She hastily covered her tablet and grabbed her briefcase. As she picked it up, her wallet and keys fell out. She grabbed her wallet. He picked up her keys and handed them to her. She took them and, along with her tablet, secured them in the briefcase. The last thing she needed was for him to see what she was writing or ask for identification. “I’m not here to...”
“Come on, your photographer friend’s waiting for you.”
“But I’m not with him and I’m not a reporter,” she said.
He turned and motioned for the two security guards standing by to come over. “Yeah, that’s what the last guy just said. He was trying to get into the back to take pictures,” Dominik stated to Shauna,
“You’re making a mistake,” she protested.
“Lady, I don’t make mistakes,” he said just as security arrived at his side. “Gentlemen, please escort this reporter off the premises.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not a reporter,” Shauna repeated as she put her briefcase on her shoulder and stood. The security guards moved behind her. “Fine, I’m leaving.”
“Thank you. Have a nice day.”
Dominik watched as the security guards followed her through the automatic doors. His gaze followed her across the parking lot to her car.
At his desk, he turned on his computer and opened his schedule. His first meeting, with a new pharmaceutical representative, was in thirty-five minutes. That gave him just enough time to quickly review and assess the last few patients who were admitted to the E.R. Just as he opened the computer file, there was a knock on his door.
“Yeah, come in,” he said without looking up. The door opened and his assistant, Nora Rembrandt, smiled and then shook her head in sympathy.
“Good morning,” Nora said, “I hope you’re ready for a crazy one, ’cause it’s gonna be one of those days already. You’re wanted out in the pit—in exam room snake-eyes two, sexy-legs six and lucky number thirteen. And heads-up, security is on full alert. Someone jimmied the lock on the hospital records room sometime early this morning and also someone tried to break into a third-floor drug cabinet again.”
Dominik nodded and stood to leave. He was surprised he was getting better at Nora’s bingo-calling jargon. He understood her perfectly. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s going to be one of those days.”
His desk phone rang. Nora answered, agreed, then hung up. “It’s already starting. It’s Dr. Gilman and she wants you in her office at you earliest convenience.”
He nodded, stood and walked out, going to the E.R. to visit the patients she’d told him about. Afterward he headed up to the administrative office. He pushed open the glass door and strolled into the reception area. No was there, so he headed to the main offices. Dr. Gilman’s door was open. He knocked and walked in. The sweltering heat hit him immediately. The office was stifling. Gilman was at her desk with her glasses on and a large portable fan turned off behind her. Her desk was piled high with files and paperwork.
“Good morning, Margaret,” Dominik said, frowning. “That’s a lot of paperwork.”
“Good morning, Dominik,” she said, then glanced up at the two huge stacks piled high on the side of her desk. She nodded and sighed heavily. “Yeah, these are some of the files requested by the Cura Group. The first and second auditors finished up and now they’re sending their consultant in next week to do the final. I don’t know who this person is, but they pull a lot of weight in getting this through. Come in and have a seat.”
He walked over and sat down as she began rearranging the papers and folders further to the side of her desk. “Does not look like a fun job,” he said.
“Believe me, it’s not, but after reviewing what the last two teams did, they specifically wanted to examine and look these over. The majority are Bowman’s E.R. records. Something obviously stood out, but it completely eludes me.”
“So, what happened to the air-conditioning in here?” he asked.
“Maintenance has been working on it for the last two days. We need a new system, but that costs money and right now funds are scarce. Okay, busy day ahead. It looks like someone tried to break into the medical
records office this morning.”
“Yes, I heard. Has security checked the video yet?”
“Yes, they’re reviewing the video now.” She took off her glasses and tossed them on the desk. “I gotta tell you, Dominik, this is the last thing I need this morning. The Cura Group’s reviewer will be here next week and I can’t have this happening when they’re here. Do you have any idea what this would do to our chances of having this buyout go through?”
She stood and walked to the window anxiously, then came back to her desk and leaned on her chair. “This thing is out of control, not to mention it’s a public-relations nightmare. Who’s going to come here if their medical records are free to the public? The publicity is killing us. And now we have reporters sneaking in here every five minutes speaking with an unofficial source close to the situation. What the hell is that?” The rant continued for another few minutes before she stopped and looked at him. “I heard you had an unwanted visitor in the E.R. this morning.”
“Which time?”
“The reporter,” she said curiously. “Why, were there more?”
“Yes, we had a couple of reporters lurking around. One tried taking pictures of the E.R. and the other was interviewing people in the waiting area.”
“I hope you didn’t throw them out physically.”
“Not exactly, but the thought had crossed my mind.” She looked at him sternly. “No, of course we didn’t throw them out. They were asked to leave nicely. One decided to cause some trouble—make a scene. We handled it.”
“And the other?”
“She left quietly.”
“Good. Damn, I wish they’d leave us alone.”
Dominik shook his head. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon. The story is too juicy. The hospital’s chief E.R. director named in three medical malpractice suits is too scandalous to pass up.”
“Apparently,” she said, sitting back down. “My phone’s been ringing off the hook with reporters asking for interviews and comments. And the damn lawyers can’t do anything about it—freedom of speech, who needs it? But enough of that. I called you in this morning because we need your help.”
“Sure. What can I do?”
“As I mentioned, the Cura Medical Group will be sending their consultant in to review us for the next few weeks. They’re going to be observing the E.R. specifically.”
Dominik shook his head. This was the last thing he needed—an interfering bureaucrat nosing around asking questions all day. It was a waste of time. “Margaret...”
“I’m also going to need you to be very hands-on with them.”
This was so not what he wanted—to babysit some corporate hatchet. “Margaret...”
“Dominik, I know your feelings about this buyout. I understand your concerns and I even agree with some of them. I also know that I don’t have to tell you how important this is to the medical center. We need this to go well. As you know, according to an inside source at Cura, we haven’t fared too well so far. And this malpractice thing with Bowman is only making matters worse.”
“That’s ridiculous. This medical center is one of the best in the state. What we lack in funding we more than make up for in heart and dedication.”
“Heart and dedication don’t pay the bills, my friend. Anyway, be that as it may, we need to make a good impression and I need you on your top game. They’re going to be in your department. So, charm them, wow them, woo them. I don’t care what you do. Just make it happen.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were pimping me out.”
“If that works, fine. You have my blessing.”
“I’ll tell you what—I’ll do my job as always. But you know my feelings about the Cura Group.” His cell phone beeped. He checked the message and stood up. “I gotta go. Are we done?”
“Yes,” she said, “and, Dominik, remember, we need this. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good one.” He walked out.
Chapter 3
Shauna walked into the hospital E.R. for the second time that day. Now she was there officially. Just as she’d done ten hours earlier, she stood in line and listened for a few minutes, then stepped aside and looked for a seat. But unlike before, this time she sat closer to the check-in desk, knowing she’d see and hear everything going on. After sitting, she looked around cautiously. Lindy wasn’t there and hopefully no one else would bother her as she watched, listened and did her job.
It wasn’t exactly voyeurism. It was just paying very close attention. She saw everything. It was her job to be observant. The waiting room’s wide-open space afforded her the perfect view as pain and suffering continued all around her. A small child wept in his mother’s arms. She rocked slowly, hoping to ease what anguish she could. An old man coughed and held a dirty, crumpled handkerchief to his mouth. Two other people sat anxiously waiting to be called, one nauseous and the other holding a bleeding nose.
As usual, Shauna steeled herself from the emotional trial of empathy. Instead, she remained completely objective and distant to those around her. She barely blinked an eye hearing a child crying or seeing a bleeding wound. She pulled out her computer tablet and began working. Names were called and people got up and disappeared behind a secured door accessed only by the nurse at check-in desk or a swipe of a key card. For the next hour and a half, she watched and wrote what she saw and didn’t see. She noted suggestions and remarked on various situations.
Her job was the last step before finalizing the buyout, and so far, she wasn’t impressed. Midway through a reference to expedite the triage process, her cell phone vibrated. She pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. “Hey, Pearl,” she said quietly as she looked around. “How are you? Everything okay?”
“No, everything’s not okay. I’m losing my mind and I’m bored out of my skull. This retirement thing is for the birds. I’m up early because I’ve gotten up early every day of my life since I was fourteen years old. And what do I do? Twiddle my thumbs all day. Where’s the sense in that? When are you getting here?”
Shauna smiled and chuckled to herself. Pearl Tyson was a heavyset woman with long, thick black hair that she proudly told everyone took years to grow and she was never cutting. She grew up in foster care and became extremely successful on her own terms. She was Shauna’s mother’s best friend years ago. They lived next to each other before all the craziness started, and out of all her mother’s friend’s, she was the only one to stand by her side when the trouble came. “I’m here now. I got in late last night. I was going to call you this weekend.”
“You should have called me last night. I’m going crazy here.”
“Why don’t you watch some television?”
“Yeah, right,” she said sarcastically. “Five hundred TV channels and there’s not a single thing worth watching on any of them. I swear if I see one more reality show or one more morning or afternoon chitchat talk show yapping about mindless celebrity and want-to-be-celebrity nothing, I’m going to throw the TV out of the window.”
Shauna chuckled and shook her head. When said by most people, the comment would be just an open, empty threat. But coming from Pearl Tyson, it was quite possibly true. Pearl was the only person she knew in Key West now. All of her old so-called friends from high school had long since shown their colors. But Pearl had stayed by her family’s side for years. Because both her parents were gone, Pearl, a childless orphan herself, had stepped into the role as Shauna’s pseudomother and had been at her side ever since.
She was there through college and when Shauna opened her own successful medical consulting business. She was Shauna’s biggest fan. She even helped her land one of her company’s biggest clients, Cura Medical Group. The Cura Group bought medical facilities. Their newest potential acquisition was the Key West Medical Center. This brought her full circle back to Key West. “No, don’t toss the TV.”
“All right, enough of this. So, what are you up to today?”
“Right now I’m sitting in the E.R. checking the place out.”
“Don’t you usually do that earlier in the mornings?” Pearl said.
“Yes, I do and I did, but...” she hedged.
“But what?” Pearl prompted.
“I was interrupted and then it got a little complicated.”
“Complicated, what do you mean, ‘complicated’?” Pearl asked.
Shauna took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This wasn’t exactly what she wanted to talk about, but she knew Pearl would understand. “It’s no big deal. I got thrown out, that’s all,” she said, saving her document and exiting her file.
Pearl chuckled. “What, you got thrown out? What did you do?”
“Nothing. It was a mistake. They thought I was a reporter.”
“Why did they think that?”
“It’s a long story and not important.”
“Fine, don’t tell me. So, who threw you out? Security?”
“Yeah, with the insistence of one of the doctors here,” she said.
Pearl chuckled again. “Oh, my God, this is so much better than daytime TV. So, which doctor?”
“Does it matter?”
“Hell, yeah, it matters. Come on. I’m bored, I need details.”
Shauna sighed again. “Dr. Dominik Coles.”
“I know Dr. Coles. He works at the doctors’ clinic—tall and gorgeous, right?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Shauna said.
“Exactly like that. So, what made him think you were a reporter?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say that some busybody told him I was asking her questions about the staff. They’re pretty paranoid around here.”
“Oh, yeah, right, because of the malpractice lawsuits.”
“Yeah, that would be my guess.”
“Well, anyway, you’re back. When are you going to officially start the auditing process?”
“I’m going to meet with the hospital administrator, Dr. Gilman, today, as soon as I leave here.”
“I thought the appointment was for next week.”
“It is, but because I got the go-ahead email report early this morning, I figured I might as well get started. Cura Medical is anxious to get this one finalized one way or another.”
“Yeah, I read in the newspaper that they’re really interested in buying Key West Medical Center. The paper said that an inside source was quoted saying that the accounting department’s report went through and the numbers checked out. To tell you the truth, after everything with the E.R., I expected worse.”