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Another board member was out by the end of the week because he’d run his mouth about the changes. The idiot was caught on a recording that he was now the leader of the board and would get Ellie in line. He wanted Fitz out for making this mess, but he also wanted out the “too rigid do-gooder” who blocked them filling their pockets.

Instead, he was out, and it was all over the hospital that Ellie was the reason the board hadn’t become as corrupt and had next to no power unlike other hospitals.

Including the cuts to salaries the board had wanted. The fool was on the record that she shot down their demands to cut nurses and staff salaries every year and stop giving cost of living raises. And apparently, the board had been bragging that they were the reason everyone was paid so well and Ellie was the reason they didn’t make more.

What a mess. I couldn’t even imagine how Ellie was dealing with everything.

By Friday, it had been almost two weeks since I’d really talked to her and had barely seen her. It was driving me nuts because there was no chance of her healing and moving on with all of this crazy.

And that wasn’t as selfish as it sounded. I didn’t want her to heal simply because I had a chance of being with her.

But I wanted that too. I just wanted for her to not live… Like this.

She finally came back to the cafeteria Friday for lunch, and I was less than thrilled it was with a very attractive man who seemed to be hanging on her every word.

“Who’s that?” I asked Dr. Tai. I’d kinda latched onto her as my friend. I did truly like her and we were in the same department, but she was also best friends with Ellie.

So yeah, she was now my buddy too. Whatever I had to do so she was, I was in for.

She glanced around and locked onto where I was looking. “That is Gerald Woods. The third Gerald Woods even.” She snickered, thinking that amusing. “He’s the new head of the legal department. Beth referred him when it seemed things were going to get ugly and it was clear the former head of legal was all up the board’s ass. Fucking git.”

“Glad that you’re picking that up from Clark,” Dr. James chuckled. “But yes, I agree. The little pissant was nothing before Ellie hired him and gave him a chance. A lot was done behindher back while she was building this place into the mecca of medicine it is.”

“Like the head of the legal department crawling up the board’s asses to get cool vacations and into all the best golf courses,” Dr. Tai grumbled. “Whatever, he’s gone, and this guy is apparently a big gun.”

“Lions are incredibly protective, so that helps,” Dr. James agreed.

“Wait, Woods like the Woodspride?” I asked, glancing between them.

“I have no idea,” Dr. Tai answered… While Dr. James shot me an amused look.

So yes. This guy was like me and the son of a popular, rich Alpha but not the eldest because they’d be training to take over one day just like my eldest brother was.

Which meant I wanted this guy far,faraway from Ellie because he could absolutely give her everything I could. Probably more if he knew how to actually help her directly.

I hated him already.

Ellie came over with him and introduced him. “This is Gerald Woods, the new head of the legal department for the hospital. I haven’t had a chance to really introduce him around yet.”

“No, we’ve been locked away in your office handling too much,” the lion said with a chuckle. “It’s nice to get to see more of the hospital. I thought the take-out containers were going to eat us.”

“Which one of us eats that much to keep ordering more?” she shot right back, chuckling when he did.

Yeah, I hated this guy.

He did a double take when she got to me. “Clark? Like the Clark pack in London?”

“My father,” I confirmed. “Woods pride?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, second son. Glad at least our families are allies if we have this situation. You know how fast it can get sticky and we become pawns if there’s a problem since we’re not the eldest.”

I snorted. “My siblings are always a problem, but my parents don’t allow us to be pawns. Ms. Reed doesn’t allow it in the hospital either, so it’s all checked at the door. I’m just here to help the hospital and patients.”

“Then we’ll get along well,” he said, something else in his eyes.

Or maybe not. The bloke was hard to read, and honestly it was probably that I didn’t want him near Ellie.

“His mom drops by now and again to feed us both because she’s a wonderful woman,” Ellie commented, helping move the conversation along. She shot me a quick look that was a bit thorny. “And he’s very giving with his afternoon snack dumplings. I hear a lot of people stop by his practice to get some.”