Chapter 8

It was two days later and Carol was in the operating room with Dr. Ames.

She always felt uncomfortable whenever she was required to work with Dr. Ames, but she was determined to bear up under the stress as best she could.

It was just a routine appendicitis operation, but she still was happy to see it moving toward its close.

The operation was completed.

"Well, another success," Wayne Ames smiled, removing his rubber surgical gloves. "I'm racking up all kinds of victories."

"Isn't it rather strange to be calling an operation a victory?" one of the assisting nurses smiled.

"Not at all, Kay," he grinned. "When the patient is in good shape afterwards, it's a victory."

Now that the operation had been completed, Carol was ready to leave the operating room.

She was hoping that she could get away from Wayne Ames before he was able to talk to her.

Now he was flirting with Kay. She knew that Kay liked Wayne Ames very much, and they had gone out several times together. So with Kay talking to Wayne, she felt that the coast was clear to leave.

She walked softly towards the door.

"Hang on a second, Carol," Wayne Ames said, "I'd like to talk to you."

She stopped, turning around and looking at him.

"About what?"

"Personal matter. Just a second."

Kay now had a disappointed look on her face. She didn't like the idea of Wayne wanting to talk to Carol.

"Thanks for your help, honey," Wayne said, patting Kay affectionately on top of the head. "You're a real good nurse. I'll be seeing you. I've got to talk to Carol now, so if you'll excuse me."

"Sure," she nodded slowly, obviously disappointed over the turn of events.

Carol watched Kay leave the room. She was a little disgusted with Kay. She didn't think that a girl who appeared to be as nice as Kay should be going with somebody like Dr. Ames, a man she considered to be a total ego maniac.

"What is it you want to talk to me about?" Carol asked.

"Hang on. We'll discuss it in the cafeteria over coffee."

"I would appreciate it if you could tell me now. I'm very busy this afternoon."

"Look, I'm sick of your impertinence," he snapped. "I am a doctor, and that means that I rank over you in this hospital. Don't you forget it. In other words, when I ask you for surgical instruments, you hand them to me. When I want to talk to you, you talk to me."

"It doesn't mean that I'm going to have to cater to your every social whim," she fought back. "I don't like your attitude."

"Well isn't that just too damned bad," he shook his head in disgust. "You can hang on for just a bit, because I want to talk to you. Now, hold on."

He sighed disgustedly, knowing that she would have to tolerate him.

As she waited for him to remove his surgical clothing, she became all the more nervous and anxious about things. She couldn't understand what was on his mind. If he had just been throwing another pass at her, certainly she could have easily dispensed with things quickly. She felt that in that event he would have talked to her briefly in the operating room, after which she could have gotten away from him.

She sensed that something different was going on, and she didn't like the sound of it. Judging from his cockiness, he apparently had determined that he could get away with talking to her in such a manner.

Now he had on a white shirt and a tie, and was grinning broadly.

"O.K., we can go now," he said. "Sorry I got a little angry, but after all, you did bring it on."

"How did I do that?"

"By trying to rush me. By telling me that I'd better damned well tell you whatever it was that I had on my chest, and do it fast."

"You are about the cockiest character I've ever run into."

"I've got plenty of confidence, if that's what you mean. If you associate that with cockiness, then so be it."

"Your attitude is very bad."

"No, you've got things backwards. You're the one that needs a little changing in the attitude department."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Now let's have a little coffee."

As they left the operating room and walked down the hall, she exclaimed:

"That's what you want to talk to me about?"

"What?"

"My attitude."

"Yes, that's one of the things I want to talk to you about."

"You certainly are being mysterious about things."

"I decided that it would be a good idea to give you some of your own medicine for once."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do," he replied. "I'm giving you some of that mysterious medicine you've handed me. You've always liked to use devious language. Like I said, you're like one of these Watergate defendants."

"I don't like being associated with one of those crooks in Washington," Carol snapped.

"Look, I'm not saying you're crooked. I don't think you're crooked at all, baby, because if you were I wouldn't dig you so much. It's just that you've got a very devious way about you. In that sense, you're like a crook. Crooks have to be devious, but you don't. You've got nothing to hide. Remember what President Roosevelt said. We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

"I don't think that's particularly applicable for now."

"It's a statement that's always applicable."

"I mean it's not applicable as far as our relationship is concerned."

"Like hell it isn't. It suits you to a tee."

"I don't think it does."

"Sure it does. You're so uptight you don't know whether you're coming or going."

"That isn't so."

"Sure it is. You practically ran away from me this afternoon."

"I'm sorry about that."

"That's o.k. Now let's step in here and have some coffee."

She could sense that there was something in the way of a bombshell that he was about to drop on her. It made her feel queasy to even think about it.

They sat down and began to sip the coffee. She found that her heart was pounding rapidly as she attempted to anticipate what he was going to discuss with her.

Finally he decided to resume conversation after a long pause.

"O.K., honey, now I'm going to level with you," he said, leaning forward. "I dig you, quite a bit. I see no reason why you shouldn't dig me. So how about us going out tonight? I'll pick you up over at your apartment about seven o'clock. We'll eat at a nice steakhouse just a few blocks away. I bet you've never even eaten there before. Then after that we'll take in a movie. There's a new adventure film that I've just been dying to see, and I think you'll enjoy it too."

"I can't make it, Wayne," she said firmly. "Bullshit. You're going to make it."

"I'll listen to no more of these insults." She began to get up from the table.