The Doctor She Always Dreamed Of

by Wendy S. Marcus

  Kira hugged Connie back. “You know all the times I’ve told you you’re the best assistant ever?”

  Connie nodded.

  “I’ve meant it, from the bottom of my heart. Anything you need, preferably legal, I’ll help in any way I can.”

  Kira was summoned to Mr. Jeffries’s office at three minutes after eight o’clock.

  She knocked on his door two minutes later, surprised when Sheila opened it.

  “Since no one from the Human Resource Department was available this early, I’ve asked Sheila to sit in as a witness,” Mr. Jeffries said from behind his excessively large mahogany desk, his partially bald head shiny, his plump face in its usual scowl.

  How convenient. “Good morning, Sheila.”

  The aging, well-dressed blonde tilted her head in acknowledgment. If Kira didn’t have such good self-control, she’d have slapped the self-satisfied grin right off of Sheila’s face.

  “Please sit.” Mr. Jeffries motioned to a chair in front of his desk.

  Kira sat.

  Rather than sitting in the chair beside Kira, Sheila stood just to the side of Mr. Jeffries’s chair, looking down on her.

  “I’m sure you know why you’re here,” Mr. Jeffries said, getting right down to it.

  “Yes, sir. And if you’d give me—”

  “There is no acceptable explanation for a gross dereliction of duty, Miss Peniglatt.”

  Gross dereliction my ass.

  But Mr. Jeffries wasn’t done. “You hold yourself up as the epitome of patient advocacy, yet you abandoned your beloved patients by failing to work on call as assigned, to be there for them when they needed you.”

  “Mr. Jeffries, if you’ll recall,” Kira said, sitting up taller, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to save her job, but she had to try, “because of the situation with my mother, I have a system in place for just this type of incident. If, for any reason, the administrator on call cannot be reached, the case manager on call is to contact the other name on the call list, which is Alison, who you called, who was available, and who happily covered on call for me.”

  “But what if she wasn’t?” Sheila asked.

  Kira wanted to point out she was only there as a witness and not a participant. Instead she stared directly at Sheila and simply stated, “But she was.”

  “None of that matters, Miss Peniglatt,” Mr. Jeffries said. “Your dereliction of duty this past weekend showed poor judgement.” He opened a file on his desk. “I have here documentation of numerous incidences demonstrating your lack of commitment to our new management philosophy.” He lifted up several sheets of paper then let them fall to the desk. “And your job performance has not improved, despite a counseling session for each infraction, performed by me, to help promote change and bring you on board.”

  Counseling session, right, if counseling session meant him yelling and not giving her a chance to speak. Although she did provide the rationale to justify every one of his ‘infractions’ in the space provided on the counseling sheet...if he’d bothered to read them, which he probably hadn’t.

  “Mr. Jeffries, I’ve made it clear that as a nurse, I cannot, in good conscience, be a part of a management philosophy that puts profit ahead of patient care,” Kira said. Especially after hearing Mr. Limone’s struggles and meeting Daisy.

  “That is not what we’re doing,” Mr. Jeffries yelled.

  Sheila put a calming hand on his shoulder.

  He let out a breath. “I’ll remind you, We Care Health Care is in business to make money.”

  Well here goes. “I’ll remind you,” Kira said. “That you work in health care now. You’re no longer dealing with carbonated beverages or computers. You’re dealing with human beings who are entitled to certain care as determined by Medicare.” Boy it felt good to get that out.

  Mr. Jeffries looked up at Sheila. “You see how she talks to me? Make a note to add insubordination to her termination documentation.”

  “Of course,” Sheila said oh, so helpfully.

  “So that’s it.” Kira stood. “If you’re going to fire me, then do it.”

  “You’re fired,” Mr. Jeffries said.

  Kira spoke to Sheila. “At least I can walk out of here with my head held high knowing I’ve worked hard and done my best to ensure our patients received the quality care they deserve.”

  “What about your responsibility to your employer, Miss Peniglatt?” Mr. Jeffries asked.

  “I have had excellent reviews, every one of my years here at WCHC. Up until your arrival, Mr. Jeffries.” She looked down at him.

  “The cost of patient care is up eighteen percent this year.”

  “And my census is the highest it’s ever been. Our patients are older and sicker. I have tried to show you that the majority of patients who are well cared for recover quicker and suffer less falls and re-hospitalizations, yet all you remain focused on is the cost of care. We will never see eye to eye.” She turned and walked to the door, stopping long enough to say, “I’ll be sure to swing by Human Resources on my way out to complete my exit interview,” before leaving his office for the last time.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  DERRICK FOUND THE address Connie had given him easily. Finding a parking spot on the tree-lined streets of the Murray Hill neighborhood had been a different story. But Kira wouldn’t answer his calls? Again? Well then she should expect a visit.

  Why couldn’t anything with her be easy? He didn’t need this hassle, didn’t need this guilt, had no time...

  He entered the lobby of her building, walked over to where the doorman sat behind a small desk, and held up the manila envelope filled with blank computer paper Connie had told him to bring. “Delivery for Kira Peniglatt,” he said the words Connie had told him to say. “From Connie at her office.”

  The older man held out his hand. “I’ll see that she gets them.”

  Derrick held the folder back. “It’s a confidential file. I was given strict instructions to deliver it to her myself.”

  “No men allowed up there,” the doorman said.

  “Connie called,” Derrick lied. “She’s expecting me. I’ll stay in the hallway.” Please don’t pick up the phone and call her.

  “Go on up then,” he motioned with his head. “Third floor. To the left. Look for C.”

  “Thank you.” Rather than risk waiting for the elevator, he took the stairs.

  Derrick wasn’t that familiar with the city, and wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when it came to Kira’s apartment, but based on her high paying job and her nice clothes, he’d expected better than this. Sure, she lived in what looked like an okay part of town, in a building with a doorman, but everything looked old and dingy. And it wasn’t as clean as it could have been.

  He found the apartment easily and knocked on the door.

  When no one answered, he knocked harder.

  The door swung open. “Did you forget your—?” Kira took one look at him and tried to slam the door in his face. Well he wasn’t having any of that. She’d been fired today, because of him. He was damn well going to talk to her about it. So he pushed his way inside.

  “Kira,” he said, stopping immediately at the look of panic on her face.

  “Nooooo,” a female voice screamed from behind him, fear evident in her tone. “Nooooo.” Something started to thump.

  “Wait outside,” Kira said.

  “But—”

  “Please.” She pushed at him, hard, then looked over her shoulder and yelled, “It’s okay, Mom.”

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Derrick backed into the hallway, listening through the partially opened door.

  “Mom,” Kira said her voice calm. “Don’t do that. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  The thumping stopped.

  “Nooo
oo,” her mom yelled.

  “Shh,” Kira comforted her. “He’s gone. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “No men,” her mother said, sounding calmer. “No.”

  “How about some Oreo cookies,” Kira suggested. “And milk.”

  “I like Oreo cookies.” Simple as that, her mother sounded happy again, like the last few minutes never happened.

  “I know,” Kira said. “Sit right here and I’ll get them for you.”

  “Well what have we here?” A woman with short dark hair asked as she walked down the hallway in his direction. “A Peeping Tom?”

  Her hair was the same color and texture as Kira’s, her blue eyes similar, yet while this woman’s sparkled with playfulness, Kira’s were more...burdened, for lack of a better word. “You must be Krissy.” He held out his hand.

  She shook it, holding on a little too long. “You must be...” She studied his face. “I have absolutely no idea who you must be because Kira has never mentioned you. Or any other man for that matter, so don’t feel bad.” She looked him over.

  “Stop it, Krissy,” Kira said as she joined them. Then she focused in on him. “You need to leave.”

  “We need to talk,” he told her.

  “No we don’t.”

  “You got fired today. Because of me.”

  Kira let out a breath. “Connie must have called you. She shouldn’t have.”

  “Wait,” Krissy said. “What?” She looked at Kira. “You got fired? From your job?”

  “No.” Kira crossed her arms over her chest. “From a cannon,” she said, completely deadpan. “I got fired from a cannon.”

  “Oh, no!” Krissy said, glancing into the condo. “What are you going to do?”

  “Don’t you worry yourself one bit,” Kira snapped at Krissy. “Your life will not be affected in the least. I’ll take care of Mom and me and everything else without asking for or expecting a damn thing from you or anyone else!” Her eyes filled with tears. She turned away as she wiped at them. “I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult day.”

  Derrick got the feeling her life was filled with difficult days.

  “I’m not a crier.” She glared at Krissy. “But I was up most of the night with Mom.” She turned her gaze to him. “I left for work very early this morning. I’m exhausted, and I really can’t deal with this right now. Please go.” She turned away, wiping at her eyes again. “Just go.”

  No way in hell. He took a step toward her. “Kira.” He tried to convey his understanding and concern with nothing more than the tone of his voice and a comforting hand placed on her shoulder.

  He wasn’t prepared for her to turn into his arms, but when she did, he hugged her tightly, holding her while she cried.

  Poor Krissy, sarcastic and playful moments ago, looked lost and unsure at the sight of her big sister crying.

  “More Oreos,” their mother said from inside. “More.”

  “I’ll get them,” Krissy said, eyeing her sister with concern. “Go take a walk or something. You look like you could use one. I’ll watch Mom.”

  A chair scraped along the floor.

  “Go!” Krissy hurried inside.

  “Shoes,” Kira said.

  A pair of black flip-flops flew into the hallway. The door slammed shut.

  Derrick released Kira just long enough to pick them up. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and started walking toward the elevator. “Come on. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

  She looked up at him with teary eyes and a small smile. “Again with the coffee?”

  He gave her a one-armed squeeze. “Would you rather we find a bar for two glasses of wine and three shots of Southern Comfort?” he teased.

  She elbowed him in the side. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  Damn right he would, but now didn’t seem like the right time to mention it. He pressed the button for the elevator.

  She slipped on her flip-flops. “Since her attack, Mom suffers from an intense fear of men, all men, regardless of age or ethnicity.”

  Understandable. But, “What I don’t get, is why Connie would send me here if she knew—” Derrick stopped, figuring it out for himself. “She doesn’t know.”

  Kira shook her head. “She knows my mom sustained a traumatic brain injury years ago, but she doesn’t know anything about how it happened or the extent of her cognitive or behavioral changes.” She looked down at her feet. “It’s not something I talk about.”

  The elevator doors opened and he followed her inside. She stood leaning against the back wall. “Now you see why I have to keep Mom with me, why I can’t take her out in public, and why I never invite men to my home. Sometimes, if a man gets too close, she’ll fly into a rage and go on the attack. Other times, like today, she’ll bang a body part on whatever hard surface is closest.”

  He nodded.

  When they reached the lobby he put out his hand to keep the door from closing on her. He waited until they were out on the street before talking again. “There are new medications coming out all the time.” For PTSD and anxiety.

  She stopped and looked up at him. “I know you’re only trying to help, but trust me, if there was a medication that worked, that I could afford, and that I could get her to take on a daily basis, she would be taking it.”

  “When was the last time you tried?”

  “A few years ago.” She started to walk. “Can we please not talk about this?”

  He fell into step beside her, walking slowly. “I want to talk about it. I want to understand,” why she’d stopped trying. “What if there’s a medication out there that will help?” He planned to begin researching that possibility as soon as he got home. “You could get her into a day program or a facility. It would take the burden off of—”

  She stopped so short, a man walking behind them almost plowed into her. “Sorry,” she said as he grumbled past. Then she turned to Derrick. “My mother is not a burden. She’s my mother. My family. And family takes care of family.”

  “But—”

  “There are no buts.” Kira looked up at him, standing tall and proud. “What if it had been me that night?”

  “Is that what this is about? Guilt?” He stared into her eyes. “Kira, you have to know what happened to your mother is not your fault.”

  “I know that.” She stared right back. “But what if it had been me? What if I was the one who’d gotten attacked and suffered a severe brain injury as a result? There is no doubt in my mind that my mother would have taken care of me until the day she died. And I will do the same for her.”

  He respected that, but, “Even if that means you can’t have a man in your life? No husband? No children?”

  Kira didn’t even hesitate. “It’s my choice, my responsibility. My mother is happy with me...well, as happy as she’s capable of being. She’s safe with me. I have three fantastic women who help me. I pay them a fortune, but they’re worth every penny.”

  Wait. “You mean you pay privately?”

  “They’re very good at what they do.” She took a hair band off of her wrist and started putting her hair up into a ponytail. “When you’re as good as they are, you can charge what you want and insist on cash.” She looked up at him. “But they put my mind at ease. My mother trusts them. I trust them. When I’m not home I don’t worry. I know they’ll call me if they need me. And they’re a bargain compared to the female doctor and female neuropsychologist who come to the condo.”

  He could only imagine.

  And now she was out of a job.

  “You told me not to call your employer and I haven’t, but I really think you should reconsider. Maybe I can—”

  “Stop.” She placed her hand on his arm. “If my boss didn’t fire me for the on call issue, he would have found another reason to fire me. It�
��s not your fault. And even though being unemployed makes my life infinitely more complicated at the moment, it was for the best. I firmly believe that.” She turned and started walking again. “The good news is I’m a nurse. I can always find work.”

  “Come work for me,” he blurted out the thought that’d been on his mind since he’d received Connie’s call.

  She stepped in front of him to avoid a dog peeing on a mailbox. “Up in Westchester County?”

  She said it like he’d asked her to commute to China. “The Metro North train from Grand Central Terminal to White Plains only takes around forty minutes.” Usually.

  “This way.” She pointed to the right and they crossed the street. “Let me get this straight. You want me to travel a good hour, each way, to work for you, because that’s what it’ll take, door to door, when I add in time to get to Grand Central then to my train. What exactly would I be doing?”

  “Office manager. Nurse Manager. Savior of my fledgling family practice.” He smiled. “I got the doctor part covered. I need help with everything else.”

  “I don’t know anything about managing a physician’s office.”

  They turned down a side street. “You’re smart, I can tell. You’ll pick it right up, I know you will.”

  “How many staff do you have?”

  “One receptionist slash biller who doesn’t have time to bill, one nurse who’s threatening to quit if I don’t hire another nurse to help her, and me.”

  “So you want me to be your nurse?”

  “I want you to hire a nurse, ASAP, and manage the office. You’ll be great at it. You know the business side of things, you can handle insurance companies, you’re good with patients. You’re perfect for the job.” And the job was the perfect way to get to see her every day, to spend time with her and get to know her better, which he really wanted to do.