Chapter 29: Tomato Soup I
3 months ago.
June 2012, Guy’s Hospital
Levi entered the back entrance of Guy’s Hospital that morning, hands in his coat pockets. In an empty hallway, he bumped into Janet. Janet greeted him enthusiastically, this time with dyed green hair. "Hi, Levi!"
"Janet, you’ve dyed your hair green, you look like a tree," Levi said casually, smiling as usual. Janet inwardly cringed, he sure had a way with words, she thought.
"Thanks..." Janet muttered, ambivalent. Levi nodded in dismissal, moving to leave her where she stood in the hallway. "Ah...Levi?" Janet called a few feet away, and Levi turned to look at her. "Are you heading to Dr. Gray?" Janet asked, wondering.
Levi nodded, "Why?" He asked seconds after taking note of her change of tone, he could tell she wanted to say more. "Oh, I heard she’s on vacation leave," Janet informed. For a split second, she saw his usual phony smile disappear, and his eyes turned steel cold, but as soon as it came it was gone. Fast enough that Janet wondered if she imagined it.
Levi smiled back at her in understanding, "If you need to use the Lab you’re welcome to use my equipment." Janet offered. "I have a key to her Lab but thank you. Good day, Janet." Levi said ending the conversation by showing his back to her and leaving. ’He has a key to the Director’s Lab,’ Janet thought. The Lab that was built and tailored especially for Dr. Sam Gray. The same Lab the director would deny others to use.
Gossips says that Guy’s Hospital offered Sam the position years before, three times to be precise. But she turned it down every single time, insisting she needed her own Laboratory. A personal laboratory she also had in her previous job under the FBI years before.
After thorough consideration, the President decided to build her the Lab with the help of a very generous benefactor, which benefactor Janet had no clue. An investment worth making, the Board would say. Guy’s Hospital Pathology department’s performance rating has increased by 55% since her arrival 2 years ago.
Levi waltz towards Elle’s cubicle across Sam’s office, ’vacation leave’ he snorted, amused at the thought of it. Sam doesn’t take vacation leave; she was a workaholic. She was a perfectionist whose obsession was her job. The only reason she wasn’t there that he could think of, was something must have happened.