“I want to try something Australian,” Wendy said, hiding behind a huge menu. They ended up ordering barra mundi a type of Australian perch. To complement the food, they selected a chilled Australian Chablis. Once it came and was opened for them, the two women toasted their Australian adventure.
After tasting the wine, Marissa smiled contentedly. Its crisp finish was a delight to her palate. For the moment she was blithely confident the trip would mean just the right combination of relaxation and research.
“Ahhhh,” Wendy murmured, peering into her long-stemmed glass.
“Just what the doctor ordered.”
“Amen,” Marissa agreed.
The next morning, after a hearty English breakfast, Marissa and Wendy hailed a cab.
“Do you know this address?” Marissa asked. She’d given the driver the piece of paper with the FCA clinic’s address on it.
“Sure, luv!” he said.
“That’s the women’s clinic, it is. Buckle up and I can have you there straightaway.”
The ride to Herston was pleasant. As they entered the green and hilly suburbs, they noticed a number of quaint, wide perched tin-roofed homes built on stilts.
“Those are called Queenslanders,” the driver explained.
“Built in the air to keep ’em away from water. The verandas are to keep em cool. Gets mighty hot here in the summertime.”
In minutes, the cab pulled up to a strikingly modern four-story building surfaced entirely with bronzed mirrored glass. The
ISI grounds were landscaped with gorgeous flowering trees and bushes.
Getting out of the cab, Marissa and Wendy were struck by the sounds of the birds. They seemed to be everywhere: brightly colored and chirping and squawking. On the sidewalk leading to the entrance of the clinic they ran into a flock of mynah birds quarreling over a piece of bread.
As soon as the entrance doors closed behind them, the women stopped, awed by the building’s interior. The FCA wasn’t like any clinic they’d ever visited. The floors were gleaming onyx. The walls were a dark tropical wood polished to a high gloss.
“This place looks like a law firm,” Wendy said uneasily.
“You sure you got the right address?”
There was a lush garden area in the center of the building featuring the same mix of flowering trees as outside. There was evena small pond with a waterfall constructed of red granite blocks.
At one end of the spacious lobby was an information area that looked more like the front desk of a luxury hotel.
“Can we be of assistance?” asked one of the two perky receptionists.
Instead of the white that was standard in American clinics, these women were dressed in brightly colored floral prints.
“We’re doctors from the United States,” Marissa said.
“We are interested in your facility. We were wondering if-” “From America!” the woman said with delight.
“I’ve just returned from California. How nice of you to visit. I’ll ring up Mr.
Carstans. One moment, please.”
The receptionist dialed a phone in front of her and spoke briefly. Hanging up, she said, “Mr. Carstans will be out directly.
Perhaps you would care to sit in our waiting area beyond those planters.” She pointed with her pen.
“Who’s Mr. Carstans?” Wendy asked.
“He’s our public relations man,” the receptionist explained.
Marissa and Wendy walked over to the sitting area.
“Public relations man?” Wendy questioned.
“How many clinics do you know that have public relations men?”
“My thought exactly,” Marissa said.
“This clinic must do a healthy amount of business to justify that kind of expense.”
After a few minutes’ wait, a man approached them.
“G’day, ladies,” he said.
Carstans was a tall, corpulent fellow with ruddy cheeks. He was wearing shorts along with a jacket and tie.
“Welcome to FCA. My name is Bruce Carstans. What can we do for you?”
“I’m Dr. Blumenthal and this is Dr. Wilson,” Marissa said.
“Gynecologists?” Mr. Carstans asked.
“I’m a pediatrician,” Marissa said.
“I’m an ophthalmologist,” Wendy said.
“Our fame must be spreading far and wide,” Mr. Carstans said with a smile.
“Usually we only have overseas gynecologists for visitors. Are you ladies game for a tour of our establishment?”
The women exchanged glances, then shrugged.
“Why not?”
Wendy said.
“It would be interesting,” Marissa agreed.
For the next hour Marissa and Wendy were treated to a look at the most up-to-date medical facility either had ever seen. The clinic offered a full battery of women’s medical services. There were X-ray rooms, a CAT scanner, and eve nan NMR machine.