A slide covered in figures popped up, and Frazer wanted to scream. Next to her, Cora sat straight, legs crossed and eyes focussed on the screen, taking in everything Alec said.

God, maybe they discussed this stuff over dinner. How romantic.

Since the figures were up, department heads started raising questions about their budgets and grant distribution. Frazer felt a twist in her stomach. This was when she should speak up, but she really didn’t want to. It would be much better to speak to Alec one-on-one.

“Obstetrics?”

Across the room, Lee spoke up, her glasses glinting in the fluorescent light. “Nothing from me, and no one’s reported anything. But I know that Midwifery had something.”

Inwardly, Frazer groaned as every eye in the room turned to her.

Alec raised his eyebrows, a placating smile on his face. “Okay. Ms Jindal?”

Straightening at her name, Frazer was ready to dump her coffee on Lee’s head, chief of Obstetrics or not. Next time Lee wanted Frazer to adjust the Midwifery roster so she didn’t have to work with someone that rubbed her the wrong way, she was going to be met with a glare. Even if Lee did always show up on the ward with coffee and muffins for everyone. “Uh. As brought up at the last meeting, I’m through the final stages of planning the outreach programme for hard-to-reach pregnancies, especially teenage parents. It’s going to include topics on natural births versus caesareans, formula and breast feeding, drugs and alcohol—the usual topics, but with easier access and with incentives to come. The focus, however, will be support, rather than pushing information down their throats. The key to this being the mentors, of course.”

Alec nodded. Frazer was just happy he’d apparently read her grant requests. All five of them she’d had to send through.

“Remind me of the projected start-up date?” he asked.

“Three months, all going to plan.”

As she’d stated in all five of those requests.

“Great. I saw your report costs—you need to halve that.”

Frazer’s eyebrows shot up. Halve it? She’d already cut all the costs she could. A not so neutral feeling swelled in her chest. “Alec, that was the third revision of costs. If we cut any more, we may as well just sit in a box on the side of the road and throw condoms at people, for all the good it will do.”

On the other side of the room, Tia snorted and Alec glared at her. Frazer winced internally. Professionalism, she reminded herself.

Alec turned his look back to her, and Frazer resisted the urge to poke her tongue out at him. “Revise the budget, have it on my desk.” He turned his head, already moving on. “Then we can talk.”

Clenching her jaw, Frazer nodded and Lee winced at her.

Traitor.

Smoothly, Alec moved on. Ten minutes later, he informed them of an increased budget for Social Work for the geriatric side, and Frazer turned her head so fast she almost got whiplash in order to glare at Cora. The woman kept her eyes on Alec.