“It was time to make a change.”
“But why here, of all places?”
“Because this is the last place I remember feeling like I belong,” he said matter-of-factly.
Kelsey huffed. “And it’s the one place I wish I didn’t belong.”
This conversation had gone way past a simple ride to the hospital. Kelsey was relieved when Jordon pulled the SUV into the hospital parking lot. She had to get out of there.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said, opening the door of the SUV before Jordon had turned the engine off.
“Kelsey—”
She closed the door and headed for the employees’ entrance, refusing to look back.
Answering questions about her family wasn’t how she wanted to start her day. Jordon couldn’t help but bring back unhappy memories. She missed Chad as much today as she had then. If she only knew if he was still alive.
Jordon watched as Kelsey entered the hospital and disappeared behind the metal outside door as if she’d pulled up the drawbridge. So she was Chad’s sister. That sister. The one that he had wished he’d be around to see when she got older. Did she remember him as fondly as he remembered her?
Did she know where Chad was? Kelsey acted as if she didn’t want to talk about anything having to do with her family. She’d not even looked at her parents’ house when he’d driven by. He and Chad had been two unhappy teens who’d bonded and fueled each other’s frustration. Leading up to his parents’ divorce and afterward, he had been angry. Whatever his father had said, he’d done the opposite.
He’d started hanging out at the park with the wrong crowd, more to irritate his father than liking the kids who had been there. One night Chad Davis had shown up. He was a year younger but they’d seemed to hit it off. They’d started hanging around with each other at school, ditching classes together and otherwise becoming best friends. That had been until the night they’d been caught by the police, smoking dope.
Jordon climbed out of the SUV and slowly made his way inside. Did Kelsey know her brother was in the state prison not an hour away? When he’d visited Chad on the way to Golden Shores and told him about moving here, Chad had made Jordon promise that if he ever saw any of his family he wouldn’t tell them where he was. At the time it was no big deal to make that promise. But now how long would he be able to honor that request? But trust, giving his word meant everything. Jordon wouldn’t break his.
He’d certainly not wanted to discuss way he’d decided to move back to Golden Shores, with Kelsey or anyone else for that matter. Those events had been too painful. Shown how easily he’d been duped by someone he’d cared about. That had happened one too many times in his life. He would be careful about who he let his guard down to from now on.
In his office, he checked his messages. He was asked to be at a staff meeting at ten in the cafeteria. What was going on? Was some dignitary coming to town? He’d find out soon enough. There was just enough time to make rounds.
It was five minutes past ten when he entered the cafeteria. The room was packed so he stood against the wall. He hadn’t been able to get there any sooner because Martha had kept asking him questions and telling him stories when he’d checked on her.
The CEO stood at the front of the room. “Most of you have been through this before, many of you more than once. Still, I want you to review your emergency procedures. In a few minutes you can get with your teams and update your contact numbers. The weather service isn’t calling for the storm to hit here but we need to be prepared if it takes a turn our way. It’s our job to work calmly and efficiently. Our community expects us to be here for them and we will be.”
So they were preparing for a hurricane. Maybe he should have been watching the news instead of Kelsey last night.
“Dr. King?” He looked around the room.
Jordon gave the CEO a wave. “Here.”
The CEO nodded in Jordon’s direction. “I hate to put you on the ground running so quickly but you’re to take over Dr. Richards’s team. Everyone previously on Dr. Richards’s team, please get together with Dr. King when we adjourn. I think that’s all, folks. Check in with each other and keep your phones charged. On a positive closing note, we are going ahead with the hospital-wide low country boil picnic Saturday, unless the weather says something different.”
Hospital picnic? He’d never been to one. The hospitals he’d trained in had been in metropolitan areas and far too large for such things. Another perk of living in a small town. A low country boil did sound good. He’d not been to one of those in a long time.
Having no idea who was on his team, he waited until he was approached by someone. Talk about being a fish out of water.
“Dr. King?” a balding man wearing a tie asked.
Jordon nodded. “Please, make it Jordon.”
“I’m Jim. I work in the business office. I’ll be handling the paperwork, communication and be your runner.”
Jordon offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jim. So we are preparing for a hurricane?”
“Yeah, around here it isn’t if we will have a hurricane but when.”
“How many more are on our team?”
“Two more. Josh Little and Kelsey Davis.”
Jordon almost groaned. She wouldn’t like that any more than he did.
A tall man, dressed in nursing scrubs with golden hair and biceps that said he spent time in the gym daily, joined them.
“Hey, I’m Josh Little. I’ll be your nurse.”
The two men shook hands.
“I’m going to depend on you to keep me straight. I’ve never done this type of thing before,” Jordon said.
“Nothing to it. Kelsey will be the boss,” Josh said with a smile.
“Sorry I’m late. I was all the way across the room.”
Jordon knew the voice that came from behind him.
He turned to look at her. She didn’t appear any more enthusiastic about seeing him than he was to see her. “Glad you could join us, Kelsey. I understand you’re the one who will tell me what to do.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Our team does triage. You tell me which ones are the most urgent and I tag them. Josh handles care until you can see them. Jim will record everything.”
“So where does this all happen?” Jordon looked at the group but the question was addressed to Kelsey.
“Our designated area is in the hospital lobby.”
“What about supplies?” he asked.
“All that is taken care of. Housekeeping sets up and has the space ready to go if or when needed,” Josh offered.
Jordon nodded his understanding. “Great. So all we need to do is exchange numbers?”
Kelsey said, “That’s it.” They all went through the process of telling each other their phone numbers.
“Who is responsible for doing all the calling?” Jordon asked.
“I do that,” Jim stated.
Jordon looked at him and grinned. “So the plan here is to hope that I don’t hear from you.”
Jim smiled back. “That’s the plan.”
There was a buzz. “I’ve got to go. E.R. is paging me,” Josh said.
“I’ve got to go too,” Jim added.
As Kelsey turned to leave Jordon said, “Hey, Kelsey, will you