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The woman, a Grace Moncerath, straightened up and gulped.

“Why this doctor?” George asked, nodding towards Dr Kelly. “Not that there is any reason not to ask for Dr Kelly, of course, all of our doctors here are very good, and we’re proud to have them on staff, but we have far more experienced doctors who could—”

“My client has been through some very traumatic events. She requires her team to consist of people she’s comfortable with, can trust, you know? Dr Kelly fits that criterion. We don’t need a brain surgeon. We need someone capable, someone calm, someone who knows their shit.” She sat dead still, but her eyes moved from one face to another on the panel before adding, “Look, it's one month. You’ll get your scanner, and then Dr Kelly will back and raring to go.”

There was silence for a moment before George rubbed his chin and spoke again.

“Obviously, if we were to agree to this, there would be certain conditions that would have to be met.”

Francine smiled. “Sure, shoot.”

“For one, we’d have to keep the hospital out of the press. It wouldn’t do for us to be having to admit to lending out our staff, and it wouldn’t do to have that attached to the scanner. The word bribery bandied around would not be helpful to anybody’s career.” He glanced at Morgan.

“Bribery? Who said anything about bribery? Listen fella, I’m offering a deal here that works for all concerned. We work with NDAs, and I’m happy to sign one for you if that’s what it takes because I’m not leaving this room without Dr Kelly’s signature on this contract.” She flopped down a small stack of papers she’d pulled from her bag onto the desk. “So, you want that scanner or not?”

“We’d need to work out how Dr Kelly can be away from work for such a period without there being any bias. Setting a precedent for an entire month's leave, unless under a dire situation such as a death of a close family member, would be frowned upon and could potentially create issues among the ranks.”

“I could take unpaid leave,” Morgan suggested. “That way, I can’t be accused of wasting taxpayers’ money. If anyone were to question it, we could vaguely explain that Ms Montgomery and I are close friends and I’ve taken a mix of annual and unpaid leave in order to spend time with her during a difficult period.”

“Good point. Any whiff of a financial scandal and the board would be under pressure.” He sighed and leant back in his chair. “Tell me why you wish to do this?”

“I think it would be an experience for me personally. I think it would be a learning curve, and I think that regardless of Ms Montgomery’s status and wealth, everyone deserves to feel safe, and I think that I can provide that assurance.” She glanced at Francine before adding, “And if my taking a few weeks out can also provide the hospital with a much-needed piece of equipment too, then I can’t see any reason not to accept the offer.”

“I’m sure that the financial recompense is equally as dazzling for you too, Dr Kelly,” the other woman on the panel said.

“I—” Morgan went to speak but was stopped by a firm hand on her thigh squeezing.

Francine smiled. “I’m gonna cut right in. Ms Montgomery’s financial package on the table for you is the only one we will be discussing. As part of the NDA Dr Kelly has signed, she isn’t able to discuss those matters with anyone.”

“I find that a little preposterous,” continued the woman.

“Sure, and I find my time is really starting to come to an end, so, do we have a deal?” Francine stood up, promptingMorgan to follow, and then one by one the panel also rose from their seats.

“If we were to agree, and allow a valued member of staff to take an unprecedented amount of time off, would Ms Montgomery be available to attend the charity event we have coming up?” George asked Francine.

“What kind of event?”

The woman jumped in again. “It’s the fundraiser; members of the local community will be attending a charity gala to raise as much money as possible...for the scanner.”

“Money Ms Montgomery is giving you,” Francine responded, face hard as stone.

“Yes, but obviously, we can’t cancel the gala now. It’s all been planned and paid for. We’re sold out on tickets, so we may as well go ahead and anything more we raise could go towards the sensory room we want to add that will help children with—”

“When?”

“The end of the month?”

“I’ll need to check Ms Montgomery’s diary and get back to you, but I guess, if there’s nothing stopping her, she would love to attend.” She turned to George. “So, do we have a deal?”

George eyed the mouthy American before he finally agreed, “We have a deal. “I’ll have our legal team put together our paperwork and we can reconvene in three days to sign and seal.”

“Sounds like a plan there, Stan.” Francine reached out her hand.

“It’s George.”

“I know, it’s a…” She grabbed his hand and shook vigorously, “Never mind, I’ll see you soon.” She turned to Morgan. “Sign on the dotted line.”

Morgan glanced down at the contract on the table. “I’ll need to read this.”