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I lead her down the hall to my personal office and close the door behind us when we're both inside. She sits down at my desk and I go on the other side to sit across from her.
She may not be crying anymore, but she's still shaken.
"Nurse Thimble. I start, but she puts her hand up stopping me.
"Please. Please let me speak first." Her voice is soft, and I only want her to feel comfortable, so I'll allow her to do whatever she likes.
I nod, and she lets out a breath of air before she continues.
"Okay, I want to start by offering up my sincerest apology. My tone and choice of words to you earlier were beyond disrespectful . No matter the circumstance, it was unacceptable and there is no excuse for my actions. ..."
She continues on with her apology, but since I already know she's not at fault I'm not paying as much attention to her words as I should be.
Her mouth, I'm paying attention to that.
Her lips are poutier than they were earlier, and the redness from her cheeks highlights what looks like a small patch of freckles.
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips as she continues to talk, and I have to bite down a groan. My eyes trail up her face and land on her eyes. Those big hazel green eyes are lined with spiky eyelashes, still wet from the tears she shed. This isn't the time to be ogling her, she's obviously been through something traumatic.
I shake myself out of my trance and clear my throat, cutting her off. "Honestly, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm not sure what happened in the room with Mr. Whitman, but when I went in to confront him about it, he was one drop away from belligerent. You don't have to worry about seeing him again. I've banned him from the hospital."
She raises her eyebrows and sits back in the chair.
"Really?"
"Yes, you made a statement outside that you thought I didn't care about my employees safety, when that's so far from the truth. I intend to keep everyone here safe." I admit.
"Well, did you give any thought to the panic buttons?"
I tilt my head, not saying yes or no. I hadn't, simply because I was more concerned about what was happening to her. But now the logistics of it are going through my mind.
"I know it's a smaller hospital, but bad things can happen anywhere. Panic buttons can be integral in saving lives if you, god forbid, have any situations like an active shooter or a patient in the throes of a suicide attempt or even something as silly as what happened today." She shrugs one shoulder and that brings my thoughts back to the present.
"About that. Do you feel comfortable telling me exactly what happened?" I want to know all the details. I want to know if I'm going to have to find Adam and beat his skull in with a crowbar.
She nods and goes into her account of what happened, "He seemed to be very intoxicated and as I was going over the assessment he cornered me in the room and tried to get me to touch his genital area. I instructed him to sit, but he was very aggressive. I do have to admit that I pushed him to the ground. I don't want you to get in trouble. I'll take the heat for that if it comes down to it."
"You're crazy right? Why the hell would you get in trouble for protecting yourself? That's what hospitals have insurance for. Don't hesitate to keep yourself safe. I'll do my part to make sure everyone is working in a secure environment, but you do the same." I hate that she thinks I would even let something like this touch her. Never in a million years would she get in trouble for this.
She relaxes her shoulders and slowly that smile I'm so used to her wearing starts to cross her face.
God, her lips. I want to bite them.
I clear my throat again and move my gaze to my computer like I'm going to start writing something up. "You're free to take the rest of the day if you need. I hope this doesn't put you off working here for the rest of your contract." I say and hold my breath to wait for her answer. I don't want her to leave. Not yet.
"Oh no. I'm here for you guys. Thank you for hearing me out and being so understanding about this." She says and I give her a nod.
She gets up from the chair and walks over to my door before she turns around and looks back. "You know you don't need to take on the world by yourself. You're not out on the floor alone. We all, the nurses, the support staff and even the patients, are in this together. You've got yourself closed off in your own little world, but I think it's time you join us. Whether you like it or not, I've made up my mind that I'm going to have to break that hard shell of yours." She winks at me, and I'm stunned into silence again.
It'll be a cold day in hell before I let anyone in, but I will admit I'm intrigued by the idea.
I pull my keyboard out on the sliding tray to start to type my note and feel the first curls of a smile on my lips. I can't help but be a little excited about what she has in store for me.
9
nyla
Today isthe perfect day to break down those walls surrounding Nic Dracos’ cold heart. After all, who can't have fun on Halloween.
