Diamond (Rare Gems #2)(28)
For over two hours she told him of things she’d witnessed. “Jan also has a tendency to belittle others, nurses, in front of other staff and patients. It’s sort of become legend with her that if she doesn’t dress you down in front of someone daily, you’re no longer worth her time and will be fired within the week. I myself have seen it happen to good nurses.”
“You think this is why we only have the lower end of the scale working for us?” She nodded. “What would you do? If you were in charge of the nurses, what would you do to make it so we got a better quality of nurses and keep them? I mean long term.”
“I’m sure you know that better pay would be great, but aside from that, you need to have better working conditions. Such as places for us to have a break…and I mean one away from the doctors, a place they can’t come into. There has to be somewhere we can vent, even if it is about them.” She looked around his office before she said what she really wanted. “I would like to be put in charge of the nursing staff. All the shifts too.”
He smiled at her before getting up and sitting behind his desk. “I believe that someone needs to be in that position that can take charge and make them want to come to work. Also, this person will need to be able to stand up to the doctors and keep them from becoming a tyrant, making and attracting better nurses who know that someone is in their corner. I didn’t think you were that sort of person.”
She nodded and stood up. “Then I thank you for your time. I do wish you the best of luck in the future. I honestly do.”
“Diamond?” She turned back to look at him before she touched the door handle. “I don’t think you’re that sort of person, I know you are. You’re the best this hospital has ever had, and I believe your sister is going to make a great doctor as well. An unstoppable team if you want to know the truth of it.” He grinned at her. “Do you not want the job?”
~~~
Ward waited in the small conference room for nearly twenty minutes before he decided that he’d had enough. This was just stupid, and if they thought they could treat him this way, he’d have to show them that he wasn’t a pushover any longer. His brother owned the f*cking company for Christ’s sake. They had another think coming if they thought they could just shove him in a corner and forget about him. He moved to the door just as it opened. The f*cking bitch Jane was there. He hated her with a passion.
“You’re very lucky I was able to track your brother down.” She pointed to the chair he’d just vacated as she continued. “I did tell you the other day when you were here that he was out of the country, correct?”
“You said he was on a business trip. Why the hell he doesn’t have somebody else to that kind of shit for him is beyond me. He should have been here when I got here.” Ward flopped in the chair and glared at her. “You told him I was here and he’s on his way back, I assume?”
“You assume wrong. He’s on a business trip, as I’ve said to you several times now. And you know as well as I do, when he’s onto something he takes care of it. Unlike some people I know.” He decided to ignore her dig at him.
“Then when is he coming back here? I need to see him…there are things that he doesn’t know about me that I….” He got up to pace, not caring for the way she kept smiling at him. “I’m a changed man. I’ve gotten my life together and put things in perspective.”
“Sure you have. And where is it you’re staying while in town? I can smell Morton all over you, and since I know you’ve not met up with him, I can only assume you’re staying in his house.” Ward stared at her, wondering how the hell she’d figured that out. “Then there’s the smell of coke on you. Why would a man who professes to have his life together come to a meeting as high as a kite?”
“You called me after I’d taken the hit. I can’t be held responsible if you don’t give me enough notice on things like this.” He started pacing again and tried his best to pull his temper back in. She wasn’t helping with her soft little laughs at him and the way she kept at him over and over.
“Sit down.” There was a tone there that Ward didn’t care for, but he knew that if he didn’t sit she’d somehow hurt him. While he didn’t mind the occasional pain, there was just something very scary about her right now.
“I demand that you tell me where Thad is. I will go to him and see about getting this shit cleared up so I can start getting a paycheck.” When Jane threw back her head and laughed at him, Ward had the most terrifying thought pop in his head. She had fangs.
“You’re going to stop coming here unless I call you to come in. And when I do, you’ll be respectful of the people who work here. Understand me?” He nodded, unable not to. “And when I call you in, you’re going to be sober, as well as clean of drugs. If you have them in your system, you tell me so and I’ll arrange to have the meeting at a later time.”
“I need money.” She shook her head at him. “There was some at Morton’s house, but not enough for me to live on until Thad comes back.”
“I’ll take care of the bills for the house for now, but nothing more. You want money for drugs, you’ll have to earn it. I’m not going to—”
Ward forgot about his fear for a few seconds and stood up to knock her on her ass. When she snarled at him, showing him that she really did have those sharp fangs, he sat back down and froze in his chair. Fear made him clench his ass as well as his fists, and he was terrified that he was going to wet himself. He didn’t even look up at her when she stood up and paced where he’d been before.