Drift by Jeana E. Mann

Author:Jeana E. Mann [Mann, Jeana E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780989771474
Publisher: Ishkadiddle Publishing, LLC

Chapter Eighteen

Afternoon traffic sucked. Lauren groaned and banged a hand on the steering wheel of her Jeep as she sat through a second stoplight without moving. With her thoughts usurped by Elijah, she’d forgotten the summer festival going on in the city. Cars and pedestrians clogged the streets. Detours took her away from her normal route. She glanced at her watch. Twenty-five minutes late and counting. At this rate she’d never make it to work.

“I’m stuck in traffic,” she told Pilar on the phone. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll see you when you get here,” Pilar said. “Come to my office. We need to talk.”

Even though she’d never been late to work before, panic tensed her shoulders. The detached tone of Pilar’s voice summoned an eerie sense of foreboding. The feeling followed her into the hospital and grew as the elevator lights ticked off the floors. She bit her lower lip in worry, her empty stomach churning and palms sweating at the sight of Pilar’s office door in front of her. By the time she sat down in the chair across from Pilar’s desk, her hands shook. She clasped them in her lap and waited an eternity for her supervisor to speak. What the woman had to say turned Lauren’s world upside down.

“The Millers are threatening the hospital with a wrongful death lawsuit,” Pilar began.

Lauren’s stomach plummeted to her feet, knowing where the conversation headed before it got there. “But you said yourself there was nothing more we could do.”. Her heart squeezed, feeling the pain of the Miller family’s loss resurface.

“It’s unfortunate,” Pilar said, a tight smile on her lips. “The Millers are huge contributors to the hospital. They’re hurting and looking for someone to blame. I’m sure it’ll all be cleared up before anything formal is done. Of course, the hospital will conduct a thorough investigation in an effort to minimize any financial or public repercussions. Until then, I want you to take some time off.”

Astonishment stole her words for the space of an entire minute. The walls of her throat tightened until she could barely breathe. Pilar called it a vacation. She saw it for what it was—a peace offering to the Millers. She blinked back tears, determined to keep her composure. “I don’t want to take time off,” she said, forcing down the stomach acid rising in her throat.

“I insist.” Pilar’s tone left no room for refusal.

“Are you saying I’m the one under investigation?”

“No. I’m saying it’s in everyone’s best interest if you lay low for a few days. You’ve been working nonstop. Take some time, visit the beach, and reboot.” Pilar patted her hand, but instead of offering comfort, it felt like a slap. “You graduated with honors, and you’ve been an exemplary employee. I’m sure this will blow over in no time, and I’ll make every effort to keep this out of your file.” The legs of her chair scraped over the linoleum when she stood, signaling the end of the conversation. “Now, you’ll need to head down to Human Resources.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.