taken. Now, can you leave?”
I suppressed a growl, and picked their clothes up off the floor. I can’t say why I did it. I didn’t love Henry. Breaking up didn’t even truly affect me. I should’ve been the bigger person and just walked away, but his infidelity pissed me off. We were adults for God’s sake. I could’ve taken rejection better than cheating. So I grabbed the sheet puddled at the foot of the bed too, and I walked out. As I marched down the hall, I threw them down the laundry chute.
Neither would get out of the room without making a spectacle.
Chapter 2
“ Y ou threw his clothes along with his pager into the laundry chute,” my supervisor chastened. “He missed several calls and pages before a nurse finally knocked on his door. She had to retrieve him a set of scrubs before he could leave his room.”
“Is he being reprimanded?” I replied.
“You’re not being reprimanded,” she corrected with a sigh. “You’re being fired. This is a professional establishment. Your behavior is unconducive to the environment. When a department is short staffed because a resident can’t answer a call, it places our patients at risk for injury or death, and the hospital at risk for malpractice. We do not hold a zero tolerance policy for workplace relationships, but we adamantly discourage them for precisely this reason.”
Fuck. There went my bachelor’s degree. Three fucking years I gave this place and one infraction and they sent me packing. Meanwhile, all Henry received was a slap on the wrist.
“I’m sorry, Paisley.”
What a fucking joke. Was I supposed to make excuses? Was I supposed to grovel and beg? Was I supposed to thank her for her outstanding empathy? Nothing I said at this point was going to save my job. For all I cared, she could take her apologies and shove them up her ass.
“I’ll clear out my locker.” Rising from my seat, I dropped my ID badge onto her desk and turned to leave.
“I have contacts across Seattle. I could pull some strings,” my supervisor offered. “You were a good employee, Paisley. You’ve just made a few bad decisions.”
Wincing inwardly, I paused. I wanted to walk out with my head held high, but I had bills to pay, and jobs were scarce. I would be stupid not to take up her offer. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
“I have your number. I’ll be in touch.”
“I might go away for a few days.” I needed some time to think. “You should be able to reach me on my cell.”
A few minutes later, I had my meager belongings packed. I hadn’t said anything to anyone, especially Monica. I didn’t want to answer her million questions. I wanted to leave quietly, without making a scene.
She and the others could talk about me all they wanted after I left. It would give them something to gossip about for weeks. They could speculate endlessly over why the hospital had fired me. I could only imagine the stories they’d conjure.
I admittedly liked the idea of being remembered.
Number three in a family of thirteen children, it was easy to fall between the cracks. I had to fight for every ounce of attention I received, and I often did. I over excelled, I rebelled, and I learned how to be loud. It was tiring. I felt like a poodle in a tutu, always putting on a show.
“Skipping out early?” someone asked. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Cooper Hale being carted out in a wheelchair. She had gotten the A-OK to go home, with a prescription for bed rest.
“Yeah, I’m going away for a few days.” I forced out a smile. She didn’t need to know the gory details. Neither did the nurse pushing the wheelchair, nor Tate Watkins and the two large bodyguards flanking either side of him. “Vacation.”
“Ooh! Nice!”
“I can take you down if you’d like,” I offered. “I’m on my way out anyhow.”
“Are you sure?” The nurse looked more
I suppressed a growl, and picked their clothes up off the floor. I can’t say why I did it. I didn’t love Henry. Breaking up didn’t even truly affect me. I should’ve been the bigger person and just walked away, but his infidelity pissed me off. We were adults for God’s sake. I could’ve taken rejection better than cheating. So I grabbed the sheet puddled at the foot of the bed too, and I walked out. As I marched down the hall, I threw them down the laundry chute.
Neither would get out of the room without making a spectacle.
Chapter 2
“ Y ou threw his clothes along with his pager into the laundry chute,” my supervisor chastened. “He missed several calls and pages before a nurse finally knocked on his door. She had to retrieve him a set of scrubs before he could leave his room.”
“Is he being reprimanded?” I replied.
“You’re not being reprimanded,” she corrected with a sigh. “You’re being fired. This is a professional establishment. Your behavior is unconducive to the environment. When a department is short staffed because a resident can’t answer a call, it places our patients at risk for injury or death, and the hospital at risk for malpractice. We do not hold a zero tolerance policy for workplace relationships, but we adamantly discourage them for precisely this reason.”
Fuck. There went my bachelor’s degree. Three fucking years I gave this place and one infraction and they sent me packing. Meanwhile, all Henry received was a slap on the wrist.
“I’m sorry, Paisley.”
What a fucking joke. Was I supposed to make excuses? Was I supposed to grovel and beg? Was I supposed to thank her for her outstanding empathy? Nothing I said at this point was going to save my job. For all I cared, she could take her apologies and shove them up her ass.
“I’ll clear out my locker.” Rising from my seat, I dropped my ID badge onto her desk and turned to leave.
“I have contacts across Seattle. I could pull some strings,” my supervisor offered. “You were a good employee, Paisley. You’ve just made a few bad decisions.”
Wincing inwardly, I paused. I wanted to walk out with my head held high, but I had bills to pay, and jobs were scarce. I would be stupid not to take up her offer. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
“I have your number. I’ll be in touch.”
“I might go away for a few days.” I needed some time to think. “You should be able to reach me on my cell.”
A few minutes later, I had my meager belongings packed. I hadn’t said anything to anyone, especially Monica. I didn’t want to answer her million questions. I wanted to leave quietly, without making a scene.
She and the others could talk about me all they wanted after I left. It would give them something to gossip about for weeks. They could speculate endlessly over why the hospital had fired me. I could only imagine the stories they’d conjure.
I admittedly liked the idea of being remembered.
Number three in a family of thirteen children, it was easy to fall between the cracks. I had to fight for every ounce of attention I received, and I often did. I over excelled, I rebelled, and I learned how to be loud. It was tiring. I felt like a poodle in a tutu, always putting on a show.
“Skipping out early?” someone asked. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Cooper Hale being carted out in a wheelchair. She had gotten the A-OK to go home, with a prescription for bed rest.
“Yeah, I’m going away for a few days.” I forced out a smile. She didn’t need to know the gory details. Neither did the nurse pushing the wheelchair, nor Tate Watkins and the two large bodyguards flanking either side of him. “Vacation.”
“Ooh! Nice!”
“I can take you down if you’d like,” I offered. “I’m on my way out anyhow.”
“Are you sure?” The nurse looked more
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