Meadow
It was all I could do to concentrate on getting ready for work this morning. I kept waiting for a call telling me not to bother to come in. When it never came, Iceman sent me off to work, but that was only after he tried to convince me to let him go with me. I refused. Instead, he made me swear that I would call him if I were fired or suspended. He said he’d come to get me since he didn’t want me driving upset. If I was reprimanded, he still wanted to know. He kissed me deeply before we left to go our separate ways.
My sisters had classes starting later in the morning, so they were still in their pajamas when we left. They told us to have a good one. I’d told them last night what happened, so they knew why I was so tense this morning. I didn’t leave the house as early as I have been. I wasn’t in the mood to go in and clean up a mess I hadn’t left. It had been clean when I finished up my day. If it wasn’t now, it was because the therapists wrecked it. They were allowed to stay over and use the equipment for themselves, which was often the cause of the mess I cleaned up in the mornings.
I arrived and walked into the building a few minutes before start time. I went straight to the gym. My fellow therapists were there. They greeted me, and our morning started. We’d been at it for just over an hour. My first patient had just left, and I had time until the next one came. Our peace was disturbed by one of the nurses rushing into the gym. She seemed excited. Wondering what was up, a few of us asked her quietly what happened.
“Did you hear the news?” she asked excitedly.
“What news?” I asked.
“I don’t know how you didn’t hear it. There was so much yelling, and it only stopped after private security men made their presence known. It seems Higgins had arranged for two to be here this morning.”
“What’re you talking about? We didn’t hear anything,” Omar told her.
“Well, it seems Director Higgins came in this morning and had back-to-back meetings. The first was with Joni. That was where the bulk of the yelling and need for security came from. It seems she was fired. While she was being watched and escorted out of the building, Higgins met with Scott Harrison. They were behind closed doors for about twenty minutes, and there were some raised voices. When Scott came storming out, looking ready to kill, he was taken to his office. He got canned, too. They’ve both packed their stuff and left. Do you know what it’s about?” she asked.
Suffice it to say I was stunned. I couldn’t answer her even if I wanted to. Surely, it would be too much of a coincidence for both of them to be fired on the same day and after my meeting yesterday. My fellow therapists who heard her were all chattering about what it could mean. Omar exchanged a look with me. I shrugged.
“I better get back to work, but if you find out anything, let me know,” she whispered before speeding off.
It was hard to go back to doing our work. The others circulated the room, telling the others what happened. They at least didn’t do it in front of patients. I went to text Iceman. He’d want to know this. I was just beginning to type in my message when the room got deathly quiet. Glancing up, I froze. Standing there was Director Higgins. He gestured to me.
“Meadow, I’d like to see you in my office, please.”
I tried to swallow the massive lump in my throat. Did he also intend to fire me to get rid of anyone he felt was a troublemaker? Clutching my phone in my hand, I walked to him. He didn’t wait for me to reach him before he was out the door and headed to his office. When we got there, I saw Ines wasn’t at her desk. I briefly wondered where she was, then forgot as I entered the room, and he shut the door.
“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable. This shouldn’t take long, I hope,” he told me.
I sat because my legs were weak. He took a seat across from me. He looked serious.
“I assume you’ve heard that I fired Scott and Joni this morning.”
“Yes, sir, one of the nurses came to tell us.”
“And you’re undoubtedly wondering if it had anything to do with yesterday. The answer is yes, it did. However, yesterday was just the end of a long process. It gave me the final piece I needed.”
“I don’t understand,” I told him. Why didn’t he get to the point? Fire me and let my ass go.
“I owe you an apology, Meadow. I wanted this to be over weeks ago, but I had to get everything in place first. I thought it would be before you returned to work, but it wasn’t. I’ve been investigating both Joni and Scott for a variety of reasons, one of them being the whole situation where you’ve been unfairly targeted due to Joni’s infatuation with Scott. I’d thought I would be terminating a single person, her, only to discover he wasn’t as innocent as I thought. I’m sorry that I told you to go to him if there were issues.
“It wasn’t until I dug deeper into her that I found another disturbing issue. I can’t go into detail about that, but it also required me to terminate Scott. With them and their drama out of the office, it brings me to you.”
“Sir, I don’t like it, but I can see how you’d want to remove everyone who was involved, even if mine was involuntary. I don’t have much to get. I assure you, I won’t need a security escort to leave the building.” I pushed up on the arms of the chair to rise. His next words had me dropping back down.
“No, no! You misunderstand me. Oh lord, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how it would look to ask you here so soon after they left. Please, I assure you, I’m not firing you.”
It was hard to ask, “You’re not?” with a dry mouth. It sounded sort of croaky.
“No, I’m not. The office is left without a nurse and therapist leader with Scott and Joni gone. I admit I made a mistake in hiring someone who wasn’t a therapist to lead them. I won’t do that again. Recruitment ads will go out immediately. However, I’m hoping I only have to send one.
“It hasn’t gone unnoticed around here who the majority of the therapy staff go to when they have questions. Or who ends up training most of the new hires. Some of the nurses will even ask you things. It became more evident how much you did outside your job when you were gone for three weeks. The staff were left without guidance. What I’m trying to say is, will you accept the position of therapy supervisor? I know you were looking to leave, but I hope you’ll be willing to stay without the two of them here.”
I was so stunned that I sat there, saying nothing. He stared intently at me, waiting for my answer. When I was capable of speaking, I reminded him of a few things.
“Director, I’m honored you would ask, but I haven’t been a therapist as long as several others. Shouldn’t they be the supervisor?”
“Length of time isn’t always the best way to go. Bad habits, laziness, or even inattention to detail could result. They need someone who leads them by example, will help them when needed, hold them accountable, and know when to let someone go.”
My head was whirling with all the implications. He apparently knew it because he gave me a reprieve. “I’m not asking you to answer me right this moment. Go home and think about it. Talk it over with your family. I’d appreciate an answer by Thursday.”
My body relaxed. “I can do that. Thank you. It’s an honor to be asked.”
“You’re welcome. Alright, that was all I needed. Unless you need anything from me.”
“No, I don’t, sir.”
“Then I’ll let you get back to work, and I’ll begin drafting my ad. Oh, and the staff will probably ask you why I called you in here. Don’t say anything about what I told you regarding Joni and Scott, but you’re free to tell them that I asked you to be the new supervisor.”
“What if one of them wants the job?”
“They can ask, but none have indicated they would want the job, let alone showed the capability to do it.”
Not wanting to prolong it longer, I stood this time. I shook his hand and thanked him again before I walked out. I was honestly in a daze as I slowly returned to the gym. I couldn’t believe it happened.
As expected, as soon as I entered, my coworkers mobbed me. They wanted to know why Higgins wanted to see me. Had I gotten in trouble for something? If so, several wanted to tell Higgins off. Somehow, I timed my return when none of them had a patient. Needing to disperse them quickly so I could call Iceman, I gave them the bare facts. I said nothing about Joni and Scott other than what they already knew: that they were fired.
When I said he’d asked me to take Joni’s spot, there was excitement and cheering. I couldn’t tell if any of them resented it being offered to me. If they felt that way, it was well hidden. They asked if I said yes. I told them I had to think about it and talk to my family. This got them urging me to do it and not to leave them to some dumbass. I finally told them we had to get back to work.
I didn’t get a chance to text or call Iceman until the afternoon. By then, I decided to wait until I got home. He texted to see if I was doing okay, and I told him I was terrific. I was saving the firing of those two for home as well. I felt a celebration happening tonight, whether or not I decided to take the position.
At the end of the day, I flew out of there. I wished several a good night before I got free and got in my car. I drove home with a smile on my face. I felt amazing and couldn’t wait to tell my family the news.