Chapter 18
Renne
The press that reported from the hospital had vanished by the time I got to work that afternoon. Pete was in surgery, and I didn’t get to see him until late that night. I don’t care for him as a person, but I also wish him a speedy recovery.
I arrived in the hallway to see a florist placing a massive wreath of yellow roses on a stand next to the door of his room. For a moment, I thought Pete might have died, but once the florist left, I read the gift tag on the wreath:Best wishes from the Crossbow family.
Connor must’ve sent Pete a wreath of yellow roses. Yellow is a joyful color.
Connor Crossbow broke Pete’s fingers and hands, then nailed him to the door of a restaurant because Pete didn’t take care of me during our date.
Every day that Pete was hospitalized, Connor sent a bouquet of flowers.
I only know this because nurses from that floor talked about it in the cafeteria. I never visited again, and when I was there before, Pete was sleeping.
But the Crossbow message was loud and clear:Ekatia is untouchable.To be honest, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Or perhaps a bit of both. Coworkers are avoiding me like the plague. I never made great friends with my coworkers the way I have with Dina, but I like most of the men and women I work with.
We used to socialize during lunch hour, but now I eat alone in the cafeteria. I used to eat in the nurses’ lounge on the floor, but now when I walk in, others leave. I’m not trying to make anyone uncomfortable by existing, so I started having lunch in the cafeteria. Which, if I’m being honest, has a better view. The Mediterranean is beautiful and does wonders for the soul.
“Do you have a minute?” Sera, my boss, joins me at the lunch table.
I swallow and wipe my mouth. “Sure.” This is highly unusual, so my palms start sweating instantly.
“I have your evaluation ready.” She hands me a piece of paper.
I look at the raise she gave me, which is circled at the top. It’s preposterous. Way over what I deserve, given how I was late several times and Sera gave me shit for it. But considering how I dodged actual bullets in this place, and I need the money, I don’t protest. I’m pretty sure that fear of the Crossbows made her give me such a big raise, so all I say is “Thank you so much.”
Sera nods. “Absolutely. Listen, Ekatia.” She clears her throat, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. “The hospital set up a clinic near the new theater. I nominated you for the head nurse position there. It’s a Monday-to-Friday position. Eight to four. Not like these crazy hours we have here. Perfect for you, don’t you think?”
Speechless, I lean back and look around the cafeteria. My coworkers sit at a nearby table, probably overhearing this conversation. She ought to have called me into her office.
“I see what this is. You’re too scared to fire me, but you can’t keep me on the floor anymore.”
Sera stares at the paper she gave me. “You made that bed.”
“Which bed?”
“You know which one. He broke Dr. Olton’s fingers. He’ll never perform surgery again.”
Pete is a victim. I’m not a victim of anything anymore now that Connor Crossbow is involved. “What’s that have to do with me?”
“If you hadn’t gone out with Pete while you were also involved with Crossbow, Pete would be fine.”
“Pete went after me. He asked me out after he saw Connor with me.”
“He didn’t deserve to have his fingers broken.”
I grit my teeth. “I didn’t break them.”
“Your boyfriend did.”
“Connor is not my boyfriend, and even if he was, you can’t fire me for that.”
“Nobody is firing you. Please, Ekatia, do the right thing and stay away from us.” She pushes a pen toward me. “Please sign for the raise and the relocation?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Sera appears annoyed, but she can’t force me to sign anything. And I’m allowed to take time to think about her proposal.