Doctor Pine

After telling the house staff every detail and answering all their questions, Veronica decided to make a phone call. The interrogation of her staff had got her excited, and she wanted to chat to a friend about it now.

She called her friend's phone but was unable to reach her. Thinking that she might have been in surgery or with a patient, she called her office to leave a message.

"You've reached Dr. Pine. I'm currently unable to take your call, so please leave a message after the beep."

"Dr. Pine, you'd better be saving some's life right now because I really want to talk to you. Don't worry, it's good news," said Veronica excitedly down the phone.

"On second thought, we haven't met up in a while, how about dinner at my place some time? Then we can have a real catch up.

"Anyway, call me back and we can organize something. Talk to you soon, bye!"

...

In her office, Dr. Pine was chuckled through her tears as she listened to her good friend's message while sitting against her office wall.

"She disappears for months and then says 'let's have a real catch up'?" she mumbled jokingly to herself. "The nerve of some people..."

As her jovial mood died down, a somber expression returned to her face.

"I should put Little Bart's files away now; we won't be needing them again."

She stood up sorted the files on her desk, then put a large portion of them into a filing cabinet in the corner of the office.

"I must remember to call Ver back. I could do with a friend and hearing about some good news."

Working in a hospital was hard work. It could be incredibly rewarding, but days like that day could make one want to throw in the towel.

A young boy had bravely jumped into oncoming traffic to save a little girl from an out of control truck.

By the time he'd reached the hospital, it had been too late. Despite their best efforts, there was nothing they could do. How unfair.

"I wouldn't be human if something as tragic as this didn't get to me.

"Besides, being human includes ups as well as downs. I've got to look forward and enjoy the good things life has to offer. My, I'm really looking forward to seeing Ver again. Her childish giddiness when she's excited about something is very uplifting."

...

Carefully closing the door, Anna walked out of Roland's office with a relieved expression on her face.

'I told him what he needed to know, and he didn't get mad about it, even though I accused his childhood friend of all that.

'Even though it sounds ridiculous, it seems he believed me.'

In a cheerful mood, Anna quickly collected her belongings and left for the day.

In his office, Roland was sitting at his desk with a tense look on his face.

He thought about what had just happened and couldn't help but mutter, "Well, sh*t..."