Kieran laughed. “Like I could keep things from them. But Martin knew you were already overloaded. He decided it was best to keep the secret.”
“I guess I appreciate that.” Kip shrugged. “Who else knew?”
The men around the table slowly raised their hands. “I need to clarify. We didn’t know it was you; we figured Kieran, as CEO of Chase Care, would take over here too,” Kyle said.
“I’m going to sour your night a little. Chase Care is another issue completely. We have to cope with licensing,” Hunt sighed.
“Coop.” Kip sipped his champagne.
“I’m working with Orleans Parish and the city. Another issue is we have programmed personnel inside each facility as staff and patients. From what we’ve learned so far, the hospital is, at minimum, one hundred short per each eight-hour shift. That’s not counting physicians, PAs, and nurse practitioners. The nursing home is over legal capacity, short, at minimum, fifty per shift, and all physicians, PAs and NPs are only on call from an agency.” Kyle shuddered.
“Dangerous,” Kip said. “Where do we stand on liability if we purchase?”
“Brock Carpenter and a dedicated staff are sorting through those issues. They’re also doing real estate procurement for staff,” Kieran said.
“We expected some difficulties but not to the degree being reported.” Hunt frowned.
“Ian and I discussed this with the medical and facility directors. As head of the branch, the security of both facilities would always be on the branch’s shoulders. With these kind of staffing issues, patient safety now must be included,” Kieran advised.
“I think there may be more problems. Coop and I met Harper on Monday. In passing, she mentioned supply and equipment problems, as well as patient overload. I haven’t seen the reports from those programmed patients. My thoughts: the only way to handle that is having leeway for hiring. Hunt, have Logan Shepard and Casey Reynolds accepted the job offers?”
“Yes, we will all be there for your 0700 meeting,” Hunt said.
“Logan will be facility director for our branch of Chase Medical. Given this situation, we will need to put at least one facility director in the nursing home and the hospital, though I suspect we will need more supervisory staff. I think my best choice would be to create a health and safety division.”
“Kip, it’s yours to decide. We are prepared to fund as necessary,” Kieran offered.
“Here you go, gentlemen. Enjoy your meal.” Harper placed their food on the table. “Can I get you anything else?” She smiled, but Kip could see it didn’t touch her eyes. Her makeup was not covering the circles well.
“I think we’re good,” Kip said. “Thank you, Harper.”
She crouched down beside Kip. “Please be careful. There is an occasional fishbone.”
“Thank you.” He chuckled, wishing he could kiss her.
The six men enjoyed their meal and suspended work talk. As they sipped coffee, murmurs erupted in the front of the restaurant. Kieran laughed. “Owen is here.”
Owen Errol, the designer for the San Diego buildings as well as three other senior executives’ homes, hosted a highly rated HGTV program with his husband, Barry. Owen, standing beside Chantal, pointed. “They’re over there.”
Wearing a black sharkskin suit, he knew how to make an entrance. “My goodness, the band is all here. I’m sorry, the reason I’m late is Barry and I did a walkthrough, and Brock closed a quick deal on a 134-unit condo building. Engineer’s report stated it’s structurally sound. It’s empty. The people we bought from transplanted the residents who were residing in the building in April and began renovations to make it condos, but they ran out of money. Easy peasy, a little powder, paint, new appliances, and perfection.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Mr. Kieran, you look marvelous as always. Miss Monique keeps you on your toes. And look at you, Hunt. Those gray highlights make you over the top. And you, handsome—Kieran, you’re running Kip ragged. Thursday, before anything, barber and new suits.”
Kip’s eyes twinkled. “Thank you.”
Owen blew out a breath. “The building is spectacular. You will love your office. It’s about fifteen hundred square feet.”
Kip pulled on his ear. “That will hold me, a DCO, and our XOs.”
“They have their own space. The fifteen hundred square feet is all yours,” Owen said. “Each floor is about twenty-eight thousand square feet.”
“Brennan, choke again, and someone else gets the job,” Kieran teased.
“I was just planning to nod.” Kip’s head resembled a bobble head doll.
Barry came inside a few minutes later and proceeded to pull Harper and Chantal with him.
“Barry found you a splendiferous home in the Garden District. Sad-happy-happy story: the original owner died. The heirs poured a fortune into the house and grounds. Then the heir received a new job opportunity in Great Britain, where his family and his wife’s family reside. And voila, we were in the right place at the right time. It’s move-in ready. I made some quick cosmetic changes to suit you. I have a list of resumes for house staff. And once you pick a full-time security staff, you’re good to go.”
