“And right now that patient is more unstable than Oliver.”
Victoria blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“Oliver should be examined immediately by the available emergency veterinarian.”
“If his condition indicates cardiology intervention, Dr. Patel will be brought in as soon as her current patient is safe.”
Victoria stared.
“You're telling me to wait.”
“I’m telling you how triage works.”
“Do you have any idea who I am?”
The sentence was almost too predictable.
Maya looked at Oliver.
“Yes.”
Victoria smiled.
“Then act like it.”
Maya raised her eyes.
“I know who Oliver is too.”
That erased the smile.
Victoria stepped closer.
“You people always do this.”
The receptionist looked confused.
Maya asked:
“What people?”
Victoria waved one hand toward the hospital around them.
“Staff.”
“You hide behind procedure because nobody taught you customer service.”
Maya said nothing.
Victoria continued.
“My agency has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars across this hospital network.”
“Maybe more.”
“I have personally brought this company more publicity than anyone standing in this hallway.”
“And I have never once been told to wait behind somebody's random dog.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened.
Maya’s voice remained calm.
“Every dog in this building belongs to somebody.”
“That doesn't make them equal priorities.”
“Correct.”
Victoria seemed surprised.
Maya nodded toward Oliver.
“Which is why we use medical severity rather than celebrity.”
A technician walking past suddenly became very interested in the wall.
Victoria’s face hardened.
“Cute.”
“Not intended to be.”
“Do you know what happens when companies forget which clients keep them profitable?”
Maya looked at her.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“They start making medical decisions for financial reasons.”
Victoria laughed.
“You really are just staff.”
Maya felt something settle inside her.
Not anger exactly.
Clarity.
She had spent eleven years building an organization specifically to avoid moments like this.
Not rude clients.
Rude clients existed everywhere.
The danger was what institutions did when the rude client had money.
Maya had already found the VIP note.
Now she wanted to see how far the problem went.
Victoria pointed toward a nearby counter.
“My assistant sent Oliver’s records.”
“They’re in that folder.”
Maya looked.
A thin cream folder sat there.
“Then Dr. Patel has access electronically.”
“Bring them.”
“You're closer.”
Victoria stared.
Maya waited.
The receptionist looked down to hide what might have been a smile.
Victoria picked up the folder.
Walked toward Maya.
Then pushed it against Maya’s chest.
Hard enough that Maya had to catch it.
“Here.”
Maya looked down.
Then back up.
Victoria released it.
The folder fell.
Pages slid across the polished floor.
Everyone nearby stopped moving.