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The Chicago wind was not something she was used to taking into consideration when getting ready yet, thus all efforts to look prepossessing with her hair down and fashionably styled for her first day at work turned out to be in vain. Sighing while she got out of her new car. Ava reached back inside to fetch a random hair tie from the compartment between the front seats. She kept hair ties everywhere - that was the price you paid for having long hair and having to look put together for patients, but also keep your hair tucked away during surgeries. She hurriedly closed the car door while using the other hand to secure the loose strands of her hair. She would not be late for her first day of a new job. She was well aware that first impressions were determining factors for how she would be perceived going forward.
The unpredictable wind constantly gushing was not the only aspect of moving abroad that took her by surprise. Mainly, she had not anticipated feeling this out of place. She spoke the language and was familiar with the culture - one could think there wasn’t much more to it. Yet her accent raised many questions as she settled down and completed her move. She hadn’t been used to explaining herself to anyone, and here, her presence seemed to be a constant surprise. If she were made to have one more conversation about why and from where she came here, she was sure she would lose it. Not that she minded people being friendly and hospitable - she just despised repeating herself. That is what you get for accepting a job on a different continent , she thought. Instead of complaining about it, she decided that she would relish in her individuality and believed that it could help her stand out and make a stronger first impression. All in all, Ava was confused and a little lost, but she was slowly getting used to a different place. She could not wait to jump right into the hectic lifestyle of a surgeon, which would surely provide her with the much-needed feeling of familiarity.
She strode into the impressively modern building of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, which would soon become a second home to her. Her experience as a student doctor had already taught her that. She could only hope that her coworkers would be welcoming and unprejudiced. After all, she was a young white woman from Africa. Sometimes, she found herself wishing there was something more interesting to her than that, but she found that contending to become a surgeon was coupled with a boring personal life (or lack thereof).
When she was offered a spot as a CT fellow, she was quick to accept. She had been dreaming of this opportunity for years. Nothing was keeping her in South Africa anymore - her parents had died a couple of years back, though she wasn’t very close to them anyway. Medical school had also taught her that in order to succeed in a field as challenging as cardiothoracic surgery, she would have to give up a lot. That included any serious relationships with anyone - her friends were merely colleagues or classmates, and her many brothers had their own lives and had started their own families, which kept them plenty occupied. Growing up as the only daughter in a big family made it clear to her that to be noticed and appreciated, she would have to be a little different from her siblings. Was that what drove her to pursue such a respectable job? She couldn’t tell. It might have been one of the contributing factors for it let alone picking one of the most challenging medical careers. She liked to think that the field of study chose her, not the other way around. She knew she was fit for surgery, as controlling a situation always brought her comfort. Meticulous tasks that required the utmost focus to be performed well appealed to her. In surgery, she was the only one in charge and responsible for the outcome. For some, it would seem like a burden, but not for Ava. What kept her motivated throughout med school though was how rewarding it was. She had never felt as prized and respected as when she was coming out of a surgery that had gone well to tell someone’s loved one that it was all going to be okay. People cried and hugged her, and the relief on their faces was unmatched and gratifying. So while people assumed that surgery was all harsh lights and strict rules, what came afterwards was solace, love, and warmth. It was the natural order of things that she found both of those aspects appealing. Ava also appreciated how her skills were all that she was judged for, and she wasn’t one to be coy - she was already exemplary at her job, and on her way to becoming even better. People glanced down upon women aware of their talents, but humility was useless in a male-dominated field like this one. She came to find out very early in her career that there was no one more sure of themselves than a less-than-average male surgeon. Ava knew she could be charming and likeable easily, yet she often chose to speak her mind and not hold back, as she couldn't care less if people liked her personally. She strove to maintain a professional persona and not to get involved emotionally with anyone. Anything that could hinder her ability to think clearly and do her job was an unwelcome distraction. She didn’t come to Chicago for anything apart from the exceptional American surgeons and the knowledge and expertise they could share with her. She had always entertained the possibility of moving away to further pursue her dream and work with the world’s best surgeons. Thus, she had never settled down and was always on the move, seeking new opportunities, and new challenges. Ava was well aware that she couldn’t afford to slip if she wanted to become one of the greatest. And she was on her way to doing that, her progress was noticeable and rewarded, and her dream was closer to becoming a reality with each passing day. Suffice it to say, she had her eyes on the prize and wasn’t one to falter or hesitate to grab what she deserved and worked so hard for.
She had already met her supervisors the day before and had been shown around the hospital by a kind member of the administrative staff. Everything was going smoothly - she changed into her scrubs in a designated area, admiring how much nicer they were than the ones she had worn in Cape Town. She was comfortable, looked and felt great, knew her way around, and everyone at the hospital had been nothing but helpful and generous so far - she was elated to get to work. She had only yet to meet the other CT fellow with whom she was supposed to work closely under the supervision of the well-respected Doctor Latham. The latter was quite a mystery to her, as he had personally chosen her for this position, but was later made to take on another fellow. She could not help but wonder why. Having thought that she headed to meet the mysterious second choice.
While she waited, she struck up a conversation with a nurse who filled her in on all the gossip (nurses knew everything - it was both terrifying and amazing). She came to find out that her co-fellow was someone that the nurse held in the highest regard. He was most curious about her, as he was supposedly only involved in CT surgery due to some complicated circumstance. He had to be some prodigy to rebrand from trauma surgery to CT so seamlessly, she thought. Tough luck. A competition was not undesirable; she found it could be particularly motivating at times.
“Doctor Rhodes, meet Doctor Bekker,” the familiar voice of Doctor Latham made her turn back from the nurse she had been talking to. Two men approached her - he came to greet her with their aforementioned attending, as her co-fellow had already been working at this hospital for some time. The two men could not be any more different, yet they radiated the same energy. They looked well-acquainted with each other, and both appeared quite serious. Doctor Rhodes was shorter than their attending, yet more muscular. He looked a couple of years older than her, but she could not precisely tell his age. He was still wearing his outside clothes? Or already?
Most noticeably, though, he was attractive in the most conventional way imaginable, which gave her all the information she needed - she had worked with men like him before. If he was good at his job, like the nurse had told her, and this handsome, she could not imagine the size of his ego. That is not to say that she didn’t enjoy the fact - eye candy was always welcome, in any quantity. It was also startlingly easy to wrap such men around her fingers if she stroked their ego, even just a little. All that to say , Ava was looking forward to their partnership.
“Ava,” she introduced herself as they shook hands. Doctor Rhodes barely looked her in the eye, clearly a sign of indifference.
“Connor,” he said in a way that put her off instantly. What did it matter that he was cute if he was straight-up mean? His face expressed scepticism and a weariness she hadn’t expected. What was his issue? They would start to work closely together soon and continue that way for some time, surely he must care?
“I’m sure you two will enjoy working together. I will leave you two to get acquainted,” added Doctor Latham, which, given her internal monologue, was highly amusing. Doctor Rhodes did, in fact, not look like he was looking forward to working with anyone, especially her, especially at this very moment.
“He’s very odd. Asperger’s?” Ava commented humorously, looking back at Connor. He didn’t seem to find their attending’s nor her words amusing at all. Pity that. Of course, he’s uptight and no fun what else had she expected?
“Doctor Latham is a great surgeon, teacher, and friend,” he said instead of answering her question directly, without a hint of emotion in his voice. So, yes. A poor attempt to strike up a conversation on her part… He plainly looked done with her. Or maybe this day in general. The latter could explain or even excuse (if she was feeling generous) his behaviour.
“Oh,” she replied sarcastically, “Loyal. That’s sweet,” Ava was enjoying herself while Connor awkwardly stood there, looking more and more agitated. Which, obviously, only brought her more joy.
“You know what, Doctor Bekker, I’m not sure we will enjoy working together,” he remarked, simultaneously walking away. At least he didn’t mind being blunt and clearly expressing his feelings, which Ava appreciated. His words didn’t mean anything to her whatsoever, though. In any case, now she had a goal - figure him out.
Let the fun begin.
Their first day together was filled with competitiveness but lacked the fun she had anticipated in the morning. Instead, she came to find out that Connor had many loyal friends in all departments who backed him up and fully trusted his judgment. She had no one to back her up, thus all courses of treatment for everyone were decided in his favour. If that weren’t enough, he dismissed her and never considered her opinions. The treatment option he suggested winded up working just fine, yet she came to understand that he enjoyed taking unnecessary risks, and her opinion wasn’t of any value to him as long as he was taking the lead in a surgery. He was sure of himself and downright cocky, but also, most importantly, extremely lucky (she resented that the most). She was yet to understand whether he was taking all these risks to show off, genuinely in the best interest of the patient’s life quality post-op or, perhaps, to simply undermine her.
To say she was surprised when she found out he had a crazy girlfriend he took care of would be an understatement. He didn’t seem to mind that aggravating resident unceremoniously flirting with him in the OR. Yet still, he was involved with a sickly doctor, involved enough that it clouded his better judgment when he stated his wish to assist with her surgery. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him in that moment - she understood what it was like to need to be in control of a situation like that. If she had been in his position, she would have possibly acted the same way because trusting others to perform surgery on a loved one is a leap of faith. Owing particularly to the fact that she was meant to assist and they had done nothing but quarrelled all day long. The surgery went well, and Connor’s girlfriend was on her way to recovery. Soon, she would stop having her episodes, and with that, Ava’s compassion for her colleague would end, too.
At the end of the day, when she was ready to head off, she could not help but strike up a conversation with Connor about that day’s events. More like, she talked at him, about all the information she had gathered and deemed interesting.
“So, I think we can call today a draw,” she noted, putting away her patients’ files.
“Didn’t realize we were in a competition,” he observed, even though they both knew they were, and everything they did in their fellowship would decide about their future, about job offers and so on.
“Oh, come on,” she half-joked, “You know, you’re quite the gossip magnet,” she added when he was growing more exasperated while his body language let her know that he wasn’t interested in talking to her. “Your mother committed suicide, you drove your girlfriend crazy, and you murdered your attending, Doctor Downey.”
“Well, then, you had better watch yourself, then, hadn’t you?” Connor finally looked up at her from his paperwork, to which she unabashedly grinned. She decided against hiding how intrigued she was by him at this point.
“I like dangerous men,” Ava announced, walking away, feeling a little too confident and proud of their interaction, and could only hope that Connor would soon show a hint of interest in her, too.
Ava had not expected her first day to go this way - she had wrongfully assumed she would be the centre of attention, but Connor’s crazy girlfriend ended up upstaging her (thank you, Robin). She found the atmosphere on the CT floor most professional and a little cold - everything was ordinary and rigorous, just the way she liked it. Everyone accepted her presence and simply went on with their jobs and lives. Just the way she liked.
Or did she? Perhaps she had hoped for a change, for a little invasion and care. Maybe she had wanted to make friends and fully embrace the change. She felt as if she had come across as pretentious and uncooperative when she had only tried to have the patients’ best interests in mind. Doctor Rhodes being difficult certainly did not help - he made her seem less competent than she was with his precarious proposals. Everyone seemed to be against her - Doctor Latham siding with Connor to do the TAVR only ratified that. Had Connor only acted that way because of the stress related to his girlfriend being hospitalised? Was that his way of lashing out? It didn’t matter, as she had been in the right all along with her idea of open-heart surgery. He, on the other hand, was accurate during the surgery… Their rivalry was borderline dangerous, as lives were at stake, and she hoped they would learn to work well together in the future for the sake of their careers and patient s . She wouldn’t mind it if only he hadn’t been downright jumping down her throat all day for no reason. Disagreements were not uncommon between doctors, so there was no excuse other than his stubborn disposition for the way he handled them. For now, Ava could only wish that they would become friendlier and was eager to see how their partnership would further develop, as she reckoned it could only get better from here.