arrange for a couple of the workers from the family estate to come down here and take care of the animals and tend to the plants during the day time. My maintenance man could come and look at your roof problem and fix your central heating for you. That would take a huge weight off your mind, wouldn’t it?’
She made a vaguely dismissive movement. ‘That’s very kind of you to offer, but if I could afford to pay outside workers, I would have done it already. I’m just not that well off.’
‘You won’t have to pay them. I’m loaning them to you in return for your help at the hospital. We have a team of people with various skills on the estate, and I’m sure we can spare a couple to come over here to work for a while. Besides, it wouldn’t necessarily need to be full time, would it?’ He studied her closely, seeing the debate going on in her mind. ‘And I’m pretty sure that the matron in charge would be able to find room for Becky to stay in the crèche while you’re at work. Failing that, we could always take a look at the private nurseries.’
She raised a dark brow. ‘And what about the fact that I like looking after Becky? Where does that come into your calculations?’
He had the grace to look uncomfortable at that, but hegave it some deeper consideration. ‘What about coming back to work part-time?’ he suggested after a while. ‘With a view to increasing the hours if it suited you?’
They had reached the duck pond by now, and Ruby stopped to look over at the ducks, who were skimming the surface of the water, dipping their beaks into the pond every now and again to capture a tasty morsel.
‘See, their wings are drooping,’ she murmured, pointing out a couple of birds that swam close to the reeds surrounding the pond. ‘They don’t look right to me. How will your workers know if something’s wrong?’
‘Because they’re good at what they do, otherwise I wouldn’t be employing them—and you’re changing the subject,’ Sam admonished her. ‘The vet will sort out the livestock’s problems, won’t he? I need you to concentrate on how much happier you’ll be when you’re back in A&E where you belong.’
She smiled at that and swivelled around to face him. ‘You’re so sure that’s the right thing to do, aren’t you? Well, you needn’t think it’s going to be as easy as that to get me to accept what you say. I wouldn’t even consider coming back unless it was on my terms.’
Now he looked less sure of himself. ‘And those would be?’
‘For a start you would have to agree to set on some more nurses. I’m not talking agency nurses, who can be expensive, I grant you. I mean speculate to accumulate, and give us extra staff so that we can cover all eventualities.’
He began to shake his head. ‘I’m not sure that’s possible. Management would probably object.’
‘You are management,’ she said. ‘You’re on the board, for heaven’s sake. You can fix it.’
He moved his head in a ‘maybe’ sort of way. ‘Is that it?’ he asked. ‘If I sort that out, would you consider coming back?’
‘Certainly not.’ She warmed to her theme. ‘If I were to dothat, and I’m making no promises, I’d need your agreement that we would work together to make sure the unit had a good chance of survival…and I mean work together, not just you paying lip service to what I have to say. I had a notion that it would be a good idea to organise a charity fair to raise funds…and we would definitely have to do away with some of the more expensive outsourcing contracts. Bring more of the contractors into the employ of the hospital rather than using outsiders.’
‘It sounds as though you’re at least giving the idea some thought.’
‘I’m giving it a fair consideration.’
He gave her a rueful smile. ‘I’d almost go so far as to say you had a ready-made bargaining stance hidden up your sleeve. I wouldn’t put it past you to have planned all this right from the
She made a vaguely dismissive movement. ‘That’s very kind of you to offer, but if I could afford to pay outside workers, I would have done it already. I’m just not that well off.’
‘You won’t have to pay them. I’m loaning them to you in return for your help at the hospital. We have a team of people with various skills on the estate, and I’m sure we can spare a couple to come over here to work for a while. Besides, it wouldn’t necessarily need to be full time, would it?’ He studied her closely, seeing the debate going on in her mind. ‘And I’m pretty sure that the matron in charge would be able to find room for Becky to stay in the crèche while you’re at work. Failing that, we could always take a look at the private nurseries.’
She raised a dark brow. ‘And what about the fact that I like looking after Becky? Where does that come into your calculations?’
He had the grace to look uncomfortable at that, but hegave it some deeper consideration. ‘What about coming back to work part-time?’ he suggested after a while. ‘With a view to increasing the hours if it suited you?’
They had reached the duck pond by now, and Ruby stopped to look over at the ducks, who were skimming the surface of the water, dipping their beaks into the pond every now and again to capture a tasty morsel.
‘See, their wings are drooping,’ she murmured, pointing out a couple of birds that swam close to the reeds surrounding the pond. ‘They don’t look right to me. How will your workers know if something’s wrong?’
‘Because they’re good at what they do, otherwise I wouldn’t be employing them—and you’re changing the subject,’ Sam admonished her. ‘The vet will sort out the livestock’s problems, won’t he? I need you to concentrate on how much happier you’ll be when you’re back in A&E where you belong.’
She smiled at that and swivelled around to face him. ‘You’re so sure that’s the right thing to do, aren’t you? Well, you needn’t think it’s going to be as easy as that to get me to accept what you say. I wouldn’t even consider coming back unless it was on my terms.’
Now he looked less sure of himself. ‘And those would be?’
‘For a start you would have to agree to set on some more nurses. I’m not talking agency nurses, who can be expensive, I grant you. I mean speculate to accumulate, and give us extra staff so that we can cover all eventualities.’
He began to shake his head. ‘I’m not sure that’s possible. Management would probably object.’
‘You are management,’ she said. ‘You’re on the board, for heaven’s sake. You can fix it.’
He moved his head in a ‘maybe’ sort of way. ‘Is that it?’ he asked. ‘If I sort that out, would you consider coming back?’
‘Certainly not.’ She warmed to her theme. ‘If I were to dothat, and I’m making no promises, I’d need your agreement that we would work together to make sure the unit had a good chance of survival…and I mean work together, not just you paying lip service to what I have to say. I had a notion that it would be a good idea to organise a charity fair to raise funds…and we would definitely have to do away with some of the more expensive outsourcing contracts. Bring more of the contractors into the employ of the hospital rather than using outsiders.’
‘It sounds as though you’re at least giving the idea some thought.’
‘I’m giving it a fair consideration.’
He gave her a rueful smile. ‘I’d almost go so far as to say you had a ready-made bargaining stance hidden up your sleeve. I wouldn’t put it past you to have planned all this right from the
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