Amelia
It had been five days since the meeting with Rose. When I’d gone into work the next day, she met me outside of the elevators and told me I would no longer be working in Dalton’s office. Instead, I was being moved to the emergency department until further notice. I wasn’t allowed to go in and get any of my things from the office until after hours, and I was to have no contact with Dalton, either.
As I made my way past the office, I saw Connie wave at me from behind the desk. Irritation flooded me, followed by anger.
I made my way into the emergency department, thankful that today was the last day of my work week, and was immediately greeted by Sawyer.
“Hey, . Constance is here to see you. You can use my office.”
I frowned, not having a clue who Constance was. Sawyer must have seen the look on my face because he stopped and gave me a small smile.
“Constance is your employee advocate.”
“Thanks.”
My stomach turned as I made my way toward Sawyer’s office. I did not know what to expect, what sort of things had been said in that formal complaint because when I’d gotten my copy yesterday, I was too upset to read it. Instead, I’d drank down a bottle of wine and passed out after work.
I stopped outside of his door, my mind racing with all the things that I imagined Connie would have or could have said in that complaint.
I took a deep breath and then pushed the door open, stepping into the room to see a woman sitting behind Sawyer’s desk making some notes. She looked up, lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose, and cleared her throat.
“ White?”
“Yes,” I said, swallowing hard, certain I probably looked as if I were going to be sick.
“I’m Constance Granger. I’m here to aid you through this hearing. Why don’t you have a seat?” she said, standing up and pouring me a glass of water from the pitcher on the desk.
I slipped into the chair and placed my purse at my feet, thankful to sit down as it helped the room to stop spinning.
“So, why don’t you start by telling me about your relationship with Dalton?”
What did she want to know? Panic filled me now that I realized I probably should have read the complaint. Since I did not know what it even said, I did not know how to answer her question.
“What about my relationship?” I questioned.
“Oh, I guess I should be a little clearer. About your working relationship. How long have you been working with him?”
I nodded. “I’ve been working for him for a year.”
“And how would you describe him as a boss?”
“I enjoy working for him.”
She wrote my answer, then looked up at me. “Some of the staff around the hospital say he can be difficult to get along with. Would you say that is true?”
I shrugged. “Maybe at first, but once you get to know him and what he expects, it gets easier.”
“, you have worked for many doctors in this hospital. Wouldn’t you say that every doctor expects the same standard of work?”
“Of course.”
“Do you not provide the same work ethic to them all?”
“Yes.”
“Then what is it you mean by once you learn what he expects.”
Alarm filled me. I’d clearly chosen the wrong words.
“In the report, it was mentioned that you often complained about Dalton to others. Then suddenly you stopped. It was shortly after he requested you specifically to come to the emergency department one day. After that, you helped with him and his daughter in the cafeteria. You were also seen holding hands and kissing in public places, not to mention being caught in the act. So exactly what does this man expect?”
I frowned. That was the day his daughter had the meltdown over her hair. That was the day I’d helped fix it for her in the change room.
I smiled, trying to hide my nerves. “Yes, the cafeteria. His daughter had somewhat of a hair catastrophe and was having a meltdown. I helped fix her hair for her.”
“I see, and you were spotted with her shortly after that in the pharmacy on West Road,” she said, looking back at the complaint.
I frowned. Had Connie been following me? “Well, yes, she was having a female emergency.”
Constance looked up at me and stopped writing.
“I was simply helping her get some female hygiene products. Since her mother died, she felt better speaking with another woman. I’d told her it was fine to call me.”
“Dalton is an OB/GYN, do you not think he could take care of that for his own daughter?” she questioned, looking me straight in the eye.
“Well, yes, but—”
“But what? What it looks like to me is that perhaps Dalton called you because he wanted to get closer to you, and the only way he could do that was to get you out of the office and perhaps into his own private space. Or maybe you were looking for a promotion that Connie wouldn’t give you?”
“That is ridiculous.”
“Is it? People tell me Dalton is hard to please, so it only makes sense that promotions wouldn’t be handed out quickly. Also, word around the hospital is that he works long hours, leaving his children at home with nannies, so he doesn’t need to deal with them. It was also reported that you were Christmas shopping in a toy store, yet you have no children of your own. After being confronted and denying the allegations, someone saw you out with the entire family looking for a Christmas tree, where it was reported the two of you kissed for a photo, which apparently, when you noticed, there was a look of discomfort on your face.”
The room spun out of control. The look of discomfort had been because I’d seen Connie watching us. There had been no other reason.
“Also—”
I cut her off. I didn’t like what she was suggesting, nor that she was siding with the complaint. She was supposed to be here to hear my side of the story and look at the entire thing objectively, not have a preformed opinion.
“I’m sorry, but I need to use the washroom for a moment.” Getting up and grabbing my purse, I left the room.
Once I was in the washroom, I locked the main door and went into one stall. I pulled my phone from my purse, panic filling me at her suggestion. I did not know what to do, and since I hadn’t seen or talked to Dalton all week, we hadn’t come up with a plan.
I was about to dial his office when I realized Connie would be the one answering the phones. She was probably already aware of the fact that Constance was here to see me as well. So, I dialed his personal cell phone, hoping and praying he wasn’t in his own meeting or in with a client. Only it didn’t ring. Instead, it went directly to his voicemail.
I covered my mouth, trying to stifle my cries as I listened to his message. Once I heard the beep, I sniffled and tried hard to regain composure, only I blubbered into the phone, no doubt not making any sense, then I hung up, wiped my eyes, and went to the sink. I splashed some cold water on my face, took a few deep breaths, and then headed back to the meeting.
I sat back down in my chair and waited for Constance to look up from her notes. When she did, I cleared my throat. I wasn’t sure how she was going to react to my next statement, but it needed to be said.
“I don’t like how you are twisting what I say around to make Dalton look bad. He has in no way influenced me or preyed upon me, if that is what you are trying to get me to admit. He also has never passed me up for a promotion, since I’ve never applied or expressed interest in any,” I said, trying to stand my ground.
Constance removed her glasses, then sat back in her chair. I could see she was thinking before she said anything, and when she did, I felt all the air leave the room.
“, it would be in your best interest for you to get on board with the narrative, especially if you’d like to keep your job.”
What was she talking about? Did she really just give me this ultimatum, to turn against Dalton and go with the story or lose my job? I crossed my arms in front of me, trying to work through everything.
“Tell you what. Here is my card, you think about it. Call me no later than Monday and let me know what path you are going to take.”
She bundled up the folder she had in front of her and shoved it into her case and then left the room. I felt nauseous and like I could faint. There was no way I could work today.
I reached over and grabbed a pen and pad of paper from Sawyers’ desk and quickly scribbled a note, then gathered my things and slipped out the back door.