**This story is based on real life events. Names have been changed.**
When I turned 18, I begged my parents to let me get a job. I still lived at home, I was eager to grow up, and I wanted money. After some time of negotiations, my father and mother relented and let me find employment for the summer.
I searched for awhile, but I found nothing that excited me. My father said he would try some of his contacts and see what he could come up with. The result was a receptionist job with a doctor friend of his named Dr. Bather. Dr. Bather was an old friend of my fathers and I had met him a few times at various gatherings. Each time we had exchanged only pleasantries, however he always seemed rather distant and slightly cold.
I started the following Monday at 8am. I was introduced around the office by the head nurse, Mrs. Gilford, and given a tour of the building. It was a large office building with many different businesses and practices with in it, including laboratories, gynecologists, and a dentist office. I hadn't actually got to see Dr. Bather and thank him for the opportunity yet, but Mrs. Gilford told me that he often came in early and retreated into his office until the first patient arrived.
It wasn't until then that I saw him. We greeted each other, but this time as employer and employee. A short conversation followed, but it was cut off when Mrs. Gilford reminded him of his patients. I was thankful though because Dr. Bather seemed even more distant than I had remembered him to be.
A few weeks went by and everyone was pleased with my abilities and enjoyed having me around. Dr. Bather and I spoke rarely and it was always regarding work. It wasn't until we got a new computer system did things change between Dr. Bather and I.
One afternoon about a month after I began working for him, Dr. Bather called me into his office during lunch.
"Have a seat." Dr. Bather said seriously.
I sat demurely in front of his desk and smoothed my skirt down around my thighs.
"There was a problem with and entry you made in the system yesterday. Seems that you entered the wrong code for some medication and now my patient's insurance company refuses to cover the cost." Dr. Bather spoke rather seriously all the time, but he seemed to be even more flat as he spoke to me now.