Hidden Betrayal (O'Connor Girls Book 1)

by Rhonda Brewer

  She started with the patients the next day and looked forward to the new change in her life. The position was for a month because she was there to replace someone on sick leave. Kristy didn’t care because she was out of Hopedale and maybe it would help her get over Dean Nash.

  Of course, she told her family she’d come back on her days off, but the truth was it was fall. If her position got extended which was possible, then it would go into the winter months. Knowing her father, he would insist she didn't drive in bad weather, and she would roll her eyes. It wouldn’t be as if he could see her unless he used Facetime.

  Unless he uses Facetime. Does dad know how to Facetime?

  As if on cue, her phone vibrated on the table. Kristy jumped to her feet and scuffed to the kitchen where her phone sat on the counter. She didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello,” Kristy singsonged.

  “Can I speak with Kristy O’Connor, please?” A soft female voice asked.

  “Speaking,”

  “Ms. O’Connor this is Sophia Frost from Comfort Life Care.”

  “Oh hello, Mrs. Frost.” Kristy made her way to the kettle and flicked on the switch.

  “I know you’ll be starting in the morning, but Ms. Flynn’s uncle wants to meet with all the staff who will be interacting with his niece.” Sophia sounded almost apologetic.

  “I understand, I’m sure he wants to make sure she’s comfortable with the staff.” Kristy couldn’t blame the man.

  “Yes, Mr. Flynn is a little, how should I put it? Overwhelming.” Sofia chuckled.

  “I grew up with seven male cousins, two uncles and a father who would probably put Mr. Flynn to shame.” Kristy laughed.

  “Then you’re fully prepared to meet him.”

  “Trust me; I’ve dealt with worse.” Dean came to mind.

  “Good, your shift starts at eight and the meeting will be in suite one, zero, two,” Sophia said. “Looking forward to seeing you again, Cora speaks highly of you. Oh, and nobody knows your aunt recommended you.”

  “Thanks, I wasn’t aware you knew her well.” Kristy felt slightly embarrassed because Cora probably pushed the issue.

  “She and I went to college together, and if your work ethic is the same as hers, I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Kristy did work hard.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Mrs. Frost.” Kristy ended the call and groaned. “Great, I get rid of a bunch of overbearing men and have to meet another on my first day.”

  Just another day in my life.

  Kristy pulled her car into the parking lot. The place looked more like a country club than a long-term care facility. The only thing to even hint it was for sick and seniors was the medical staff entering and exiting the building.

  Kristy tucked her stethoscope into the pocket of her scrubs, grabbed her cell phone and got out of her car. A tall man with dark hair held open the door as she made her way to the entrance.

  “Thank you.” Kristy smiled.

  “Anything for a pretty nurse.” The man smiled, and all Kristy could think was Dean could snap you in half. She’d seen the man many times while she trained and knew the type. It would never happen, but she had to work with the guy.

  “Kristy O’Connor, it’s my first official day.” She held out her hand and almost gagged when he put her hand to his lips.

  “Doctor Kevin Dickson, at your service. Anything you need, and I do mean anything.” Yep, he was a dick.

  He held onto Kristy’s hand a little longer than was comfortable and she pulled it away with a forced smile. He was attractive with hair to his shoulders that he continued to push back from his narrow face. She wanted to shout, ‘cut it.’ His hazel eyes sparkled with mischief, or he was horny, either way, she wasn’t interested.

  “Doctor Dickson, I’m sure you have a shift to start.” A soft voice echoed in the vestibule.

  It was comical the way he spun around and stammered something about a friendly welcome for the new staff member. Kristy rolled her eyes because there was no welcome in the way he greeted her.

  “If you’re finished. You have patients waiting.” Sophia stood with her hands folded in front of her.

  “Sure, glad to have you on the team, Ms. O’Connor.” Dr. Dick scurried off down the hall.

  “I’m sorry about your welcome committee.” Sophia shook her head.

  “It’s fine. Mrs. Frost, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Kristy held out her hand.

  “Oh honey, you can call me Sophia but not in the presence of the other staff.” She motioned for Kristy to follow her into the office.

  “Do all the staff jump like Dr. Dick; I mean Dr. Dickson?” Kristy hoped her boss missed a slip of the tongue.

  “No, you were right the first time. Kevin is a dick, but a great doctor and the female patients love him. Mostly because he has a pretty face and he flirts with them.” Sophia pulled an envelope out of her desk.

  “He’s a little over the top.” Kristy laughed.

  “Yes, and he tries that with all the new female staff. It never works which is why he’s probably still single. This is your identification card. It has a security chip inside for entering the building as well as secure areas.” Sophia stared at her.

  “Thank you.” Kristy accepted the card attached to a clip that attached to her scrubs.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to stare, but I still can’t get over how much you resemble your mom.” Sophia smiled.

  “You know my mom?” After she asked the question, she remembered Cora and her mom had gone to the same college.

  “Yes, Alice started dating your father during her last year of university. Your aunt’s doing.” Sophia chuckled.

  “Oh yeah, Cora the Cupid.” Kristy laughed. “Maybe we should have Aunt Cora come out here and talk to Dr. Dickson.”

  “Ha, I never thought of that.” Sophia opened the door of her office. “Come on because you’re about to meet another type of man. Quite handsome but not sure he knows how to smile.”

  “I’ve met men like that.” Kristy knew one for sure.

  When they arrived at suite one hundred and two, the two other women were in the middle of a chat outside the door.

  “Ladies, right on time. You remember Kristy she’ll be on rotation with you, Leah.” Sophia spoke to the two women.

  Kristy met the two women when they trained. Vivian Jones was shorter than Kristy with short blonde hair. Leah Sellers was taller with brown hair a little darker than Kristy’s and cut close to her scalp. It reminded Kristy of the way men wore their hair in the military.

  “So nice to see you again, oh and I’m a hugger.” Leah grabbed Kristy and gave her a quick hug.

  “Sorry about that.” Vivian rolled her eyes. “She has no personal space boundaries.”

  “It’s okay; I’ve got several little cousins who have the same issue.” Kristy chuckled.

  “Has anyone seen Zoey?” Sophia asked.

  “She’s inside with Peyton.” Vivian smiled.

  “Yeah, apparently her uncle is running late. He had some business to attend to.” Vivian explained.

  “Probably, out bench pressing a car.” Leah fanned herself.

  “You should have seen him in that T-shirt this morning.” Vivian sighed.

  “I’m not usually a fan of tattoos but holy baloney.” Leah grinned.

  “Ladies, professionalism please.” The smile on Sophia’s face said she understood.

  “Sorry,” Leah chuckled.

  “Why don’t we at least have everyone go inside and chat with Ms. Flynn.” Sophia pushed open the door, and Kristy followed the three women inside.

  Kristy was in awe of the beautiful room, and tried to take it all in but she was distracted by the pretty woman in the wheelchair with the nasal cannula. It wasn’t something she was unfamiliar with but to see someone so young hooked up to oxygen was sobering. It didn’t seem to affect the woman because she had a lovely smile on her face.

  “Hello, Ms. Flynn.” Sophia sat in the chair next to the
young woman.

  “Please call me Peyton. I feel like an old lady when you act so formal.” Peyton glanced at Kristy and the others.

  “I understand your uncle is running late, but I wanted to introduce you to your permanent nurses all together. Kristy will be on days for the next three days.” Sophia motioned to Kristy.

  “Kristy O’Connor,” She held out her hand to Peyton.

  “You’re so pretty.” Peyton smiled.

  “Thank you; you’re a real knock out.” Kristy winked and stepped back.

  Sophia introduced Leah who got the same compliment from sweet Peyton. Since Zoey and Vivian already met the elusive Mr. Flynn, Sophia told Vivian to take Kristy to the nurse’s station and go over the reports, and she sent the other two home. Sophia seemed annoyed that Peyton’s uncle demanded to meet all the nurses but didn’t show up.

  “He can meet Leah tonight and you when he comes in.” Sophia told Kristy as they left Peyton’s room.

  Vivian explained there were sixty residents in the facility and the ratio was one nurse for three patients. Obviously, the place was for very wealthy people. Not that Kristy cared one way or the other.

  “We care for the same patients on every shift unless there’s a problem.” Vivian held out the three charts. “You’ve met Peyton, and she’s a sweetheart. So sad to be so young and so ill.”

  “Cystic Fibrosis is horrible,” Kristy flipped through the chart.

  “Yes, and there’s no hope for a transplant as far as I can tell.” Vivian sighed.

  “So sad.” Kristy shook her head.

  “Anyway, Owen Bailey is eighty-three and can do most things himself. He enjoys checkers and spends a lot of time in the activity room. Chances are you’ll have to track him down for his medication. He’s an adorable gentleman. Walter Stone is sixty-nine, and according to him we’re holding him, hostage, so his family can steal his money.” Vivian gave her a smile that said I’m sorry.

  “He’s the one with dementia?” Kristy sighed.

  “Yes, but most of the time he’s lucid and grumpy, but when he gets out of sorts, we just agree with him. Honestly, I feel for the poor man, his kids put him here and visit once a month. I sometimes think maybe he’s not wrong.” Vivian shrugged her shoulders.

  “Are most of the residents, seniors?” Kristy asked.

  “Yes, most are, but we have a couple who are terminal. The people here pay big money to get the best of care and trust me they get it. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.” Vivian pulled on her jacket.

  “How long have you been here?” Kristy asked.

  “Four years and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.” Vivian pulled her purse onto her shoulder. “The room numbers are on the cards attached to the front, make sure you note everything, and I usually do vitals every two hours unless I see something out of the ordinary then I check every hour.”

  “Is there anyone I can call if I have issues?” Talk about getting tossed into the lion’s cage.

  “Don’t worry; there’s a list next to the phone with all the nurses on duty with your shift. If you’ve got any issues, you can call one of them. The computer system is the same one we used last week at training.” Vivian didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.

  “It’s pretty straightforward.” Kristy also used the system when she did her nursing rotations at the hospitals in St. John’s.

  “Is there anything else, you need?” Vivian glanced up the hallway.

  “I think I’m good.” Kristy glanced in the same direction but couldn’t see anything. “Is something wrong, Vivian?”

  “I don’t want to run into Dr. Dickson.” Vivian rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, I met Dr. Dick.” Kristy chuckled.

  “Oh my God, I love it.” Vivian laughed.

  “He’s a little full of himself.” Kristy stood up and wrapped her stethoscope around her neck.

  “You have no idea.” Vivian groaned. “He’s harmless, but he annoys the hell out of me.”

  “I can understand why.” Kristy stepped around the desk and glanced down at the first chart.

  Vivian’s notes were very detailed, and Kristy was quite comfortable with her first rotation. Peyton’s uncle had not returned but contacted Sophia to apologize. He would be back by the afternoon to meet Kristy. Leah would meet with him when she came in for her shift. He didn’t want them to give up their day off because he’d gotten held up. At least he was not completely unreasonable.

  Kristy found Owen very easy going and she didn’t have any issues with Walter either. She was on her way to Peyton’s room when her phone buzzed.

  She pulled it out of her pocket. A text from Keith popped up with a picture of his new baby. Kristy smiled when she opened it and saw Noah with a huge smile.

  Keith: He wanted to say hi to his favorite big cousin.

  It was odd for Keith to text her out of the blue, but it seemed her cousin’s new baby had softened the big burly man.

  Kristy: He’s so adorable.

  Keith: Like his dad.

  Kristy: Whatever gets you through the day, cuz.

  Keith: How’s the new job? Meet any interesting people yet?

  Kristy: On shift now. I’ll call when I get home.

  Kristy shoved the phone back into her pocket and made her way to Peyton’s suite. She knocked on the door as she slowly pushed open the door. Peyton was in her bed and a little paler than earlier.

  “Hi, Peyton,” Kristy smiled as she moved next to the bed.

  “Hey,” Peyton smiled.

  “How are you feeling?” Kristy pulled off her stethoscope and proceeded to check Peyton’s vitals.

  “Good. I got a text from D to say he’s here with a muffin for me.” Peyton smiled.

  “Lucky you.” Kristy laughed.

  “Yeah, I guess you’ll get to meet him.” Peyton sat on the bed while Kristy checked her breathing.

  “Looking forward to it.” Kristy smiled as she made her way to the supply cupboard to retrieve Peyton’s medication. She’d just poured a glass of water when the door to the room opened. Kristy couldn’t see who entered from where she stood.

  “Oh my God, chocolate chip.” Peyton was very excited about it. “This is huge. Kristy, do you want some?”

  Kristy turned and sucked in a breath. On the other side of Peyton’s bed was the last man she expected and the very one she didn’t want to see. Kristy gasped, and the tray of medication clattered to the floor.

  Dean.

  She knew at that moment the reason she received the random message from her cousin and why her aunt pushed her to take the short-term position. They both had to know, and she was ready to give both of them a piece of her mind.

  Chapter 5

  Dean’s morning went way off schedule. He’d gotten a call from his sister’s lawyer about a deal offered to her by the Crown Attorney. It meant if she admitted to the murder there would be no trial and reduce the charge to manslaughter. The lawyer added pressure for her to accept it, but Dean had no idea why.

  It was only a thirty-minute drive to the women’s prison. It made him appear unprofessional to miss the meeting he’d demanded with the staff at Comfort Life Care, but something was off with his sister and her lawyer.

  He waited for the guard to open the door to the entrance. Since he visited so often, he knew most of them by name. As usual, he removed his belt and left his phone in a locker before he could go into the visiting room.

  Dean waited for Hannah to be escorted into the visiting room. He glanced around at the other visitors and prisoners currently in the room. He noticed a small woman on the other side of the room with her head down as a man leaned over the table. The woman looked scared, and the man looked pissed. Before he could get the guards attention to warn him, he heard his sister.

  “Hey,” Hannah moved slowly toward him.

  “Hi,” He wanted to jump up and hug her, but it wasn’t permitted. He couldn’t even hold her hand.

  “Is everything okay with Peyton?” Hannah folde
d her hands together on the table in front of her.

  “She’s great. Sassy as ever.” Dean smiled, but Hannah dropped her head and sighed.

  Hannah was different over the last few weeks. Who could blame her? She was in jail for something she didn’t do and no way out. She never even had a chance to mourn the man she loved.

  “Han, why are you thinking about taking this deal? I know you didn’t do this.” Dean folded his hands in front of him.

  “Trevor said there was gonna be another delay on my trial.” Hannah lifted her head, and her eyes filled with tears. “I want to get this over with, and if I take this, I won’t get as much time.”

  “Why the delay?” Dean didn’t trust Trevor Poole. Hannah hired the lawyer, and Dean told her several times to get another, but the guy convinced her he was the best. The only thing Dean could see was the huge invoices from the man.

  “Something about missing statements and it could be months before it gets figured out. He said the deal is the best option.” Hannah’s hands shook.

  “I’m finding another lawyer. That guy’s an idiot, and I told you from the beginning.” Dean clenched his jaw when she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Han but something doesn’t add up with that guy. I seem to remember he promised you this would be over in a couple of weeks when you hired him.”

  “I had the gun in my hand, but I don’t remember anything from that night. I don’t even know how I got to bed and it’s the Crown Attorney that’s holding things up. Every time he asks for something they put him off.” Hannah swiped her hands across her cheeks to wipe the tears away.

  “Did you have to sign for the chocolate’s that you thought Ivan sent?” Dean asked.

  “We’ve been over this, Dean. It was left on the step. Please, stop worrying about me and take care of my daughter.” Hannah whispered.

  “I’m doing that, Han but I’m going to take care of you too.” Dean met his sister’s Hazel eyes.

  “It’s no use, Dean. Either way, I’m not going home.” Hannah sobbed.