RJ Nolan - L.A. Metro

Dr. Roberts shot Dr. Kapoor a dirty look.

The door opened to admit Philip. He walked over to stand by Kim's chair. "Sorry for the delay. Come on, I'll show you around the rest of the hospital."

* * *

Philip stopped as they once again reached the elevators. They had covered the departments that interacted with psych except of the ER. "We'll stop by the Chief of Staff's office next. I do feel I should warn you. Dr. Rodman can sometimes be arrogant and condescending, but he is a great surgeon and we just try to ignore the rest. You won't have any day-to-day interaction with him, but he does like to meet all new staff. After that we'll head to the ER."

The secretary in the outer office greeted them and directed them into the inner office. "Dr. Rodman will see you now."

Kim stepped into the office after Philip and got her first look at the Chief of Staff. Even sitting behind the desk Kim could see he was short. He had a slim build with thin, mousy brown hair that was combed over in an apparent attempt to hide a wide bald spot. When he rose from his chair and stepped out from behind the desk, he was even shorter than Kim imagined.

Philip made the introductions. Kim's eyes narrowed as Dr. Rodman's eyes traveled slowly up her body and lingered on her breasts before finally meeting her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Donovan. Be sure and let me know if there is anything, anything at all, I can do for you." His eyes remained on her breasts as he spoke. "My door is always open for you."

Kim gave him a disgusted look. "I'm sure that won't be necessary."

"We won't take anymore of your time, Dr. Rodman. Thank you for seeing us." Philip quickly led them out of the room.

Neither spoke as they made their way back to the elevator.

Philip finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "I'm really sorry you were subjected to that, Kim."

"How does he get away with that kind of behavior in this day and age?" Kim asked.

Philip grimaced. "I'm not defending his boorish manners, but I will say he is a very gifted surgeon. Honestly, I've never seen him act that badly before, arrogant yes, but nothing like he pulled today. Then again, I'm sure having your brother on the hospital board of trustees tends to make you think you're bulletproof. And so far, that's been the case."

Kim shook her head. It wasn't the first time she had run into that type of behavior and it surely wouldn't be the last.

"Thankfully, there is no reason for you to have any further contact with him. You'll be happy to know that he stays clear of the psych floor," Philip said with a chuckle. "Anyway, enough about him, let's head for the ER. As I discussed with you when you interviewed, I would like you to act as liaison between the ER and psych. We've had some problems with staff conflicts down there."

Kim immediately thought of Dr. Roberts. I can see why if his attitude in the norm among psych personnel. She couldn't help wondering if he just had a problem with women in positions of power. Kim pushed aside the useless speculation. She would find out soon enough.

"If she's not busy, I'd really like to introduce you to Dr. McKenna," Philip said. "The two of you will be working together quite a bit. She runs the ER with an iron fist. That said, she's very compassionate with her patients and a great physician. It just takes a little getting used to her very reserved demeanor. It can be a little off-putting."

Wondering just what she had gotten herself into, Kim followed Philip into the elevator.

* * *

The ER waiting room as usual was bedlam. There were a multitude of patients waiting in chairs. The admitting desk in the corner had patients lined up waiting their turn to be checked in.

Philip bypassed the admitting desk and pushed through the double doors that led into the ER proper. Medical personnel flowed in and around a large circular nurses' station. There was constant traffic up and down the hall leading to the trauma rooms. For all the chaos there was also the unmistakable sense of the underlying order of a well-run ER. Kim followed Philip as he approached the nurses' station. A woman in her late twenties, slightly overweight with short, stylishly cut red hair and pretty, green eyes was manning the desk.

"Penny, is Dr. McKenna available?" Philip asked.

"Hi, Dr. Alerman. Last time I saw her she was in the staff lounge."

"Thanks, Penny. Ah, before I forget. This is Dr. Donovan. She's our new staff psychiatrist. Give her a hand if she needs anything, okay?"

"Sure, Dr. Alerman." Penny nodded at Kim and smiled. "Dr. Donovan."

"Hello, Penny," Kim said.

Philip motioned for Kim to follow him. He filled her in on the desk clerk as they made their way down the hall. "Penny is the most experienced clerk in the ER. She's got contacts in every department in the hospital. Plus she's a miracle worker when it comes to wading through paperwork."

When they reached the door marked Staff Lounge, Philip pushed the door open and motioned Kim in ahead of him. A woman sat working at a table covered in charts. Her head was down and her black hair slightly obscured her face. Kim admired the broad shoulders and muscled biceps showing past the arms of her scrub shirt. When the woman looked up Kim couldn't help but stare. If this was Jess McKenna, Trent hadn't exaggerated. The woman was indeed absolutely gorgeous.

"Dr. Alerman, can I help you?" the woman asked.

"I came down to introduce you to the new psych liaison I spoke to you about, Dr. Kim Donovan. I know we've had some problems between our departments. With Dr. Donovan's help, I hope to improve relations with the ER." Philip turned to Kim. "Kim, this is the Chairman of the ER, Dr. Jess McKenna."

As Dr. McKenna stood, Kim allowed her gaze to briefly glide over the doctor's tall body before meeting her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Donovan." Dr. McKenna's voice was low and husky.

Before Kim could respond, her gaze locked with the most incredible blue eyes she had ever seen. They were breathtaking. As she watched, they turned the most amazing shade of bluish silver. Hearing Philip clear his throat, Kim tore away from those striking eyes and struggled to find her voice.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. McKenna," she said, finally noticing the woman was holding her hand out.

Kim's hand was clasped in a firm handshake. She made eye contact with Dr. McKenna again, seeing something flicker in those engaging blue eyes before they turned almost silver and expressionless.

"Well, Kim, I need to head back to psych," Philip said. "Once you're done here, come back to the floor and I'll finish up your orientation. For now, I'll leave you in Dr. McKenna's capable hands."

Kim mentally shook herself, trying to regain her composure. She had been thrown a bit off balance by her strong reaction to the ER chief. She turned her attention back to her boss. "Thanks, Philip. I'll meet you back on the psych floor."

"See you later," Philip said as he turned to walk toward the door. He stopped just before stepping out. "Take good care of her, Dr. McKenna. We don't want to scare her off right away."

Dr. McKenna nodded without comment. As the door closed behind Philip, Dr. McKenna turned to Kim. "If you'll follow me, I'll give you a basic overview of the ER layout, and familiarize you with our procedures."

Dr. McKenna walked toward the door without waiting for a response.

Kim was taken aback by the woman's demeanor. She had expected a bit of a welcome or at least some attempt to connect with a new colleague. Philip did warn you. Kim hurried after her.

They had only taken a few steps out of the lounge when someone called out to Dr. McKenna. Kim turned to see a young Asian woman rushing down the hall toward them.

Kim glanced at the woman's ID badge as she skidded to a halt. This must be one of Dr. McKenna's residents.