Imperfect Defense by Gregg E Brickman

Imperfect Defense by Gregg E Brickman

Author:Gregg E Brickman [Brickman, Gregg E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542406345
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2017-05-01T06:00:00+00:00


CHAPTER 19

Sophia

After saying good-bye to Ray, Sophia picked up her empty coffee cup and went into the house from the screened patio. Worries about her reputation infected her thoughts, but she had no solution, no action plan, and no clue about what would happen. Ray's advice to hang in and let the situation manage itself seemed the thing to do.

Talking to Ralph was not possible until he was clinically stable and out of ICU. Then, she'd have to manage a visit without Melinda catching her. The only way for Sophia to escape unscathed was to prove the veracity of her allegations of abuse, which would put Melinda and her family in jeopardy. Sophia felt the predicament she had created was dismal, but she remained convinced she'd done what was necessary for her patient.

After a quick trip to the grocery store, she dressed in bright pink and teal scrubs and matching sneakers, hoping the cheerful colors would lift her mood.

Roxy retired to her crate on command and accepted the required treat. Sophia's eight-hour shift started at noon. She hurried to the MINI.

Arriving midday was quick, efficient, and painless. The parking lot was quiet, plenty of close-in spots—the ones the night shift vacated after the day people arrived—and no long morning conference for patient reports and assignments. Sophia stowed her purse in her locker, located the charge nurse, then went to find the person she would relieve. There were mandatory education programs running all afternoon, so the mid-shift person—Sophia—would provide relief as the staff came and went. It would be a confusing day, but it promised variety and time would pass faster than usual.

Nancy Mitchell, looking spiffy in her manager-has-a-meeting suit, stopped Sophia as she passed her open office door. "I've been watching for you."

"Just got here. I'm looking for Felicia to get report."

Nancy tapped a button on her phone. "Tell Felicia that Sophia will be delayed a few minutes."

An empty chair awaited. "What's up?"

"Two things. One, Melinda and Franco Silebi showed up in Human Resources at nine this morning. Franco didn't say much at first, from what I understand. But Melinda demanded you be fired for unprofessional behavior. She's asserting you interfered with the family's relationship with their physicians by discussing Ralph with the doctors after you were no longer involved in his care. She also alleges you broke patient confidentiality in the process and held the family open to public humiliation."

"Whoa. They're looking for revenge."

"It appears so. They had a visit from the state and assume you made the report. Franco contradicted her in the meeting. He said he understands you needed to follow your conscience, even without evidence."

"That's bullcrap. There's plenty of evidence Ralph was traumatized."

"Perhaps, but Silebi is a board member and people listen. Second—"

"I thought I already had two pieces of bad news." Sophia had snapped the comment. She took a deep breath hoping to regain a sense of cool.

"Actually, that was the first piece." Nancy scowled. "Melinda says she's worried about her safety. She says you have a bunch of supporters, and she fears walking to and from the parking lot.



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.