All Chapters of The Specialist He Never Expected : Chapter 11 - Chapter 16

At nine fifteen, three people have disagreed with me, two have changed their positions, and one has asked for another ten minutes to reconsider an offer I already know he intends to accept.I give him five.Richard Hale, chief negotiator for Northstar Medical Systems, sits across the conference table, his hands folded over a thick pile of documents. He is in his late fifties, silver-haired, wearing an expensive watch and exuding the confidence of a man who has spent most of his career being told that his experience makes him indispensable.It doesn't.“The new terms are fair,” he says. “But my board will want assurances about the transition period.”“Your board has your amended terms. The transition period is eighteen months. You keep operational control for the first six, and then our integration committee takes over.”“And if it takes longer to integrate?”“Then we’ll talk about why it’s taking longer. We are not going to negotiate against a theoretical problem before we have an act

The call from the hospital comes in at 6:40 P.M., right as I am finishing up the review of the acquisition forecast.Adrian sits across the desk from me, waiting for my approval on something else. I hold up one finger to him and take the call.“Mr. Blackwood? This is cardiology. We are calling in connection with your ongoing assessment. Dr. Harris would like to talk to you about the latest information. Could you come tomorrow morning?”I look down at my calendar. “Can we do this over the phone?”“I'm afraid Dr. Harris would rather speak to you in person.”“Is it an emergency?”“He'd be better placed to explain the findings himself, sir.” A brief pause. “Nine thirty, if you are free.”I don't like that answer. It provides me with just enough information to dream up a few possibilities and not enough to judge any of them.I check the calendar again. We can postpone the meeting with Northstar's legal team. Adrian can push back his internal review for another hour.“Nine thirty is good.”

I’m just finishing reviewing a patient’s echocardiogram when the emergency call comes in at 2:17 p.m.A nurse appears in the doorway, looking focused.“Dr. Carter, we have a patient coming in from the emergency department. Female, 46 years old. Acute chest pain, shortness of breath, abnormal first ECG. They’re asking for cardiology.”I close the report.“Have they stabilised her?”“She’s conscious. They’re monitoring her, but the pain still hasn't lessened.”“Get the latest observations and ECG,” I say. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”Before she has even finished talking, I’m already going.The corridor is crowded. The lift takes too long. I run down the stairs, my shoes hitting each step. The patient is already in the emergency department when I arrive.She is pale under the fluorescent lights, one hand pressed to her chest. A nurse reads her notes from the trolley while a second is hooking up the monitors.“I’m Dr. Carter,” I say as I head towards the patient. “Will you please tell me y