Chapter 27

(Rylan) 

My nerves returned bright and early Monday morning as I was getting ready for work. Gayle already emailed to ask me to meet her in her office as soon as I arrived for my shift. Dread pooled in my stomach after I read that.  

Were they going to fire me for what happened? I was not at fault, and there were no rules in place about dating amongst coworkers. Heath didn’t even work in my department, which is why I figured it was safe. We met in the hospital cafeteria and flirted heavily.

I should have stopped it long before I agreed to go on a date with him. However, I was horny and wanted to prove to myself that I could date and sleep with other men to get over Aaron. The sex was nothing special, and it proved to me that I was not over Aaron at all because it was his face I saw instead of Heath’s when we were in bed together. 

Now I have to deal with the fallout of my poor choices. 

By the time I had all my stuff in hand and stood at the front door of my house, I was seriously contemplating calling in sick. I could just tell Gayle that I am not ready to come back to work yet. As a woman and knowing what I have already been through with Paulson, I want to believe that she would be sympathetic to what I am going through.  

“Rylan? Are you okay?” Rosalie calls from behind me. 

I turn around to look at her; she is standing in the kitchen doorway, still in her pajamas. Today she is going to talk to HR at Mercy General, then enroll in any courses that they tell her she will need to get recertified. I will be putting in a good word for her with Gayle and Heather from HR.

“I am nervous about going back to work today.” 

I told her last night about what happened with Heath and Paulson. She was both angry and sad at what those men tried to do to me. Thankfully, my sister didn’t treat me like a victim of sexual assault like others have since Paulson’s attack. I was not sexually assaulted, but both men did hurt me.

“If you feel like you can’t handle it, then take the rest of the day off. I am sure your boss will understand.” 

“If only I weren’t the head of the department, I would take a few more days, but I am not sure that will do me any good. I need to stay busy and keep my mind focused on other stuff. Mondays are one of our busiest days, so it should work just fine.” 

“Then why are you nervous?” 

I take a deep breath. “I am more worried about the looks and thoughts of those who witnessed what happened than anything. There was enough gossip after Paulson, and I would rather avoid that shit this time around.” 

“Call a full staff meeting and address the incident head-on. Tell them your side of things and that you want no gossip during work hours.” 

That right there is an excellent idea. I give my sister a big smile, then I open the door to leave. “Thank you, Rosie.” 

“Good luck, Rylan. Call me or Aaron if you panic. We both got your back.” 

Knowing that makes me feel a lot better.

Forty-five minutes later, and believe me, I timed it. I stepped off the elevator and onto the executive floor for my meeting with Gayle. I had to be let into my department by one of the receptionists, which surprised me. They have ramped up security since I have been out on leave.

The nerves came back as I walked down the hallway toward her office. I had to keep telling myself that it was just a meeting to see how I was doing, not a ‘pack my personal effects’ kind of meeting. Everything will be fine. 

They have no reason to fire me. 

I am not at fault. 

When I reach her office, I plaster a smile on my face, then reach up a hand to knock on her door. Gayle called out a moment later for me to enter. What I didn’t expect to find was not only Gayle but also the top lawyer for Mercy General, Jarred Ford, waiting for me. 

“Ah, Dr. Danvers,” Gayle says as I enter the office. She stands up from her desk, then walks to me to shake my hand. “How have you been handling what happened here last week?” 

“Better than expected, but I am still a little shook up.” 

“Have a seat; there are a few things we need to talk about, and then you can head down to your office.” 

I nod at her as she says this, then watch as she walks around her desk to take her own seat. My gaze falls on the empty chair next to the lawyer, and dread fills my belly. With reluctance, I walk to the chair and sit down, then look over at Jarred. 

We had met once before, months ago, when Paulson attacked me. He asked some very personal questions back then, and I have a feeling this meeting will be a repeat of that. I can already sense the judgmental vibes coming off him. I hate that. 

This man doesn’t know me but has already judged who he thinks I am based on what has happened to me.

Prick. 

“As you may already know, Heath Truman is no longer employed with Mercy Gerneral due to his actions against you last week.” Jarred stated it bluntly while staring at me. “He is also facing criminal charges that the CEOs insisted that the hospital file against him. That is why I am here.” 

All I do is nod my head, then look at Gayle. Knowing that Quinn and Aaron insisted that the hospital file charges against Heath does not surprise me. I told the officer the day it happened that I wanted to do the same thing. That, I assume, is why I am here with this man today. 

“The hospital board wanted to put you on administrative leave until this entire thing blows over. Half the board was for the idea, but there were not enough votes to approve the motion.” Gayle says in a soft voice.

This shocks me a little, but if I think about it, I don’t really blame them. I have been involved in two separate incidents since I started working at Mercy General. To them, I am the problem, even though those men attacked me, not the other way around. 

“What is needed from me today? I just want to put all of this behind me and get back to work.” 

“I just need your formal statement about what happened for the record. The video from the storeroom backs up everything you said, but we just need your statement for when we go to court.” Jarred pulls out a tape recorder and a pad of paper with a pen. 

The way he mentions the video evidence makes it sound like he wouldn’t have believed me if it wasn’t there. There was a tone to his voice that made me want to scream at him and tell him that I didn’t ask for what Heath did to me. Instead, I nod my head and spend the next thirty minutes going over what happened that day. 

From the time I got out of my car to see Heath waiting for me to the moment he was pulled off of me in that storage room. It was something that has gone through my head at least once a day since then. I am tired of letting this incident live rent-free in my head.

“Alright, that is all I need from you,” Jarred says as he packs up his belongings. He stands after he is done, reaches out to shake my hand, then leaves when I ignore the gesture. 

Once he is gone, Gayle quietly hands me a tissue. Apparently, I was crying and didn’t realize it. I took the tissue and thanked her. 

“I want you to know that I am on your side here, Rylan. If you need anything at all today, even if it is to go home after this meeting, I will understand.” 

That is a fantastic idea, but I need to be here. Going home will just give me more time to dwell on what happened. I refuse to do that. 

“Thank you, Gayle. I will stay all day. I want to call a meeting with all my staff so that I can address this incident head-on. Squash the gossip that has no doubt already been running rampant. Once that is done, I need to just work with some patients. They need me too.” 

“Very well. One thing we did while you were out was to have badge scanners installed on the doors, both exterior and interior, leading to the veteran’s program. Employees who have no reason to be in that part of the hospital will not have access. There is a button at reception with cameras to buzz patients in. A security measure that was meant to be implemented months ago was stalled after the Paulson incident. This was implemented for every department that has exterior door access, except for the emergency room.” 

I breathe a sigh of relief that the hospital is taking their employees’ and patients’ safety seriously. “That explains why I couldn’t get in this morning and is good to hear. I will feel much safer now.” 

“You will need to go down to security and have a new badge made, but once that is done, you should be able to go to work.” 

Gayle gets up from her chair so she can walk me to the door. She shocks me by pulling me into a hug before I can leave. When she pulls back, I catch an emotion in her eyes that hits me hard. Recognition flares in me, but I say nothing to her in response; I just squeeze her hand before I walk away. 

Gayle is a survivor of assault, whether it was sexual or not; she understands what I am experiencing.

I hear my name being called as I walk away from Gayle’s office, which causes me to halt in my tracks because I know that voice well. My brother, Andrew.

I turn around slowly to greet him. Out of all three of my siblings, Andrew and I are the closest. He knows what I dealt with from his mother and mine more than my sisters do. Rosalie is learning some of it as we spend more time together, but Juanita never witnessed her mother’s behavior like Andrew did. 

I am happy that she was too young to understand what was going on in that house. 

“What are you doing up here?” Andrew asks when he reached where I stopped. 

“I had a meeting with Gayle.” 

“To talk about what happened with Heath?” His eyes show concern, like the good brother he is.

“Yes, she just wanted to make sure I was ready to return to work and to assure me that the hospital has my back.” 

“Some of the board members didn’t, and I wasn’t allowed to vote since you are my sister. They are right that I would be biased toward you in this. I do, however, agree that you should take me time off work. Go visit your...” 

I cut him off before he could finish that sentence. “I already saw my mother recently. That was enlightening and heartbreaking at the same time. Let’s just say that my mother and I won’t be spending time together anytime soon.” 

Andrew frowns at me, then motions for me to follow him to his office. I shake my head, then he pulls me into a hug and makes me promise to have dinner with him soon so we can catch up. I agree to meet up with him later in the week for lunch instead.  

“Be strong, Rylan. I am here for you if you need me.” 

“I am happy that you are here in California, Andrew, even if I don’t show it. Now I have two siblings close to me.” 

“Two? Rosalie?” 

“Yeah, that is a long story that I will fill you in on when we have lunch.” 

“That should be an interesting story. Is she still a mini version of the wicked witch?” 

This makes me laugh, something I needed more than I knew. He used to call my mother that when we were little because of how she treated us. My mother treated Andrew in the same manner that Eva treated me. It was horrendous that two grown ass adults treated innocent children horribly because they were angry with each other and the situation they were in. A situation caused by the lies of one man. A very married man who should have known better. 

“Surprisingly, no, she has grown a backbone and stood up to our mother when we visited her. I will tell you about it when we meet for lunch.” 

“Alright,” he says, glances at his watch, then smiles at me. “I got to head into a meeting. Call me.” 

“I promise.” 

He nods, then turns around to rush to his meeting. I walk to the elevator so I can go down to security to get a new badge. As I hit the down button, I feel a presence beside me. I glance up with a smile when I see Quinn.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I say with a laugh. 

“I saw you talking to Andrew and figured I would ride down in the elevator with you.” 

“So, you want to check up on me like he was doing?” 

Quinn laughs but just nods his head. 

“I am surprised Aaron hasn’t told you how I am doing.” The two of them pretty much tell each other everything. 

“He did, but I want to hear it from you,” he says as the elevator doors open. “Then I want to hear from you about how you feel about the sudden one-eighty he has done on this relationship stuff.” 

Oh, that.

We stepped into the elevator car, then I spent the ride down filling him in on what had happened over the last few days from my point of view. By the time we stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor, I felt lighter after talking to Quinn. Talking to him like another brother figure has always come naturally to me. 

I left him with a promise to come to dinner tonight and to bring Aaron and Rosalie with me. I will see Aaron for lunch later and can call my sister when I finally get to my office. Now it is time to make my way to the security office so I can get my new badge and get the rest of my day started. 

All I can hope for now is that the rest of my day goes smoothly. 

Hopefully.