JAMES HEARD ALL SORTS OF BUZZING AMONG THE clusters of employees in the third-floor lounge the next morning, but he only caught snatches of words.
Promotion.
Where is she from?
Nurse Supervisor.
Minding his own business, he changed into hospital scrubs and headed downstairs to Med/Surg. So he didn’t get the promotion. What did it matter? With the boys getting older, he and Fern had a chance to spend more time together.
A fancy title couldn’t compare with that, although a bigger paycheck would be nice.
Lorraine Wilder wasn’t at her desk so he set to work checking the patient census and med schedule. He was about to have the night nurse pass off the patients to him when Jessica Jones arrived at the nurses’ station.
“Hi, James, they’ve switched me to day shift. They told me to rotate up here this morning.” A blonde nurse in her early thirties, Jessica usually worked in the ICU.
“Here? Why?”
“The mysterious ways of hospital management.” The easy lift of her shoulders said she wouldn’t try to explain the workings of the hospital. “I just do what they tell me to do.”
“Okay. I was about to—”
The phone at the nurses’ station rang. James picked it up.
“Hello, James. This is Lorraine.”
James assumed she’d called to say she’d be late coming in for some reason. That wouldn’t be a problem. If there was a crisis, he could fill in for her.
“Has Jessica shown up?” she asked.
He glanced at the young nurse. “Yes, she’s right here. Do you want to speak to her?”
“No, I want you to give her a brief orientation on the unit. She’s well experienced from her ICU work. Then come down to Mr. Varner’s office.”
“Okay.” Frowning, James wondered if Varner was going to tell him in person that he hadn’t gotten the promotion. But why would Lorraine be there to hear the bad news? Forcefully, he set aside his questions. He’d find out soon enough. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He toured the unit with Jessica, introducing her to the patients, most of whom he’d cared for when they’d been admitted during the prior week.
“Are you comfortable handling the unit until I get back?” he asked.
“Sure. The patients are all stable, which is a big change from ICU.”
“I don’t think I’ll be long. Page me if you need me.”
Still puzzled why he’d been called to Varner’s office, he took the stairs, quickly arriving at the CEO’s office.
Penny’s smile of welcome hinted that she was actually pleased to see him. “Go right in. They’re waiting for you.”
He wiped his palms on his pants and stepped into Varner’s office.
“Ah, there you are, James.” Mr. Varner stood behind his desk. “Lovely affair Saturday, wasn’t it? We’re sending Anabelle off in style, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, sir.” James’s gaze shifted toward Lorraine, who had been sitting in one of the guest chairs and now stood, and his eyes questioned her.
“Don’t look so worried,” she said in an easy, well-modulated voice. “It’s good news.”
“It is?” Good news that some relative of Frederick Innisk had been chosen over James to replace Anabelle?
“Please sit down, both of you.” As Varner took his seat, his blue eyes twinkled and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “First, you may want to congratulate Ms. Wilder. She’s been promoted to Nursing Administrator, effective immediately.”
James’s head jerked up. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She grinned at him. “I’d applied for the position, but I’m almost as surprised as you that I got it.”
“I’m not surprised. You deserve it. I just wasn’t thinking about—”
Mr. Varner cleared his throat. “I suspect you were considering your prospects for a promotion.”
Snared by the truth, James’s face heated up. “Yes, sir, I was.”
“The good news is, my first act as nursing administrator”—Lorraine paused and smiled at James—“is to offer you the position of nurse supervisor in the General Medicine/Surgical Unit.”
His mouth dropped open. “Whoa! Are you kidding me?” A rush of adrenaline accelerated his heart rate.
Lorraine regarded him with eyes that were kind and warm and filled with approval. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have replace me on the unit. You’re an extremely skilled nurse, James, and well organized. Not to mention, you’ve gone to the greatest lengths to care for your patients. Your willingness to retrieve the liver was heroic. I know that Med/Surg will thrive in your hands.”
Not quite believing what he was hearing, James shot a curious look at Mr. Varner.
“I find Ms. Wilder is an excellent judge of character.” For emphasis, Varner tapped the eraser end of a pencil on his desktop. “I heartily agree with her assessment.”
Lorraine told him the starting salary he’d earn in his new position.
Breathless, James leaned back in his chair. Better than a 10 percent increase right off with retention increases in the future. His financial fears already felt lighter. “Thank you both for your confidence in me. I admit, I’d heard rumors—”
“I imagine so,” Varner said. “Rumors spread so fast in this hospital, I have considered saving money by eliminating all of the phones. They seem quite unnecessary as a means of communication.”
James’s lips twitched. He couldn’t disagree with Varner’s assessment.
“If you’re talking about Cindy Rutledge,” Lorraine said, “Mr. Varner and I agree that she has excellent experience and references, specifically in cardiac care. While we’d both rather promote from within our own staff, we don’t have anyone interested in the position with the qualifications we’d like to see. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll be making the offer to Cindy to take Anabelle’s position. I believe once the rest of the staff gets to know Cindy, they’ll find she is both charming and a skilled nurse.”
“You two have been busy,” James commented.
“We have.” Varner held out his hands as if to confess he had a vigorous management style. “I would have preferred that Leila had given more notice, but with Ms. Wilder’s assistance we’ve worked our way through the puzzle of how best to staff our leadership positions.”
“I certainly appreciate your faith in me,” James repeated.
Lorraine stood. “I know you’re a busy man, Mr. Varner. We’ll leave you to your other duties, and I’ll place that call to Cindy Rutledge.”
James made it as far as the hallway before he did a terrible imitation of an Irish jig.
Lorraine’s laughter echoed in the hallway, and a couple of passing visitors slanted them amused looks.
“I can’t thank you enough, Lorraine. Getting this promotion means a lot to me.”
“No thanks are necessary. Particularly with your military background, your experience is broader and deeper than any other member of our nursing staff. Promoting you was an easy decision.”
It might have been easy for Lorraine, but James had worried the whole thing nearly to death. Finally, after he’d left the decision in God’s hands, he’d fretted less. At least marginally less.
“I’ve got to go call my wife,” he said.
“Go ahead. I’ll make my call and then come upstairs to brief you on anything that’s not familiar to you. Although I’m confident you know as much or more than I do about being a nurse supervisor.”
James thanked her again and flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into the hallway and nearly collided with Elena.
She jumped back out of his way. “Hey, where’s the fire?”
“No fire. I got the promotion!” His cheeks hurt, he was grinning so broadly.
“Anabelle’s job?”
“No, Lorraine’s.”
Elena gaped at him.
“Lorraine’s the new Nursing Administrator. I’m taking her place in Med/Surg.”
Elena blinked once and then hugged him. “That’s so perfect. Why didn’t we think of that?”
Laughing, he hugged her back, cherishing her friendship anew. “I don’t know why, but I’ve got to call Fern.”
Reaching the nurses’ station, he was nearly breathless. He stepped into the supply room to calm himself and realized there was someone else he needed to thank before he called Fern.
He knelt in the back of the supply room between shelves of extra linens and bedpans and lowered his head.
Dear Lord, I thank You for this day and the opportunity You have given me to serve others. Give me the strength, wisdom, and skills to assist Your healing hand. Keep me humble, conscious that it is only through Your grace that I achieve success. Bless and watch over my family. I ask this in Thy holy name. Amen.