Authors: Andrew Hess
Despite being put through the horrendous ordeal of going to the club with the girls and then what happened with Tyson the next day, Claire entered the hospital Monday morning with a smile on her face. Thoughts of the weekend were being shoved aside. She was minutes away from meeting with the partners and founding members of the private practice company she worked for. She showed up to the conference room wearing a white silk button down blouse, a long knee length black skirt, and a pair of black heels with a thick white stripe that wrapped around the shoe; perfectly tying her outfit together. Claire’s outfit exuded confidence, and her mind was focused on one thing; success.
The conference door opened, letting Claire get a glimpse of the room. The partners were gathered around the table. There were plenty of people Claire didn’t know and doctors she barely worked with sat off to the side or stood near the windows.
A firm hand grasped Claire’s shoulder. “Glad you could make it Dr. Cain.” Claire glanced back at the cheery older man. He had a grayish white horseshoe hair style with matching mustache and beard. The ice blue eyes had a loving and kind look to them. “Come on; let me introduce you to a few of the partners.”
“Sure Dr. Franklin,” Claire said as her mind worked quickly to piece everything together. It was becoming apparent that this was more than just some random meeting called together by the partners. Everyone was there for a specific reason. She knew a couple of doctors in attendance, but her eyes were locked on the man escorting her. Claire knew her boss, Dr. Franklin, was getting up there in age. In fact his sixty-fifth birthday was the following week, which meant his retirement was imminent.
“Hey Peters,” a man in his early fifties with a bushy auburn mustache turned to face Dr. Franklin. “Peters, I’d like to introduce you to the star of my team, Dr. Claire Cain.” Claire and Peters shook hands and smiled at each other. “Dr. Cain, Dr. Peters is a partner that oversees our Orange County hospitals.”
Making idle chit-chat with a partner grew Claire’s confidence more with every passing second. When Dr. Franklin saw another opportunity to introduce her to someone important, he excused Claire and dragged her off to meet another partner. It was as if Claire was a celebrity and she was being shown off to all of Dr. Franklin’s friends. If she didn’t know any better, Claire would swear he was prepping her to take his place.
After twenty minutes of mingling, Dr. Franklin steered Claire away from the group of partners and sat her in a chair near the front of the room. All heads turned to the back of the room as the conference room door opened. Two men entered. The first man wore a tailor made black KITON Napoli suit with a light blue shirt and gold tie. Every inch of him screamed success. The other man wore a charcoal Marc Jacobs suit and did his best to model himself after the doctor he walked in with.
Claire’s eyes scanned both men and wondered if she should introduce herself or if Dr. Franklin was going to motion for her to join them in conversation. Her eyes flickered to the man in the Marc Jacobs suit. A shiver of chills ran through her body. There was something familiar about him, something that ripped away Claire’s confidence.
The other doctor stood at the head of the conference table. All eyes were upon him. “I’d like to bring this meeting to order.” His voice was loud, powerful and commanding, much like his appearance. “For those who don’t know me, my name is Dr. Chris Sneiderman. I am one of the founding partners and oversee much of the west coast area.” Claire understood why he stood out among the rest of the doctors in the room. “I know you are all wondering why we asked you here today. So I will cut the bull and get down to business. We’re here today to celebrate Dr. Franklin and his contributions to the medical field as well as this firm.”
Claire was right. They were there for Dr. Franklin and was surely about to announce his retirement. She eagerly sat in the chair, knowing the moment she had been waiting for was minutes away.
Dr. Sneiderman spoke highly of Dr. Franklin, recognizing some of his most notable contributions and a brief story about meeting him. “I’m sure we could sit here for hours going on about this man, but then we wouldn’t be making any money.” A stiff laugh erupted in the room. Claire smiled and chuckled along with them. “So let’s hear from Dr. Franklin.” A light round of clapping echoed the room welcoming him to the head of the table.
“I’d like to thank all of you for coming today, and I’d like to thank Dr. Sneiderman for his kind words. I know you have patients to check on, so I’ll keep this brief. I’ve been with this practice for twenty years and have been practicing medicine for almost forty. I loved working with the general public and have a great appreciation for the exclusive list of patients as well. I’ve had a wonderful career, but sadly all things must come to an end.”
This was it. This was the moment Claire had hoped for. Dr. Franklin was announcing his retirement which meant they would be naming his replacement soon. Everything in her believed they were going to choose her. She was absolutely certain it would be her. Who else would it be?
“One thing we all know from working here is that life is precious and our time in this world is short. I am turning sixty-five next week and will be retiring then.” A murmur broke out among the doctors as they discussed what they just heard. “I plan on focusing all of my time spending it with family and my grandchildren. I want to thank you all for keeping this practice going strong and wish you all the best.” The doctors gave him a round of applause. Claire stood while clapping. She nodded at Dr. Franklin as he stepped aside and let Dr. Sneiderman resume his speech.
“With Dr. Franklin’s retirement at hand, that leaves us with a tremendous void, one that cannot be easily filled. However, the partners have met and come to a unanimous decision.” Claire’s eyes shifted. She had only been introduced to the partners moments before the meeting began. There wasn’t enough time for them to discuss and vote on Dr. Franklin’s replacement. “We would like to welcome the newest partner to the practice. Dr. Ron DeMarco.”
The man who entered with Dr. Sneiderman stood and walked to the front of the room. Claire was able to get a better look at him. His hair was cut short, almost looking bald in comparison to the other doctors in the room. He had a thin goatee and mustache which gave him a more sinister looking appearance. Dr. DeMarco shook hands with Dr. Sneiderman. Their grins were ear to ear. But Dr. Franklin seemed reluctant to exchange pleasantries with the man replacing him.
Dr. DeMarco was center stage as he spoke to the crowd of doctors. None of them were interested in what he had to say. They were thinking the same thing Claire was.
Who was this guy, and who was he to take their spot?
At the conclusion of the meeting, Claire rushed up to Dr. Franklin and pulled him aside. The questions were on the tip of her tongue. Dr. Franklin held up his hand to stop her before a single word was uttered. “This wasn’t my decision Claire.” It was almost as if he could read Claire’s mind. “The group convened without my knowledge and decided to force me to retire. They told me due to my age, I was a liability to them and to my patients. After rendering their decision to oust me, they voted and picked my successor.”
“But, who is he?”
“Dr. DeMarco worked here for several years before transferring to a facility in Ulster County last year. He worked with Dr. Sneiderman when he was in medical school and during his intern year. I wasn’t surprised when they announced he would taking my place.”
“Then what was that all about this morning?”
Dr. Franklin sighed and shook his head. “It was an old man’s final attempt to sway the votes in your favor. At the very least, it was a way I could put in a good word for you for the next time they decide to make someone a partner.”
Claire weakly smiled. She thought highly of Dr. Franklin and was grateful for what he did. But his words and actions were not enough to repair the damage of her deflated ego.
The room slowly cleared and Claire took that as a sign that she should leave too. She had patients to see, but wasn’t in the mood to be the cheerful devoted doctor they all knew and loved. She wanted to go home. She wanted to vent to her friends over dinner and drinks. She wanted to hit the gym and crush it with the weights. Memories of her horrendous weekend fluttered back. She remembered what had happened the last time she was at the gym and how Tyson slipped something into her drink when she wasn’t looking. He told her about the steam room, but felt that would be just another place he would use to hit on her, maybe try to catch a glimpse of her when she wasn’t looking. The more she thought about it, the more she felt an icy cold presence around her, watching her, making Claire feel completely uncomfortable. She looked around the room and saw no one there but her new boss.
Ron DeMarco had his eyes fixated on Claire sending chills down her body. He approached as if he was a stealthy fox poised to take what he wanted. “Dr. Cain is it,” he asked. Claire turned her head towards him. “I was told you are one of the best doctors at this hospital and that I should speak with you to get aquainted with how things are run around here, maybe introduce me to the staff.”
The knot in the pit of Claire’s stomach urged her to decline. “Sure, I’d be happy to.” The words slipped out before she could stop herself.
“Great, meet me here at four and we can discuss everything then.”
There was an eerie feeling that clung to Claire while she visited her patients. It was a sickening sensation that wouldn’t go away. She couldn’t shake it no matter how hard she tried. The only thing she could do was carry on with her day.
At four o’clock, Claire arrived at the conference room. Strands of hair had fallen out of place and the back of her white button down blouse hung out from her backside. She entered the empty conference room and turned on the light. For the first time that day, Claire could sit down and relax.
A knock on the door signaled someone was there watching her. Dr. DeMarco leaned in and smiled. “Ah Dr. Cain, I’m so glad you could make it. I know you’re busy so I won’t take up much of your time.” Dr. DeMarco entered the conference room and closed the door. “I’ve been looking over your file hoping to get to know you a little more. But this,” he held up a manila folder in his right hand. “This doesn’t tell me who you are. It’s only a record of your accomplishments and any write ups.” He walked closer to Claire and took a seat across from her. “So tell me about yourself.”
Claire had an overwhelming sensation that this was not a friendly get to know you meeting between her and her new boss. The crooked corners of his mouth were telling her he was fishing for something else. He wanted something from her.
“There-there’s not much to tell. I was a straight A student, valedictorian of my school, made the Dean’s List throughout college, and was ranked top graduate in med school.”
“Okay, that’s a good start. But I could look all that up on the internet or in a file.” Dr. DeMarco got up from his chair and walked the length of the conference table. “I want to know who you are. What are your likes? What are your dislikes? What makes you thrive for success?” He closed in on Claire. He was inches from her. She could smell the strong scented cologne he wore. “I want to know what makes you tick.”
Claire backed away. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to do. “I um like to hang out with my friends and um watch movies.”
DeMarco continued to move towards Claire. His eyes were filled with a hunger that sent shivers down Claire’s spine. “You know, Dr. Franklin spoke very highly of you. He said you were one of the best doctors he had on staff.” DeMarco’s hand climbed to Claire’s shoulders and moved a tendril of hair behind her ear. “His words don’t do you justice.”
Claire swatted his hand away and stepped back. She was quick to move around to the other side of the table and put some distance between them. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Dr. DeMarco had an innocent look on his face. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just trying to show my appreciation for hard work and its benefits.”
“This was a mistake,” Claire mumbled. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here.” She backpedaled towards the door with DeMarco slowly chasing after her.
He trapped her in the corner. There was nowhere to run. DeMarco leaned in. His hot breath whispered in Claire’s ear. “We could be great together.”
The words took Claire back to the night she was drugged. She remembered a man with short hair dancing closely with her. His hands gripped her hips as they swayed from side to side with the music. She could feel something digging into her backside. The man whispered, “We could be great together.”
Claire didn’t know if this was the same man or not. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there before something bad happened. She wedged both of her hands between DeMarco’s arm and the wall. She tried to push her way out until her shoulder slammed into his. Once free, Claire bolted for the door and never looked back. She hurried into her office expecting to find Sheila sitting there asking her a million questions, but she was gone. Claire grabbed her cell from her bag and stabbed the digits into the phone as she dialed Rebecca’s number. It went straight to voicemail.