PART ONE

 

Another attending position. That’s all. What would make this one special? I’ve been at other hospitals. Why would this one be different? Harmony Morris thought to herself as she walked through O’Hare International Airport. She was beginning to have doubts about leaving Kenya to take a position at County General Hospital here in Chicago. She still wasn’t sure why they wanted her and why she had actually go to Chicago. Perhaps it was because she had missed her native United States. Perhaps they had wanted her because she was the best (Harmony severely doubted that). But whatever the reason, she was now in Chicago and was not able to go back. Some snotty Brit who thought they knew everything had probably already filled her place in Kenya. She sighed. She would have to give this County General place the benefit of the doubt.

 

“Harmony! Harmony Morris!”

 

Harmony turned to see her friend Selena McCormick. “Selena!” She ran to hug her friend. “God, it is good to see you!” Harmony had grown up in Tucson Arizona and Selena had been her best friend. They had gone their own separate ways after high school. Harmony had gone to New York and Selena had gone to Chicago.

 

“How was your flight?” Selena asked.

 

“Long, as trans-Atlantic flights always are. I have trouble sitting through them, and I can never sleep on then either. I sacked out in JFK for a couple hours. The flight from Copenhagen to NYC arrived at six in the morning and my next flight didn’t leave until ten in the morning, so I had a chance to catch a few Z’s,” Harmony explained.

 

“How was Kenya?”

 

“Oh, Selena! How can I start to explain it? It was so beautiful, so untamed. I loved working there. We even had a cheetah wander into our hospital one day. I wanted to keep him as a pet, but my boss wouldn’t let me.”

 

“Darn. You always wanted a big, wild cat for a pet.” The pair disembarked the escalator. “Baggage claim is this way,” Selena said in direction. “Do you need a ride to the house?”

 

“No, I still can’t move in for a few more days. I have reservations at the Hyatt,” Harmony said, as the conveyor belt on the baggage claim began to move.

 

“You could stay with me,” Selena offered.

 

“Thanks, but I’d be a burden, plus I will be coming and going at strange times. I better stay at the Hyatt.”

 

“Okay,” Selena said. “Just as long as you promise to give me a call when you move into your house.”

 

“Promise.” Harmony made and imaginary “X” over her heart.

 

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“Your room is 1313, Doctor Morris. Here are your keys.”

 

“Thank-you.” Harmony turned to leave.

 

“Oh, Doctor Morris, there were two messages left for you.” The desk clerk handed her to slips of paper.

 

“Thank-you again.” Harmony picked up her suitcase and found room 1313. When she had settled in the room, she glanced at the first message. It was from the Chief of Emergency Services at County General: Kerry Weaver.

 

Doctor Morris,

Please come to my office tomorrow at two o’clock. I would like to discuss your position and work hours. Please call me if this time is inconvenient of you have another commitment.

thank-you,

Kerry Weaver,

Chief of Emergency Services

County General Hospital.

 

The second was from and old friend, Mike O’Conner. Mike to lived in Tucson, and Selena, Harmony and him had spent most of their lives together.

 

Harmony,

Selena told me that you were in town! Give me a call and we can get together for lunch some time.

Mike.

 

Harmony smiled to herself and began her calls. She left a message at Doctor Weaver’s house and dialed Mike’s number.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Mike! It’s me, Harmony!”  

 

“Harmony! I take it you got my message.”

 

“Yup.”

 

“So, how long will you be in town?”

 

“Indefinitely. I got a job at County General Hospital.”

 

“Nice. So, what day can you do lunch?”

 

“Tomorrow would be best, before two. I have a meeting then.”

 

“You work fast.”

 

“Don’t I.”

 

“Tomorrow will be fine. I’ll give Selena a ring, and I’ll see you then,” Mike said.

 

“’K. Say hi to Katelyn for me.”

 

“I will,” Mike promised, hanging up.

 

Harmony smiled and decided to take a nap, as jet lag was finally taking over.  

 

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“Come in.”

 

Harmony entered Kerry’s office. Kerry studied her new attending. She was rather tall, about 5’8”, thin, and dressed in a gray pinstripe suit. She had mahogany colored hair and green eyes.

 

“Sit down,” Kerry said. She pointed to a man sitting next to her. “This is Robert Romano. The Chief of Staff here at County, as well as Head of Surgery.”

 

Harmony nodded. “Harmony Morris. Nice to meet you.” She extended a hand, which Romano shook.

 

“Robert, this is our new attending. She comes to us from Kenya.”

 

“What, did you screw off in under graduate school and have to go to a foreign college, like Malucci?”

 

“No. I was offered a prestigious scholarship from the University of Rome and took it,” Harmony said, a mixed look of offense and shock on her face. “Then the hospital in Kenya offered me a well paying job so I went there for my residency and the beginning of my attendance – if that’s what you call it.

 

“Oh,” Romano said sheepishly. There were few people who could embarrass Robert Romano.

 

Kerry smiled. “Now, work hours. We have twelve-hour shifts here at County. However, if you need it we can shorten them.”

 

“No, I worked sixteen-hours in Kenya.”

 

“Good. Would you like the eight to eight shift?”

 

“That will be fine,” Harmony said.  

 

Kerry nodded. She liked this young woman. “Now, you know what you do as an attending correct?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Great! When would you like to start?”

 

“Next week, on Monday.”

 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then,” Kerry said, very excited to see the young doctor at work.

 

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Harmony moved into her house on Friday. It was a lovely two-story house, painted a light blue with white shutters and flower boxes. There was even a balcony in the master bedroom. Harmony chose that room as her own.

 

True to her word, she called Selena up to tell her that she was moving in. Selena came over and together they unpacked Harmony’s things. For one person, Harmony had quite a few things. She had all sorts of artifacts from Kenya and Rome as well as things from other European countries she had visited on vacations. She also had a huge collection of books. Medical books, fiction, nonfiction, atlases, almanacs, and almost every other type of book imaginable. And knickknacks. Harmony was a hopeless pack rat, and refused to throw anything away. However, by the end of the day, everything had been unpacked a placed in a spot – probably only to be moved the next day. Now Harmony looked towards Monday with a mix of dread and anticipation.