Maddy's Floor Read online

  Maddy took a step back, blowing out a breath, and managed a light laugh. "Thanks. That was close."

  "Do you always run like you're being chased?"

  "I was laughing so it was pretty obvious I wasn't in trouble." She gave him a cheeky grin. "And yes, I do like to race up and down these stairs." His gaze dropped to the floor. Maddy glanced down and wiggled her toes self-consciously. Heat climbed her cheeks. Hurriedly she slipped her heels on again.

  "Bare feet?"

  "Bare feet or heels. I run in both." Maddy tossed her head, her jet-black, shoulder-length hair flipping around her face as she stared him in the eye.

  The stranger's eyes widened. "Hardly the safest or healthiest way to start your day."

  Her back stiffened. She hated criticism, especially from people who didn't know her enough to be an expert. "Better than a donut."

  The stranger's hands fisted on his hips and his forehead creased as he scowled at her. "How'd you know I was a cop?"

  Surprised, she arched a brow. "I didn't." She smirked, feeling on a more equal footing. "Maybe that's your guilty conscience talking, Officer."

  "Detective."

  Maddy acknowledged his title with a nod. "So why is a detective hiding out in the stairwell of The Haven?"

  He snorted. "I'm hardly hiding, and I definitely was not expecting to be mowed down. I'm visiting my aunt and checking on my uncle's application to transfer in."

  "Ahh, I can understand that. Good luck." She checked her watch. So much for making up lost time. "If you'll excuse me, I have to run." She grimaced at the automatic turn of phrase.

  "Right. Back to full speed, I presume." He stepped aside.

  Maddy walked up the last flight of stairs at a more sedate pace. She couldn't resist looking over the railing for one last glimpse of the stranger, disappearing below.

  ***

  Drew continued down the last few stairs, his mind consumed with his 'run-in' with the intriguing mystery woman. She'd worn no nametag, had on no jacket to identify her role in this mausoleum, but her height was a definite clue that would help him find out who she was. He should have come right out and asked her, except he'd been lust-struck by the sight of the six-foot Amazon running barefoot in such a wild fashion up the stairs. And that flash of red and black lace peeking through the buttoned-up blouse – yeah, mega sexy.

  How odd. He was usually drawn to petite women. Then again, he also went for the helpless take-care-of-me-because-I-can't-do-it-myself type.

  He snorted at his folly. Drew glanced up the stairwell. His mystery woman had vanished.

  Though tempted to chase her down for her name and number, he held back. In an all-out race, she'd probably leave him eating her dust.

  Still his fingers flexed as if remembering what had slipped through their grasp.

  Drew walked down the remaining flights, his mind locked on her. Could she be the elusive Dr. Madeleine Wagner? He'd pictured her as a stiff professional with high-buttoned shirts and thick-rimmed glasses that hid a deep intelligence, not a barefoot, lingerie-loving wild woman flinging herself around the stairwell with complete abandon. How was he to reconcile the two halves to the whole?

  If she were Dr. Maddy.

  Aunt Doris had been here for close to a year. In that time, Drew had come to respect the staff and the facility. Uncle John, with his rapidly declining health, should be happy during his last few months here – if he could get in. Then again, his uncle was another wild card. He demanded and expected everyone else to hop to it – even though he'd retired a few years ago. Of course, he'd been forced to retire and that stilted his view of 'retirement.' John McNeil would still play the role of the 'chief of police' until the last breath left his body.

  Uncle John had run roughshod over everyone all his life and he wasn't about to stop now. If the old guy could arrange life to suit him better, he'd do it.

  Drew reached the busy parking lot. His uncle was a challenge, but he was family and that had to count for something.

  ***

  Maddy reached her office with barely enough time to clean up, calm down and grab her notes before her appointment. Today was important. The board meeting needed to go her way. Though she was progressive in her thinking, she was settled in many parts of her life…and change, for her, wasn't something that happened easily. Maddy wanted to stay exactly where she was – on the top floor – with her patient roster exactly as it was. She'd written the Board a nice letter explaining her reasons…that she understood their budget problems, but that if she had to take on more patients it would not be possible to maintain the quality of care each deserved.

  Still, if it came down to the bottom line, she'd rather accept more patients than spend hours working on another floor. The latter would divide her energy and compromise the project – hence today's meeting. Tossing a grin as she passed Gerona, one of her senior nurses who marshaled the front nurses' station, Maddy strode to the elevators. Impatiently she pushed the down button – no stairs now. She'd already burned through the last of her time and energy, worrying.

  The elevator descended, slow as a snake on a frosty day. She leaned against the back wall and tried to focus on anything other than the meeting ahead. Glancing down at her navy suit, she checked to make sure her outfit looked as appropriately somber as when she'd put it on this morning. Normally, she loved color. Today was all about conforming, at least on the surface. A grin slid out. A prize piece of her Victoria's Secret collection comprised the under layer. Maddy wiggled. No one knew. Except Visa!

  Though Maddy was tall that didn't stop males from being interested in her, yet it did slim the numbers down some. Maddy considered that a blessing. If someone drop-dead gorgeous, with that extra something, walked across her path and thought she'd make a great playmate – well then, he'd be in for a happy surprise when he found out about her secret passion. Maddy loved to play – only she didn't do short-term.

  It didn't bother her that she'd been alone for over a year now. Someone would show up eventually.

  The elevator dinged.

  Straightening, she brushed her jacket off and strode forward to face the lion's den, aka Gerard Lionel, The Haven's badass CEO.

  ***

  Gerard stretched, easing his arms upward to erase the kink in his back. A bad night and a lousy morning gave his spine a feeling of being pounded to conform to other people's wishes. He was only thirty-nine, what was life going to be like by the time he hit fifty? He and the other five board members present were once again trying to cut the budget and keep The Haven viable and operational, an almost impossible feat in today's economic crisis.

  "Have you considered trimming supplies? Surely, we can reduce this heavy laundry bill. Look at the expenditures on paper towel and tissues." Peggy Wilson, the most annoying, penny-pinching accountant Gerard had ever met, thumbed through the pages she held. "The budget cuts have to come from somewhere."

  Gerard groaned silently. Not this again. This was a long-term care facility, for Christ's sake. "We trimmed that area of the budget a year ago. The staff is struggling to maintain this figure as it is. We can't cut things that could affect the spread of infection. You know that. By rights, we should be adding fifty thousand to this figure."

  Peggy pouted, her stern countenance almost cracking with the movement. He knew she didn't like being thwarted. "I do understand that. What is the answer then? We can hardly cut the wages of doctors or other staffers. As lucky as they are to have jobs, we're the ones lucky to have them here."

  Gerard put down his pencil and sank back in his chair. "And I know that. We're going to have to raise the fees again and increase doctors' workloads instead of filling open job vacancies. There's really no other option at this point."

  And there wasn't. Gerard knew that. He'd been to this point before, at other facilities as well as this one. The past year had been tough on all of them. Theirs wasn't a unique problem and neither was the solution. Yet telling Maddy she'd have to spend some hours each day working on the floo
r below was not something he was looking forward to. She might consider the alternative worse.

  He knew he had to follow the dictates of the Board of Directors. He knew he was the boss below that. He knew she was bound by his decisions, and none of it mattered one bit. Dr. Maddy was…well…she was Dr. Maddy. Special and unique, with skills he'd never be able to replace. Without her, they'd lose a large percentage of their residents, and the huge donations for her project – something they could ill afford.

  She'd worked on the top floor for close to five years, and had been running it for the last three. Sure, Dr. Cunningham ran it with her, but his presence fooled no one. Still, with over thirty years of impressive experience he'd lent his name and reputation to the project. But, it was called Maddy's floor for a reason.

  In addition to the special project she ran there, her light, her presence, just the person she was radiated something special. When she turned that light onto 'her' patients, they blossomed, improved, and in some cases, they even healed. Her personality or her 'skills' – whatever you called it – was a common thread of discussion in the lunchroom and meetings, but always behind her back. She had a gift that caused everyone to want to reach out and touch her – if just for a moment – to know that miracle healing was possible.

  Gerard shook his head at the fanciful thought. These thoughts dominated every time he watched her work, and lately, every time he thought about her. Not good.

  "What about extending the day clinic hours?" Peggy suggested. "Open up for more private consultations, have the doctors do an additional half-day a week…or something?"

  "That's possible, but the best thing to do is involve the doctors in this issue. In its resolution too. They're all intelligent and aware of the problem. Ask them what they see as options," suggested Dr. Jack Norton, seated beside Peggy. He rarely spoke and when he did, people listened. Jack knew his stuff.

  Gerard considered the possibility. "We'd have to set up a meeting, which they won't like as they're strapped for time now. However, if we bring them in to discuss the problem, together we might brainstorm some solutions, or present a few options for them to consider."

  "Don't give them too many options. That's asking for trouble." Peggy jotted notes down on her yellow legal pad. "One or two at the most and see what they think. There's a lot of brain power in that group and it's their future as well. It wouldn't hurt to give them a say."

  A knock at the door interrupted the thread of conversation. Sandra Cafferty, Gerard's administrative assistant, opened the door and pushed in a coffee cart. "Coffee, everyone. Gerard, Dr. Maddy has arrived."

  Gerard nodded and picked up his pencil again. Maddy's visit should be short, and probably not sweet. He needed her to accept the new patient and she wasn't going to like it – at all. Not that he could blame her, but The Haven needed to take in more patients as soon as possible to stay afloat. Even this patient.

  "Good to see we can still afford a decent cup of java, hey Gerard?" Moneyman and Chief Financial Officer, Alex Cooper, stood and walked over to the trolley and doctored a cup for himself.

  "Let's not joke about such a serious issue," Gerard replied. He'd cut what was necessary, but the team needed to focus on creating a bigger income stream, not just making temporary fixes to the expense drain. He rose and walked over to pour himself a coffee. Bringing it back to his place, he said, "If everyone's ready, let's bring Dr. Maddy in and deal with that issue so we can get back to the rest of the agenda. Sandra, please."

  Sandra walked out, leaving the door open.

  Maddy's presence filled the door seconds later. It was as if an air of lightness entered with her. "Good morning, everyone. So good to see you."

  Even taciturn Jack had to smile at her. "Come on in, Maddy. Grab a coffee and take a seat. This shouldn't take long."

  Maddy hurried over to the cart, quickly poured herself a coffee and glanced around the room. "Does everyone have coffee?"

  Peggy lifted her gaze from her files, her brows beetled together. "Oh, I'd love a cup. Black. Thank you."

  With a sunny smile, Maddy poured the second cup and placed it down in front of Peggy before taking a seat.

  Gerard waited until he had her attention. "Now, the new wing, although it's not officially open yet, is causing a stir." Shuffling papers, Gerard, pulled out the one he required. "We have a long list of people waiting for beds."

  Maddy remained quiet, her dark chocolate eyes watching his every move. That was a little unnerving, even after all these years. "As you know, there will be twelve extra beds on your floor. Theoretically, two or three of those could be filled now and the rest later."

  He raised his gaze to Maddy.

  Her eyes never wavered. "It won't be as quiet or as peaceful for them if the space isn't completely finished. There is still equipment to be installed and the finishing touches done to match the rest of the floor. You know the effect atmosphere has on healing."

  En masse, the board members dropped their eyes to the various papers in front of them. Gerard studied the bent heads, knowing they were all thinking the same thing. This was a long-term care facility. People came here to die, not to heal. Unless you were on Dr. Maddy's floor. Then weird things happened. Good, but weird, and everyone who was sick wanted to be on Maddy's floor. Hence, part of the current problem.

  "Right. Unfortunately, that's not negotiable right now. The budget requires cash. Either we ask you to take over shifts on other floors, or we bring in the new patients early. Four residents means four more sets of fees, and we need that funding at the moment."

  Maddy had tensed initially, yet now seemed to ease. He studied her face to see if she understood. So focused on patients and healing, many doctors didn't get the basics of dollars and cents.

  She inclined her head. "That'll be fine. The patients will take several days to adjust anyway. The noise will be part of that."

  Gerard let out a small sigh of relief then plunged onward.

  "On the waiting list for your floor are, of course, many current residents, some you referred yourself." He looked up at her. "The waiting list for new patients is longer. We're in the screening process now and have two good possibilities." He frowned.

  This floor stuff bothered him. A care facility should be open to all, and it was, except this issue of requests for Maddy's floor had grown beyond him and beyond the facility. People offered an incredible sum to have a bed for their loved one on Maddy's floor and sometimes refusing wasn't an option, particularly when the applicant fit the stringent requirements – like the one they were considering now. And Maddy wouldn't like this scenario one bit.

  He forged on.

  "Dr. Lenning has requested one of those beds."

  Every person at the table stilled.

  Dr. Lenning was not Maddy's favorite person. Not by a long shot. In fact, it was safe to assume she'd buck this choice any way she could. Gerard studied her calm face, wondering at the utter stillness of it.

  Finally she spoke. "And why would Adam want to be a patient on my floor?" Her voice, so quiet, so calm, raised the bent heads. Everyone looked at each other before staring at Maddy.

  Gerard cleared his throat. This is where it got tricky. "He says that he'd like to experience your healing magic firsthand."

  One cool eyebrow rose, heat flaring briefly in her huge eyes. "Magic. Rubbish." Her gaze was clear and serene. "We all know these people are here to spend their last months as comfortably as possible. I repeat – why would he want anything to do with me now…at this critical stage of his illness? His feelings toward me are well-known. He tried to discredit me, to have my license revoked. So why my floor, now?"

  "He may have had a change of heart, my dear. Dying men do, you know." Peggy offered an unusual insight. Gerard would have to remember to thank her later.

  Maddy's gaze never wavered, a hint of suspicion remained. No one could tell what she was thinking. Finally, after a long pause, she said, "As I presume you've already made your decision, a discussion on this is
moot."

  Damn it. Gerard hated the burning frustration eating away at him. He dared her to pass up the size of the check he'd received to let their former doctor have one of the new beds. Morals and preferences aside, he had bills to pay, and Maddy needed to do her part.

  "And the other patient?" she inquired gently.

  "We're considering Dr. Robertson's request for Felicia McIntosh's transfer." Gerard had already approved transferring the seven-year-old from the local children's hospital as a boon to help Maddy deal with Lenning's impending arrival. Not to mention that any child would have outstanding results with Maddy's particular skills. For that reason alone, they tried to find a place for most children who applied. He watched the reactions flit across her fine-boned features. Instead of a beam of joy, her face softened, gentled and warmed. He actually felt like he'd received a pat of approval on his head.