Ken gently bandaged her eyes. “Okay, let’s get you downstairs. Nadia, you lead the way.”
* * *
Wes came up the stairs as the elevator doors closed. He’d forgotten a box of cough drops, which he needed for his orientation. It didn’t look good for a boss to choke. Crossing the room, he saw a frame on the floor under Eleanor’s suitcase that held a picture of two young blonde girls. He took out his phone and shot a picture, then placed the frame in Eleanor’s suitcase and sat at his desk.Twins?
He opened his desktop computer and signed in. Accessing the secure server, he pulled up Eleanor’s personnel file. Nothing seemed any different from the other times he read it as she made her way through the interview process. Her recommendations from the staff at the Coventry School as well as from her multiple education program professors and instructors were all glowing.
It occurred to him, he hadn’t read Christian and Kieran’s notes from the final interviews. Christian noted his concerns about her personal insecurity. He also noted his direct observation in the therapeutic setting was diametrically opposed to that behavior.
Kieran’s note made his already nervous gut whirr. Something was off. His simple note read,Personal issues cleared. Approved to hire.
Wes typed a request to HR. He wanted the hard copy of Eleanor West’s file couriered to him, including the copy of her medical records. She did name him as her proxy. And he sent a text to Kieran requesting a call back. He shut down his system and headed down the stairs.
Troy, Ken, and Eleanor were sitting at the breakfast bar when Wes joined them. “Good morning,” Troy said. “You just missed Nadia. Eleanor is a live wire here. Pete will be here in a second. He went to the clinic.” Troy frowned.
“What didn’t you do?” Wes poured a cup of coffee for himself.
“Um…”
The door slammed. “He forgot his muscle relaxants,” Pete growled.
“I didn’t forget. They make me tired,” Troy countered.
“Then we try another med. We do not stop things cold.” Pete placed a bottle on the table. “Tizanidine. They won’t make you tired. Hey, Ellie, how are you feeling?”
She laughed. “Third time this morning. Achy but clear-headed. Wes, did Nadia tell you I needed my Wellies?”
“Good to hear,” Pete said.
“And I told Nadia, after she explained what Wellies were, you can wear boots after you are cleared. In the meantime, Ken got you sneakers from the car.” Wes placed them loudly on the table.
"I’ve got the sneakers and Ellie from here.” Pete placed Eleanor’s hand on his elbow and escorted her to the living room.
“You get any sleep?” Troy asked.
“On and off.” Wes whispered what happened with Eleanor.
“The courier with the hard copy of her records should be here by noon. We will go from there,” Troy said. “What’s first on the agenda?”
“We need to help TJ and Ken find their sea legs with the civilian staff. I think they’re worried about over-discipline,” Wes chuckled.
“Same rules apply…no different for non-military staff,” Troy took on an authoritative tone.
“I’m on the same page.” Wes sipped his coffee.
Pete returned to the kitchen. “We’re heading to the hospital. We will be back in a couple of hours, and I’ll know more,” Pete said. Eleanor waved.
“Bye, Curly, stop worrying,” Wes called to her.
* * *
As Pete helped her inside the car, Ellie remembered Wes’s comment. She did worry. She’d lost a day and was about to lose at least a half day more. “Pete, when Wes removed my bandages, my vision was blurry. Is it going to stay that way?”
“We will see what ophthalmology says, but I think with time, they’ll be fine. Wes got to you quickly and knew what to do. I do have a question, though. Why did you assign Wes as your proxy?”
“I’d never been asked to fill out paperwork like that before. I…there is no one.”There is no one who cares about me. No one I can trust. My parents are gone, and, well, I’m not safe with anyone else.
“I understand.” After he parked the car, she felt Pete change her position. “Time for your CT scan.”
