Page 72 of Deking at Love
Weird, but okay.Maybe they have to spread out documentation for me to sign.
A rail of a woman with short platinum hair and buckteeth stepped into the room and closed the door.Glasses that were too large for her face sat on a pinched nose.As she took a chair at the head of the table—leaving an awkward two-seat gap between her and Angie—she placed a file on the polished dark wood.
The woman cleared her throat.“Ms.Rossi, I’ll get right to the point.”
The seriousness in the woman’s tone had Angie sitting forward.
“Your employment is being terminated for cause, effective today.”
Angie’s head snapped back.“Excuse me?”Had she saidterminated?
The woman removed a paper with a check clipped to it.“This is your final check through today.Your benefits information and next steps are outlined in this packet.I’ll need your signature acknowledging receipt of payment before you leave.”
“I don’t understand.”
Buckteeth extracted a second paper and slid the document across the smooth surface.“This action follows a confirmed HIPAA compliance violation involving unauthorized access and transmission of protected patient information.”
“What?Which patient?What did I share?”Angie squawked.
The woman calmly closed the file.“The information is summarized in the letter.The determination was made following an IT security review.As I’m sure you’re aware, the clinic maintains a zero-tolerance policy.Now if you would please sign …”
Angie signed and returned the receipt, thoughts bouncing off the walls of her brain like supercharged atoms with no place to go.Nothing made sense.
The woman passed Angie a packet, lifting an icy gaze.“Now I’ll collect your lanyard and any keys.Someone will escort you to your desk so you can gather your personal belongings.”
Feeling like a criminal, Angie fumbled with the lanyard.“My key is downstairs.”A thought struck.“I still have a report to complete.”
“IT has disabled your computer access.”
“But … how … I need to …” Angie fought to quell the quaver in her voice.
A door opened, and the receptionist appeared, eyes darting from Angie to the HR lady.
Buckteeth gave the receptionist a sharp look.“Please escort Ms.Rossi to her desk.”
The receptionist’s expression said she wanted to do anything but that.Right there with you.This had to be a mistake, an accident, a bad dream.
Angie grasped the documents and stumbled after the receptionist.Dazed.Confused.Shredded.She stared at the young woman’s back with a numbed gaze, her thoughts scattering like TIE fighters without a flight plan.
Back in the basement, they marched to PT.Celia looked up when the receptionist cracked open the door.“I’ll take over from here,” the office manager announced.
The receptionist’s relief was palpable as she nodded and scampered away.
Angie shook herself from her shock bubble and let a seething settle in her chest.“You knew?”
“I only now heard you were being terminated and that we had protocol to follow.”
“But … but I don’t understand!”Someone had sucker-punched her and twisted her gut with the other fist.A new thought smacked Angie.“Is this about Sam Durbin?”Her welling rage suddenly lasered in on Attila the Bun.
Celia raised an imperious eyebrow.“Do you mean your personal relationship with him?”
“Yes,” Angie gritted out.No reason to hide it now, was there?
Celia’s face softened.“No, Ms.Rossi.I haven’t been informed of the details behind your termination, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with you and Mr.Durbin.”
“You did know, then?”Angie croaked.
“I knew.”
