Chapter 10 #2
If I refuse to prove myself, then I look like I’m saying a massive vaffanculo—fuck you—to the Vizzinis. If I agree to whatever she says, then I look like I’m admitting guilt and want to redeem myself. She’s neatly backed me into a corner.
“What else could he possibly expect me to do? I accepted an arranged marriage to a man I haven’t met in person. I gave up my job. I moved here. I’ve waited around for weeks without hearing from him. I think I’m already showing my commitment.”
“All of those things allowed you to get closer to Tommaso.” She raises her chin, and I feel like I know what Queen Victoria must have looked like when she said, “we are not amused.”
“What do you need me to do for you?” Let it sound like I’m doing her a favor.
Her lips thin, but she smiles. If I’m not careful, she’ll believe I’m competition. I have no interest in replacing Beatrice. I might carry the title la madrina if I marry Mano—or eventually if I married Tommy—but I don’t aspire to knock Beatrice off her throne.
“Santino’s in the middle of representing a family whose health insurance dumped them, and the doctor we use to evaluate medical records took an unexpected leave of absence. We need several patient files sorting and adjusted to make it easier for the company to accept Santino’s settlement offer.”
“I’m not equipped to do that. I definitely can’t sign off on anything. I’m not a doctor, and I’m not a licensed nurse in this state.”
The way she watches me…
She knows I applied for my license here. How could she fucking know that? Doing this isn’t doing her a favor. It’s payment to keep her mouth shut.
“You can use my computer.”
She stands, and I walk over to her desk. I’m certain this is the equivalent of a burner phone. There will be nothing else on here but whatever she wants me to see. I slip into her chair and see at least fifteen different programs open.
“When do you need this by?”
“Santino’s meeting is tomorrow, so by morning.”
I glance at the computer clock. It’s only nine, so I probably have twenty-four hours. I scroll through a window, and I can already tell I’ll need every minute. I don’t understand half of what I skim, but I can figure it out. It’s just going to take time.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Your best better be perfect. These are people’s lives.”
I force myself not to react when all I want to say is “bitch, don’t you think I know that? You’re forcing me because I’m a nurse.”
Instead, I ignore the comment and enlarge the first program. I scroll back up to the top and begin reading. I’m already using the annotation feature and putting notes in the margin as Beatrice slips out.
Blessed peace.
I sit back for a moment and consider my strategy.
I won’t get through all of this if I have to read each one entirely.
These reports are longer than I thought.
There are doctor’s office visits, past procedures, prescription logs, bills.
Pretty much anything submitted to the insurance company for each person for like the past ten years.
I fully expect this computer to log all my keystrokes and monitor every website I visit.
For now, the best thing I can think of is to group them by types of documents and go through them that way.
I can make a spreadsheet that builds a profile for each person.
Once I do that, then I’ll take the information and write a summary of findings.
Not that it would be admissible in court since I’m not an MD, but it would give Santino—who I haven’t met—something to work with.
* * *
I’ve been at this for four hours, and I’ve barely made a dent. I opened folders and found even more documents in them. This is not a single person task meant to be done in one day. I knew Beatrice set me up for failure, but she expects me to fail epically.
Me
Is Beatrice still around?
I wiggle my toes in my sandals as I wait for my brother’s response.
I heard him arrive an hour ago. He came over with my mom and sisters when they returned from lunch with Papa.
No one’s bothered to offer me anything to eat, and I honestly lost track of time.
My stomach rumbles, and I wonder if she’ll allow any breaks.
I doubt I can argue I’m entitled to a twenty-minute break for every seven and a half hours like nurses get in Illinois.
When I considered applying for my nursing license here in Massachusetts, I looked up labor laws.
It’s a thirty-minute break for every six hours worked.
Considering I was an ICU nurse, and I’m used to sixteen hours on and eight hours off rotations, I know what “should” happen isn’t always what does happen.
I’m pretty sure this falls into that category.
Edoardo
Yeah she and the others are watching a movie in the living room. I’m working in the dining room. Where are you?
I guess nobody told my brother his Cinderella sister is locked away working while the ugly stepsisters prepare to attend the ball. I shouldn’t think of Aria and Gia like that, especially since they aren’t stepsisters. But that’s how it often feels.
Me
I’m in Beatrice’s office. Can you come here?
Edoardo
Sure
It only takes my brother a minute to come in. He frowns when he spots me at Beatrice’s desk.
“Are you checking email?”
“Hardly. Beatrice gave me a job to do to keep me busy.”
My words drip with sarcasm, and now Edoardo’s brow furrows along with his frown. He looks so much like Papa does most of the time. He walks around the desk to look over my shoulder.
“Whose medical records are these?”
“I don’t fucking know. Some family that works for the Vizzinis, I guess.
Beatrice said Tommaso, Frank, and Santino are on their way back, and Santino has court tomorrow.
He’s representing this family in some insurance claim.
She expects me to sort all of this data by tomorrow morning. It’s like separating sand and salt.”
“How long have you been at this?”
“Four hours.”
He can see the spreadsheet sticking out from behind a billing statement. It’s clear I haven’t finished the first column. He looks at me, and he’s pissed.
“Before you do anything, I have a favor to ask.”
He straightens, and he’s clearly suspicious. He has a degree in computer science, and I intend to use that to help me. He says nothing, just stares at me.
“Can you create a program to analyze this stuff faster than I can read through it?”
“I don’t have a quick fix. Since it looks like you have several kinds of files, it could take me a few hours or a day. You’re supposed to have this done by tomorrow?”
“Yeah. If it would take you at least a few hours, then I’m better off just doing what I am now. If it takes a day, that’ll be way too late.”
“Didn’t you have a way of doing some of this in the hospital?”
“There’s a new system the hospital uses as everything transitions to digital. It’s Master Patient Index, but I don’t have access to that here. And it wouldn’t include the billing stuff.”
“Depending on what’s included, I have a program that might work to sort and aggregate that data. Do you know any doctors or nurses here?”
“One. He and I went to college together. He got a job at Mass General straight out of school. I went the nurse anesthetist route, and he’s going to be a nurse manager. We both went back to school at the same time, but he’s getting his MSN.”
“Could he access this program?”
“At a hospital like Mass General, I assume they’ve already adopted it. But I don’t know if he can, and even if he could, it would set off all sorts of red flags if he randomly entered this data.”
I lean my forehead into my hands as my elbows prop me up on the desk.
“I should get back to this. I hoped for a quick fix, but there isn’t one.”
“Keep going, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Edoardo squeezes my shoulder before heading out of the office. I don’t expect Mama to walk in with a plate filled with a sandwich, chips, and potato salad, and a bowl of fruit salad several hours later.
“This should keep you going for a while. Beatrice said you offered to help with a project since you’d understand it better than her.”
“Offered? Not exactly.”
Mama scowls as she puts the plate on the desk and looks toward the door. “What’s she making you do?”
“Go through all these records by morning. Santino has court tomorrow and needs all this stuff put together to make profiles of his clients. I don’t know why they left this till the last minute or why they don’t have some doctor on staff somewhere to do this.”
“Cuore, I’m certain they have a retired doctor or one moonlighting who’s already done this. She’s testing you.” Heart.
“Oh, I know this is a test. I just don’t get why this.”
“Because you know enough about this to make it a reasonable request, but it’s too difficult to pass.”
“She said I need to prove my loyalty to Mano. She said people are talking about Tommaso and me.”
“Your sisters are jealous because you’re marrying someone as powerful as Mano.
The fact that Tommaso’s been assigned to making sure you’re here for the wedding means he’s focused on you.
If he were to pursue one of your sisters, he’d be in trouble for shirking his responsibilities.
If he’s attentive to you, then there must be something going on between you.
You and Tommaso haven’t been that obvious, but Beatrice overheard your sisters.
I saw her watching the three of you. If I could hear you, then so could she.
She knows her son as well as I know my daughter, so we both see the chemistry between you two. ”
“Chemistry means nothing. I’m marrying his uncle.”
“Exactly. Beatrice is punishing you for falling for Tommaso. She’s setting you up to fail.”
“She’s setting herself up to be the evil mother-in-law.”
“She’s proving she still runs this family.”
“I have no interest in usurping her position as the unofficial Godmother.”