Chapter 30 – Unexpected Encounter

Carlos slammed the door to Dan’s office.

“I need to talk to you—now.”

Dan didn’t look up from his charts. “Girlfriend dump you again?”

Carlos ignored the jab. “Listen. I know you’re interviewing tomorrow with Hartman at Riverside.”

Dan grinned. “Yup. Pretty excited. Hope I can finally start making the big bucks.”

Carlos leaned forward, jaw tight. “You don’t get it. Carlisle and Hartman are planning to use this lawsuit against Nomura as the excuse to rip the ULS contract from Memorial and hand it to Riverside.”

Dan furrowed his brow. “Isn’t that good for me? If they hire me, that’s job security.”

“Dan, they’re setting up Nomura as the scapegoat and playing Memorial for fools.”

Dan snapped his fingers. “That’s the way it goes.”

“And Haas is part of it.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how, but she’s the key.”

Dan stared at him, skeptical. “Why are you telling me this?”

Carlos hesitated, biting his lip before blurting: “Because I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

The candor caught Dan off guard. Carlos usually looked out only for himself. Why this sudden concern? Was he trying to spook him, maybe angle for the Riverside spot himself? Dan smirked to cover his unease. “Uh, thanks, Carlos. I’ll keep my eyes open.” He grabbed his coat and left Carlos standing there, unsaid words hanging in the air.

Riverside Hospital was a gleaming contrast to Memorial’s patchwork of old brick and new glass. “The Palace,” some called it, half in awe, half in mockery. Funded by wealthy donors, its foundation had created more endowed chairs than most teaching hospitals. Top physicians—many poached from Memorial—flourished here without the grind of residents.

Dan’s interview was everything he had dreamed. John Hartman, the legendary chief, greeted him in a tailored suit, blond hair barely touched by gray. His sentences were clipped, confident, direct.

“Dan, you’re the kind of pathologist we’re looking for.”

“Thank you, Dr. Hartman. I’ve always admired your group.”

“It’s John. We’ll be colleagues. We’ve interviewed good candidates, but you’re the one we want.”

Dan’s chest swelled. “I’d be honored.”

“Think it over this weekend. I’ll call Monday to discuss a contract. Full partnership after one year. And by July—” Hartman’s smile sharpened. “—there will be changes. Big ones. Changes that will surprise you, and I think, delight you.”

Carlos’ warning flashed in Dan’s mind. He forced a smile, shook Hartman’s hand, and finished the interviews with Hartman’s partners and lab manager. All glowing. No red flags.

Or so he thought.

Relaxing in the lobby afterward, coffee in hand, Dan jotted notes when familiar voices echoed down the hall.

“Come in. Perfect timing,” Hartman’s voice boomed.

Carlisle.

Dan froze, then slid on his Walkman headphones, bobbing to imaginary music while angling closer to the closed office door. The foam pads barely touched his ears—enough to catch the muffled words inside.

“…delivered.”

“Absolutely. We’ll agree to settle. Small loss.”

Delivered? Who delivered?

“I’ll call Irene to thank her. She’ll want an update.”

Haas.

Dan’s chest tightened. Carlos was right. Haas was in on it.

Footsteps neared. Dan ducked around the corner, feigning interest in a wall directory. Carlisle and Hartman emerged, laughing, striding past him like kings surveying their realm.

Just an hour earlier, Riverside was Dan’s top choice. Now it was poison. He would have nothing to do with them. Carlos had been telling the truth. Again.

Next Chapter: Chapter 31-Thin Walls