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I closed the door after her and motioned to the chair opposite my desk. “Mirabella, what a lovely name. I think it comes from Latin and meanswonderful, if I remember correctly. I like it.”
She beamed a full-face smile as she took her seat.
I rounded my desk and sat. “How can I help?”
“It’s Timmy. He broke his leg yesterday playing in a tree, and——”
“Is he okay?” I interrupted. I recalled Timmy as a very energetic young boy at our last company picnic.
She nodded. “But he has a cast, and he has to stay at home, and he’s so young, and I can’t, I just can’t… And Mr. Fulbright, he said——”
I leaned forward and raised a hand. “Slow down, Mirabella. How long do you need to take care of Timmy?”
“He said I could only take two weeks,” she continued, ignoring my question.
“Don’t worry about that,” I told her.
The panic in her eyes receded slightly.
“How long do you need?” I asked again.
“His cast needs to be on for six to eight weeks.”
I picked up the phone and dialed Martin in finance.
He picked up quickly.
“Martin, I’ve got Mirabella here,” I started.
“I’m sorry, Liam. I tried to explain to her that the policy is two weeks,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said. “That was the old policy. It’s been revised to two months in the case of family medical emergencies.” I left out that I was modifying the policy on the fly. “Could you please arrange for her family medical leave to start today and run for two months? Please bring in whatever temp help you need to fill in during the interim.”
Mirabella smiled.
“Certainly. I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks, Martin. Keep up the good work,” I told him before hanging up.
“Mr. Quigley, I can’t thank you enough,” Mirabella said tearfully.
I stood. “Please call me Liam, and no thanks necessary. We look out for each other here.”
She continued to thank me profusely, but did switch to my first name.
I escorted a beaming Mirabella out of the office and asked Veronica to arrange a taxi to take her home right away.
I closed the door and lay down on the couch, resting my eyes. Last night had taken its toll.
* * *
Amy
Samantha lookedup from her desk as I entered her office. “From your expression, I gather it didn't go well.”
“Nope.”
Samantha shook her head. “Maybe we should have bought the used ovens instead of the new ones last month.”
