Read Online Heart Like Mine by Maggie McGinnis - Free Book Online Page A

especially given the climate lately. I know they’ll be on their best behavior while you’re down there, but still—they’re nervous. They all know what it means when the finance office starts paying special attention to your floor.”
    Delaney didn’t know what to say. On one hand, she sort of resented the fact that they’d marked her as an enemy before they even knew her. On the other hand, how could she blame them? They all knew someone who’d gotten the same HR escort she’d seen last week. Nobody felt safe right now.
    Finally, she sighed. “What can I do to make this easier on everybody?”
    â€œProbably nothing.” He shrugged. “Awkward is awkward. It’s just the way it is. But I think it would help if I gave you some information about the floor before you come down again.”
    â€œOkay.” She folded her hands primly on her desk. “Pediatrics Orientation 101. I’m ready.”
    â€œThe first thing to know is that if you want to eat lunch, you need to be nice to Therese.”
    Delaney felt her forehead furrow. “I don’t follow.”
    â€œShe makes the lunch schedule. That means she decides who eats when. And if she doesn’t like you, she might just forget to put you on the schedule.”
    â€œNo offense, but how am I figuring into her schedule? I’m just observing.”
    â€œYou want to really know what it’s like to work a patient floor, right?”
    She sat back. “Um, no. You want me to know what it’s like to work a patient floor. Apparently. When did we change the part about me just hanging out in the background?”
    â€œMillie—she’s the head nurse you met—and I talked earlier this morning. We both think that if you are really invested in making the best decisions for this floor, then you need to muck right in.”
    â€œMuck right in? What does that mean, exactly?” Delaney looked at her watch. It was only seven o’clock, and he’d already had a meeting with the head nurse? “What kind of hours do you work , anyway?”
    â€œWe work a lot of hours, Delaney. I think this is one of the things you’re only going to see if you’re down there. I’ve got salaried nurses doing fifty to sixty hours a week right now.”
    â€œHow is that possible? Isn’t the union going nuts?”
    â€œWe’re paying hellish overtime, that’s how. Because—as you kindly pointed out—our staffing ratios are high enough that I haven’t been able to make a case for more nurses.”
    She sighed quietly. “I’m sorry I said that.”
    She was. The more research she’d done this weekend, the more convinced she’d become that they didn’t, in fact, have enough nurses on the floor. The first item on her original proposal had been to reduce staffing, but it was already clear how shortsighted that had been, and she hadn’t even started her official observations yet.
    He looked at her intently, and she tried not to squirm under his gaze. “I appreciate you saying so.”
    She put up her hands. “Dr. Mackenzie, I will be the first to admit when I’m wrong, okay?”
    â€œBut let me guess. It doesn’t happen often?”
    â€œNo, it doesn’t.” She pointed to the box she’d dropped. “That box is full of research I did over the weekend, and it’s clear to me that the list I showed you last week was perhaps a bit premature, though it was the best I could come up with on short notice, with limited time to do proper analysis.”
    He pointed his chin at the box. “And now you think you’ve done that analysis?”
    â€œI’ve done a lot of it, yes.”
    â€œSo do you have a new list?”
    â€œOnly in my head.”
    And on my laptop. And on three printed pages in this folder under my hands.
    â€œAnd are you going to show it to me?”
    She took a breath, wondering