Chip leaned on the counter, grinned, and shook his head. 'There you go again, Vicki, trying to promote me.' To me: 'I'm A.B.D.that's all but dissertation,' Vicki-but generous Ms. Bottomley here keeps trying to graduate me before I earn it.'
Vicki managed to work up another dirt-eating smile. 'Degree or not, what's the difference?'
'Well,' said Chip, 'it might make quite a difference to someone like Dr. Delaware here, who genuinely earned his.'
'I'm sure it does.'
He heard the acid in her voice and gave her a quizzical look. She got flustered and looked away.
He noticed the gift box. 'Vicki. Again?'
'It's just a little something.'
'That's very sweet of you, Vicki, but totally unnecessary.
'I wanted to, Dr. Jones.. She's such an angel.'
'That she is, Vicki.' He smiled. Another bunny?'
'Well, she likes them, Dr. Jones.'
'Mister, Vicki-if you insist on using a title, how about Herr Professor? It has a nice classical ring to it, wouldn't you agree, Dr. Delaware?'
Absolutely.'
He said, 'I'm prattling this place addles me. Thank you again, Vicki.
You're very sweet.'
Bottomley went scarlet.
Chip turned to me. 'Ready if you are, Doctor.'
We walked through the teak doors into the hustle of Five East. A child being wheeled somewhere was crying, a little boy hooked to an I.v and turbaned with bandages. Chip took it in, frowning but not talking.
As we approached the elevators he shook his head and said, 'Good old Vicki. What a shameless brown-noser. But she got kind of uppity with you back there, didn't she?'
'I'm not her favorite person.'
'Why?'
'I don't know.'
'Ever have any hassles with her before?'
'Nope. Never met her before.'
He shook his head. 'Well, I'm sorry for you, but she seems to be taking really good care of Cassie. And Cindy likes her. I think she reminds Cindy of her aunt-she had an aunt who raised her. Also a nurse, real tough egg.'
After we passed a gaggle of dazed-looking medical students, he said, 'It's probably territorial-Vicki's reaction to you. Some kind of turf battle, wouldn't you say?'
'Could be.'
'I notice a lot of that kind of thing around here. Possessiveness over patients. As if they're commodities.'
'Have you experienced that personally?'
'Oh, sure. Plus, our situation heightens the tension. People think that we're worth kissing up to, because
