Open Heart {Under Revision}

Chapter 50- Hearing Impaired

The flash of white teeth and the pin of the gold cuff links.

Declan Nash looked every way that he was the boss here. The way he smiled at me and stood in my path, it was like-it was his path, his place and his notion. Nothing would matter during his presence. I gave him a curt nod, fisting my hands.

I needed to keep my ordeal.

"Dr. Turner...please come in." Harper's voice echoed across the auditorium in a chilling manner. She meant business here. Thankfully, so did I.

I pushed past the all too pretending clever fox and walked down the steps towards the panel settlement. I held my head high, my eyes cold and my face neutral. I was confident because today, I wasn't doing anything wrong, they were deciding that I did wrong. This was my first chance to lay my case in front of them and like Ethan advised, observe.

This was also my chance to defend the case.

I had been to this lecture hall cum auditorium for two to three times since my job. Mostly, it remained packed with doctors which never had let the feeling of coldness crept on my skin. Today, the empty room was radiating the bitter frost and the members of the Board sitting in front were amplifying it.

This place could easily fit about 800 people together and since it was one of the many halls Edenbrook had, they all were around in different locations. The stage was made of up red painted wood and coated with another layer of vanish to make it polished. There were no curtains behind the dais and just two empty pillars supported nothing.

The panel arrangement was on top of the stage, which meant, I had to look up to them. 

What a way to make you feel obsolete, wasn't it?

I counted seven people in front. But eight seats arranged.

The remaining seat was for Dr. Banerji and since Ethan had refused to partake it, I guessed they never found anyone to replace it with. Perhaps Declan Nash would grin more if he sat.

Among the seven, I recognised the familiar faces which more likely surprised me. Harper sat in the middle, diving three left and three right. I raised my brow at that and continued looking. Left to Harper, sat Dr. Wen, the lab chief whom Ethan and I had evaded during our break in into the lab. Her bob cut hair obstructed the round rimmed huge glasses she wore. Her face was rather plain and so was her expression.

On right to Harper, sat Dr. Tanaka, the Chief of Surgery and Bryce's boss. I had never talked to him but he had seen me plenty around, even during the surgery of Rafael. He blinked at me once, his narrowed eyes vanishing.

Next to Dr. Wen, was....well, well, look what the cat had dragged in. It was Dr. Carlisle, the head of R&D department of Edenbrook. His sneer and flashing furious eyes in my direction was justified in his own mindset since I had stolen from his department. I mentally struck my tongue out to him.

At the edge of Dr. Carlise was the doctor I recognised. She was the attending who had once yelled at me when I was sabotaged for the first time. That was when my pager went blank. I read her name, Dr. Lozoya. She looked quiet young to be on the board but well, not my business. I was mildly confounded that she was there even.

On the right side of Harper were two doctors I had never seen or heard about. One of them was a man close to fifty named Dr. Rosario and the other was an Indian woman around mid-40's with greying hair but steel face called Dr. Chandra.

And that was the Board Panel. The Edenbrook Ethics Committee, just without Dr. Banerji.

And all pairs of eyes were on me. I didn't flinch but the anxiety of course was under my skin.