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Letting emotions take over wasn’t going to help me or the staff members. I needed to be strong and think clearly. Even though I wished there was another way, I had to go and meet Brice. Wiping my cheeks, I got up from my chair and headed to his temporary office.
The door was open, and I peered inside. He was at the desk typing on his laptop. Without even looking up, he said, “Come in. Have a seat. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Doing as he instructed, I sat and waited for him to finish what he was doing. When he closed his laptop, I said, “I take it Ryker spoke to you?”
“He did. I hope you understand why we didn’t tell you why he was really here yesterday,” he stated.
Does it matter? It's too late to change it.
“He explained what was going on. But I have concerns that I need to be addressed as well,” I said. “I’m not sure if any of you have even considered the fact that the hospital is running with a skeletal staff at the moment. We have several nurses in the US for training, as well as a few here who don’t seem to be able to show up for work.”
“And it is becoming difficult to maintain right now?” he asked.
Shaking my head, I tried to explain. “I know you weren’t here, but long ago, before New Hope Resort and President O’Connor, we were a country that was in turmoil. So many people who died didn’t have to if things were better. But our healthcare was substandard. If you were even able to get to the hospital, it didn’t mean you would receive quality care. Some people died in the ER while waiting for a doctor or nurse to arrive.”
“That won’t happen again. Logan and Finn have made major changes. As you know, the nurses back then weren’t properly trained.”
“I’m well aware. But I still question whether or not they would be able to handle a flood of wounded arriving at the same time.” There. I said it.
He stared at me for a few seconds, then addressed my concerns. “Bennett has more people arriving within the hour. They will be here to help secure Tabiq until we know exactly what is going on. This also includes medically trained individuals. You will have a few new people working here until further notice.”
“Nurses?”
“Corpsmen. They have been trained to serve as medics in combat. Trust me, they can handle whatever situation they need to,” he stated.
I was both relieved and scared that I wasn’t the only person who had thought about what bloodbath could be coming.
“And is that all they are trained to do?” I asked, now concerned for the safety of our staff.
“No. All Marines are combat-trained. As I said, they will be prepared for whatever needs to be done at the hospital.”
That was clear. They would be armed. Definitely not something any of us were. “One last question.”
“Ask as many questions as you want. I’ll answer what I can.”
“Has the president been updated in regard to the hospital’s preparation?”
“Bennett will be meeting with her immediately after his team is in place here,” he stated.
She doesn’t know?This could be bad. The added stress on top of everything else wasn’t good for her or the baby.
“I need to go with him,” I stated firmly.
“Your time is best spent here. And the less that you’re traveling, the safer you will be,” he said.
“Brice, I appreciate you trying to keep me safe, but if she has any questions regarding the hospital and staff, then I’m the one who has the answers. I know each member of the staff here personally. I know their strengths and weaknesses. You can’t speak to that.”
He nodded. “Okay. You accompany Bennett and Ryker. I will stay here and answer any questions the staff has with regard to the sudden arrival of new ones.”
It was going to draw attention. With Finn gone, and Brice here, people were already beginning to talk. I had reassured them that everything would be back to normal within a couple of weeks. That wasn’t going to explain foreign staff working in the ER.
“I have a suggestion. Let me inform them now.”
“And what are you planning on saying?” he asked.
Thinking quickly, I blurted out, “That just like we went to the US for our training, you and Finn have made arrangements for them to come here and see how foreign countries run their ER. It will give my staff the boost in confidence they need, and also the help, we hope they won’t.”
“That is brilliant.” He looked at his phone and then looked back at me. “You don’t have much time. They have landed and will be here shortly. Do you need my help gathering the staff?”
