Page 46 of Lorna's Savior
“Yeah, Grady had to go back under the knife to repair everything this guy fucked up. He’s due to start physical therapy again next month.”
“Hopefully not with that guy from before.”
“No, he was fired. After Grady’ lawyer went after him. That’s when the office who hired him, realized he’d lied on his application.”
“But shouldn’t they have checked his resumé?”
“You’d think so. They admitted they hadn’t. Something about there was such a shortage of therapists, they jumped at the opportunity to have someone with that guy’s experience. I don’t know what’s happening, and it’s really none of my business. All Grady said was that his lawyers were taking care of it.”
“Damn, I’m so sorry. So, with Grady out longer, that means more falls onto your shoulders at the practice. How’s that working out for you?”
“Good and bad. Good, because Ted finally stepped up to the plate and took more hours. He’s working forty hours or more a week. Also good, we’ve been able to hire several more vet techs. The bad part is that one vet tech is a royal pain in my ass. I’m telling you, Lorna, one more fuck up from this chick, and I’m going to fire her ass. Or, take her out to the back forty, shoot her, and leave her carcass for the vultures.”
“Oh my god, Ronnie, what the hell did she do?”
“She can’t keep the patients straight. She tries to write the vitals, and initial checkup in the wrong chart. For example, just this morning we had Molly, you remember Molly?”
“Big black dog? Major’s babies’ mama?” Lorna grinned when Ronnie snorted a laugh.
“Yes, that Molly. Anyway, she was in one room, and a fat, overweight, obese ginger cat with the same name was in another room. When I entered the cat’s room, and saw the vet tech writing the vitals in Molly the dog’s chart, I asked what she was doing. I couldn’t really ream her out in front of the owner.
“It came down to me telling her to leave the room. I apologized to the pet owner, and went to get the correct chart. Afterward, she had the audacity to ream me out in the back hallway that I had no right to kick her out of the room, that I was bullying her. She went to Ted. Ted, the worthless guy, and literally cried on his shoulder, glaring at me the whole fucking time.”
“What did you do?”
“I glared back and told them to be in my office at 7 a.m. Monday morning. Thank god I have every fuck-up this chick has done since she walked in the front door.” Ronnie sipped her wine again, then giggled. “I don’t think she knows that I’m the full partner, and not Ted.”
“Oh boy, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll see if Grady can join in. I don’t want to add to his troubles, but I think he needs to know about this.”
“Why don’t you calm down, and then maybe tomorrow afternoon go see him, or call him. Didn’t you say some time ago that you have a weekly check-in with him.”
“Yeah, but it’s been a few weeks since that’s happened. I don’t want to come off as a whiny bitch and not able to do my job.”
“Think of the patients. If you had been so busy and hadn’t caught the mistake, or another vet hadn’t been as diligent as you, what would have happened?”
“I would have put Molly, the dog, on a strict diet, and a distemper shot. While I would have given Molly, the cat, a hormone injection to get her pregnant again.”
Lorna stared at her friend in shock, then burst out laughing. “Oh, God, that would have been bad.”
“Yeah, very, very bad,” Ronnie grinned. They sat in silence for several minutes before Ronnie looked at Lorna, and sighed. “How would you feel about helping me with some of the wedding plans?”
“Where’s the wedding to take place?”
“Up in the meadow.”
“No. I think that would be a huge mistake. I won’t agree to help you if it’s there.”
Chapter 19
“What the hell does that mean?” Ronnie sat up, so suddenly she almost spilled her wine. “You won’t help me plan my wedding?”
“Of course, I’ll help you plan it.” Lorna sat forward and gripped Ronnie’s hands in hers. “Hear me out. Why is it called ‘Ronnie’s Meadow’?” At the other woman’s confused look, Lorna continued. “It is my understanding that your grandfather, Hector, and even the neighbors all called that place on top of the mountain, ‘Ronnie’s Meadow’, because it was your place. You went there to clear your head. The fact that horses flocked to you like bees to honey is gravy.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Okay, you know I plan events for a living, and I’m sure your meadow would be a perfect place for the wedding, but let’s look at the logistics of things here first.”
