Page 78 of Mountain Freedom
I hesitated, then decided maybe it was time to have our talk after all. “Yes. That’s one reason why she’s so good at her job.”
He stared at me blankly, like he didn’t understand what I was getting at.
“Danny, I’ve noticed a lot of your assessment information is incorrect. What do you think is going on with that?”
He blushed furiously. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, half the time the blood pressure information isn’t even in there. Medication lists aren’t being updated. The rooms aren’t getting cleaned properly in between patients. Basic things that fall under your purview simply aren’t being done. ”
His blush turned to a glare. “If you don’t like the way I’m doing my job, then maybe you need to find someone else to do it.”
“Maybe I do,” I said calmly. “But I know you have a long history at that clinic, and I’d like to make this work. I should have talked to you in the beginning about how I prefer for things to be done, and I apologize for not doing so. If you need to brush up on any skills or need any assistance, we can make that happen.”
He picked up his drink and downed it. Then he stood up and walked off without saying a word.
After a tense meeting with Beverly,who still hadn’t forgiven me for not dishing to her in my office, I dismissed her and waited for Jackson to arrive for dinner.
The moment he walked in, I felt half the tension I’d been carrying melt away.
“Hey,” he said, flashing me the grin I loved so much as he slid in the booth across from me. “You look like you’ve had a long day.”
“You have no idea,” I groaned. “And my attempts at building team morale this afternoon were a complete failure.”
“Hmmm. You know what you need?”
“A new staff?”
He laughed. “Nah. To blow off some steam. You free tomorrow?”
“I am. What do you have in mind?”
He grinned. “Just trust me.”
Saturday morning cameand I discovered that Jackson and I had entirely different ideas about what it looked like to blow off steam. What was pure fun for him had my body tensing in fear.
“Come on!” Sunlight glinted through the trees as Jackson raced barefoot down the path, motioning for me to catch up.
I bit my lip, hanging back. I knew exactly where this path led—and I didn’t like it. “I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I called out, pausing.
“The Allison Bell I knew wasn’t a chicken,” he answered, grinning as he stopped on the path, waiting for me.
“The Allison Bell you knew hadn’t done ER rotations yet.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Come on. I’ll catch you.” With that, he chucked off his shirt and jeans—making my mouth go dry at the sight. Then he gave me a salute and took off running.
Before I could holler out for him to stop, he had jumped. I ran to the edge, but he had already disappeared into the water below.
My heart nearly stopped. But in a split second, he emerged, his blond hair bobbing in the water.
“I told you it’s fine,” he called out. “The water’s thirty feet deep here. No rocks. And it’s only a fifteen-foot jump, despite what it looks like. Kids dive off this all summer long, every summer, and we haven’t had a single injury. Go feet first and you’ll be fine.”
“I still don’t know,” I yelled down.
“I wouldn’t let you do it if it were dangerous,” he yelled back.
The truth of his words struck me. Jackson had never led me wrong, not once. Even as kids, he had always looked out for me. He would never coax me into doing something if he believed there was any danger to me.
Didn’t change the fact that I knew it was potentially dangerous anyway. But part of me wanted to feel as carefree as he did, if just for a moment.
