery of some sort, and they’re all requesting the same time frame for the surgery to be completed in. Just to test your knowledge here, but which should be first, the less time consuming surgeries or the more time consuming?”

“Less.” I replied confidently.

“Nice, so what we’re looking at here is a meniscus tear clean up first, followed by a hip replacement, then a herniated disk compressing three nerves which we’ll have to work with Dr. Williams on, and lastly a dual knee replacement within three days of each other.”

“What? A dual knee replacement? Isn’t that unhealthy for the patient?”

Neal did something I hadn’t seen in three and a half years—his cute little half smile.