The Sperm Donor -- Part 2
Doctor Vivian Tyler, Brigham & Women's Hospital CEO, sat at a long, rectangular table at one end of the hospital's main conference room looking every bit as imposing as a linebacker on a world-class football team. She was a woman in her early fifties, with short brown hair flecked with gray, brown steely eyes, and a six-foot-tall frame. Despite the fact that she was big-boned, she was attractive and even sexy, equipped with twin towers of flesh discreetly ensconced within her DD-size bra. Seated at the table with her were Amalda Habermann, the Chief Medical Officer; Francesca Marino, the Chief Operating Officer; Juanita Alverez, the Chief Nursing Officer; and Nancy Griffin, the Chief Financial Officer. Together they represented the upper echelons of the hospital's hierarchy, and they were there today to adjudicate on the matter of Dr. Richard Hatfield's future as a practicing medical professional.
There were two other rectangular tables in the room positioned at right angles to the main table. On one side sat doctors LeClair, Ford, Swensen, and Shine, and a forlorn-looking Dr. Hatfield, otherwise known as "Dickey". On the other side sat Estelle Rubinstein and three of her friends, all of whom had been assaulted by Dickey the week before in his attempt to flee the hospital. One of them, Lily Davenport, a tall, pretty brunette, was still sporting a black eye from the altercation. She looked up periodically at Dickey, her eyes glaring behind the thick sunglasses meant to hide the black and blue marks around her left eye. She sat back in her chair, her hands crossed, her face a study in impatience.
"Can we get on with this?" she said to Vivian, her voice full of frustration. "We've been waiting now for over twenty minutes."
"Just hold on, Lily," Vivian replied, as she continued to read from a pile of papers in front of her.
Another long minute passed and then Vivian lifted her head up and removed her glasses. She placed them on the table and took a sip of coffee before turning to Dr. LeClair.
"I think we can dispense with titles since we all know each other," she began. "Is this all of it?"
"Yes," Dr. LeClair replied. "The whole nine yards."
Vivian frowned. "You know, Fallon..."
"I know what you're going to say, Vivian, but I'd like to mention that there is an alternative..."
"Hold on just a minute," Vivian said, raising her hand up. "Is everybody that impatient here today? We're here to decide Dickey's future. To some of you that may not seem important but it is to me. Now, may I proceed?"
"Of course," Fallon said. "I'm sorry for interrupting."
Vivian looked at Dickey. "You are aware of the charges brought against you?"
"Yes," he replied.
"And how do you plead?"
"Guilty," he replied, sighing heavily.
"Guilty," she repeated, shaking her head glumly. She looked at Sheila. "I see that the report states mitigating circumstances due to drunkenness. Is that correct?"
"That's correct. I was one of the first to encounter him in his inebriated state."
"And yet you went ahead and tried to obtain a sperm sample from him."
"Yes. The level of inebriation wasn't readily apparent to me. I just thought he had a few drinks."
"So he showed no untoward behavior?"
"He did say something risqué to our senior nurse on duty at the time but then again he's always making jokes like that. We didn't think anything of it."
"And I understand that he was not on duty last Friday. Correct?"
"Yes."
"I also understand that he spoke to you and your other colleagues in harsh and threatening language."
"That's true."
Vivian looked at Melody. "You and Dickey are good friends are you not?"
"We are," Melody replied.
"And what threatening language did he use on you?"
"You read it, Vivian."
"For the record."
Melody glanced at Dickey and then at the floor. "He threatened to crush my skull."
"He said the same thing to all of us," Vivian," Fallon said. "He was drunk."
"Drunk enough to strike you, Sheila, and several other hospital personnel."
"Yes."
Vivian sat up in her chair and sighed loudly. "This is most disturbing." She turned to Estelle, who was sitting closest to her, her all-black attire lending her a funereal appearance. "You state that you and your friends were accosted by Dickey--excuse me--Dr. Hatfield?"
"Indeed we were," Estelle replied haughtily. "And we were threatened as well."
"He bit me!" Grace DeCosta exclaimed. She was a short, pretty blonde with blue eyes and a long-time friend of Estelle's. She held up her right hand so that everyone could see the bite marks still plainly visible.
"And he pushed me onto the floor and walked all over me!" said Addison Field, a very pretty redhead who sat next to Grace. "My lower back was in so much pain that I had to have an MRI done."
"And what was the result of that test?" Amalda asked her.
"Nothing much. Just a pulled muscle. But I'm still in pain."
"The report states that it wasn't just you four who were assaulted. Who were the others?"
"Oh, I don't know," Grace replied gruffly. "Probably some nonentities who were too spineless to press charges."
"In any case it doesn't matter," Estelle said to Vivian. "We're the ones you have to contend with, not that mundane rabble."
"I hardly think women seeking to be artificially inseminated constitute a 'mundane rabble'," Francesca said to Estelle. "Just because they're not part of your elite circle..."
"They're rabble!" Estelle said. "You can tell just by looking at them. Young, addle-brained millennials who do nothing but text each other all day. They're all in love with him--with Dr. Hatfield--Dickey!"
"All right that's enough!" Vivian exclaimed. "We're not here to assess the merits, or lack thereof, of the younger generation." She turned to Juanita. "You said that you treated some of the attendees. Were there any serious injuries reported?"
"No," Juanita replied. "They were all superficial--a bite, a few bruises. Lily got a black eye."
"Yes, I did!" Lily exclaimed, removing her glasses to show the discoloration around her eye. "And it hurts like hell!"
Nancy chuckled. "Oh, come on, Lily. It couldn't hurt that bad."
"It does, Nancy," Lily replied. "I might have lost an eye!"
The Chief Financial Officer scoffed at the absurd suggestion. "Now you're exaggerating!"
"I am not exaggerating!"
"Okay! Okay!" Vivian said, irritated by the woman's irrational claims. "Let's move ahead, shall we?" She turned to Christiana. "We haven't heard from you. Do you have anything to add?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Christiana replied. "I was just waiting until we got all this preliminary stuff out of the way."
Vivian looked at her quizzically. "Preliminary stuff? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, I think it's obvious that Dr. Hatfield's medical career is over. He's committed several infractions, any one of which is enough to warrant revocation of his medical license--or at the very least a suspension."
"I don't want to hear any talk about suspension," Estelle said hotly. "Only a revocation of his license is going to satisfy me and my friends."
"Damn right," Lily said.
"Absolutely!" Grace added without hesitation.
Addison drew her index finger quickly across her throat while smiling evilly at Dickey. "Bye! Bye!" she croaked.
Dickey gave her a disgusted look and turned his head away. On Christiana's advice he had kept his mouth shut in deference to some wild plan of hers to help save his career. He had agreed to let her take the reins but it was killing him not to speak out in his own defense. And now, as she was about to make her intentions known to everyone, he knew that if she was successful, there would be a heavy price for him to pay.
"What's your point, Christiana?" Vivian asked.
"There is no question as to Dr. Hatfield's guilt. He has admitted as much. However, in an effort to save this man's career, I would like to make a deal with you."
"With me?" Vivian asked with surprise.
"With all of you."
"All of us?" Estelle sneered. "You must be joking!"
"She's not joking," Sheila said with a stolid expression.
Addison laughed out loud. "There aren't going to be any deals, Christiana! This is not some back-alley hookup where you can negotiate for better terms. This is a god-damn hospital and the four of us are its primary donors. You finagle things in his favor and we'll shut you off completely."
Vivian, annoyed at the woman's outburst, slammed her hand down on the table. "Damn it, Addison! We might be members of the Sisterhood but that doesn't give you the right to shoot off your mouth and make threats. Now let Christiana speak!"
"Wait a minute!" Dickey said to Vivian, suddenly. "What did you just say?"
"You heard what I said."
"You said something about a...a Sisterhood. What is that?"
"It seems you let the cat out of the bag, Vivian," Francesca said.
Vivian gave Addison a menacing look. "I lost my temper thanks to you!"
"It doesn't matter," Christiana said to Vivian. "He was going to find out about us anyway so you might as well do the honors."
"This is highly irregular," Vivian replied dourly. "Is this part of your deal?"
"Yes."
"I see. All right. I'll play along--for the moment." She looked at Dickey. "You've heard of Goldman Sachs, Exxon, Disney, I'm sure."
"Of course," he replied.
"And what do they have in common?"
"They're all multinational corporations."
"And?"
"I don't know. They make billions of dollars."
"And they are all headed by women."
"I didn't know that."
"Now you do. But these are not ordinary women. They are all members of a worldwide feminist organization known as the Sisterhood. We have chapters in every country and our members occupy some of the highest positions in both the public and private sector. Every woman you see in this room is a Sister."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone."
He looked around the room until his eyes settled on Melody. "Is that true?"
