“See these folks wearing black? They are watching and looking for ways to improve the facilities. They will also identify unacceptable behaviors. And, finally, they are skilled clinicians who will happily help you.
“The federal minimum wage and Louisiana’s is $7.25 per hour. Chase Care minimum wage is $15.25. All employees will receive an eight-dollar-an-hour raise to start. One dollar per hour raises will be added to the new salary based upon years of employment to a maximum of ten dollars for ten years. You will also receive other benefits as described in an employee handbook you will receive before you leave tonight. The last four of your social security number combined with the first four letters of your last name will grant you access to a manual on the employee site.”
Kip watched the group as annoyance turned to excitement.Show me the money.He went over a few more things, and after closing his welcome speech, he turned it over to Hunt.
“As soon as Hunt finishes his speech, we head to the office to try to catch some sleep,”
Kieran whispered in Kip’s ear.
Chapter 16
“I’m saying this a lot: it’s not how I intended things to go down, but it is what it is,” Kieran said, sitting alone in his office with Kip.
“Thanks to a ton of great people, we are pushing ahead. Bruce is awake and cursing. At least he’s not cursing me. Logan said he’ll spring him tomorrow. I brought him a tablet. An inch to the right and we’d be looking at a different story.
“Kodi is still with us, thanks to Harper Rousselle. She broke a ton of rules to do it too. God, Kieran, I hated making that call to his folks. As soon as Hunt clears him to fly, I’ve got an air ambulance ready to transfer him to New York or DC. His folks live in Philadelphia.
“We turned floors five to eight into bed space for the Manor patients. Coop and his team are split between here and the hospital, completing identification and basic background checks on staff. Rich is assisting tech in exporting the info to our other branches for the deep checks. And I’m watching the storm.” Kip sighed. “Kieran, whatever you need.”
Kieran’s lips turned up, his sapphire blue eyes bright. “Thanks. One thing, if something happens, make sure my kiddos know about their daddy. Mommy doesn’t know all the stories for the reasons you understand.” He laughed.
“I’ve got a book of them,” Kip assured him.
Elin knocked and entered. “Mr. Chase, Bravo Team Leader Mr. Skinner is here to take you to the airport.”
“Thank you, I’ll be out in a minute.” Kieran stood. “My dad gave me this when I was about to deploy the first time. I was such an asshole.” He placed a challenge coin into Kip’s hand. “Don’t be an asshole.”
Kip tapped his heart and pointed at Kieran. Kieran repeated the same gesture and headed out. Kip stood inside his office door watching his boss head to the elevator.
Once Kieran was out of sight, he looked down at the coin. It was a picture of Eeyore. Written around the border wasEven an ass can be warm and caring.On the other side was a picture of a bee with the wordsDo not hesitate if you need to sting.
He sighed and walked to Elin’s desk. “Where are we with evacuation plans?”
“Mr. Cooper is sending me updated clearances for new personnel. We are labeling all with a CC prefix. As soon as I receive a name and what their staff qualification is, I’m sending them an email to provide needed information and placing them accordingly. I have three clerks aiding in the process.
“Mr. Steele’s team is at the hospital with electricians, disconnecting the generator to make room for the new one. Chad is appropriating more buses to transport. Mia and Tobey have a huge spider chart set up in Conference Room A with evacuation routes. And I sent you a spec sheet on salaries, work assignments, ID badge procurement, basic benefits, et cetera, for you to have when you go to that 1600 meeting at the hospital. Oh, and here.” Elin handed him a paper bag. “Eat. A muffaletta—ham, salami, provolone cheese, olive dressing on fresh-baked bread. My husband owns a restaurant in Treme.”
Kip accepted the bag. “Thank you.” Returning to his office, he grabbed a water from his refrigerator and sat. His mouth watered with the first bite. After thoroughly enjoying the sandwich, he lay down on his couch and dozed off.
* * *
Rain came down in sheets.Harper’s friend Opal begged for a ride to her home in Avondale. Though out of her way, she couldn’t refuse Opal. They went to nursing school together and had become fast friends. Opal had survived the fire and continued to work, so Harper couldn’t resist hearing about the fire and what was said in the owner’s speech. Harper hadn’t heard anything working in the ER.
“I was on two when the alarms started to ring. The whole north side of the building exploded, then the rest of the building ignited. The north wings burned all the way to the ground and turned to ash. God, Harp, anyone who couldn’t walk died. I made my ward hold hands and walked them to the triage area. There were fire department, police, and these guys dressed in black. Then there was this doc—Dr. Montgomery. He directed, treated, and arranged for transfer to the hospital tent.” Opal took a wad of napkins from between Harper’s seats and wiped off the fogging windows.
“Who spoke?” Harper asked.
“Kieran Chase, CEO of Chase Care. He promised to never blindside staff again and welcomed everyone. Then he turned it over to Kip Brennan, the CEO of Chase Care for us in New Orleans. He talked about salary. Holy shit, we get an eight-dollar-an-hour raise plus a dollar for every year worked up to ten years. We have to turn in our certificates and licenses. BLS and ACLS required. Color-coded scrubs, but they buy and launder. And get this, they want to help us evacuate family and board up our houses. They had printed manuals. I grabbed an extra ‘cause I’m always losing things. I’ll give one to you.”
Opal jumped in her seat. “And then it turns out Dr. Montgomery is the chief of medicine. This guy Casey is chief of nursing, and this guy Logan is chief of staff. There are a whole bunch of people here to supervise and help. It’s a big deal.”
“What about schedules?” Harper asked.
“They said they’ll send emails. They seem to really care,” Opal said.
“I think they do.” Harper thought of how Kip made her feel. She blew out a breath. “This isn’t even the hurricane yet.” The window wipers couldn’t keep up with the downpour.
“Thanks, Harper. Get home safe. Call me later.” Opal ran from the car onto her porch.
