Chapter 14 #2
I took him through the initial steps to ensure those two would never threaten anyone’s livelihood or personal life again. He laughed when I was done. Heath leaned toward me until our lips were mere inches apart.
“Is it any wonder I love and adore you?”
“Show me,” I whispered.
The kiss he gave me brought my entire body alive, and we ended up going inside, where it was private.
???
It wasn’t until Wednesday of the following week that I made my move.
I held back because I needed to get the pieces in place.
I wasn’t just confronting them. I was ensuring they’d never be able to do this to anyone else.
I sent Caroline the recording on Saturday and explained what happened.
She was livid. I calmed her down and told her what I believed would be justice.
She agreed and asked me to let her cover all the bases, so there would be no way for them to come back on any of us. They would be the kind to do that.
It was Tuesday evening when I got the call from Caroline, telling me everything was a go for the next day.
It was hard to sleep last night. This morning, Heath not only drove me to work, but he also came in to see the show.
He’d asked Caroline if it would be permissible.
Since the two women spoke about him, she agreed.
I was almost giddy when I walked through the door. Heath held my hand. Kristie smiled and greeted us both. We returned it and said good morning to others who said it to us. I took him back to my office. We’d be called when it was time for the confrontation.
It was still early. Caroline had messaged all staff last night to let them know we had a meeting in the morning and to arrive an hour before opening. This had happened before, so no one thought anything of it, though some grumbled about it.
The call to meet in the central clinical area came ten minutes after our arrival.
It was the only area large enough to contain us all.
Many would stand while others got chairs.
Heath made sure I had a chair. He stood behind it.
Glances were cast in his direction. The staff wondered why he was here.
I let them wonder and fought not to smirk.
When Caroline stood up, the noise died down to barely a whisper.
“I asked all of you here because a serious matter was brought to my attention.
It could harm not only our patients' health and well-being but also the clinic's reputation. We’re entrusted with the safety and health of vulnerable people. There is no room for the acts I heard discussed. We also take workplace safety seriously. And someone threatening the physical, emotional, or financial status of another will not be tolerated.”
Her voice had grown harsher as she spoke.
Her eyes were narrowed. The room was filled with people exchanging puzzled, alarmed looks.
However, two seemed to be working hard to keep their faces calm and expressionless.
I saw the panic in their eyes. They knew what Caroline meant.
They had to be shitting themselves trying to figure out how she found out.
Caroline paused to let it sink in. Other than a soft cough and the squeak of chairs as people moved in them, the room was silent. She scanned the crowd, then her gaze came back to the center of the area.
“I’ve consulted with our legal team. They have seen the evidence and endorse the action about to be taken. When it occurs, I do not want to hear anyone protesting or fighting the decision.”
Caroline’s gaze met mine. “Danae, please come up here,” she said.
The loud gasps were filled with shock. I stood and calmly made my way to her. Heath trailed behind me. As I joined her, I let the incredulous faces blur. There were only two I was interested in. Once I stood next to her, Caroline looked over at Julie and Holly. She pointed to them.
“Holly, Julie, you need to come here,” she ordered.
They hesitated, but then they must’ve accepted they couldn’t ignore her. They slowly made their way to us. Both women kept their eyes on Heath and me.
“Julie, Holly, your employment here is terminated effective immediately. You will go clean out your lockers and turn in your badges and any other company equipment you have. I heard what you said about Danae. You planned to do something to a patient to make it appear she messed up. You hoped that she’d get fired, lose her license, and ultimately, that her boyfriend would kick her out and she’d be left homeless to raise her child alone.
Your absolute audacity astonishes me, and your conduct disgusts me.
” Caroline’s tone was filled with disdain and anger.
“We said no such thing about her! She’s lying,” Holly blurted out.
“That’s right. We would never do something like that. She hates us and wants to wreck our lives. She’s been trying since before she got pregnant,” Julie added.
“You were told not to protest. And since you seem to want to proclaim your innocence, let’s see if you still will after this.” Caroline nodded to me.
I held up my phone and played the recording. It was clear as day who was speaking. Everyone recognized their voices. Panic overtook them. The rumblings of the others grew. When it ended, Julie responded.
She pointed a finger at me as she screamed, “You can’t record me without my permission! That’s illegal,” she shrieked.
“The state of Virginia is a one-party consent state when it comes to recordings. And you spoke in a work environment where privacy isn’t implied. It’s perfectly legal,” Heath informed her.
“Julie, you and Holly are not only terminated, but you spoke of doing something to a patient so that I would lose my job. I can only assume it would cause actual or potential harm to that patient. I not only reported this to Caroline, but to HR and legal. In addition, the license and certification boards for both of you have been notified. They are performing their own investigation. They don’t take kindly to clinicians doing things like that.
It would behoove you to seek your own legal counsel,” I told them.
Both were ashen, their bodies shaking, and they clung to each other. Tears streamed down their faces, but along with the crying, they were glaring at me with hate-filled expressions.
Suddenly, security guards came through the door.
We didn’t have our own here. When we organized this, Caroline mentioned that, and her worry that they might do something.
Heath told her he’d see to it that the Patriots provide two men.
He would stay out of it because of our personal relationship. She’d been grateful.
I recognized the two guys. I gasped. One was Ben, and the other, looking like death personified, was Undertaker. His massive arms were crossed over his chest, and his grim expression was enough to give me nightmares, and it wasn’t directed at me.
“Gentlemen, thank you for your assistance. I want them escorted off the premises within the next ten minutes. If they give you trouble, call the police, and we’ll have them arrested and removed. The choice is theirs,” Caroline stated firmly.
As big and intimidating as Undertaker and Ben were, Holly and Julie still tried to scream their denials and struggle to get past them. Obscenities were shouted at me, along with the wish that my baby and I would die. I had to hold Heath back when they yelled that.
Heath held me close as both women were hustled out and into the locker room area.
The rest of the staff whispered together in small huddles.
Several came over to me and asked if I was alright.
Did I need anything? Could they help in any way?
I reassured them that I was fine. Heath thanked them for asking.
Slowly, everyone wandered off to get ready for the main door to open in twenty minutes and our workday to begin.
“Well, that went as expected. I just want them out of here. If they continue to bug you, take it to the police,” Caroline said to us.
“No worries, we’ll make sure they don’t get near her,” Heath assured my boss.
“Good. Now, go rest until it’s show time. Heath, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
He thanked her and then took me back to my office, where I dropped into my chair and closed my eyes.