The Smart Sister

EO

So the next day, Amelia was ready to have a nice long talk with her supervisor. She was going to convince Dr. Marchand to give her chance. Then, she was going to prove she was in the right position. 

At least, that's what she said. Unfortunately, she couldn't do it. She was busy. She had to help Mr. Cain finally be discharged. Yeah, most people would have told her to avoid Mrs. Rogelio when she started talking about  her fifteen grandchildren complete with pictures. Amelia was too nice to avoid her. 

But she knew she was wasting time when she stopped by the children's ward just to see what they were up. 

She gave up on the idea around lunch time. She was not confrontational. She was more of the type to walk away. Look at the situation with Reed. She could have argued with him or made his life a living hell while he did her yard. Instead, after their first date, she avoided him. She was already terrified of her boss. There was no way she was going to confront him.

Sure, when she was with Reed, she was fired up, ready to assert her ability as a doctor. That was last night.

In the light of the day, it was much harder to see it. She could be fired. She could be in a worse place than now. Hell, she could lose her residency at this hospital, the one she had wished for since she graduated school. Maybe she should just float along. She would get Dr. Marchand's approval and move onto a new hospital. Then, she could start off fresh. 

That was her plan. Until a busload of school kids came in with lung infections. There were so many that students were spread across nearly all the doctors in the ER including the residents.  Amelia hated herself, but she was excited. There was no way that Dr. Marchand would skip her now. There were too many patients. 

She made sure she was in the ER when the kids came in. She was ready to jump in and help. She tried, but it seemed even the other residents didn't want her help. Each time she tried to assist, the resident would insist they had it under control. And they did. They were experts now with the practice they gained from their challenging case loads. 

So, Amelia just fluttered from patient to patient. Eventually, she was able to work on those kids deemed not critical compared to the kids with asthma that only exacerbated the lung infection. Still, she was glad that she was able to finally lend a hand in her own way. So she knew she showed that she could handle emergencies. This was her moment. 

So when assignments were given out, Amelia was sure she earned at least one of the critical cases. Instead, the cases were spread out to the other residents even Chet, the guy that had barfed during their first surgery. That was the final straw. Amelia was sure she earned this. 

In that moment, she gained the confidence to speak her mind. The only other time she was able to really stand up for herself like this was when she finally told her brother she was ready to move out. For anyone who knew Cole, they would realize how much of a formidable task that had been. 

"Dr. Marchand," called out Amelia as the group began to scatter. 

He stopped as the other doctors walked around him, intent on saving more lives no doubt. 

"Yes, Ms. Delafield." 

Amelia took a deep breath and stepped forward. 

"I was wondering why I am not going to be helping out with these kids. I have helped along with everyone else. I feel that I could do even greater good by continuing to work with them. I have room on my caseload if that is the concern."  Amelia slid her hands into her pocket to hide the trembles that flowed through them.

"Ms. Delafield, I am well aware of your caseload. We feel that you should focus on those you have currently. "

She could feel the opportunity slipping away as Dr. Marchand began to walk away. Amelia followed closely behind, intent on pleading her case. A tick-tock went off in her head as she saw her window of opportunity closing.

"Sir, I  . ."

Dr. Marchand stopped suddenly in the now empty hallway. Amelia realized that they were back at his office.  He turned to face her. His nameplate hung neatly on the door right above his head. It made the conversation even more nerve-wacking. All those acronyms proclaimed that this man was an expert in his field. 

"Ms. Delafield, I am unsure as to why you came to me. I told you that I thought you should improve by getting to know your patients, but you wanted the easy way. Now, you are complaining about that too? I am unsure what you want from me. Patients come to us. I can't tailor your caseload like it is some kind of made-to-order meal.  Maybe you should rethink this position."

With that, he was finished. Amelia was left staring at his door. She walked away like a zombie, aimlessly without any clear thought to what was going on. What was he talking about?