Accident Prone

In-between those four appointments, she worked on her research paper. She is very happy with the progress. At this rate, by the end of the week, she will be ready to submit it for a peer review, which is a necessary step before she sends it to the respectable publishing magazines.

Liz was all giddy. Max sent her four text messages. Mostly sweet nothings, asking her what she is doing, if she is having a good day and telling her that he looks forward to seeing her after work.

Even without being by her side, Max can make her happy. Liz made sure to respond promptly, and she hoped that her messages put a smile on his face as well.

Liz wanted to ask him how his day is going, but then realized that she should not be too nosey and interrupt his work. She will ask him in the evening. The thought of Max and her talking about simple things like their day over dinner made her feel all warm and fuzzy.

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Liz was on time at Dr. Kaviraj"s office. As she suspected, Dr. Kaviraj has surgeries scheduled for Thursday, two of them. And she asked Liz if she is available and willing to a.s.sist her on both. Of course, Liz accepted. She will take whatever she can to get into that operating room.

Dr. Kaviraj appreciates Liz"s enthusiasm. She shared relevant information on two patients and their condition, so that Liz has the time to prepare.

There was one more point that Dr. Kaviraj brought up: "My friend, Dr. Thomas is a virologist. She is currently developing a cure for a new strand of virus which attacks the nervous system. She asked me if I know any good neurologist she can consult, and I thought of you."

Liz was trying to remember why that name sounds so familiar. A number of articles she read in different medical magazines popped into her mind. "Virologist, Dr. Thomas? Dr. Marisa Thomas?"

Dr. Kaviraj confirmed. "She is currently somewhere in South America and if you agree to a.s.sist her, it would happen online. There is no need for you to go in person so your job here will not be impacted."

Liz"s eyes sparkled. She never worked on anything like that. A virus which attacks the nervous system? And she gets to a.n.a.lyze it and help in finding a cure? She is in!

Dr. Kaviraj was happy to talk about Dr. Tomas. She told Liz how they met at some event more than a decade ago and since then, they are in touch. Dr. Kaviraj mentioned that she respects Dr. Thomas" professionalism and dedication to work.

Liz thought how Dr. Thomas an admirable person.

By the time they finished chatting, it was almost past lunch hours and the two of them headed to the cafeteria together.

…

Liz was busy with her roasted salmon when Dr. Kaviraj asked: "How come you are not having lunch with Dr. Snow? Did you two have a fight?"

Liz paused. How does Dr. Kaviraj know about the incident on Sat.u.r.day? Liz decided not to jump into conclusions and to clarify: "What makes you think that we had a fight?"

"Nurses are talking that he sent flowers as an apology to you. Lover"s quarrel?"

Liz frowned slightly. "What makes you think that we are lovers?"

Dr. Kaviraj was entertained by Liz"s innocence. How can she be so oblivious to her surrounding? But she thought that she should not meddle. "I"m sorry. It"s none of my business."

Liz was unable to hide her anxiousness. What lovers? From where did that come from?

"No, no, no… please explain. What makes you think that there is anything going on between Dr. Snow and me?"

Dr. Kaviraj reminded herself that as her mentor she should advise Liz about anything that could impact her career. In this case, she needs to make Liz aware what her coworkers are talking about behind her back.

Dr. Kaviraj was choosing her words: "You and Dr. Snow are having lunches together. Just the two of you. And acting very friendly. Everyone from the staff a.s.sumes that there is something going on between the two of you. And nurses are whispering that he sent you an extravagant bouquet with an apology and asking for another chance and you threw the flowers away. Considering his reputation and desirability among the younger staff, they think how you are playing hard to get and expecting a bigger proof of his sincerity in order to forgive him."

Liz felt that the whole cafeteria was spinning.

She shook her head in disbelief. How come she didn"t see it coming? It is true that she had lunches with Dr. Snow almost every day, just the two of them. But they had them in the cafeteria, not in private. Unfortunately, that only allowed others to see them together and to come to their own conclusions. Both of them are young and available and friendly to each other. It is not unexpected that people would a.s.sume how there is something going on.

Liz took a deep breath and scolded herself for being so naïve. Stupid. She came from New York to avoid drama caused by being her father"s daughter and plunged right into a drama of her own.

She glanced at the group of four people seated nearby and wondered, what are they thinking when they look at her? Do they see her as Dr. Williams, the neurosurgeon? Or do they see her as Dr. Williams, Dr. Snow"s lover? Do they think that she is trying to get ahead by a.s.sociating herself with the famous Dr. Snow?

"Elizabeth, are you OK?", Dr. Kaviraj"s concerned question pulled Liz out of her thoughts.

Liz sighed while rubbing her temples. "This is a horrible misunderstanding. We were just having lunches, nothing more. We had a group lunch on Sat.u.r.day, and he acted out of line and that is why he sent flowers… I have a boyfriend."

"You do?", Dr. Kaviraj"s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She knows Elizabeth as a career-focused woman who was never mentioned in the context of romance (other than this gossip which involves Dr. Snow). More than once they talked about private life, and the only man Liz ever mentioned is her father.

Dr. Kaviraj saw Liz and Dr. Snow having lunch more than once, and even though she didn"t hear what they were talking about, Dr. Kaviraj observed that Liz didn"t show any non-verbal signs that she is interested in the man. But she wanted to alert Liz about the rumors which are going around, so that she does not get pulled deeper into gossip unintentionally.

Liz thought how to explain to Dr. Kaviraj Max"s presence in her life and then she remembered: "You saw my boyfriend, in the riding club. He was the one who fell off the horse and I went with him into the ambulance van."

"Oh, so you fell for a patient?", Dr. Kaviraj teased.

"No. I knew him before that. We live in the same building.", Liz explained vaguely and then her mood dropped again. "Oh, G.o.d! Probably everyone thinks that there is something going on between Dr. Snow and me. And I was ignorant and fueled rumors every time I accepted his company without thinking what that could look like to onlookers. How can I clear this up?"

Dr. Kaviraj shrugged helplessly. She really likes Liz and decided to offer her advice: "Do you need to clarify anything? People close to you will know what the truth is, as for the others, if you try to deny it, you will only fan the flames. One way or the other, it"s just gossip. It will not affect your work unless you allow it to mess with your head. It will disappear in time, as long as you are aware of it and avoid ambiguous situations. But you might consider giving a heads up to your boyfriend, so that he does not misunderstand in case he hears about it."

Liz forced a smile. She knows that Dr. Kaviraj is right, but that does not make current situation any more pleasant.

Maybe she can talk to Dr. Snow and ask him to clarify their relationship as coworkers-only for everyone? Liz glanced around, hoping to spot him, and she realized that the cafeteria is almost empty. Of course, they came late for lunch. He was here probably on time and left before she arrived.

Liz wondered if she should look him up in his office. A second later, she dismissed the idea. Dr. Kaviraj is right when advising her to avoid ambiguous situations, and Liz looking for Dr. Snow in his office is as ambiguous as it gets, especially after those flowers in the morning.

Max"s words rang in her mind: "Don"t give him a chance to catch you without anyone else around."

She will not allow herself to end up by herself with Dr. Snow. Even if he is respectful and does not try anything funny, it will only stir-up these crazy gossips.

Liz frowned while thinking how if she heard about this gossip, Dr. Snow heard about it as well. After all, he is socializing much more with the coworkers than she is. Why didn"t he say anything to stop it? Is he enjoying when people a.s.sume that the two of them are romantically involved?

Liz thought about Max. Should she tell him about this gossip? She remembered how Max punched Dr. Snow because he held her hand and made her uncomfortable. What will Max do if he finds out about this?

Liz looked at her half-eaten portion of salmon and realized that she lost her appet.i.te.

She wants to go home, and snuggle next to Max, and all the problems will go away. But she still has patients in the afternoon and Max is at work. It seems that snuggles will need to wait until after work.

Liz remembered the "cell phone usage guidelines" to text Max (aka her handsome boyfriend) whenever she thinks about him. However, Dr. Kaviraj is right there and it"s embarra.s.sing. 

But she really missed him and the cuddles and the peace which comes with it. Liz got her phone and typed under the table a message to "My handsome boyfriend":

"I miss you. I look forward seeing you in the evening."

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