Seated at her desk, Beth poured over the files that she'd been working on for a week. All the documentation requested by Medicare was correct and ready to be sent. The hospital would get their re-imbursement, and she'd move on to another file. There were some new policies that needed to be put in place. The doctors seemed to be going lax on their documentation and that was a no-no. She would address these changes formally to the head of the department in a written report with suggestions.
Engrossed in her paperwork, she didn't notice the two men from administration leaning against the entrance to her cubical. Signing the last form, she proceeded to place the papers in order and that's when she noticed them, their mirrored images on her black computer screen. Continuing her work, she didn't know what their game was. They just stood there, unmoving, staring at the back of her head. Her eyes filled with tears, and she felt herself begin to tremble. They were frightening her as they continued to leer her way. Sliding each other glances, they both took steps closer to her. The one of the right reached out and toyed with her hair. If she hadn't known they were there, she'd had thought the air conditioning kicked on.
This happened too often. Why did people think it was all right to do these obnoxious things to her? Why did they feel they could get away with it? And where the hell was everyone? Were they all sitting and watching this, laughing behind her back as well?
Guy number two reached out and softly brushed her hair. Did he really think that was funny? What the hell was this, high school? Their mouths were moving, but of course because she couldn't hear a thing and wasn't able to read their lips while watching the black screen. She wanted to cry, but that would only add fuel to their fire. She wanted to curl up in a ball and let the world wash her away. She just wanted to be normal again. She'd give anything to have her hearing return and go back to life the way it had been before that damn day.
Something in her switched. She couldn't allow someone other than Sean to touch her. He'd be furious if she didn't stick up for herself and put an end to the harassment. Not only that, they crossed a personal space boundary they had no right to. How dare they?
As if she separated herself from her own body and became an onlooker, Beth whipped around in her chair and lunged for guy number one who had the audacity to look shocked. Fists flying, she knew she was screaming while tears flowed down her cheeks, but she couldn't stop. She was moved by an involuntary response.
Rabid with anger, kicking, biting, flailing arms and legs, she didn't let up and had no idea how long the entire episode lasted until security pulled her off the guy. She felt herself hiccup and knew her eyeliner and mascara ran down her face.
Security dragged her off to the floor lobby. Waiting with his hands shoved into his suit pockets was the president of the hospital.
"Let me talk to her," he said to the two men. A firm grasp of her bicep, he led her into an empty office to their right and shut the door. Humiliated, she couldn't make eye contact. He lifted her chin to look him in the eyes. "What happened?"
"I...I..." She lost control and sobbed into her hands. "You don't understand what happens behind my back. I've seen it when they don't know. They mock me and sexually harass me."
Beneath her hands she saw his shoes appear in front of her. She looked up into his dirty brown sympathetic eyes. "Why didn't you come to me?"
"No one would believe me," she whispered. "I can't hear anything they say."
"Beth," he said, his eyes scanning hers. "How long as this been going on?"
"Since I returned."
"Who has done such things to you?" His jaw clenched.
"Just about every man in administration, male and female nurses," she answered.
His eyes searched hers like he was looking for an answer. "I'll take care of this. Take the rest of the day off."
He'd always been so kind to her, even before she lost her hearing. How many days had they taken off to walk around Oakland and shop or hang around the University of Pittsburgh's campus on those warm, spring days? They'd always been easily compatible. She knew his wife and kids well and had been constantly invited over for dinner. There had been many rumors that she'd slept with him before she had to take time off, but that could have been far from the truth. She never saw him as anything more than her extraordinarily considerate boss.
"No, I need to finish getting a file ready for a Medicare review to have in tomorrow's mailbox," she insisted.
Sighing, he said. "All right, but you go home afterwards. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Peterson," she said grateful.
"You should have come to me sooner, Beth. I could have nipped this before it got out of control." He flung open the door and held it open for her to leave.
After security told her all was clear, the two men had been removed, Beth went back to her cubical, entirely aware all eyes were on her.
It took Beth longer than she realized to finalize the file. But once she was finished, she placed the oversized manila folder into the out going mailbox then packed up her uneaten lunch. As she pulled her purse onto her shoulder, one of the front desk women appeared before her with a white envelope in hand.
"HR sent this down to you, Miss Connors," she said then scurried away.
The enveloped read Elizabeth Connors in bold type.
Heart sinking, she ripped open the letter to find a pink slip inside. The hospital was letting her go because of an assault on another employee. It was signed by the head of the HR department and by Mr. Peterson himself. So much for his solicitous help. She should have never spoken a word about what had been happening. There were too many employees that would have to be disciplined, but there was only one of her to get rid of.
Tears fell from her eyes. She wanted to run to Sean and ask for help, but what could he possibly do? Nothing. After all the crap she went through and tolerated without saying a single word, this was how she was repaid. Eight years she worked for the hospital and now had zip to show for it. Would she even be able to find another job without using this one as a reference?
There wasn't much in personal items to pack, it took her only a couple of minutes to get her things together, but security had clearly been given a heads-up to escort her out because they showed up when she tossed the last picture into her purse. She walked out of the hospital feeling like a criminal with two large security guys flanking her.
Sean pounded on Mike and Jill Connors' front door. His blood boiled. As soon as he heard the rumor about his Beth, he went berserk. Talk about having to be restrained. In his fit, he managed to knock out two security personnel, punched a fellow doctor, and tossed two male nurses over a station. At that point, everyone steered clear of him. He'd taken off his hospital ID, tossed it into the face of Frank Peterson, and told him to shove it up his philandering ass. Payback was a bitch. That man would reap what he sewed. Soon.
The front door swung open, and Mr. Connors stood menacingly before him.
"I need to see her," Sean demanded.
"She's not seeing anyone," Mike spat.
"Dad," Beth yelled from inside the house, out of sight.
Sean pushed past the former Marine and stalked into the living room. His Beth sat next to her mother on the sofa, her legs curled up beneath her, a large blanket draped over her tiny frame. Her features were red and puffy, but she was still the most beautiful creature he'd laid eyes on.
"Beth." He approached and knelt down in front of her. "Tell me what happened."
"This doesn't involve you, Sean," she said softly.
"The hell it doesn't," he barked. "Anything that affects you, involves me. Period. Now tell me what the hell happened."
Mr. Connors stood guard in the doorway, ready to toss him out on his ass.
Beth replayed the day's events. When she finished rehashing it all, Sean sat petrified over all that his girl had been victimized.
"I don't know what I'm going to do for a job, Sean," she cried. "I can't use them as a reference, they fired me."
"Yeah, well, I joined your club today, sweetheart, and got myself fired," he said.
"What?" she asked confused.
"I heard something happened, and I may have lost my cool." He snorted. "I may have hit a couple security guards and other staff. I may have tossed my badge at the prez and told him to stick it up his ass." He shrugged. "So I'm right here with you."
"Sean," she scolded. "You shouldn't have done that."
Mike growled behind them. "My daughter needs to file a lawsuit."
Normally Sean would be in total agreement, but unfortunately, Pennsylvania was an At-Will state. The hospital didn't need a reason to fire her. They'd defend themselves by saying her dismissal was due to she wasn't performing her job up to par or they were downsizing. Which rumors had been amuck that employees were going to start losing their jobs due to cutbacks. Not only that, the VA Hospital was in a world of shit for hiding detrimental cases. Legionnaires deaths from hospital stays, conveniently kept on the down low. Patients dying while waiting to be seen, get rid of that evidence. Lists of patients that it takes more than two weeks to get an appointment, doesn't exist. All this splattered nightly on the national news. Yeah, the VA would handily sweep a sexual harassment case under a rug. Beth would have to prove sexual harassment, and he knew she didn't have a smoking gun. And those damn hospital workers wouldn't help another coworker, afraid they'd end up on the unemployment themselves.