Once he had all the chunks and oozes washed off, he soaped up a washcloth from the rack on the wall and began washing her down. Soaping her tight, awesome body was driving him wild, but this was definitely not the time for that. There were even chunks intertwined in her beautifully coiffed pubic hair. He tread lightly cleaning those, trying his best to keep her nearly unconscious body upright and control his trembling hands.
He had her sit on the edge of the tub again to wash her long, lovely hair. Chunks of something not yet digested hung from her beautiful strands regardless of his futile attempts to hold her hair up. She just sat there in silence, still wobbly, tears rolling over her high cheekbones like a waterfall.
When he had her completely cleaned off, he stretched up, still holding her steady, for a couple of towels from the rack on the wall and gently dried her off.
“By golly, I believe you’d qualify as spic and span,” he laughed, helping her out of the tub. Let’s get you comfortable.”
He walked-carried her into the bedroom and sat her on the bed, then went for his backpack to get some ibuprofen and a metoclopramide. He filled a huge glass of water and brought it in to her.
“Chase. Please tell me I didn’t make a total ass of myself tonight.”
“Wow, Abby. Relax, will you please? You’re among friends.”
“A friend who I just met two days ago and I’m sitting here as naked as the day I was born in front of.”
“I didn’t even notice,” he smiled. “Tonight, you were a patient in need of my medical attention. Now drink all of that water. You don’t need to dehydrate. How’s your stomach?”
“Completely voided. I feel so foolish.”
“Well you shouldn’t. I truly enjoyed your company tonight, Lady Abby. And that metoclopramide should settle your stomach pretty quickly. Now let’s get you settled in.”
He pulled back the covers on the neatly made bed and eased her back on the pillows, covering her up quickly to take his concentration off of that awesome, drool inspiring, body.
“Get some rest, Abby.” Once again she was out before her head hit the pillow.
He went into the bathroom and rinsed her clothes out in the tub. Her jeans weighed ten pounds before he squeezed all the vomit out of them. He smiled as he rinsed them out. So tiny and cute. They were clean enough to go in the washer. He was praying they’d have a good laugh about this when her head cleared; and that he hadn’t overstepped.
He put her clothes in the washer, tossed in some detergent, and set it on soak.
Once he’d cleaned himself up, then cleaned the bathroom, he knelt down to pet Erwin. Chase was a dog guy but he liked Erwin instantly. The little white fur ball snuggled into Chase’s leg, purring. Chase scratched his head.
“I hope we get to be really good friends one day, Buddy,” Chase laughed. If he knew one thing for certain, it was that he definitely wanted to spend a whole lot more time with the beautiful Abby Fulbrock.
He poured another saucer of milk for Erwin, added some kibble to his bowl, wrote a note to let Abby know her clothes were soaking in the washer, then scratched between Erwin’s ears one last time.
***************
Surprisingly, Chase woke only slightly hungover. Of course he’d ordered Phuket beer and knew what he was getting. Abby shot from the hip, proving his belief that she was the adventurous type-just his type-and was matching him drink for drink; his beers against her rice liquor.
It was six o’clock. Just enough time for a run.
He packed some clean clothes in his backpack, dressed in his running clothes and hit the running track. He’d cleaned his office shower spotlessly during his delousing rampage. He’d shower there before he started the day.
He could feel the remaining toxins oozing out of his pores as he ran in the cool morning. The sun was just rising in the east. It was shaping up to be a beautiful, early spring, day.
Running or a rousing workout at the gym always cleared Chase’s head. Aboard ship he used to run on the helideck with a few of his buddies every morning, or spar with them in the ship’s gym. Then, when he took over the hospital, they had a fantastic gym and jogging track in the basement. Working up a good sweat always helped him think.
As he ran, he thought about everything from his day ahead at the clinic to the beautiful Abby. He’d been out with a number of beautiful women all over the world, but none had ever struck an instant chord with him like Abby had. She was not only beautiful, but she was extremely intelligent, extremely easy to talk to, and a whole lot of fun to hang out with. She put him at ease. She made him laugh. He just hoped his good intentions-not to mention his restraint-the night before didn’t queer things with her. He truly wanted to get to know her a whole lot better.
He’d run five hard miles through the woods around the massive campus when he got to the clinic. He felt great. It was just a little after seven when he walked through the door. He waved to the nurse at the reception window.
“Doctor Brandt! The Vice Chancellor would like you to call her when you get in.”
“Thanks, Tina. And it’s Chase. I need to get a shower. I’ll call her when I’m done.”
He took a quick, invigorating shower and dressed for the day.
When he called Kay, it went to voicemail. He left a message and started reviewing the somewhat generous first year budget for the clinic, looking to see what remained in the general fund after his massive supply order and, more importantly, how much he could allocate to a few of the projects he had in mind.
He was lost in his work again when Kay returned his call. It was nine-thirty. She had a worried tone in her voice.
“Hi, Kay. What’s up?”
“His Majesty has you scheduled to see him at eleven, Chase.”
“He’ll have to reschedule, Kay. I’ve got a meeting with the pharmacists at eleven.”
“You might want to make this one, Chase. He’s pissed.”
“Well if we reschedule for one, that’ll give him two more hours to cool off,” Chase laughed.
“Ok. I’ll tell him. But he won’t be happy.”
“I’m not here to make him happy, Kay. I’m here to clean up a clinic. I’ll see you at one. Bye.”
“Piss them off right off the bat and keep them guessing about what you’ll do next!” Chase was laughing as he returned to his work.
His eleven o’clock with the pharmacists went as well as his meetings with the rest of the staff had. They both had impressive records and were as friendly and sweet as can be. What’s more, they’d heard the rampant gossip and were both happily on board with making the clinic a kinder, gentler place. Both ladies offered any and all help they could to help turn things around. They, and the influx of students who worked with them to complete their pharmacology practical’s were all appalled at the state the clinic was in and ecstatic over the instant changes he’d already made.
And immediately after their meeting, things went downhill-depending on your take-rapidly.
At twelve-thirty, Chase stopped working at the behest of his growling stomach and strolled over to the faculty dining room. His earlier prediction was spot on. It truly had turned out to be a beautiful day. The walk over was nothing shy of relaxing.
He sat down and ordered his lunch, looking through what was left in the one time, first year budget they’d given him to get things under control when the room suddenly went silent.
“You! My office! Now!”
When Chase looked up, the pasty faced chancellor stood there, arms waving like a threatened chicken and trembling with rage, pointing a shaking finger at Chase. Pointing!
Chase exaggeratedly looked around under the table.
“Unless you’re calling your dog, Buddy, you’d better draw back that finger before you pull back a nub!” Chase was instantly pissed. No one talked to him that way. A communal gasp filled the dining room as the chancellor took a step back, a look of utter shock on his face.
“Your impudence is precisely what I was hoping for. You all heard that,” he screeched, whining, spinning to look around the room. Not surprisingly, all heads went down, returning to their conversations and their lunches as if the chancellor didn’t exist.
“I summoned you to a meeting at eleven o’clock, Doctor! And when I summon someone, they’d better be there.”
“The only summons I answer to would require a judge’s signature below it, Doctor! Thankfully, I’ve never gotten one of those.”
“Now, if you’d like to discuss something with me, I believe I made it quite clear that I’d be available at one!”
Chase rose to his full height threateningly, leaving his barely touched meal, too mad to eat and stormed back to his office. He was still pissed when he got there. How dare that impotent little prick talk to him that way. He didn’t treat people that way and he wouldn’t be treated that way by anyone. Especially not in the middle of a group of people Chase hadn’t even met yet.
Chase settled into his desk, deciding then and there to be late for the one o’clock meeting when the sky began to fall.
He heard an ambulance coming into the lot hot; siren’s blaring, and bounded out of his seat and out into the clinic.
“Heart attack coming in, Chase,” Tony hollered.
“A student?” Chase questioned; shocked. He didn’t expect to see many cardiac patients in this environment. He instinctively started running reasons and scenarios for young heart attacks through his mind. Sadly, it was almost always drug related.
He rushed in to the trauma bay and gowned and gloved. He briefly wondered why they were coming to the clinic and not going directly to the ER?
“I’m not stepping on your toes, Tony. I’m just here to lend a hand.
“Please. Feel free to step on my toes, Chase.” Tony half-smiled, but Chase could tell he was nervous. Tony was an FNP, not an ENP like Abby. His specialty was dealing with clinical patients whereas Abby’s specialty was emergency medicine.
The medics rushed in and quickly shifted the backboard and all the equipment and IV’s from the gurney to the trauma table, calling out vitals, or the lack thereof, as they did.
“We’re sorry we had to bring him here, Doc, but we had no choice. We were getting nowhere with our resuscitation attempts. He’d have never made it to the ER. He’s bad off.”
“Oh my God! That’s the university president, Doctor Billings!” Tony instantly went into panic mode.
“Right now, he’s a patient, Tony. There’s no titles when you’re lying there butt naked and teetering on the precipice,” Chase said calmly.
Carol was straddling Doctor Billing’s chest, performing perfect CPR, while another nurse worked the bag-valve-mask. Chase took charge and flew into action. Doctor Billings was clinically dead when they started. He had no pulse and he wasn’t breathing.
“How long has he been down?’ Chase calmly asked the paramedic.
“He just crashed for the third time as we were backing up, Doc.”
“Tony, get the crash cart. Tina, get another large bore IV started. Ringers. And, I’m sorry, I can’t quite remember your name yet, but connect an O2 line to that BVM. A hundred percent. Someone please draw a full chem panel, CBC, CMP, Troponins, the works. I need stat results.”
Chase had been there all too many times.
After accessing the situation, watching the monitor, Chase went to the head of the table and got the man intubated in a flash while Carol continued to pump his chest.
“Give him one of Epi, Tony.”
Chase calmly placed the paddles on Billing’s chest. Flatline. He helped Carol down off the table.
“Clear,” he yelled, hitting the paddles. Billings jolted, but remained flatlined. “Continue with the CPR, Carol.”
“Give him another amp of Epi and keep over oxygenating him…what’s your name, by the way.”
“Linda, Doctor.”
With everything out of the way, Chase quickly placed the paddles again, raising the charge.
“Clear!” He hit him again.
“We’ve got a pulse, Chase.”
“What’s his BP?”
“Sixty over forty and rising.” Chase looked at the monitor. He had a normal, but shaky, sinus rhythm.
“Keep some amiodarone handy, Linda. He’s not out of the woods yet.’
‘Tony, let’s start the reteplase. Ten units over a two minute infusion IV. Give him ten more, the same way, in thirty minutes. Mark the time on the board please, Linda.
Chase donned his stethoscope and listened intently to Billing’s chest. Carol was calling out his rising stats as Chase worked, watching intently as Doctor Billing’s mottled pallor gradually returned to a pale, oxygenating pink.
“Let’s give him three of propofol, Tony. I don’t want him coming around fully with that tube in his throat.”
“Ann. Please call General and ask them to have a cardiologist waiting for us at the ER door. He’s probably going to go right to the cath lab,” Chase said, reading the ECG strip and the blood test results.
“I’ll ride along with him.” They all stood by, waiting anxiously, watching the man stabilize before they’d even consider transporting him.
“I’ve got the General ER on the phone, Chase. The cardiologist is standing by.”
“Thanks, Ann.”
“You’ve got ACLS drugs on your bus, right?” he asked Chaz, one of the clinic’s medics.”
“Sure. Just about anything you need, Doc.”
“We’ve got spontaneous respirations, Chase, and he’s coming around.”
“Thanks, Tony. Keep him lightly sedated.”
As they watched and waited, the minutes seemed to be dragging out before the man’s vitals finally stabilized at an acceptable level.
“Welcome back, Doctor Billings. You gave us quite a scare there.” Chase smiled down at him, rubbing his shoulder. “Just relax. We’re going to get you to the hospital real soon. You’re going to be just fine. Just let the machine breathe for you.” The propofol was doing its’ job. Billings wasn’t fighting the intubation tube.
“Ok. Let’s give him the second dose of reteplase and get him ready for transport, Team. Let’s make sure Doctor Billings has a happy outcome.”
They had Billings at the ER in twenty minutes. He was steadily improving. Chase just kept him stable on the ride and gave the cardiologist the lowdown as they wheeled him in and handed him off to the ER staff.
“You need a ride back, Doc?”
“I’m going to hang around and see how he does, Guys. Thanks for the help.”
“Any time, Doc.” They waved and were gone.
Chase took a quick glance around the ER, looking for the chief, but they were all tied up with what appeared to be a serious emergency case. He sat in the waiting room waiting for some news.
“Doctor Brandt?” Chase turned to see a pretty nurse calling his name.
“Yes?”
“Doctor Sterling said to give you a thumbs up. The reteplase probably saved him. He said to tell you it was a widow maker, which you probably already knew, and yours’ was a hell of a save. He’s in the cath lab now.”
“That’s fantastic news! Thank you. Is the ER chief on today?”
“He sure is. Doctor Taylor. That’s him standing right over there at the charting carrel.”
“Thank you.”
Chase walked up to the elderly doctor and introduced himself.
“Ah! Nice to finally meet you, Doctor Brant.” They shook hands. “I’ve been expecting your visit. We got all your credentials a few weeks ago. You’ve been graciously granted privileges here in our humble abode. Navy, huh?”
“Yeah. Well, I was.”
“Air Force myself. More years ago than I care to remember,” he laughed.
“Listen, I’d give you the grand tour, but I’ve got the rest of that MVA in route. Feel free to have a look around. And if you ever get the crazy desire for a little overtime, we could always use the help,” he laughed, patting Chase’s shoulder as he jogged off.
Chase strolled around the ER, checking out the vast amenities and introducing himself to the staff who weren’t tied up. It was always good to know who you’d potentially be sending patients to.
As he strolled around the vast ER, he was impressed. It was a level one trauma center and it appeared to be ready to handle anything that came their way.
He sat back down in the waiting area and picked up a magazine. As he did, he noticed his watch. It was three-ten.
“I’ll bet Zeigler’s shitting bullets!” He had a laugh, grabbed his phone and called Kay.
“Oh, Chase. You’ve may have screwed the pooch this time. He’s been on the phone to alumni and anyone who’d listen since he stormed in after lunch. He’s raising holy hell, trying to raise a consensus to fire you.”
“Kay. We just brought President Billings back from the dead. I’m at the General Hospital ER. He’s in the cath lab now. I’m waiting for him to come out to see how he’s doing. Not to brag, but my team got his ticker going again there in our clinic.”
“What?! Oh my God! Is he going to be ok?!”
“Time will tell, but it looks good. He was stable and alert when we rolled him in.”
“Thank, God. Harry Billings is one of the sweetest, nicest men I’ve ever known.”
Kay just started laughing. “Oh, Chase. I can still hear him ranting to God knows who on the phone from all the way down the hall. I can’t wait to see the look on old Anal Lube’s face when he gets word of this. Actually, I think I’ll just keep that little tidbit to myself and let him continue his meltdown. You’ve made yourself one hell of an ally there, Chase. Harry Billings is a great guy and a straight shooter.”
“Well we certainly didn’t do it for brownie points, Kay, but if it works in our favor, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?”
Her voice changed to a whisper. “Listen. Heads up. Apparently, Zeigler’s got some video clip of you and Abby Fulbrock last night staggering into her apartment.”
“Why that sorry sonofabitch!” Chase was hot. “That’s an invasion of my privacy!”
“I just got wind of it from his secretary. I was about to call Clay when you called.”
“What I do, and with whom, on my time is my business! And how dare he drag Abby into this! We had dinner, we got a little tipsy and I walked her home. I bet he didn’t stick around for the thirty minutes or so I was in there to get video of me leaving once I got her home, did he?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it. He’s telling everyone he’s talking to that it’s moral turpitude and a smear on the reputation of the school,” she laughed. “I was eavesdropping and I overheard him ranting to one of the alumni on the phone earlier. He said that’s against university policy so it comes under his jurisdiction.”
“So is nepotism! And stalking. And threatening someone over the discharge of one of their relatives. Not to mention that moral turpitude is a stolen line from those old Porky’s movies for Christ sake. And about as ridiculous. Moral turpitude went the way of poodle skirts and bobby socks. If there’s rules against staff hanging around with each other after hours, he’ll have to fire the majority of the staff!”
“Amen, Brother. You’re preaching to the choir. My ex-husband is a math professor here; the sleezy asshole.”
“You’re much too lively to be married to a stuffy old math professor anyway,” he laughed.
“I’ll say. He was secretly part of the debauchery that takes place on faculty row. But I caught him, the sick, twisted, bastard. And I got his balls, and his daughter, in the divorce. She won’t have anything to do with that louse either.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Kay. You must have been devastated.”
“Not really. When I found out what he was up to, I couldn’t get him out of my sight fast enough.”
“Debauchery that takes place on Fraternity Row? What’s that all about?”
“Nothing, I’m sure, that would interest you, Chase. You could never be that twisted.”
Chase could see that was something she didn’t care to discuss. He changed the subject.
“I guess I can add intimidation and harassment to the law suit I’m contemplating bringing against Zeigler, huh?” Chase laughed. “A lawsuit is just as ludicrous as the whole moral turpitude bullshit. How ridiculous. Only a bug fanatic could pull something that foolish out of his ass.”
“Let me talk to Clay and I’ll get back to you, Chase. And if you see Harry, tell him we’re all praying for him.”
“I will. And thanks for the heads up, Kay.
“My pleasure. You’re quickly becoming my hero,” she laughed. “Anyone who can make that ugly vein in Zeigler’s bald head throb is a god in my book. Talk to you later.”
Chase was just hanging up when the nurse came looking for him.
“Doctor Brandt. Four stints, but he’s doing very well. He’s asked to see you.”
“Thank God. That’s wonderful. Where is he?”
“They’re just bringing him up to the ICU.” She was pointing the way. “They’re going to keep him here for a few days.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Chase rode up in the elevator and followed the signs to the ICU. He asked the nurse where he could find Doctor Billings. She pointed to his cubical as she rushed by to answer an ear piercing alarm.
When Chase stepped in, Billings was still dopey from the procedure, but looking a whole lot better than he had a couple of hours before.
“Hi, Doctor Billings? I’m Chase Brandt.” He gripped Billing’s tethered hand.
“Your reputation precedes you, Doctor Brandt,” he laughed, then coughed and grabbed his chest.
“Are you ok?”
“Fine, thanks to you. Just a little sore. This sandbag weighs a ton.”
“I just wanted to thank you in person, Doctor Brandt. If this happened a month ago, and they brought me into that accursed clinic, I’d be pushing up daisies. That quack you replaced had to slip out under the cloak of darkness before the law caught up with him. A real piece of work, the charlatan. Unfortunately, I took forever for me to go through a whole forest of bureaucratic bullshit to finally get rid of that piece of shit.”
“Anyway, we weren’t expecting you until next week. When I heard you were here, I was planning on coming by the clinic and introducing myself this afternoon. That’s not quite how I planned on making my introductions, though,” he laughed weakly.
“You came pretty close to being introduced to Saint Peter,” Chase smiled. “And you’re going to have to follow doctor’s orders to the letter when you’re released. You’re not out of the woods yet.”
“I will. I have no desire to take the hot seat in Saint Peter’s court just yet.”
“Aside from introductions, Doctor Brant, there was something else I wanted to discuss with you. A little bird tells me you’re already having some issues with Zeigler?”
“Now’s not the time to discuss that, Doctor Billings. You need to rest and recuperate. If need be, we can discuss that when you’re up and around and feeling your old self again.”
“And we will. But I just wanted to let you know that I know he’s a dissociated, disconnected, dickhead. Everyone does. I may be getting older, but I’d like to think I have a pretty good handle on what goes on around campus. And I have a whole flock of little birdies who keep me well informed of Zeigler’s antics. For the record, I usually let anything that pompous ass says go in one ear and out the other; the putz. If you have any further problems with him, you just give me a call.”
“I appreciate that, Doctor. Thank you. But I’ve been down this road before. I can handle myself.”
“Of that I have no doubt. I read your resume and credentials. Very impressive. But just in case, I wanted to let you know up front that you can count on me. That shithole clinic’s been an embarrassment for far too long. And I understand from the regional director that you’re just the man to turn it around. I’m not going to let Zeigler, or anyone else for that matter, stand in your way.”
“Oh my God! Oh, Harry!” A shaken Missus Billings rushed in, out of breath and ghastly pale, and took her husband’s hand. “Are you ok, Sweetheart!?”
“I’m going to be fine, Mary. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Mary, this is Doctor Brandt. He’s the new medical director for the campus clinic. He got this old ticker started again today.”
“Oh Dear God! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Doctor Brandt!” She smiled, rushed from her husband’s bedside, grabbed Chase in a death grip hug, then kissed his cheek.
“I don’t know what I’d do without that stodgy old pain in the ass,” she smiled, patting Chase’s chest.
“And you, Mister. I told you it was time to slow down. You almost gave me a heart attack! What’s it going to take to get you to slow down, Harry?”
“I’ll let you two visit, Doctor Billings. I need to get back to the clinic. And Kay McMillan sends her regards.”
“She’s a spunky little spark plug, that Kay,” he smiled. “Thank her for me.”
“Get well soon, Doctor Billings. Stop by and see me at the clinic when you’re up and around. Missus Billings, it was very nice meeting you.” Chase shook their hands, waved and was gone.
He hailed a cab outside the hospital and got back to the clinic around five. When he walked in, he got a standing ovation from the staff. He shifted their praises right back at them. They’d all done extremely well during the unfamiliar, to them anyway, situation. He was very proud of them.
“We make a good team,” he smiled, shaking hands and patting backs.
“Tony, can I see you for a minute?”
“Sure, Chase.” Tony followed him into his office.
“Have a seat.”
“Did I do something wrong, Chase?”
“Not at all, Tony. But what happened out there today could have happened when me or one of the other doctors wasn’t here. And you didn’t do anything wrong. I know your specialty is clinical medicine. My question is; would you have any objections about going for some advanced cardiac life support training?”
“Not at all. I’ve been trying to get the training since I’ve been here. My requests were always denied. Not in the budget, they said.”
“Well it won’t be denied this time. As a matter of fact, I’m going to have all the NP’s and the RN’s take ongoing training. I saw in your file that you haven’t certified in ALS since you were in school. And from now on, we’re going to run regular drills to keep everyone’s skills up to par, and we’re going to double the AMA requirements and recertify annually. Luckily, Doctor Billings is going to be ok, but that could have gone south really quickly.”
“I’m sorry, Chase.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Tony. You should have been given the training a long time ago. Believe me, this isn’t a spanking. I have no problems at all with your work. I’m just trying to get a feel for what everyone needs and get it for them.”
“Truth be told, I’m an ER doc. I’m trained for situations like that. But most of the staff, including the doctors, would definitely benefit from the training. Refresher is always good. If you don’t use it-especially in this case where the vast majority of your patients are under twenty-five-you lose it. And they offer the training here on campus. I’m sure I can arrange something.”
“I’m all for any training I can get.”
“Good. As long as you’re willing, you’re aces. And don’t hesitate to come to me if you have anything you’re uncertain of. I have no problem at all with answering questions anytime; or lending a hand. I do, however, have a big problem with those who don’t ask those questions and wind up in a mess. Asking questions is how you learn.”
“So. Anything going on out there now?”
“I just finished dealing with yet another bad case of chlamydia,” he chuckled. “Trying to get her to give Carol a list of those she’s been in contact with was like pulling teeth.”
“Ah, the wiles of youth,” he laughed. “Go forth and save the world from the dreaded social diseases, Young Man,” Chase laughed, standing to walk Tony out.
Chase sat back at his desk and checked the school catalog to see when the BLS and ACLS courses were offered, then looked up the number for the academic coordinator and gave her a call. It was midterms so the entire student body, the staff and the faculty were coming in early every morning and leaving late every night.
“Hi, Ms. Medina, this is Doctor Brandt at the student clinic. I was hoping to arrange for some of my staff to take the BLS and advanced ACLS courses. I see you’re offering it during the summer semester. Would that be possible?”
“Yes. I’d like them all to take it. NP’s and RN’s. It’s supposed to be a biennial certification, but apparently that hasn’t been adhered to. Is getting them that certification training possible? Not all at once, of course.”
“This week? I can do that. Just give me a call when you’re free. Thank you very much.”
Chase hung up smiling. She was very happy to help once the midterm nightmare settled down. All she needed was a list of names and she’d make it happen. She’d penciled him in for a meeting later in the week. He wished everyone was that easy to deal with. He just couldn’t imagine why that hadn’t been done years before. Another state and national requirement that had apparently been ignored. And yet another reason for the clinic to be shut down if they were audited.
He no sooner settled the handset on the phone when it rang in his hand. “Doctor Brandt. I believe we had a meeting at one PM. It’s now six-ten.”
“I’m afraid I had more pressing matters to attend to, Doctor Zeigler. And let me be very clear about something. Should any videos of me appear anywhere, or as some ill intended attempt to defame me or my character-or anyone else’s character for that matter-when we do meet, it’ll be with my attorney.”
“I’d like to see you now; if that’s possible.” He had a conciliatory tone to his squeaky, feminine voice.
“I have a few minutes free right now. I can be there in ten minutes.”
“Splendid. I’ll see you then.” He hung up without another word.
Regardless of Kay’s warning to tread lightly, he wasn’t going to handle this asshole with kid gloves. He’d blown that privilege with his repulsive, childish theatrics in the faculty dining room. Not to mention stooping to filming that ridiculous video.
“Carol, I’ve been called to the principal’s office,” he laughed. “I may or may not be back in a while if anyone’s looking for me.”
“Don’t worry. Unlike you, they don’t use corporal punishment in the ivory towers anymore, Chase,” she laughed.
“Damn! That’s the part I was looking forward to! And you just keep in mind that one more infraction and you’ll be standing instead of sitting for a while.” They both chuckled as he headed out the door and across the quad.
When he got to the admin wing, Kay’s office was dark. He turned back and went to the gilded nightmare at the end of the hall. Talk about pomp and circumstance. Zeigler’s office looked like an explosion in an Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb.
Ancient bugs of numerous species, encased in glass shadowboxes, lined the walls. Framed prints of pyramids and strange, massive, bug models hung haphazardly throughout the tomb. He even had a life size sarcophagus with a massive scarab molded into it standing in the corner, eerily illuminated by track lighting. All in all, his outer office was downright creepy. He could only imagine what the douchbag’s house looked like.
A prim and proper looking secretary stood guard over the eerie museum.
“Hello. I’m Doctor Brandt. Doctor Zeigler asked to see me.”
“Yes. Have a seat, please, Doctor Brandt. He’s with someone right now. He should be finished soon.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes, Chase said to himself. He’d wait Ten minutes, then he was gone. They may play these childish, whose dick is bigger games in academia, but he had more important things to do.
Hold your temper, Brandt, he warned himself. Don’t lose your shit until he shows his hand.
“Doctor Brandt. He’ll see you now.”
“Thank you,” Chase said, rising. Seven minutes. He didn’t see anyone leave the office, but he’d let it slide. Maybe Zeigler’s office had a back door.
“Close the door, Doctor,” Zeigler said evenly. “Sit, please.” He did.
“I’m going to get straight to the point, Doctor. You fired my sister on your first, full day. You certainly haven’t had sufficient time to evaluate her work in that amount of time. I want to know what grounds you feel you had to discharge her after one day.”
“Doctor Zeigler, as you well know I’m not at liberty to discuss all the circumstances with you; sister or not.”
“However, for the record, I personally experienced her rude, unacceptable behavior and attitude first hand. Not to mention a vocabulary that nearly made me blush.”
“And I also know that she was receiving RN’s pay, but working, by her own accord, as a receptionist. Not to mention that she was acting as, and performing as, the self-appointed medical director-a job an RN isn’t qualified to fill. The clinic was a pigsty, the staff were all browbeaten and demoralized and frankly, after seeing her file, and seeing that two prior attempts were made to fire her on similar grounds, I believe I was well within my rights to let her go.”
“I didn’t realize that?”
He was lying through his teeth. Chase knew it. If Bug Boy wanted to play cat and mouse, Chase was one of the best. He sat back, a smile crossing his face, and prepared for battle.
“Frankly, had you’d asked me my reasons when we both had time for this meeting, instead of summoning me, and then causing that ridiculous scene in the faculty dining room I’d have told you.”
“I apologize for that. It’s just been one of those days. And you’re quite correct. Summon isn’t exactly a very polite verb. And to show you there’s no hard feelings, I lit a fire under the campus maintenance chief to hurry up and get your house finished. I hope you’ll except my sincere and heartfelt apology.”
Chase knew then and there that Zeigler had gotten the four-one-one about Billings. “I appreciate that. And thank you.” Fuck you very much, Asshole.
“And I must say, I went over to the clinic this afternoon to see you. I was quite impressed by how much better it looks already.”
“Thank you. It’s slowly starting to come along.”
“Lastly, Doctor, and the main reason I asked to see you was to let you know that we have at our disposal an outstanding outside accounting concern whose services I’d like to make available to you.”
“I realize, given the nightmare that you’ve just walked into, that this accounting firm could take that major, tiresome, burden off of your shoulders and make your life a little less hectic. You definitely have your hands full with revamping our clinic. I’m afraid I realized far too late that your predecessor let a great deal go to seed over there. He used this accounting firm to handle the clinic’s expenses and I vehemently recommend you utilize them, too. It makes the congruency between departments that much more transparent.”
“I appreciate that, Doctor, but I prefer to handle accounting myself. I see a lot that needs to be done, and that I’d like to get done in the clinic. I may have to rob Peter to pay Paul in some instances until I can get the spending regulated. Those will have to be medically based decisions.
Zeigler was trying to hide an even more perturbed look on his arachnid face. Beads of sweat broke out on his pronounced brow. Even his coke bottle glasses were vibrating on his hook nose. Kay’s comment about making the vein in his head throb caused Chase to have to rein in a laugh. It looked like something alive under the pallid, hairless, dome. He looked to be teetering on the brink of a meltdown. Something had him extremely nervous.
Zeigler paused, collecting his thoughts, thinking carefully about what to say next.
“Fine. Fine. That’s entirely your call, or course.” His voice had a distinct quiver to it. “I’m fairly certain, however, that this firm has a medical expert on their staff. As a matter of fact, I’m quite certain they do. As I mentioned, the doctor you replaced swore by their professionalism. They’re a very big group.”
“I’d still prefer to make those decisions myself, thank you.”
Why was he pushing for an outside firm that would obviously need to be paid? And a big firm didn’t come cheaply. Just more budget money that was already tight, paid out for something he’d rather do himself. Balancing the books and directing spending were major parts of his job. And the university was already paying him handsomely for doing that job.
“That’s your call of course, Doctor. Just know that option is always available to you. And I, personally, would prefer it if you utilized their services so we can keep everything instantly accessible and well in hand.”
“I managed the budget for an entire military hospital with congressional oversight, Doctor Zeigler. I can assure you I’m very capable of keeping everything well in hand.”
“Of course, of course. As I said. It’s entirely your call, Doctor Brandt.”
Something was worrying Zeigler. Unless that was just his reaction to being one upped and having his plans to have Chase fired thwarted, there was something deeply troubling the weaselly little man.
“Well, Doctor Brandt, I’m glad we had this chance to meet. Things were a little rushed when we met at State. And I apologize for any misunderstandings we may have had.” He looked like a man who’d gotten a severe spanking from higher up. He tried to crack a phony smile with a face that it was obvious hadn’t smiled since his last prostate exam.
“Oh! One more thing, Doctor. As to your earlier concerns, I can assure you that I have no video of you. I don’t know where you heard that rumor; but it’s scuttlebutt. False rumors tend to run rampant on a university campus; as you’ll soon learn.”
“There. See? I know a little nautical vernacular, Captain. Scuttlebutt.” And he was off again with the strained, nearly maniacal half grin. Chase stifled another laugh. Zeigler was a dead ringer for the warped and twisted Mister Burns from The Simpsons.”
“Good. As long as we have an understanding. Now. If there’s nothing else, I really need to get back to the clinic for the shift change. Is there anything else?”
“No. That’s all. But I strongly urge you to reconsider using our accounting firm when you’ve had time to think it over. I’d really prefer you take advantage of their services. I can’t stress to you enough the importance of meticulous accounting. Thank you for coming.” With a wave of his claw-like hand, Chase was summarily dismissed.
Chase was done sparring with the aloof, ridiculous little man anyway. Chase had made himself quite clear. The insinuation that Chase was somehow incapable of maintaining the budget pissed him off, but this ass clown wasn’t worth his breath. Pick your battles, Brandt. “Thank you, Doctor. Good night.”
Chase chuckled all the way back to the clinic. He knew the boorish little prick had a video. How else would Kay have heard that he walked Abby home? He’d watch his back, but he had a feeling his troubles with Zeigler were over.
Little did he realize that they were just beginning.
***************
He got back to the clinic at six-forty-five and decided it was time for an in-depth budget review. He’d been so busy getting the place cleaned up and restocked he hadn’t had time to really dig into the way funds had been allocated before he arrived. And Zeigler’s nervous antics regarding accounting during their terse meeting concerned him. Bug Boy was more worried about the way Chase intended to handle the books than he was over his sister’s dismissal. He didn’t trust the unstable little man as far as he could throw him; and their conversation just made him all the more wary.
As soon as he glanced at the prior year’s expenditure sheets, he knew it was going to be a long night. The figures he was seeing as soon as he brought the file up on his computer screen were all over the place: and a whole lot of the strange expenditures concerned him immediately. It was the shoddiest, most disorganized bookkeeping he’d ever seen. It certainly wasn’t done by any professional accountant.
Not to mention that after that unsettling close call with Doctor Billings, he realized he’d have to broaden his thinking about the clinic’s overall needs. It became blatantly obvious that they weren’t only dealing with a student demographic. He’d need to find a way to eke out the funds from an already tight budget to gear up to handle staff and faculty emergencies; or anyone else who needed medical treatment on the sprawling campus. He knew from the figures he was seeing that the clinic ambulance and the trauma bay stayed pretty busy during football and hockey season. That much he’d already anticipated.
The information he’d received before he arrived showed a very minuscule percentage of patients over the age of twenty-five utilizing the clinic for minor things like sutures or sore throats, but this was the first recorded heart attack. Of course, given the record keeping he was seeing, he doubted he could trust any of it.
Doctor Billing’s near death that day, not to mention the potential emergencies probable from a lot of the old, flabby, fossils he’d seen inhaling fatty foods in the faculty dining room, made gearing up to full ER status in the trauma bay a must.
Another knock at the door. He was going to have to take the paperwork back to the hotel with him if he ever wanted to get anything done. The clinic’s bookkeeping was kept on a dedicated server in the IT room. Chase’s access to it from outside wasn’t possible just yet. He made a note to call IT and ask them to set him up with a secure VPN so he’d be able to access records from the hotel, or any other time he was off campus. For now he hit the print button for the entire prior year’s budget folder and called out.
“Come in.”
“Doctor Brandt. We’re almost done clearing out the on call rooms. There’s a few things in there that we need to know what to do with. Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure. Just give me five minutes and I’ll be there.”
Chase waited for the numerous sheets to finish printing, and was just going through one of the expenditure columns for the pharmacy when he noticed a major expense for flu shots from back in August. He made a note to talk to Gwen in the morning. If they’d administered that many flu shots they certainly wouldn’t have had that many cases of the flu on campus. For a change, the predicted seasonal strains and the vaccine were a nearly perfect match that year. The numbers just didn’t jibe. He’d almost shit when he read in the scant data they’d sent him on the number of flu cases they’d seen in the clinic over the prior six months.
He made short work of telling the maintenance crew what to keep and what to toss. The vast majority of it should have been tossed years before. Just like in his office, some of the stuff in there dated back decades. The few viable things he had moved to the actual storeroom. That, too, was in dire need of a complete cleaning and restocking. He’d see if the two guys he was paying to clean up the on-call rooms would be willing to take on that momentous task.
“By the way. Are you the folks I need to speak with about getting beds and dressers in these two rooms?”
“Beds as in clinic beds; or like student beds, Doc?”
“Student beds and dressers. These rooms are going to be returned to the on-call rooms they were originally intended to be for the duty shift. They’ll be working three day stretches here soon.”
“That’s something we can help you with, Doc. Loads of student dorm furniture in the main warehouse. Do you want these showers, sinks and toilets in working order, too?”
“How much extra is that going to cost?” Chase laughed.
“That’s all covered under the regular campus building maintenance budget, Doc. Just write a ticket and we’ll knock it out.”
“Then absolutely! Please! They’ll be tickled to not have to use the communal shower in the locker rooms. I really appreciate this, guys. Thank you.”
“Oh! One more thing. We need new locks on these doors. The staff will have three days’ worth of personal effects in there while they’re on duty. They’ll need their privacy. Can you do that, too?”
“Consider it done. We carry those on our truck. That’ll just take a few minutes.”
“Thanks a lot. And these rooms look fantastic. You guys did a great job.”
The fresh paint smell in the bright, clean looking rooms tickled Chase. The entire clinic was looking more and more like a medical facility every day.
As he walked down the corridor, he saw Abby behind a curtain, tending to a patient with an apparent head abrasion.
He stuck his head in, about to say hello, when Abby noticed him and turned her back to him briskly; an unreadable look on her beautiful face. When he said hello, she completely ignored him. He just closed the curtain and went back to his office; head down. It appeared that just what he’d hoped wouldn’t happen; happened. But what other choice did he have? Leave her there to fend for herself; saturated in her own bile? A sudden, deep sadness washed over him.
He was lost again in work, oblivious to anything else, trying to forget what just happened with Abby when yet another knock came at the door. It was after midnight.
“Come,” he called, not looking up from his computer screen.
“Can we talk, Chase?”
“Of course we can. Come on in, Otis.” An instant smile replaced the frown that only seconds before occupied his face and his mood.
“Otis?”
“Campbell. The Andy Griffith show? Otis Campbell? The town drunk?”
“That was mean,” she giggled, sitting down.
“Please don’t interrupt me, Chase. I’ve been running this through my head all day. I need to get it all out before I start to cry again.”
“Sure, Abby.” Chase leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, staring intently at the beautiful little woman.
“I am so ashamed of myself, and so very sorry about what happened last night. I was totally out of line and what I did was totally irresponsible. Trust me. I’m nothing like that. I was just having such a good time with you and I got carried away. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” She stopped dead.
“Are you done?”
“Well…yeah?”
“Abby, if you had even an inkling of how unnecessary that apology was, you’d laugh. So what? So you tied one on? You blew chunks? So what?”
“And, for the record, Ma’am; I totally and completely enjoyed your lively, refreshing company both nights.”
“Those things happen, Abby. You know that as well as I do. It’s not like you got obnoxious, stripped to the waist and started a bar fight,” he laughed.
“Oh God! I didn’t, did I?” she giggled.
“Abby, be honest with me. Were you having a good time before your stomach went rogue?”
“Of course I was. Probably the best time I’ve had in a very long time. But Chase, you had to undress me and clean me up. Oh my God! I’m just so mortified!”
“You shouldn’t be. You just admitted that you had a good time. And it’s not like you had an Uber driver undress you and hose you down,” he laughed. That got a blush encrusted smile out of her.
“I’ve had the best time I’ve had in ages the two nights we went out together, Abby. I find you intriguing. You’re so smart, so laid back and so much fun to be around. And, let’s face it, that shower was no more than if one of your girlfriends did it for you,” he lied. “I mean; I am a doctor.”
“A very handsome doctor who I find I’m very attracted to.”
Her big, beautiful brown eyes instantly got as big as saucers as her tiny hands immediately rushed to her face. He tried not to laugh. It was obvious that she’d let that unintended tidbit slip out accidentally. Her blush was sheer artistry.
“That’s very mutual, Abby. It’s just not something I wanted to mention today for fear of embarrassing you: given the circumstances last night. Not that you have anything to be embarrassed about.”
“So you did peek!” She was giggling and blushing at the same time.
“I said I was a doctor. I’m not dead,” he laughed. “You’re extremely beautiful and incredibly sweet, Abby. And a whole lot of fun to be around. And unless you’re mad at me, I’d very much like to see you again.”
“I was never mad at you, Chase. What you did for me…you were such a gentleman. I even had puke in my nether regions for heaven sake! I can’t imagine how that even got there. Oh my God!” She was blushing so deeply he was afraid she’d faint.
“I mean, I could have been in a world of trouble if you were some psycho sex fiend or something.”
“I hope I don’t give anyone that impression…outwardly,” he laughed. “I try to keep that side of me under wraps.” He winked at her, laughing.
She was laughing, too. “No. You don’t give off that impression at all. You give off quite a different vibe. And if you’re sure you’d like to see me again, after my two nights of drunken stupidity, I’d very much like to go out with you again.”
“Can we make it a date instead of dinner with a colleague?”
“I’d like that very much!” Her smile stretched from ear to ear. “But first I have to make a confession.”
“Augh oh. Well, I know for a fact you’re not a man.” He laughed. She blushed. “My first year anatomy lessons aren’t that rusty.”
“No, I’m not a man,” she giggled!
“Chase, I have a nanny cam in my apartment. And no; it’s not to keep an eye on my cat twenty-four-seven. I’m not one of those crazy cat ladies. It’s for home protection. There’s been some break-ins on campus recently so I bought one-just in case.”
“I was checking the video when I woke up this afternoon and I saw that you and Erwin have become pretty tight in the last two nights,” she laughed.
“We’re old friends, me and Erwin. He’s just like me. Feed him and rub his belly and he’ll follow you anywhere.” Now they were both laughing.
“That says a lot, Chase. At least by my standards. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals. And I was passed out, and you didn’t know you were being watched and you were just talking to him and playing with him. You even fed him.”
“I love animals. Always have. I’m more of a dog kinda guy myself but they’re all fun to have around.”
“I’m a dog person myself. My ex left Erwin there when he ran off with one of his students.”
“I’m so sorry, Abby. I didn’t know.”
“Because you’re a gentleman and you didn’t pry.”
“I figured that if you had something you wanted me to know, you’d tell me.”
“Can I break that protocol for a moment and ask you something very personal?”
“Sure. I have nothing to hide. Ask Kay in HR. She sifted through my folder in case there was anything in there Zeigler could use against me…oh, that leads me to another problem.”
“What’s that?”
He went on to tell her about the video. She was initially as appalled as he was. But like him, after the initial flash of anger passed and she had time to consider it, her conclusion was the same as his. The implications were ridiculous. What consenting adults do on their own time is no one else’s business.
“Well, for the record, it’s a non issue. Zeigler and I have gone a few shadow rounds since I got here, but for some reason he was as meek as a lamb when I finally went to see him in person this evening. He gives me the creeps, but I think any future skirmishes with him will be minor.”
“So Brunhilda’s really gone for good?”
“Oh, yeah. And I wouldn’t be surprised to find out she’s the one who took the video.”
“She’s such a bitch,” Abby barked. “Good riddance. If you hadn’t gotten rid of her, I swear I’d have been looking for a new job. And I have a feeling a few of the others would have been right behind me.”
“Chase, our seeing each other won’t cause any problems for you with admin, will it?”
“No. Contrary to old Bug Face’s interpretation of moral turpitude, I read through the faculty code of ethics as soon as I heard about his ridiculous charges. There’s absolutely nothing in the rules about faculty dating. Beside the fact; while I’m loosely considered faculty, you’re not. You’re classified as auxiliary staff. Now it gets very specific where faculty and students dating is concerned; but that’s definitely not the case.
“Anyway. What is it you wanted to ask me?”
“Ok. Here goes. And tell me to mind my own business if you want to.” She was biting her lower lip again. Chase thought it was the most endearing thing he’d ever seen.
“Chase, You’re not married, are you? I mean, you’re here, now, all alone and everything, but you’re not expecting your wife to arrive once your house back there is finished, are you?”
“God no. And I never have been. Between medical school, my time in the service and life in general, I never had the time to truly dedicate to anyone.”
“Being a navy wife is a nightmare. I never met anyone I hated enough to subject them to that,” he laughed. “And if this is going where I hope it’s going, Abby, always know that you can ask me anything. I have no secrets. And believe me, my own personal ethics would never allow me to lead you on that way. I’m just not wired like that.”
“Next question? Go ahead. Shoot,” he chuckled.
“Ok. Here goes. How old are you, Chase?”
“Thirty-four.”
“Wow! I mean, I gave you a physical. I’ve seen that buff, gorgeous body of yours. I’d have guessed twenty-five, twenty-six, tops.”
“When I realized that I was hoping to see you again, I thought I might be robbing the cradle,” she laughed. “Total disclosure: after some serious soul searching, I decided I’d be absolutely fine with robbing the cradle in your case!” There was that beautiful, lighthearted giggle. It had the same all-encompassing, warming effect on him.
“Now who peeked!” he laughed.
“I’m a nurse practitioner, Chase. I’m not dead!” Another burst of giggles. “And you, Sir, are just plain hot!”
“Thank you; I think. If it’s any consolation, I have the mentality of a twelve year old so it all balances out. And I admit that I peeked in your file so I know you’re thirty-two.”
“You wear it better than I do.”
“I beg to differ. You gave me a physical, but I saw all of you in the shower,” he laughed.
“I hope you liked what you saw?” There was that beautiful blush again. God she did it for him in so many ways.
“Immensely. I truly meant what I said, Abby. You’re an extremely beautiful woman. Hanging out with you is just so relaxing and so enjoyable. I haven’t laughed as much as I have in our two evenings together for as long as I can remember.”
“Neither have I, Chase. And I loved every minute. And to thank you for those two wonderful evenings, how about if I fix you dinner at my place tomorrow night?”
“I’d love that. Can I bring anything?”
“I’ll get everything. Just bring yourself,” she laughed.
“I’ve got to get back out there. Apparently, Tony diagnosed a case of chlamydia earlier today and a long line of her admirers are showing up in droves, hoodie hoods over their heads, mumbled check-ins and all of them trying to hide under the cloak of darkness.”
“That explains the pharmacy’s expenditures for azithromycin,” he laughed. “I was thinking earlier that setting up a prophylactic dispensary might be a good idea.”
“They won’t use them. No matter how hard you preach, they don’t listen. Chlamydia has been running rampant on campus for as long as I’ve been here. It’s been almost as bad as the flu cases.”
“Sad, isn’t it? Maybe I should get some of those old Navy venereal disease movies and have them show them as a short before the regular movie in the campus theater.”
“Lots of luck getting that idea past the holier than thou staff and alumni.”
“They can’t all be that stiff.”
“Ha! In public they could be the before picture in an ad for constipation medications. Behind closed doors, however, they could make even the most amorous students die of embarrassment. Lots of weird and kinky things take place on Faculty Row…from what I hear.” She was quick to add the from what I hear disclaimer. “And, total disclosure, my ex was a regular visitor to what some of us refer to as Debauchery Row.”
Fearing he’d be getting too personal, and after hearing Kay mention Faculty Row in the same light, he thought better of it and let the question about to roll off the tip of his tongue fade. There’d be time to ask those questions another time.
“I don’t want to know,” Chase laughed. “I have to face them in the faculty dining room every day.”
*********************
The next time Chase looked at his watch, it was five AM. Unfortunately, the last thing on his mind was sleep. He was finding numerous, blatant irregularities in the spending and costs sheets from the prior year: and some were outrageous. The deeper he looked, the worse they became.
He was certain of his earlier suspicions that no highbrow accounting firm was keeping the books. Outlandish expenditures for supplies that a massive hospital in a major city couldn’t use in a year were ordered, in bulk, almost monthly. Drugs in quantities far beyond the standard on hand requirements; remodeling and repair bills paid that he knew were never done. The list went on and on.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He continued digging: more confused and determined than ever.
He had almost two legal pads full of notes; and he was only half way through the numbers for the previous year. The tally so far amounted in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. They’d even supposedly paid for a brand new digital Xray machine the year before. While they had a digital Xray set up in their Xray room, it had to be almost ten years old. He’d looked up the technician’s report from when she’d been in a month before to do the calibrations and adjustments. This was bad. Really bad.
At seven, his phone rang. It was Kay.
“Well I see you’re still here,” she chuckled. “How did it go?”
“He must have gotten word about Doctor Billings between his childish tantrum in the faculty dining room and when I met with him in his office. He said he came over here to talk to me while I was at the hospital so I’m sure he got the, as he calls it, scuttlebutt, from one of the staff. Butter would have melted on his forked tongue. He was apologetic, even.”
“Oh, this is great!” She was chipper: laughing. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when that pompous ass got knocked down a peg.”
“Four days, Chase! You’ve been here for four days and already you’ve upset the apple cart! Something Clay and I have been trying to do for years. The whole faculty is all abuzz about you putting him in his place in the dining room.”
“I wouldn’t count him out just yet, Kay. And while I have you, let me ask you a question. Do you know what the single item expenditure limit for the clinic is before it needs approval from higher up?”
“I wouldn’t know, Chase, but I can find out. Stephanie in accounting is my best friend. I’ll give her a call. Are you planning on buying something big? Now might be just the right time with Harry Billings in your corner.”
“No. Not yet anyway. I just wondered what it was.”
“Well give me a little bit and I’ll call Steph. I’ll get back to you.”
“Thanks, Kay. Have a good day.”
Another knock at the door. “Come!”
“Well will wonders never cease? I had to see it for myself. You’re still here?”
“You’re even beautiful after a twelve hour shift,” he smiled.
“And you’re nuts,” she blushed, hiding a smile. “I must look a fright.”
“Not a chance. You’re just plain gorgeous, Lady.”
“And to answer your question: yes, I’m still here. I expect there’ll be a whole lot of all nighters for a while. I need to get a handle on everything that goes on around here. Someone has to make sure you hooligans aren’t up to no good,” he laughed.
“I admire your dedication. And, for the record, your small changes, as you so humbly call them, have made you a huge hit among the staff. It’s just so nice to see them all smiling and happy again. Thank you for that.”
“I hope to bring a whole lot more smiles to the staff’s faces as time goes on.”
“Well you’ve certainly brought one to my face. There’s just something about you, Mister.”
“Well I’m glad you approve. If you didn’t, then there’d be that whole stalking, restraining order thing,” he laughed. “So messy.”
“There’ll be no need for that. Unless you’re really Mister Hyde hidden under that handsome, Doctor Dreamy, façade of yours.”
“Doctor Dreamy, huh?” he laughed again.
“And you, Sir, should close up that laptop and go and get some sleep. For the record, you look like a million bucks after, what: a twenty-four-hour shift?”
“Actually, it has been. And I’m so ready for some shut eye.”
“You do that. Dinner will be ready at six, but come any time you like. I find I enjoy your company immensely.”
“I’d like that. There’s just something about you, Lady,” he smiled, winking.
Chase loaded all his legal pads and the budget printouts, along with his laptop, in his backpack. He wasn’t going to leave them in his office. His findings weren’t for prying eyes. While his was a private office, access wasn’t limited to him alone. Even the janitors had keys. The very same janitors he’d had no problem whatsoever getting to come in and clean the clinic nightly. Why hadn’t that been done all along? So many strange irregularities.
With his mind still running amok dissecting various scenarios, Chase left the clinic and jogged over to the campus gym. He needed to blow off some steam. He changed into his workout clothes and spent an hour working out, going from the leg machine to the bag. When he finished, all the last twenty eight sleepless hours washed over him, weighing him down. He was exhausted.
He took a long, hot shower when he got back to the hotel, set his alarm for three, crawled into bed and went out like a light.
Unfortunately, he ‘d only been sleeping for twenty minutes when the phone rang. It was Kay.
“I spoke with Steph, Chase. Unbudgeted expenses are limited to twenty thousand dollars without prior admin approval. Is something up?”
“Not that I’m ready to talk about at the moment, Kay. I’m just seeing a whole lot of discrepancies in the accounting that just aren’t gibing. I may be way off base, but there’s just too many oh shits not to investigate. I’ll fill you in once I’ve had a chance to delve a little deeper.”
“Well if you need any help, I’m a pretty good bookkeeper.”
“I appreciate that, Kay. And please keep this to yourself. I may just be pissing in the wind.”
“Mum’s the word,” she assured him.
“If I get in over my head, I’ll let you know. And thanks for looking into that for me. I’ll talk to you later.”
The rest of the day was fifteen to twenty minute bouts of sleep interrupted by constant phone calls. He considered shutting off his phone but thought better of it. With all the changes and work orders he’d initiated, he needed to be available. He’d been thirty-something hours without sleep and it looked like he wasn’t going to get any that day either.
***************
“Hi, You! I’m so glad you came a little early. Come on in.”
It took Chase a minute to move. Abby was barefooted, dressed in a beautiful, short red skirt that truly showed off her awesome legs and a red pullover, V-necked blouse that, like the rest of her wardrobe he’d seen, showed her amazing feminine curves without advertising them. Her hair was fixed just so with a pretty red ribbon holding the outer edges over the back of her head in that certain way that only women could do. He was literally dumbstruck. He felt like a pimple faced teenager all over again.
“Abby, you look amazing,” he managed to stutter out.
“You like,” she smiled, spinning. “I like to be comfortable at home.” He liked. Very much.
“What cha got there?”
“Oh. These are for you.” He handed her a bouquet of roses he’d stopped for on his walk over. “And I brought a bottle of wine.” He handed her the bag, still staring at that beautiful face. She was very obviously touched by the beautiful roses.
“I didn’t know what you were fixing, so I got a red.”
“Oh, Chase! These flowers are just so beautiful. Thank you so much!” She took a deep breath of the bouquet and reached up and pulled Chase’s down to kiss his cheek exuberantly. She was smiling that dazzling smile while she went about getting a vase to put them in.
“And the red wine is perfect! We’re having spaghetti.”
“Wow! Breathtakingly gorgeous and she cooks, too. It smells wonderful.”
“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
“The corkscrew’s in the drawer by the sink, and the glasses are up over it. Why don’t you pour us a glass while I fix the salad?”
Chase poured the wine and handed a glass to Abby.
“So, Doctor Revolutionary, what pots have you stirred today?” she laughed. “I was talking with Carol when the day shift relieved us this morning. According to her, you saved the president, cowered the chancellor, you’re making friends and allies all over campus and you’ve only been here for four days.”
“On the fourth day, I thought I’d be resting. Or at least I tried to,” he laughed. “And contrary to popular belief, I’m truly not a revolutionary. I much prefer it when things run smoothly and quietly. But you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”
“Well your entire grateful staff thank you for it. What a difference walking into that clinic yesterday compared to just a week ago. People are actually talking and laughing again; happy to be there.”
“I’m glad everyone’s happy, but I’ll be a whole lot happier when we’re busy. We need to restore the student’s lost faith and get them coming back.”
“It’ll come,” she smiled, sticking a piece of cucumber in his mouth. “Word spreads like wildfire on campus. And last night was pretty busy. Thank God the flu season is almost over. Flu, alcohol poisoning, and STD’s were about all we’ve seen all winter.”
“I’m sure there’ll be a run of sports physicals coming up soon. We’re half way through the spring semester.”
“Yeah,” she giggled. “I just love doing sports physicals…not! Those horny jocks shaking their junk at us, lewd comments, gropes.”
“I think you can handle it. I got three names yesterday for nurses applying to take Brunhilda’s place. And one of them is a male. His references and resume are impressive. He’s Army, like you, and definitely head and shoulders above the other two. I’m seeing him Monday. He can be your chaperone in those situations.”
“I handle my own pretty well, thank you,” she smiled.
“Of that I have no doubt. But a little backup never hurts. I mean, let’s face it. Any guy who didn’t hit on you would obviously be devoid of any common sense.”
“I don’t know about all that, Doctor,” she giggled. “But I’m very glad you approve.”
“Oh, I approve. You’re like a breath of fresh air, Abby. I figured that the first few months here were going to be nothing but nose to the grindstone; but I’ve had so much fun when we’ve gone out together.”
“Me too,” she smiled. “With the exception of work, the only socialization I get is with Erwin. It’s just so nice to go out and laugh and cut up and have intelligent conversation.”
“It sure is. I tend to be a bit of a workaholic. I don’t get out much either.
She looked at him with those big, heartwarming, brown eyes, a beautiful smile crossing those full, beautiful lips. “Was it a woman, Chase?”
“No. I mean, I’ve dated here and there, but never anything serious. Like I said, between medical school, my commitments in the service and the trials and tribulations of turning a hospital around, I didn’t have a lot of time for socializing. I run most mornings, do quite a bit of time at the gym to blow off steam and keep in shape; and I work. I guess you’d say I’m kind of a dull boy.”
“Hardly,” she huffed. “If you are, you hide it well.”
He could smell her irresistible cologne as she stood beside him chopping lettuce. On a whim, he wrapped his hand around her tiny waist, pulled her into his lap and kissed her softly. She didn’t resist in the least. Her soft hands went to his face, holding it gently as their kiss carried on.
“I hope I wasn’t out of line?” He was smiling as their amazing kiss broke.
“Honestly? If you hadn’t kissed me, I was going to throw etiquette to the wind and kiss you!” She giggled, then resumed the kiss, this time separating his lips with her tongue, meeting his and slowly wrestling with it in his mouth. Her arms went around his neck. Holding her tight, beautiful little body in his arms felt like heaven. He could feel those firm, perky breasts pressing against him. She just fit him like she was custom made for him.
His hand went to her bare thigh, rubbing it gently. She immediately purred into his mouth.
When their kiss broke, she was smiling that beautiful, carefree smile.
“Hold that thought,” she chuckled. “The water’s boiling. I need to get the spaghetti going. We’ll pick up where we left off after dinner,” she laughed, winking.
“Abby, I don’t know what your old family recipe is, but I’d love to have it. This sauce is amazing. The whole meal is. And you set a beautiful table.” He smiled, waving his hand over the beautiful red tablecloth and the red candles. The light from those candles just made Abby’s face look like he was sitting across from an angel. When the light flickered, those beautiful rays of sunshine glistened from her eyes caused his heart to skip a beat. She was the most beautiful, alluring woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Why thank you, Doctor. I love to cook. And it’s so nice cooking for someone other than Erwin.”
“I’m going to have to run an extra five miles tomorrow just to work off that amazing meal.”
“Oh my. Aren’t we complementary tonight?”
“How could I not be. I’m invited to dinner by a very beautiful woman who fixed this amazing meal. Everything was just awesome.”
“Well why don’t you take your wine and have a seat in the living room while I clean up?”
“Oh, no. After you cooked that amazing meal, I’ll do the cleanup. You go and have a seat in the living room.”
“Not happening. But if you’d like to dry while I wash, I won’t complain.”
“You got it.”
“You know your wines, Chase. This is so smooth. It went perfectly with dinner.”
“It was a crapshoot. To be honest, I bought a red as a sort of talisman. I was praying that you weren’t serving fish,” he laughed.
“No worries there. I’m allergic to fish.”
“I can’t stand any of it. But for the record, if you had fixed it, I’d have happily eaten it,” he laughed.
She turned to him, the sparkle even more evident in those mesmerizing eyes, and kissed him again. Then she handed him a plate to dry. “I bet you would have, wouldn’t you?”
“Absolutely. Thankfully, I just hate fish, I’m not allergic to it. But I make it a point to never insult my host. Especially when that host is so utterly charming.”
“Well thank you, Handsome. And just for future reference, I wouldn’t have been insulted. I’d have just made you take me out to eat,” she laughed. That beautiful, sweet, sincere laugh just turned him to mush every time he heard it.
“The whole reason I made the pasta is because I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like pasta,” she giggled.
“There. The dishes are done. Now go and have a seat. I’ll just wrap up the leftovers and put them in the frig. Then we can sit and relax.”
“You convinced me.” Chase laughed. He was dead on his feet, but he wouldn’t have missed a date with Abby for anything. And as soon as he sat, Erwin was in his lap.
“Hey, Buddy,” he smiled, scratching Erwin’s ears. After a little pawing and indecision, Erwin stretched out across Chase’s lap, then curled up in a ball, purring loudly. Chase just relaxed back into the couch, petting Erwin.
Before he knew it, he was sound asleep.
******************
When he woke, the room was dark. Moonlight streaked through the windows. He was covered in a blanket. Erwin was stretched out peacefully snoring on top of it. He gently eased Erwin to the side, scratching his furry belly, and sat up. He didn’t remember taking off his shoes, but there they sat neatly beneath the table.
He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He felt foolish. Rude, even. He just hoped he hadn’t insulted Abby.
“All work and no play makes Chase a dull boy,” she giggled.
When he looked toward the sound of her voice, she stood there in an oversized football jersey, her beautiful legs sticking out from underneath, smiling from ear to ear. The moonlight lit her up in such a way that she looked like a heavenly specter sent to earth to steal his heart.
“Oh, Abby. I’m so, so sorry.”
“There’s no need to be,” she smiled, sitting beside him and kissing his cheek. “Remember me? The person who’s seen you basically living at that clinic this week. Did you get any sleep at all today?”
“Not much. I had every intention to, but that damn phone rang every fifteen minutes.”
“You should have shut it off.”
“It’s not that easy. I’ve got over thirty work request tickets in; not to mention more irons in the fire than I can count. It’ll all balance out after a while.”
“Well, Sir. I have a stellar idea. It’s one-thirty. It’s too late to go back to the hotel. Why don’t you come in here with me, stretch out and get a good night’s sleep?” She was slowly unbuttoning his shirt, locking those beautiful eyes of hers on his.
“I’d like that,” he smiled, kissing her softly.
“No funny business tonight, Buddy. Just sleep. When, and if, you decide I’m worthy of your affections, I want you fully awake and alert,” she chuckled, sliding his shirt off his shoulders.
“My God, Chase. You’re an Adonis,” she purred, blushing, running her soft, manicured hand over his rippled chest.
“My, aren’t we complementary tonight. Especially after you fixed that amazing dinner and I just sat down and passed out on you.” Now they were both laughing.
“Come on, you. Let’s let you get some sleep.” She took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom and pushed him down on the bed.
Without another word, she unfastened his belt and the button on his slacks, pushed him back on his back and slid off his pants and socks. Chase just lay there in awe, staring at her angelic face and her seemingly perpetual smile. She had to notice the tent that formed, and remained at full mast in the front of his briefs the second he saw her luscious legs sticking out from under that incredibly sexy football jersey.
She pulled down the other side of the bed covers and lifted his legs, covering him up.
“And I’m putting this in the nightstand,” she said, holding up his phone. “Cynthia’s on duty tonight. She can handle anything that comes up.”
Without another word, Abby pulled the sexy jersey up over her head, standing there in just a skimpy pair of pretty red lace panties. Her luscious breasts stood proud on her tiny chest as she crawled in beside him.
“Sleep, Chase. You need it, Sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek and snuggled in close to him, resting her hand on his chest.
The last thing he remembered was the sensual smell of her mind blowing cologne.
*****************************
When he woke the next morning, Abby wasn’t snuggled into him. It saddened him.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes when the tantalizing smell of coffee and bacon frying wafted past his nose, waking him to a more alert level. He must have really gone out. It took a minute to shake off the cobwebs.
He stood, threw on his pants that Abby neatly folded and placed on the chair beside the bed, and walked out into the kitchen. Abby was, unfortunately, back in her football jersey-although she looked so damn sexy in it-busying herself at the stove.
He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, and kissed her soft neck.
“Not that I’m complaining, but if you distract me, you’re liable to get charred bacon and eggs,” she giggled. “I’ll take a raincheck on that, too. Now sit. I’ll bring you a cup of coffee.”
“I could get used to this,” he smiled, kissing her cheek and taking a seat.
“I just hope you got some sleep last night, Chase. Poor guy. You were exhausted.”
“How could I not get a good night’s sleep? I had an amazingly beautiful woman snuggled into my side.”
“And I could get used to that,” she smiled.
“It’s Friday, Chase. Just a half day. What’s your day look like?”
“I’ve got a meeting with the doctors first thing. Then a meeting with class scheduling at ten. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m sending all of you NP’s and the RN’s for the advanced ACLS certification training. Everyone is going to recertify annually from now on.”
“Wonderful! Tony and I have been requesting it forever, but our requests kept getting declined.”
“That’s something else that has me in a quandary. Recerts are an every two-year requirement. You’re all working out of compliance. And I just can’t understand why? They offer the course on campus and staff can take the classes for free. I don’t see what the big deal would have been for my predecessor to send everyone for the training and keep everyone’s certifications up to date?”
“I was shocked when I went through all your files. You haven’t certified in three years and you’re an ENP. Tony hasn’t certified since he was in school and Beverly and Eileen have never certified. The clinic will pay for all your books and class supplies, but that’s hardly going to break the bank. If the nursing board, or the medical regulatory commission got wind of this, we’d be in a real mess.”
“I believe it was Jenny shooting those requests down. I doubt the invisible Doctor Lindstrom ever even saw them.”
“I just can’t understand how this was allowed to go on for so long. I’m not going to elaborate, Abby, but something’s rotten in Denmark.”
“How so?” she asked, setting breakfast down on the table. She slid into the chair beside him and rested her hand on his thigh. That sexy jersey rode up, exposing those lovely legs and mouthwatering lacy panties just inches from him. He was so enamored; he almost lost his train of thought.
“I can’t elaborate right now, but there were a lot of expenditures for things that just aren’t there. Repairs that were paid for but never done. And I find that getting things done around there, things that common sense would say were no-brainers, doesn’t take a whole lot of begging, pleading, or promising your first born.”
“The two maintenance guys I hired had those two on call rooms whipped into shape in no time. I have a cleaning crew coming in every night now that took nothing more than a requisition. Come to find out, all cleaning and repair costs are part of normal campus services. No departmental budgetary expenditures. Yet the janitorial costs I’ve seen in last year’s budget were through the roof.”
“You saw the shape the clinic was in when you arrived, Chase. That place hasn’t seen a janitor in ages. I know I’ve never seen any cleaning people in there. Some of us just took it upon ourselves to clean this and that.”
“My point exactly. There was also a massive payout for a new digital Xray machine last year. Our Xray machine is eight years old.”
“Boy. I knew you were walking into a hornet’s nest, Chase, but it just gets worse by the day, doesn’t it?”
“The weird part is that after I finish reviewing all the spreadsheets, I don’t know who to bring the complaint to? I don’t trust Zeigler as far as I could throw him. And from what I’ve been told, Zeigler oversees all the budgeting and accounting.”
“He was hinting last night-strongly urging, actually-that I should turn the books over to some accounting firm, not the university accounting office to, quote, unquote, take some of the burden off of me. Not that I’d even consider it, but who pays for that? I mean, they gave me a fairly liberal budget for this first year to get the clinic whipped into shape, but I won’t be getting that kind of money every year. And even the liberal budget isn’t a windfall. I’ve been looking for sale priced supplies and bulk discounts.”
“Tread lightly, Chase. That guy gives me the willies. There’s lots of rumors circulating about him. And considering who his sister is, there’s obviously a bad gene in their gene pool. You’re right not to trust him. I hear President Billings is a pretty stand-up guy, though. And I’d say you’re in his good graces right now. Maybe you should run it by him.”
“I don’t know. I’ve still got a lot of things to look over and a lot more numbers to crunch. If what I think’s going on, really is going on, this is some serious business.”
“In the meantime, don’t mention a word of this to anyone please, Abby. I don’t want anyone tipped off. If it’s nothing, no one’s the wiser. But if there is something going on, and they get wind that I’m looking into it, they’ll start covering their tracks.”
“You know I won’t say anything.”
“I know that,” he smiled, leaning down for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She melted into his embrace like she was made to be there.
“You must have the forgiveness of a saint. I’m so sorry for passing out on you last night.”
“Please, Chase. Don’t even give it a second thought. I understand completely. But… if you feel some deep, festering, need to atone, there’s a new medical oddities exhibit at the museum that I’m dying to see. It opens today,” she giggled.
“That sounds awesome! Consider it a date. Tonight?”
“If that works for you? It’s here for two weeks.”
“I’ll make it work. Tonight it is.” he smiled, kissing her again. “And I’m really feeling a deep need to atone. Would dinner before we see the exhibit square me in your books?”
“Chase, Sweetheart, you have no need to feel bad: or to atone. Guido’s at five-thirty?” There was that mischievous giggle that just made his heart soar every time her heard it.
“Guido’s it is.”
“Chase. Before you go?”
“What is it, Abby?”
“I have to ask this.” She paused for a minute, biting that lower lip. He was falling for her hard. She was just the perfect combination of cute, beautiful and fun.
“Ok. Here goes… Ok. I find I’m growing very fond of you. Am I out in left field?”
“Not at all, Abby,” he smiled, wrapping her in his arms. You’re definitely rounding third and headed for home.”
“Good. See you at work.” She reached up, grabbed his face in both of her soft little hands and kissed him again; this one a smoldering kiss hot enough to melt steel. When it broke, they were both smiling from ear to ear.
*********************
Chase’s second meeting with the doctors went over better than he’d hoped. Both of them; Cynthia a dermatologist and Walt, a semi-retired general surgeon, shared almost verbatim the same complaints the rest of the staff had; as well as kudos for the way things in the clinic were turning around so quickly.
Both of them had campus apartments in a building out in the garden area behind the clinic. They were on alternating night call if the NP’s got in over their heads and both of them were on the teaching staff at the nursing school.
Neither of them had a problem with their schedules and were on friendly terms with each other. They had no problem switching on call nights or working out a week to week schedule among themselves if the other had something to do. Chase assured them that as long as they had things covered, he saw no need to get involved in their current schedule arrangement.
Both, sadly, admitted that there wasn’t a lot of need for their nocturnal services given the poor utilization of the clinic. Chase told them both that if he had to go door to door on campus and campaign for the clinic, he’d win the student’s trust. He knew, deep down, that things would change.
In between the doctor’s meeting and his meeting in the admin building he made a call to Guido’s to make a five-thirty reservation for his date with Abby, then delved back into the books. With every column he dissected, the more the anomalies popped up. He got up and went into the pharmacy.
“Gwen. Got a minute?”
“Sure, Chase. What’s up?”
“Off the top of your head, how often do you dispense…” he looked at the short list. “metformin, atenolol, nifedipine, verapamil, rituximab or, and I can’t believe I’m even asking this: Viagra?”
“Have you been getting enough sleep lately, Chase? This is a college clinic, not a nursing home? Diabetic, hypertensive and arthritis meds are all but non-existent on our shelves. And I doubt any of these walking hormone students need Viagra.”
“We have an arrangement with Village Drug in town if we need anything like that. They’re open twenty-four-seven and they deliver. We can’t afford to keep those kinds of meds on hand to just have them go beyond their viability dates on the shelf. Most of what we dispense are antibiotics, asthma meds, things like that. And, of course, vaccinations and the emergency meds for the crash carts and the procedure room.”
“Ah! Speaking of vaccinations, do you remember how many flu shots you ordered back in August?”
“Not exact numbers, but I can check. I can say that it wasn’t many. There weren’t a lot of requests for them.”
“So you didn’t order five hundred doses in September?”
“God no! If I’m not mistaken, we ordered sixty. And if memory serves, we ended up giving half of those to the free clinic down on Halston Street. I had to call all the local drug stores to get enough vaccinations for the influx of student that requested them the other day”
“That’s what I thought. Just checking. Thanks, Gwen.”
“Any time.”
According to the lead pharmacist, who actually ordered and dispensed the meds, there were none of those meds on the shelf, but there were payments made for them that ranged in the tens of thousands of dollars. Chase was truly becoming concerned. It was time to call in a second set of eyes.
“Hi, Kay. It’s Chase. Do you have any lunch plans today?”
“Free as a bird. Why? Wanna slip over to your hotel room for some naughty stuff,” she laughed. “I’m extremely flexible and the words no or stop aren’t even in my vocabulary.”
“Not that that’s a horrible thought, but I have something I’d like to bounce off of you.”
“Well, I was hoping it was going to be you bouncing off of me, but lunch is good, too.” Her laugh was genuine as well as contagious. “I’d love to. Faculty dining room?”
“No. Not on campus. Gaslight Grill ok with you?”
“Is everything ok, Chase?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Sure. Twelve-thirty work for you?”
“Great. I’ll see you there.”
His meeting with scheduling truly blew him away. It was in the admin budget, not the clinic budget, for the education fund to pay an instructor overtime to come to the clinic to teach the BLS and ACLS classes he wanted his staff to have. It was always an option, just never taken advantage of. It was determined years before that they could offer the course with the staff there in the clinic so they didn’t upset the clinic’s operations. And books and supplies were included.
Chase walked back to his office more confused than he’d been when he got up that morning.
“Hi, Handsome. You look stressed. Come in here a minute.” Abby led him onto one of the exam rooms and closed the door.
“Are you ok, Chase? You look really concerned about something.” She took his hands in hers, rubbing her smooth thumbs over his, soothing him.
“A whole lot isn’t adding up, Abby. I’m having lunch with someone from HR today. Hopefully she’ll be able to make some sense of it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Oh yeah. But on a very high note, I’m really, really, really looking forward to our date tonight,” he smiled, leaning down for a kiss.
“Play your cards right and stay awake and dessert may just be on me,” she winked, smiling.
“Dessert was always my favorite part of the meal,” he winked in return, smiling cheerily as he opened the door and led her out.
Chase went back to his office and gathered all the paperwork he had: copies of all the unorthodox expenditures on the budget and accounting sheets he’d gone through so far. All the questionable areas were highlighted with notes to make seeing his concerns that much more visible.
Maybe he was delirious. Maybe this was how things were done at the school. Write one thing off as something that already gained approval from the powers that be to use the money someplace not as well funded. It was an old trick that most managers in any business used. Robbing Peter to pay Paul: but even a rank amateur would have hidden it better than what he was seeing. This was so blatant it was embarrassing.
He expected to see a thousand dollars here, or five thousand there: but an almost two hundred thousand dollar Xray machine and tens of thousands of dollars for medications that had no place in a college clinic was way beyond SOP. Under normal circumstances what he saw would be like trying to hide an albino elephant in a field of clover. He couldn’t make any sense out of it. Was there no accounting to the school’s budget committee? No regular audits from campus accounting? He’d just assumed that the reason their budgets were kept on the server was so they could be audited regularly by the accounting department.
As he was shoving the papers into his backpack he got angry. Given the condition the clinic was in, their sole purpose for existing-the medical care of the students-had been dismissed entirely. It was as if they could care less about the health and welfare of the students. He was convinced they’d turned the clinic into a money laundering scheme. And it was a concentrated effort obviously done in collusion with different departments. But who? And for what? Where did all that money go?
Chase got to the restaurant before Kay. It was extremely crowded with what looked to be numerous business lunches. Different conversations echoed from every corner of the vast, gaily decorated room. He was instantly struck with some fond memories of his evening there with Abby. She was certainly something else. A breath of fresh air and sunshine in a tiny little package of just plain wow.
He told the greeter that he was expecting someone as she led him to a small table in the very back of the restaurant. He ordered a beer and arranged the papers on the table. He didn’t know how much time Kay had for lunch. He imagined that, working for that dickhead Zeigler, her time was monitored closely.
He was half way through his beer when Kay strolled in; a huge smile on her lovely face.
“Did I mention that I can fold a cherry stem with my tongue?” she laughed. He stood and pushed her chair in for her.
“I hope you know I’m teasing, Chase. I talk a good game for a laugh, but that’s the extent of my flirtatious nature,” she laughed.
“Of course,” he smiled. “Beer?”
“In as much as I’d love one, I’d better not. I’m liable to get a breathalyzer test when I get back. Make it a vodka tonic,” she laughed. “No smell.”
Chase got the waitresses attention and ordered Kay’s drink.
“Kay, I can count on your discretion, right?”
“Absolutely. As I said in the beginning, Chase; Clay and I are in your corner. We both want what’s best for the school. Anything you say to me is between the three of us.”
“Good. Ok. Maybe I’m just unfamiliar with the way things are done around here. If that’s the case, I don’t want to cause anyone any problems. But if what I’m seeing isn’t status quo, I’m sitting on top of a fire ant mound and my ass is covered in honey.”
“Ou! Kinky! I like that,” she laughed, patting his hand. “What are your concerns, Chase.”
“For starters, I’ve supposedly got a brand new, hundred and sixty three thousand dollar Xray machine in the clinic. In as much as we’d love that, the one we have is eight years old. And I checked the records for a second time just before I left to come over here. Delivered and installed in twenty-thirteen.
“Wow!”
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Kay. I’ve got ongoing expenses for drugs that have no place in a college clinic. Arthritis meds, hypertensive meds, erectile dysfunction meds…the works. I checked with our lead pharmacist. We don’t stock any of those. We have an arrangement with a twenty-four-hour pharmacy in town that delivers whenever one of the rare occasions arises that one of those drugs is needed.”
“Have you noticed the number of people who came down with the flu on campus this season, Kay?
“I know it hit the school really hard. There were an exorbitant number of students, staff and faculty who missed a lot of work and classes.”
“Well, the lead pharmacist said they ordered sixty injections and gave half of those to a free clinic; yet the expenditure sheet says we paid for five hundred. And this year’s vaccine, for once, was a good match for the strain of flu that hit. If we’d administered five hundred vaccines the number of those infected would have been greatly reduced. No notices were ever sent out to even tell the faculty and students that the vaccine was available, free of charge, at the clinic.”
“And I’ve got outrageous expenses for building maintenance, upgrades and improvements…”
“Woah, woah, woah! That’s all university building maintenance, Chase. That’s my job. The departments don’t pay for those things out of their operating budgets. Those expenditures are allocated for in the overall annual maintenance budget.”
“That’s what I’ve been told; but look.” He slid the papers across to her. When they ordered their meals she barely looked up from the sheets. She, like Chase, was dumbstruck.”
“Chase, this is outrageous! This amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“That’s just the pharmacy and general clinic. I haven’t even gotten into the trauma area, the infirmary, or any of the other department sheets yet. And this is just last year’s budget.”
“Where do you think all this money is going?”
“That’s what I’d like to know? It sure hasn’t gone into that shithole clinic.”
“Aren’t all the departmental budgets and expenditures audited? I mean, I know academia tends to be kind of aloof, but this is so blatant it’s laughable.”
“Aloof or not, most of those eggheads can squeeze a nickel until the buffalo shits. Alumni donations are way down. We’ve been pinching pennies and looking for money anywhere we can find it-including shaving budgets and digging around in couch cushions. They’re even thinking of raising tuition next year to make up for the shortfall.”
“Listen. Let me make a few discrete phone calls. My friend Steph in accounting may be able to shed a little more light on this. She’s actually Harry Billing’s liaison to the finance department.”
“Just be discrete, Kay. I don’t want to tip anyone off if what I think is going on, is going on. But someone needs to answer for this. I’m sure not going to start off in this job with this kind of pendulum swinging over my head.”
“Well, as you know, Zeigler is the head of the budget committee. It’s part of the chancellor’s responsibilities.”
“And there’s another thing. I went over to his office expecting a battle royal, but he was as meek as a lamb. While we were barely tolerating each other, he strongly suggested that, because of the momentous task I had ahead of me, whipping the clinic into shape, I should leave the bookkeeping to this outside service my predecessor used. As you can plainly see, no professional accountant kept those books.”
“That’s not possible, Chase? What happens on campus, stays on campus. Everything is done here within our ivory towers. I’ve never heard anything about any outside accounting firm? And nothing regarding outside accounting has ever come across my desk. I’d have flagged it in a heartbeat.”
“And the plot thickens,” Chase sighed, finishing his meal.
“Give me until Monday, Chase. I can do some snooping around and see what I can dig up. But if this gets any bigger, we’re going to need to bring Clay into this.”
“I’m all for that: once we’re certain we have a legitimate issue. You know as well as I do that managers shift money around all the time to keep things running. But given the condition that clinic was in when I first saw it, I’ll guarantee you that none of that money was being allocated for the needs of the clinic.”
“Amen. Until you brought this up, I never gave it a second thought. I just figured the bean counters up on the top floor figured the clinic was a red headed stepchild and gave it just enough to keep the lights on.”
“Given the patients we’re tasked with keeping healthy, it should be a top priority.”
“I agree. I’ll make some calls and let you know what I find out.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Kay. I really appreciate this.”
“Contrary to popular belief, a lot of us love this university, Chase. We want to see it thrive. We just have a few bad apples in high places that seem to have the opposite agenda.”
*****************
Friday’s in the clinic were a half day for general medicine. Appointments, exams, minor medical walk-ins and other business ended at noon. The weekend shift dealt with any in-house patients, emergencies or late night illnesses; but for the most part the clinic, as well as the majority of the campus, was quiet after twelve.
When Chase got back, Trish, who was rapidly becoming one of his favorite nurses, was at the desk. Abby was covering the clinic until Eileen relieved her at five. Next weekend would be Abby’s weekend. They hadn’t gone to the new schedule completely yet, but Chase agreed to let them modify the old, squirrelly schedule among themselves with his final approval to make sure they were fully staffed. They amiably came to a quick and sensible schedule that seemed to make everyone happy.
“Hi, Trish. Anything going on?”
“Nope. It was a little busier than usual this morning, but all’s quiet now.”
“Good. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
Chase worked on a few of the more pressing matters he wanted to get rolling, then tried to log into the prior year’s accounts. Access Denied flashed across his screen.
“Shit! I’ve got things to do,” he sighed. After three more failed attempts, he called the IT department.
“I don’t understand it? All the servers are up, Doctor Brandt. And I’m the only one here this afternoon. I haven’t received any orders to deny access to anyone. Are you sure you’re using the correct password?”
“I’m positive, Ron. I’ve tried it four or five times.”
“Let’s try resetting your password. You should be getting a notification…now. Just follow the link and reset your password.”
“I’ll try that. Thank you.”
He reset his password and tried again. Access Denied.
“Something stinks!” he growled. Thankfully he’d already printed everything out. But why would they lock him out now? Now his suspicions were truly piqued.”
He called the accounting department but they were all gone for the weekend. They had a weekend on-call person, but it wasn’t enough of an emergency to bother someone on their weekend. He’d get it straightened out Monday. But the original spark of suspicion was growing into a bonfire in the back of his mind. He decided to keep things close to his vest and not to let the printed sheets he had out of his sight.
“Hey! Loosen up, Doctor. You look like a proctologist sitting there all grumpy and deep in thought.” Abby was in a very chipper mood.
“And you, Dear Lady, look like a glass of ice water to a man who just walked through the desert.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I’m glad you approve,” she smiled, spinning demurely. She was wearing a very tasteful blue, knee length skirt and a pretty pink blouse under her lab coat.”
“I was going to suggest everyone start wearing scrubs, but I just changed my mind,” he laughed.
“I don’t mean to bother you, Chase, but do you have running water in your bathroom? They’re replacing the faucets in the new on call rooms so the water to the other half of the building is off indefinitely?”
“You’re hardly bothering me, Beautiful Lady. I haven’t checked. Help yourself.” She went in and turned the sink tap. Water flowed.
“Do you mind if I use your shower, Chase? I brought my clothes with me today so I’d be ready to go when you are. If I have to run home and shower, we’re going to get a late start.”
“Of course, Abby. Help yourself.”
“Thank you. Be out in a minute.
“Oh, by the way, I made our dinner reservations this morning.”
“I know. I called to make them in case you, like most men, forgot,” she laughed. “I should have known Mister On The Ball would have matters in hand.”