LITMIR.BIZ

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chair from a table in the main dining area and brought it to the back booth. Only then did he notice Erin in the corner, her short, dark hair gleaming in the dim light and her delicate features nearly hidden in the shadows as she studied the documents on the table in front of her.

      He caught unexpected surprise—and wariness—in her eyes when she finally looked up at him.

      “Connor. How…nice of you to join us.”

      Wariness? Where the hell did that come from? Then again, she’d been distantly related to Stephanie and would have known her parents. He could well imagine what Regina and Victor would have said about him to anyone who would listen.

      Erin glanced at her watch, then picked up the stack of papers in front of her and tapped them into a neat pile. “We were just talking about the needs of the staff and patients at the hospital.”

      “And possible ways to improve its financial outlook,” Jill added. “With exponentially rising costs and decreasing revenue, the board has some grim projections for the future.”

      “You mentioned an MRI unit,” Erin said, lifting a cool gaze to meet Connor’s. “And a dialysis program.”

      “That’s impossible,” Arnold blustered. “We don’t have the facility, we don’t have the patient base. And we sure as hell don’t have the money.”

      “Most things are possible,” Erin countered. “It just depends on the level of community support, and how hard people are willing to work for it to happen.”

      “Equipment costs are astronomical,” Leland pointed out, wiping his fingertips on a napkin. “You’d need additional trained staff, yet I hear you’re already looking at cutting hours.”

      “I am,” she said slowly, “looking at every conceivable way to operate the hospital with greater efficiency, in ways that will ensure the viability of this facility—and this community—in years to come. When I’m fully prepared, I’ll present my findings and my recommendations to the board. That’s why I want to involve all of you. As physicians with hospital privileges, you’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and know what you need to practice medicine most efficiently.”

      Mollified, Leland leaned back. “Then you must know that in the past grand ideas have proven to be great mistakes. Very great.”

      Connor fought a smile as he listened to Erin calmly meet one question after another. He was strangely proud of her fast, intelligent responses and her patience with even the most pointed of Leland’s queries.

      The Erin he remembered from college had been a shy little thing—lost in Stephanie’s overpowering shadow. That certainly wasn’t the case anymore.

      “So,” she continued, “I’d like you all to develop a list of improvements the hospital needs. Equipment, remodeling, new programs you feel would be of benefit to your patients. We’re already into September, and I’d like to campaign for a tax levy. We need to bring this hospital into the twenty-first century.”

      Arnold gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “The elections are in November.”

      “And likely too soon for us to campaign heavily enough to convince the voters. If it doesn’t appear possible, we could have the proposal withdrawn and request a special election. I’m also looking into some grants, and guaranteed low interest loans being offered to health care institutions by the government.”

      “We’ve gotten along before now,” he retorted. “What’s the rush?”

      “The hospital, along with the schools here, are a key element of this town’s future. Arnold and Leland, you’re both on the board. You know that there have been concerns about the budget.”

      “This is a very small community, Mrs. Lang.” Leland gave her a bored look. “There isn’t a lot of extra money. We’ve even had trouble making payroll from time to time.”

      She dropped her attention to the papers in front of her and ran a slender forefinger down a column of numbers on the top sheet. “And if the hospital goes under, there are going to be nearly a hundred full-time, part-time and pool employees without jobs. People who may need to move elsewhere, taking their schoolchildren, their purchasing power and their tax dollars with them.”

      “It’s worth looking into, don’t you think?” Jill argued. “We’ve lost a lot of business to Henderson Regional. They offer more services, even if they are farther away.” She glanced at the two older doctors across the table. “People moving into a community want to be assured of good schools and good medical care. If we can’t offer them, the town loses. And we can’t afford that.”

      Leland polished his coffee spoon with a napkin, his brow furrowed. “You weren’t here back in ’95. Big plans—everything fell through. People lost money and they lost faith.”

      “I’m not looking at finding a few big private investors,” Erin said quietly. “Fund-raising options will be important—but this won’t be the type of situation you experienced before.”

      Arnold studied her for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Then he threw up his hands. “Hell, I’m not going to be around here much longer. Should have retired five years ago and moved to Florida after my wife died. If you want to give this a try, more power to you—and I’ll do what I can.”

      “I agree.” Jill stood and gave Erin a wink. “Go for it, and we’ll start working on a proposal for you to look over. Connor?”

      “If you want the hospital to be competitive, you’ll need to update the equipment and the physical plant. It should have been done years ago.” He shrugged. “I won’t be around long enough to see it happen, but you certainly have my support.”

      “Leland?”

      Placing his spoon neatly across the saucer in front of him, he raised a brow. “It wouldn’t hurt to look into this further, I suppose. The doctor’s lounge has certainly been a disgrace for the past twenty years or more.”

      Erin’s hands tensed on her coffee cup, but she merely gave the older man a nod.

      Leland’s mouth softened into a faint smile. “Good, then. We’ll get back to you, say…by the 25th of the month?”

      “How about the 18th, right here. We’ll have more time to take action—especially if we need to petition for a special election.”

      “We’ll try.” Jill waved and headed for the door. Arnold and Leland followed, leaving Erin sitting in the booth, an elbow propped on the table and her forehead resting in her palm.

      Connor hesitated. “Headache?”

      She started, then gave him an embarrassed look. “I, um, thought you’d all left.”

      “On my way.” He grabbed the back of his chair and shoved it toward the neighboring table. “Ambitious plans you have here. For a newcomer and all.”

      “It’s my job, and I need to do it well.”

      The determination in her voice was unmistakable, and he thought back to the evening he’d stopped by the cabin. He’d seen the kids and her, but no evidence of another adult. Certainly not a second car. “Your husband…”

      “My ex is back in Wausau.” Her mouth quirked at one corner. “Enjoying midlife freedom with a girl half his age, who probably ought to take a closer look at the kind of guy she ‘won,’ bless her.”

      Connor cleared his throat. “It can’t be easy for you, so far from town—with a full-time job and three kids. If you need to break the lease on your house…or if you want to be closer to town…”

      “Actually, I couldn’t be happier.” She briskly tucked her documents and calculator into a portfolio, dropped a five-dollar bill on the table and slid out of the booth. Standing in high heels, she barely came up to Connor’s shoulder. “Thank you for joining us this morning, Doctor.”

      She gave

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