Unknown - Spread for pleasure

"I'm glad I found you here," he said. "I would like to talk with you about the rumors of your leaving us. At the same time I don't want to spoil your meal."

"Oh I'm glad for the company. I don't want you to spoil your dinner by talking about hospital problems while you eat."

He laughed. "Eating and talking about things medical is an occupational necessity for physicians."

"Well if you don't mind I certainly am ready to hear what you have to say. I want you to know I'm truly flattered by everyone's concern," Chris said smiling.

Dr. Adams ate quickly and then leaning back in his chair he sighed and said, "You are a very fine nurse. All of the people who have worked with you like you – a remarkable achievement in a place like this."

Blushing Chris nodded her thanks.

"You started in at a bad time. Short staff, no time off and heavy patient loads. It raises hell with a single person's social life. Believe me I know," he said. "Lena suspected you might lose interest in the job because you had neither the time nor the energy, to work long hours and socialize as well. She apparently was correct?"

Chris suddenly felt restless. She wanted to pace while talking to this obviously sincere man. She was truly intrigued by him and needed to rid herself of the trapped feeling both the conversation and his presence seemed to provoke.

"Could we discuss this elsewhere?" she blurted.

"Sure. You check on the status of the unit. If it's OK meet me in my office in half an hour otherwise call and we will talk later."

Chris, somewhat relieved by her brief reprieve, returned to the ICU. Everything was quiet. She checked the status of the two patients and then headed for Dr. Adams' office in the administrative section of the hospital.

Her knock at the door was answered promptly. She had never visited any of the hospital administrative offices, other than the nursing office, before. The office she entered was quite spartan. Metal furniture, worn chairs and a desk cluttered with old charts, computer printouts and piles of EKG tracings. Sitting amid the jumble was Dr. Adams smiling pleasantly and motioning to the one empty chair in the room.

Chris sat down on the edge of the chair feeling very ill-at-ease and somewhat embarrassed by the turn of events.

"I'm glad you could come down now," Dr. Adams said. "What I want to get across to you is the fact that we want, very much, to keep you here. Your work is excellent and you can go far in this academic environment."

"As you know here we have residents and an fine teaching staff. In the Valley you will find that physicians are primarily interested in maintaining a life style. Nurses are not infrequently called upon to function as physicians. This is partly because the doctors don't want to be disturbed, especially at night; and not infrequently because a good ICU nurse knows more than the doctor on the case."

"You will be going into a medical environment where what the patient can afford is more important than what he needs. Your social life will certainly be busier, but, judging from the quality of your work you will soon find it is poor reward for the lousy working conditions you will find," Dr. Adams said, leaning back in his chair and looking at Chris intently.

Chris now rose and began to pace. "I haven't ever even looked at any hospital setups in the Valley. I guess I'm behaving childishly at that. Stephi and Lena said they would like to discuss thing with me tonight so I guess I'll do some more exploring before make a firm commitment," she said.

"Good. I would like you to stay here. And, since things appear inordinately quiet in the unit why don't you take the rest of the shift off and visit with Andersen and Washburn – do you have their phone number?"

"Yes, thank you."

Chris called the unit and found things, as Dr. Adams had said, quiet. She went to the nurses lounge and changed into the clothes she had borrowed from Marilyn and made her call to Stephi and Lena.

Chris was unhappy about driving Marilyn's Porsche. She felt hypocritical since she was driving a car that was to be an inducement to leave the people she was now going to visit. Nevertheless it was fun to drive.

She was surprised to find that the directions Stephi had given led her into a beautiful old residential area not far from the squalor of downtown LA. She found the women's home with little difficulty. Pulling into the driveway she was struck by the solidity and quiet elegance of the two story house that Lena and Stephi shared. She could not help comparing it to Marilyn's glitzy home. The house she was about to visit reminded her of her home in Iowa.

As she exited the car she saw the front door open and Lena step out onto the front porch. "Glad you could get away early," Lena called to her.

Trotting up the walk she smiled and said, "So am I. Are you sure I'm not putting you out by arriving in time for dinner."

"Hell no. It's Stephi's night to prepare the meal so we're having Chinese – she likes that. On my nights it's pizza. We don't do much cooking here," Lena laughed a deep throaty laugh. "Come on in, kick off your shoes and have something to drink."

The living room was furnished well but conservatively. Stephi called hello from the dining room which opened off the large, high ceilinged living room. Lena had walked over to a small portable bar and as she poured herself a small whiskey and water she asked, "What would you like?"

"Some wine if you have a soft drink if you don't."

Lena waved a bottle of dry sherry questioningly and Chris nodded her approval.

"This looks like a lovely home," Chris said folding her now shoeless feet under her as she sat down in a beautifully upholstered chair.

"Yes we like it. It's close to fifty years old. They built things the way the did back east in those days," Lena said sitting down on a davenport across the spacious room.

Stephi came in, her face flushed and said, "Now that I've got the table set I'll have my drink." She walked over to the bar and poured a small cordial glass full of a clear, white liquid from a bottle that rested in a sweating ice bucket. Raising her gals to both Lena and Chris she said, "To life."

She walked to the davenport where Lena was sitting and sat down next to her close enough so that they could and did hold hands.

"We've invited another guest," Stephi said, "hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest and concern. But are things medically as bad as Dr. Adams said?"

"It's hard to be objective about it. There are some poor things that we see coming through our place after they've been botched in the private hospitals of the Valley. But we would naturally see only the really tough stuff. It's what teaching hospitals are setup to deal with?" Stephi said.

"Our other guest tonight may well be able to tell you more. He's a cop who knows much about medical things because of several cases he's recently been working on," Lena said.

They sat for a while and sipped their drinks. The quiet was abruptly interrupted by the doorbell.

Stephi jumped up and said, "Bet a quarter it's the food and not Morgan – he's always late and always has some lame excuse."

She returned moments later leading a tall, lanky sandy-haired man who looked as if he had just awakened. His were rumpled and actually looked as if he had slept in them. However, despite his rather unkempt appearance Chris found him to be quite striking. His face was craggy, with deep set, piercing dark eyes.

Stephi led him to where Chris was sitting and said, "Chris meet Lieutenant Joe Morgan and Joe this is Chris Diamond." Chris offered her hand and was surprised at the strength of his grip and the smoothness of his skin.

"I expected the hands to be rough like a cowboy's or a construction worker's," she thought smiling at the man towering over her.