‘If you’re buying.’
‘Cheapskate.’
‘Think of it as a compliment that I trust your alcohol choices.’
“Sorry,” a nurse said as she bumped into me, the charts in her hands dropping to the ground.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention,” I replied, picking them up when I saw Molly’s chart.
“She lost most of her hair this morning,” the nurse said as I read through. “It’s been a tough day.”
“I’ll check on her before I go. Thanks.” I started walking down the hall.
However, when I got to her room, a few nurses and interns were lingering around along with Dr. Seo, who leaned against the nurse’s desk, looking down at his watch a few times before looking back into the room. I checked to make sure Molly was all right from the window and sure enough, she was siting up on the bed, her head covered with a bright blue scarf. She looked pale, but other than that she was fine.
“What’s going on?” I moved to Ian.
“TWM is having a huge board meeting at two o’clock today?” He answered like I should know what he was talking about.
“TWM? The computer software and robotics company? And their board meeting means what to you again?” Or anyone else for that matter.
He looked at me like I was an idiot. “TWM, otherwise known as Toby Wesley Mechanics, or the company your patient’s father is founder and CEO of? It’s a coup Eli. It’s been in all the papers. They are going to kick him out of the company he started in his brother’s living room while his daughter is fighting cancer. It’s the most fucked up thing I’ve heard in a while. Everyone is waiting to see if he’s going to go.”
Taking a quick glance down at my watch, I saw it was 1:23pm; I looked back to everyone just hovering over them like they were in some sort of zoo.
“I swear, if you all aren’t back at your stations by the time I get to that door I will make it my mission to have you fired from this hospital,” I stated, already heading to the door.
I heard them scattering and when I turned back, Ian was the only one still standing there.
“Ian—”
“Sorry, I got distracted. Your heart is growing three times in size.”
“Go!”
His phone rang and, not answering it, he danced right past me singing loudly to “Feels Good” by his favorite South Korean band Super Junior…the very fact that I knew that bothered me more than I could bear to explain.
I’ve spent too much time around him.
Concentrating on the task in front of me, I entered the room to find Toby sitting next to Molly watching the coverage of a block party on the television.
“Hi, Dr. Eli.” Molly waved and her father stood up quickly, moving to me.
“Hi Molly, how are you feeling?”
“Not sick,” she whispered, hugging her bear to her chest.
“That’s good. I’m going to talk to your dad for a second, all right?” She nodded, just watching the television quietly.
He followed me out, and no sooner had I closed the door than he started pressing for answers.
“Has the tumor gone down? Can you operate? She’s feeling really good today so I was—”
“Toby.” I stopped him. “I don’t have any news about Molly’s condition and I’m sorry if I’ve given you the wrong message by coming. I came because I’m worried about you right now.”
“Me? I’m fine. If you have nothing new then—”
“I heard about your meeting today,” I said when he reached the door.
His grip tightened. “That is none of your concern.”
“Yes I know. I’m overstepping right now, but I wanted to know if you really want to hand over your company to a bunch of sons of bitches who can’t even allow you time with your daughter. I don’t know much about TWM, but I remember your motto being all about making life better for others.”
“Innovation today for a customer’s better tomorrow,” he said, letting go of the door and hanging his blond head. He stood there for a moment and finally turned to me. “I dropped out of college, lived off cereal and noodles building TWM. I still remember when I bought my first actual office on top of a Chinese restaurant. It was just me, my girlfriend, and my brother. I thought I had really made it then… Now I have over a hundred thousand employees across the country; believe it or not, I know all their names.”
“I believe you, and I believe you don’t want to just give up and hand them over to the vultures surrounding you right now.”
He shook his head. “Eli, I don’t care. If they want to take TWM, let them take it. I won’t leave my daughter alone, especially not today. Not the day I lost my wife and she lost her mother. My daughter can’t even go to the block party. I won’t sit in a board room listening to their bullshit—”
“I’ll take her.” Why am I going this far? What the hell is wrong with me!