Novocain

Chapter Twenty One

Marceline Anne walked into the conference room, where the board of directors sat splayed out. She took a seat where indicated and waited for them to speak.

An older man with a trim goatee and serious dark eyes cleared his throat. "Dr. Chang, you've come under review for the position of chief of staff here at St. Lucia. I hope you understand what an honor that is for someone of your age and inexperience."

"Yes, sir, I do."

He kept his smile to himself. "This hospital started 104 years ago as a place of refuge for all of Connecticut. It's one of the oldest hospitals on the east coast."

She nodded to show she was listening but she wasn't. She just wanted him to say that they'd reviewed her but was "going in a different direction" so she could leave.

He rambled on and on about prestige and honor and what St. Lucia meant to the community.

Even the other board members looked bored.

Finally he wrapped it up. "That is why we think you'd be perfect as our new chief of staff."

Marceline Anne snapped to. "Excuse me?"

He stood. "Welcome to permanent employment, Dr. Chang."

N-

Malcolm the First was waiting on his wife when she made it back to her office. "They chose you, didn't they? They had to have. You're such a great doctor. They've made a colossal mistake if they haven't."

She kissed him to make him shut up.

He forgot all about her thing and went about making their kiss more prominent.

"Mal." She smiled against his lips.

"Well!" He was whipped up now but forced himself to cool it. They still couldn't do anything. "Okay. I'm calm. What'd they say? They said yes, didn't they?"

Looking up at him, she nodded. "They said yes."

N-

Santana went to the mailbox and pulled out all the mail. She flipped through the stack but most was for her parents. She stilled when she saw an address she couldn't understand but her name was there in plain Spanish.

She hurried up to her room and opened it. She scanned the missive quickly then again more slowly to make sure she was reading it right.

And she was! She'd gotten a high score!

She climbed on her bed and began jumping happily. "I did it! I did it!"

Gomez came to see what all the noise was. "What are you doing?"

"I did it, Squirt!" She was so excited that she didn't yell at him for not knocking.

"What'd you do?"

She wiggled as she jumped. "I've got to go outside!"

"What? Why?" She wasn't making any sense.

She straightened her legs so she would fall on her bottom then bounced up to run out. She went to scour all of the front yard and saw a box she'd previously ignored. She brought it back up to her room, not noticing her brother behind her.

"San?" He was growing worried.

She ripped open the big box and found brochures of universities and colleges that she'd gotten into but made sure to find the one for Pepperidge, sure she had gotten in.

"What are those?" He peered in the box.

"Brochures."

"Do you want to go on vacation?"