C J Lyons [Angels of Mercy 04 Critical Condition (epub)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Shoving her fears aside, she slid the Taurus into the paddle holster at the small of her back, turned away from the targets, then whirled back, drawing and firing four shots in quick succession.Sandy whistled at the results.“Nice.”Lydia squinted downrange.The bullet holes were so close together they made one not-so-big hole between the eyes and another through the heart.Bingo.Ignoring the pain whipping her guts into a nauseated frenzy, she said, “Told you I was fine.I’d better get back home before Trey gets off work.”“Happy New Year’s, Lydia,” Sandy said as she turned to leave.Lydia stopped and glanced back.The pricking between her shoulder blades intensified.Gauzy blurs of her mother’s bloody body, of Jerry in the ICU, of the man she’d shot filled the void between her and Sandy, Technicolor ghosts dancing in the gun smoke.“Happy New Year’s, Sandy.” The words emerged like a eulogy.Lydia walked away, the weight of the Taurus at her back more comforting than any holiday cheer.TWONORA HALLORAN HAD NEVER BEEN CALLED TO THE principal’s office during all her years in school, but now she knew what it felt like.Oliver Tillman, the Angels of Mercy Medical Center’s CEO, kept her waiting for twenty minutes before he deigned to make an appearance.The visitors’ chairs in front of Tillman’s elevated desk were sleek Scandinavian designs that looked stylish but were painful to sit in.Nora would have preferred to stand but didn’t want to look nervous.So she sat, her butt falling asleep and a wooden dowel poking into her spine with every movement.Then the man himself arrived.A few inches shy of six feet, compensated for by a blond toupee puffed up to make him look taller, Oliver Tillman liked to describe himself as Pittsburgh’s answer to Donald Trump.As if his overbearing manners and tendency toward misogynism weren’t enough for Nora to have to put up with, he arrived accompanied by Jim Lazarov, the emergency medicine intern whose sole goal in life was to make Nora’s life hell.“Have a seat, Jim,” Tillman commanded, barely acknowledging Nora’s presence.Jim nodded, smirked, and perched on the edge of the other Scandinavian torture device, appearing ready to spring up at moment’s notice to kiss Tillman’s butt.He slanted a triumphant glance at Nora, and she had the sinking feeling he already knew what the outcome of this meeting would be, and it had nothing to do with nursing staffing or overtime.Great.She’d just gotten her life back together and now she was about to be fired.“Seems like you two have a problem,” Tillman started once he’d settled himself into his leather executive chair.“Which means I have a problem.” He paused.Jim kept nodding, a damn bobblehead, his foot tapping in time.“I could fire Nora or have her transferred out of the ER.”Jim’s fingers joined in the rhythm, tapping his knee as he showed his teeth.He scooted forward, ready to leap up and shake Tillman’s hand or burst into a victory dance, Nora wasn’t sure which.“But,” Tillman continued, “then I’d have to deal with the nursing union.Because of the recent violence here at Angels, we’re already short-staffed.And with contracts up for negotiation, I don’t want that.”As his words sank in, Jim’s fingers stopped their tap dance.They lay limp on his knee.His foot slowed as well, now beating out a dispirited dirge.“I could suspend Jim.”Nora didn’t bother responding to Tillman’s words even though she knew he expected her to.She wasn’t playing his games.“But,” he went on, “then I’d have to justify it to the Resident Review Committee, and that means paperwork and jumping through hoops and tarnishing our reputation as a teaching hospital.”Jim was perfectly still now.Tillman leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers—a pose copied from The Donald, no doubt.“So, we’re going to have a little team-building exercise.You two”—he brought his body forward with a dramatic flourish—“are going to work together.I canceled the second shift because of the weather, but I understand the ER patient census is down, so you can start immediately.Jim, Nora’s your nurse, the only nurse who will take your orders.”Jim’s snaggletoothed grin returned as he clearly envisioned ordering Nora around, his own personal scut-monkey.Nora swallowed her groan, not wanting to reveal any weakness.“Nora, you’ll decide which patients Jim takes.Any nursing procedures he orders will be performed by both of you, together.”Jim sank back, realizing that he’d be the one actually doing the scut work.“All of the patients you two treat will be interviewed after their care is completed.If I receive any less-than-satisfactory comments, then you’re both gone.” Tillman stood, bracing his weight on his desktop.“Do I make myself clear?”Before either Nora or Jim could speak, the door opened and a man in a black suit strode in, followed by Tillman’s secretary, who was sputtering, “I’m sorry, sir, he barged right past me.”The man came to an abrupt stop in front of Tillman’s desk, effortlessly meeting Tillman’s gaze as he snapped open a small black wallet.“Harris, DEA.I need to speak to you about one of your physicians [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Pokrewne