But when the case went before the Morbidity and Mortality conference—charmingly known as M&M—my name was listed under contributing errors, not Dr. Loring’s. The report cited a delay in escalation and a failure to recognize early signs—no mention of the page I’d sent, and definitely not even a hint of how the attending had dismissed my concerns.
“She should have escalated sooner,” Maren had lied smoothly, her voice full of clinical detachment.
I turned to Eli, expecting him to back me up. We were seeing each other—not seriously, just stolen moments in supply closets, late-night coffee runs, and whispered conversations in the on-call room, for over a freaking year. But that was not why I wanted his support. No, we’d worked together, and he knew me as a professional.
“I know Dr. Loring, and I know how she works,” he said flatly.
Then, he broke my heart by listing the errors I had made in his presence, saying that was ample evidence that I had messed this up.
“They need a scapegoat, and you are it,” Kajal Patel, the head of nursing and my boss, told me, misery in her eyes.
“You know this is about the Armitage grant, don’t you?” I asked, trying to keep the edge of desperation out of my voice. I needed my boss to understand I wasn’t the one at fault. I’d worked with Maren on a clinical trial and flagged some inconsistencies in the data—ever since, she’d had it in for me.
“It doesn’t matter what I know.” She let out a long breath. “Attendings take care of other attendings. You know that. And Dr. Loring and Dr. Graham are in a relationship…so…. I’m really sorry, Reggie.”
There’d been rumors about Maren and Elias being seen together, but I’d ignored them. I shouldn't have. I trusted Elias. I didn’t even ask him about them.
But when it came down to it, Elias had chosen herside and told me without me ever asking him if our not-so-serious affair had also been not-so-exclusive.
That was the day I learned two things: medicine wasn’t fair, and neither was Dr. Elias Graham.
Cindy cleared her throat. “If there’s a concern about Nurse Sanchez’s ability, I’d like to hear it.”
Elias looked at me, and I stared back emotionlessly. I wouldn’t give thependejothe satisfaction of seeing me rattled.
“If I could legally do so, I’d be happy to forward you an M&M report from Stratford Hospital in Boston.” He kept watching me.
Looking for cracks, buddy? Well, you’re going to have to look for a long fucking time.
“Since I can’t do that,” he continued. “I expect you to take my word for it.”
I didn’t even smile. The M&M had cleared me—Elias had not. Legally, the hospital and I were off the hook—except I was also fired. Dr. Loring kept her job and probably the man.
Was he still with her? Would she be coming here?Oh God!
Cindy waved a hand dismissively. “I can only evaluate Nurse Sanchez based on her performance here. And for the past five years, she has been one of our high performers. If you want to keep her out of your OR, that’s your choice—but you can’t keep her out of rotation. If you want that, you’re welcome to take it up with Dr.Reddy in administration—or better yet, with Dr. Cabrera. But I doubt either of them will take kindly to you sidelining one of our best nurses over apersonalgrudge.”
Dr. Cabrera was Elias’s boss and the Chief of Surgery.
“This isnota personal grudge,” Elias snapped.
Cindy’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t become mean, she didn’t smile. She stayedstoic. “Dr. Graham, you’re new here, Reggie is not. She’s admired for her professional prowess. I don’t knowyou, but I knowher. Do you want ahis-against-hersituation? It’s a bad way to start with the nursing staff who you need on your side to be successful at Harper Memorial Hospital.”
My boss was a badass!She ran the cardiac department with an iron fist, and not even the new head of cardiology was going to mess with her. I wanted to go on my knees and thank Cindy. If she’d been my boss in Boston, maybe things would’ve been different.
Silence stretched in the room.
I could almost hear the battle waging behind Elias’s eyes.
He didn’t have a professionally provable reason to fuck with me.
He also knew Cindy was right.
Getting on the wrong side of the nursing staff never helped an attending, which is where he would be if he continued his vendetta against me. Whether hebelieved it or not, Iwasrespected here and had mentored several of the new nurses.
Regardless of how good he looked and knew how to use his dick, they’d side with me and not thenewdude. The reason was simple. If he could get someone with my skills and experience thrown out of his OR, everyone was in danger.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lower but no less sharp. “Fine. She stays. But I decide who scrubs in for my cases. She won’t. You make sure of that, we won’t have any problems.”
