Katie hurried down the back stairs from the eighth-floor bell tower of UNC-Hospitals where she had been on shift for a solid thirty-six hours. A short nap before dawn and three cups of black coffee had refreshed her from the grueling schedule of her final year of residency. She looked forward to her upcoming graduation and passage of her board exams so life could settle into a more reasonable schedule. Although she would still work hard, at least it would be more stable hours. She hoped to work alongside her father in the cancer clinic he directed as part of the women’s and children’s hospital.
Bursting through the exit door, Katie took a deep breath of the cool morning air as she came face to face with Courtney Gaston, a close colleague, who had mirrored her own medical school education and training .
“Hey, girl. Are you still on to work my early shift next Wednesday so I can make my first interview in Hillsborough.”
“Sure,” Katie replied, smiling at her friend. “But I’m relying on you to back me up when I get more interviews booked. Dad insisted I schedule more than one so I have a Plan B.”
“You know I will. I think we’re both ready to work a reasonable number of hours and join the rest of the human race. How can we meet anyone or even date with the hours we work.”
“I know, right?” Katie agreed as her friend rushed inside the hospital. She yearned to find someone to love and be loved by. Apparently her friend did as well.
A light breeze cooled her face as Katie stood outside the back entrance to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and watched her dad near the circle of flowers brightening the side lawn. He quickly went through his cool down routine after his brisk morning constitutional, and Katie wondered what the emergency was. He had called earlier and asked her to meet him this morning.
She didn’t have long to wait. As soon as she approached her father, he stopped stretching and faced her.
“You may have heard but Evan is being interviewed for the open spot in my department. The same one you’ll be interviewing for.” Dad turned away from Katie and nodded at a student weighed down by a huge backpack.
He didn’t meet her gaze as he continued speaking. “His name popped up a few weeks ago as a potential candidate but he officially turned in his packet early this week.”
They avoided the clusters of students who descended on the streets for a jolt of caffeine before their university classes began. Spring was well under way, but there was a slight chill to the air this early April morning. The sun felt warm as it rose higher in the light blue, sky that many in town called ‘Carolina Blue’. The scent of Starbucks coffee drifted from the building as the first shift nurses and office staff swished through the doors with wide open eyes as the night workers left to trudge toward the parking deck.
Katie felt the punch in her gut and trembled at the unexpected news. How could this happen. Although she would go to several interviews in the coming weeks, she only wanted the one job in her father’s department, the pediatric ward. It had been her dream all through medical school to work alongside her dad, although the idea had probably taken shape early in her teens. He ran a children’s clinic and saw mostly cancer patients as well as chairing a massive ongoing research project.
Dr. Jonathan Cook led her to a nearby bench on the far side of the doorways where more flowerbeds lined the seating space in a grassy square. He settled, long muscular legs stretched out in front of himself. He wore navy blue shorts and a light blue t-shirt along with his favorite Nike’s, worn around the heels, and didn’t seem affected by the sudden breeze that ruffled his curly gray hair. He was a quiet man who cared deeply about others but he took life very seriously.
Katie admired her father’s stamina. He walked or hiked every day and swore by it as a perpetual fountain of youth. He pushed Katie to achieve her goals regardless of any personal hurts she might be privately nursing. He ignored drama and pushed his emotions deep down in his gut while he worked tirelessly toward better treatments for his patients. Some would call him unfeeling, maybe even cold, but she suspected his distant manner helped him cope with his heartbreaking work. Katie felt his love in soft smiles, pats of encouragement when her mother’s sharp comments wounded her, and memories of a tender good night kiss offered to a sleeping child, no matter the late hour.
Mom, Tina Love Cook, a cheerleader during her nursing courses at Carolina, seemed to only care about social standing. She admitted with a careless laugh she attended nursing school to snag a husband at UNC, bragging that the male students far outnumbered the females in 1968. Katie felt her approval and love levied against her results in acquiring the right friends, and apparently now an acceptable husband.
Their dreams for her was one of the many areas where her parents differed. Dad pushed Katie to achieve in her education and career and mom cared more about society and who had what in small town Chapel Hill.
After Evan broke her heart and she broke their engagement in return, Dad encouraged her to forgive and forget. To move forward. He didn’t coddle her and refused to listen to any whining. He pushed her to achieve larger goals in her education. He had even remained friendly with Evan.
Of course, he didn’t know the entire story of the break-up. She had told her parents about the young woman Evan started seeing, but not about the incident at the hospital. She was still shocked Evan had been able to hide from his carelessness.
Her mother now tried to match her with any available bachelor. Dad stayed out of it mostly. Always burying himself in his research work, he could ignore what he called ‘women’s worries’.
“Dad, why didn’t you tell me this was a possibility?” Katie’s heart still beat like a bird’s wings in her stomach and she could barely get her words out. His quiet earnest words brought her back into the moment with a crash.
“I’ve been searching for a way to tell you and hoped your interview would be over before you even knew. Turns out he’s on the schedule just after your interview so you will see him.”
A startled blue jay darted above Katie’s head, squawking, as she dropped down beside her father on the bench. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Took a few more, trying to slow her breathing. How had her fate come to rest in a draw against the one man who could so easily sabotage her?
“Come now,” he offered, awkwardly patting her knee. “It’s not what you expected but you’re past all that unpleasantness with him. You’ll interview fine.”
“Yes,” she replied, wondering if it were true. And was he over it? Their relationship had ended badly. Would he be vindictive enough to play some dirty tricks? What would she do now? “But what if I don’t get the job at the clinic?”
“New opportunities come along all the time, Katie. You know that.” Her dad cleared his throat as he raised his head and turned to look her in the eye. “If it’s meant to be, you’ll get the spot. If not, you’ll deal with the disappointment like the adult you are.”
Katie knew better than to complain but thought once again about breaking her confidentiality agreement. Maybe it was time she came clean with Dad, but she knew he would disapprove of her behavior, possibly more than he would that of Evan. He liked and respected Evan and didn’t blame him near enough for her heartbreak or anything else. It was as if he couldn’t see past the easy professional relationship he and Evan shared, to acknowledge the devastation the man had caused his little girl. She tried to let it go once again but she still felt bitter toward Evan and maybe a little bit toward her dad too. She wished he could lighten up, see the gray between the black and white. His standards were almost impossible to live with and she was surprised he revealed this internal information he only knew because of his place in the department.
Her father never allowed emotion to cloud his decisions or affect his actions. He accepted whatever happened and didn’t often fight for anything, for himself or anyone else. He couldn’t help it. She knew that, but she didn’t know why. She often wondered why he was so passive.
“Ok, dad. Forewarned is forearmed, I suppose. I will avoid making a fool of myself.” At least she hoped she would.
“Evan would also be an asset to the department. Let’s not forget that.”
“Dad, why do you always do that? Can you just for once take my side and not try to take up for the other guy?” She felt raw from his defense of Evan. He was a fair man beyond all reason. Although he supported her and nurtured her, she was aggravated with his defense of Evan, who had hurt her so much personally as well as shaking her confidence in human nature.
He respected Evan’s work with kids and his recent research, but Katie was his daughter. She should come first, always. He did the same thing with Katie’s mother, always defending her. He explained away her frequent criticisms of Katie and smiled to take the sting out of hurtful comments.
“Sorry, sweetie. I’m not trying to defend anyone but I’m a peacemaker by nature. No need to fret over things we can’t control. But know that I’m always rooting for you. You have the knowledge, the desire for learning, and the integrity to be a fine doctor.”
Katie watched her father, whose strong chin lifted as his face took on that far-away look that she often wondered about.
“Where did you just go, Dad?”
He glanced down at the ground again as he stood, blinked, and then raised his head to meet her gaze. “Sorry honey. Just an old memory of a troubled time in my own life. We must take the high road sometimes, even if we know of an easier way to attain our goals.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, taking his hand to walk with him to the hospital entrance.
“Never mind, honey. Just know I’m here for you to help figure out your next step, wherever it takes you.”
She smiled as he hurried through the hospital door. He was a strong man of single minded determination, who believed in hard work above everything else. He was a patient man who followed the world of science and tried to discover its secrets.
Sign up for my newsletter to read the rest of the story for free.