175 The FMC fundraiser 1 (1/2)
~ Seattle, Marriott hotel ~
Saturday
5:42 PM
Liz is in the main ballroom of the hotel with the rest of the staff, greeting guests who are arriving.
Each of the staff members is wearing an identification tag which lists their name and occupation Liz's tag says:
”Elizabeth Williams, MD
Neurosurgeon”
The band is already on the stage, filling the space with a soft tune.
They are expecting a total of almost 300 guests and the event hall booked for the occasion can accommodate more than that. Chairman Lee wanted to make this a stylish fundraiser with a large event hall which features crystal chandeliers, modern yet cozy interior, and amazing views of the ocean. Circular tables can accommodate eight guests each, and tall flower arrangements give it an elegant atmosphere while not obstructing the view toward the stage where speakers will take turns (and the band will play later).
Other than the event room, there are four lounging areas available and an outdoor terrace.
Every guest gets a program which lists that at 6:30 PM the event will kick off with a speech from chairman Lee. At 7 PM is dinner and after that is free time for socializing where people can enjoy a variety of snacks and desserts. One of the lounging areas has a scale model of the Franciscan Medical Center, with printouts that provide explanations as well as suggestions for upgrades and expansions.
The lounging areas are where the real-thing will take place: after people fill up their stomach with tasty food, they will start mingling, and the ones who want to talk seriously will head to one of the available lounging areas. Every lounge has several circular sofas and the dim lighting is creating an illusion of privacy which is perfect for people to talk about money while sipping their beverages.
Liz has her professional smile on, and her eyes are frequently darting toward the main entrance in the hope to see Max.
Until that morning, Liz was thinking about how she will arrive together with Max, and the two of them will interact with others side-by-side and maybe even dance. She knew that there will be a dinner and in her mind, she was sitting next to Max. However, that image started cracking in the morning and when she arrived at the venue, it collapsed completely.
There is no way that she can talk to all the guests, but she needs to be polite and smile with the ones who approach her and based on the number of guests versus the number of doctors present, and her past experiences which are telling her that donors prefer to talk to younger females, she is up to a whole evening of chatting.
Her mood dropped to an all-time low when she found out that the seating arrangement is set. She was not surprised that chairman Lee thought how it's a good idea to put two youngest surgeons to sit at the same table. Yup, she is going to sit at the same table with Dr. Snow with two people in-between them during chairman Lee's speech and through the five-course dinner while Max will be two tables away.
Alpha group has three spots reserved, one for Max one for Nathan, and the third one is not named. Liz didn't ask who the third person is, because it's probably a director or someone from finances.
Liz does not want to think about how Max will react when he finds out that she will sit close to Dr. Snow while Max gets to watch. Will Max lose his composure? Or will he be cool because this is related to her work? Liz can't imagine Max being cool about it because she would not be OK with sitting a few feet away from Max while someone who is openly interested in him is by his side.
What a headache. Liz wants to go home. But she can't. Max told her that it's only one event, only a few hours and after that, they will go home together. She needs to be professional and perform in her role well so that chairman Lee will not give her a hard time going forward. And Liz knows that Max is right. She can't act childish, and she should follow Max's lead because she knows that he was looking forward to this event as well.
”Are you OK?”, Dr. Kaviraj's question snapped Liz out of her thoughts.
”Yes, yes.”, Liz smiled, happy to see a friendly face. She glanced at Dr. Kaviraj's gown. ”You look amazing.”
Dr. Kaviraj returned the compliment: ”Thank you. Your dress fits you very well. If I don't know that this is a fundraiser, I would think that it's a party where you are the star, and someone put extra effort in making you dazzle.”
Liz's response was cut off when an older gentleman approached her.
”You are Dr. Williams, the neurosurgeon?”
His question almost startled Elizabeth. Why does he sound like he heard about her?
”Yes.”, Liz responded while visually inspecting the man's expression like she is trying to figure out what is on his mind.
”I am Daniel Wardle, CEO of Wardle Inc. I apologize for staring. I assumed that you are older.”
Liz blinked, but her expression didn't crack. ”I get that a lot. You assumed that I am older, compared to what?”
Mr. Wardle laughed. ”Compared to your title. I look forward to talking to you later about the future of neurosurgery and what your hospital plans to do about it.” He shook hands with Dr. Kaviraj before walking away.