Someone to Love

Twenty-Six

Lucas
It was a week before the gala and the attending's lounge is busy. Almost all attendings are there, chatting. Seriously, it's beginning to look like the afterparty.
"What's going on?" I asked Carla, a Gastro-Intestinal doctor.
"Everybody's buzzing around for the research grant." She replied.
"Oh."
"Buzzing? Carla, everybody is panicking." Bart said
"Panicking why?" I said
And then all of a sudden, they were all looking at me. The whole room fell silent, and they were all glaring.
"Have you scored a presentation with her?" Rick said
"With who?"
"Lucas, have you been paying attention? There are only three people you can present your paper to. Theodore Marshall III, Henry Spencer and Amara Hayden." Rick said
"And they are only taking two papers each. " Bart said
"There are what, ten of us. Which means four people are not gonna get any funding-" Hannah said
"Has anyone scored an appointment?" I said, obviously just playing to be safe. I have met with Henry Spencer, and it doesn't seem like he is interested in neuroscience, and that's probably off the table. And I still am on hold for Theodore Marshall III.
"Yes, I think we all have met Spencer and Marshall. But, they are not as rich as Hayden."
"Hayden?" I said
"Yes, Amara Hayden is the newest board member of the hospital and rumor has it that she practically owns half of it. Which means, if she likes your pitch, you get a lot of research rights here." Hannah said
I nodded.
"Aren't they all members here?" Vicky said
"Yup, but they don't own the majority of the hospital." Rick said
"So, has anyone made an appointment with Hayden?" I said
"The nine of us can't. We haven't even reached the EA. She's blocked." Bart said
"I was lucky enough to even talk to the receptionist for five minutes. And I had that call deep in a caesarian section." Vicky said
They continued on with their buzzing and panicking because the gala is near and-
"Ambush sometimes works." I said
"What?"
"They would be attending the gala right? Why don't we just-"
"Because the awarding would be on the gala,idiot."
The loud discussion went on for an hour, I think most of the attendings have left their patients with the residents. I needed rest because first, I am stressed out about my research paper and finding funds for it and second, I didn't have much time for myself for the past three weeks and I haven't seen Ara since I asked her to go to the gala with me. And I miss her so much.
It got me thinking, how good will I be on this girlfriend-boyfriend thing if we barely have time for each other? I'm busy with work and she's busy with work, but she goes home at 6 and sometimes I go to work at 6.
Jae Kyung called me in the middle of all this, and I really needed any excuse just to get out of this.
"Hyung!" He said, it's kinda refreshing to hear and talk with my native tongue again.
"Jae Kyung, what's up?"
"What's up with you? I haven't talked to you ever since-"
"Well, nothing's up. I haven't seen Ara in three weeks and-"
"Are you holed up in the hospital again?"
"Yep."
"Someone's not winning the boyfriend of the year award."
"Yeah, no, we're not really-" oh shit.
"What?" He said
"We're both really busy right now and anyway, what's up with you?"
"Nothing really. Ji Hyun's due next month and we just found out what we're having."
"Oh! That's great, what are-"
"You can understand ultrasounds right?"
"What? You mean the scan itself? Yes."
"Good, because I sent it to you."
"You didn't get it interpreted by the doctor?"
"We just want to make sure."
I went to my office and fired up the Mac.
"You see it?" He said
"I just received it and it's downloading. You sound disappointed."
"No, I'm not. Maybe a bit shocked, that's all."
"Oh, wait. Stay on the line, hold on." I said as I clicked on the video.
"Are you watching it?"
"Yeah."
"I'm hearing the little heartbeat." He said
And then I saw it.
"Yeoja." I whispered
"Yes, yeoja." He said
I kept watching the ultrasound video.
"You're having a girl." I said
There was silence on his part and I just watched my niece.
"Who else knows?" I said
"You and Ji Hyun. I haven't told anyone. And of course, the doctor."
"Does S&C own the doctor?"
"Kind of."
"So, it's a matter of time before Dad hears about this."
"Can you come home?"
"To Seoul? No, I don-"
"When he hears of this-"
"Think of Dad later, how about Mom?"
I know why Jae Kyung wants me back home, and it's because of the ultrasound.
"Hold on, why did you show me the 'sound?"
"I wanted to make sure. The doctor might be wrong."
"I doubt it, it's clear as day."
I looked at the ultrasound again, this means a lot. And S&C might take this badly. And the reason why Jae Kyung is probably not taking it lightly.
Seo and Choi Holdings made a stupid clause that the only heirs of the company should be male firstborns. It's pretty stupid because it's the 21st century and they still believe that the Seo males are capable of bringing only males into the world.
"I don't know what happened, she was supposed to be a boy. She was a boy two months ago."
"Things like this do happen-"
"Things like this would mean I lose S&C. You know what it means for you." He said
Boy, yes I do. Dad is the only Seo, he doesn't have a brother, but he has two sons. I was supposed to be the heir but then I went on my own. And now, Jae Kyung is married and now expecting a baby daughter. If Ji Hyun gives birth to a girl, it would be the end for the two of them and them being S&C's heir. And if they get super desperate, I am going back.
"You don't know how sorry I am-"
"We'll figure it out, yeah?"
"It's not that I don't want to lose S&C. I don't want to lose you."
"You're not gonna lose me-"
"No, you're gonna lose you. If you become Presiden-"
"I won't be President. I don't have what it takes and they won't accept me because I already washed my hands away from S&C."
"No, I doubt it. They're waiting for you to get home."
"No, I won't be-"
"Marry Ara there in New York. Or maybe in the Philippines, as long as you marry her. You might lose your job there in MGH but at least you have Ara and the chances of them taking you while you're married to Hayden Industries is very slim." He said
"What?"
"We are not safe. I might lose it all this afternoon, if I'm not exaggerating. Marry her."
We're not even an actual thing yet and he's probably over-exaggerating.
"Jae Kyung, I gotta go. I have an aneurysm to clip. I might not be able to answer your calls but leave a message, and I'll call you back." I said
"Okay."
I didn't hear from Jae Kyung for two days, and the gala is coming near and I have not secured an interview yet with Amara Hayden, I really have a feeling that she might be related to Ara and I haven't really contacted Ara. Until today.
"That's her? But she's so young." Alice said, I heard it as I entered the attending's lounge.
"Yeah, and we're much older than her and we are clamoring for her attention." Rick said
"Don't forget richer than us." Vicky said
"But she looks awfully familiar." Hannah said
"You all are still obsessed with the last prospect?" I said as I sat down.
"We're on the process of debating whether we should just storm out to her work building or her home building. She's really snobbish." Hannah said
"One of us got to the EA. But then the EA said that Miss Hayden's schedule was full." Vicky said
"She does look awfully familiar." Alice said
"Maybe she was a patient of yours." Carla said
"No, no. I don't think she goes to this hospital, there's no record of her."
I grabbed my phone and Googled Amara Hayden.
"Holy shit." Rick said but then I was focused on my phone, waiting for the search results to come out.
And then there it was, a whole Google page filled with Ara's face.
Ara Hayden is short for Amara Hayden. Ara Hayden is Amara Hayden, why didn't I think of that?
It seems that it looks like I am dating a person from the Executive board.
"Oh my god, that's why she looks familiar."
I was just looking at her face, I miss her so much.
"Lee Kyung Seo?" I heard Rick said, bursting me out of my thoughts.
"Eo?" I said looking up.
"Oh my god! You're dating her?" Alice said
I frowned.
"What?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me! That's why you're not worried about the funding because you already have one from her!" Vicky scoffed.
"Wait, wait. No, Ara-"
"She's the one who kissed you on the hallway!"
"I didn't know that Ara is Am-"
"What's happening?" Sarah said as she entered
"Dr. Seo here turns out to be exclusively dating Amara Hayden." Rick said
Sarah frowned.
"Oh, you guys didn't know?" Sarah said
"How do you know?" Vicky said
"I met her before in the lobby, waiting for Seo." Sarah replied
"Oh my god. That's it, Lucas already has the biggest funding." Alice said
"No, let me be clear, I haven't shown her my paper yet and I have no intention to."
Now that I know that she is a huge funder, I can't show her my paper because it would be weird. I want her to be my girlfriend and then maybe my wife but I won't ask money from her. And now that the people here know that she is my girlfriend, all the more that I can't ask for funding from Miss Hayden because it would be biased and unfair, I wouldn't want her to be subjected to such judgment. She doesn't deserve that.
"Sure, we believe you." Vicky said, sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes.
"You know what, I don't have to explain to any of you. So what if Amara Hayden is my girlfriend? She may or may not give me funding, but I can always, and always call her and tell her not to entertain anybody asking for funding." I said
"Whatever, big bucks." Rick said
Oh, if only I had that power, Rick is so not on the list.
If ever I become someone in S&C again, I am so gonna buy shares in this hospital. Seriously, I think it has something to do with me being Asian, because they treat me quite oddly here. Handful are the people who treat me fairly here, I think they all assume that I went to a medical school in Korea but I topped my class in Stanford and the licensure exam. All of them. And, while most people would be proud of it, and most people would be green with envy, they all just associated it with me being Asian. I studied my ass off and not all Asians are smart.
I went home later that night, I have no idea what the hell am I going to do for my research because I can't get any funding, and funding a neurosurgical research can be quite pricey. I think Spencer and Marshall would go to GI or maybe dermatology.
At about nine in the evening, I was getting ready to go to sleep but then, there was a knock on my door.
Luckily I have upgraded my security system and it has a camera now, and there was Amara Hayden standing behind my door, holding what I think are boba teas.