Page 25 of Beau (Sheppard’s Shadow #5)

Danielle loved her job, but she loved being able to hang out with people that she didn’t know all that well better.

They did gossip a great deal and had comments about everyone that came in—sometimes good, sometimes bad.

But they were a close-knit group of people that she thought could be funny at times.

Also, she was getting useful information about people and how they needed help when they did.

“Did you hear about the Singer family? They had to sell part of their farm when the taxes came due again. If they keep chopping it up like that, there won’t be enough ground for those kids to play on come summer.

” She made a mental note to ask Beau if he could help them in some way.

However, she knew that if he did that, then he’d be helping the entire town out of jams when they needed help.

“Mr. Singer is going out for one of those jobs out in the ocean on a rig. I don’t know that I could do that, being so far from my family all the time. ”

“I heard that they’re on for six weeks and off for six weeks. That wouldn’t be so bad.” One of the nurses decided that there might be fewer Singer children if he were gone for a while. “I can see that too. Aren’t there like ten of them now?”

“There are only four of them, and they’re getting to be school age now. Must be a relief to the mother if that’s what’s going on.” She tuned them out for calling several people on the phone to remind them of their upcoming appointments. When she got off, they were onto another family.

“I’ve seen her in town buying groceries.

I don’t know how she feeds them all on what little he makes, but she must do all right.

They all seem healthy enough when she brings them in for checkups and such.

” One of the receptionists said that she doesn’t buy things that are premade either.

“I heard tell they have a garden that is as big as their yard and that the kids all work in it with her while the mister is working. Must be nice to get your kids to do anything that you tell them. I can’t even get my teenage son to make his bed, and it’s a sleeping bag. ”

She didn’t know who they were talking about, but she knew that a lot of the staff here had children who were less than helpful around the house.

And getting them to pick up after themselves had caused more than one argument, too.

She wondered what Beau would think of her making the kids clean up after themselves and thought that he’d be just fine with it.

He cleaned up after himself when he was home with her.

As she made her next round of calls, she kept an ear out for anything that sounded dangerous. She’d already heard about one of them carrying a gun to church—just in case. In case what scared her a bit, but since she didn’t go to the same church as she did, she felt marginally safer.

Danielle didn’t join in their gossip but only listened to it. She knew a great deal about the doctor, too, that she was sure he’d be upset about if he knew. They weren’t vicious about their gossip, but they told what they had learned from talking to the people who came in and said to them.

She also knew about the previous mayor, too, and why Weston had taken over the job when he’d been run out of town.

He and his wife had been arrested, finally, and were awaiting their trial like a few other people were.

They’d had their funds frozen and their homes overseas taken from them in order to get the money back that they’d stolen from the town.

That’s what Weston was dealing with right now.

Lack of funds to get things done that should have been done ages ago.

“Do you suppose they’ll get away with it?” She must have missed something while on the phone and decided the next call could wait. “I mean, it is mail fraud if nothing else. And once the Feds are involved with it, there’ll be no hiding from them either.”

“Is it mail fraud? I mean, I know that they’re mailing the stuff through the postal service, but is that really what’s involved?

Couldn’t they just be getting in trouble for selling the drugs to someone out of state?

” A nurse said that it was mail fraud. “Oh well, I didn’t know if they’d get them on that.

I hope they’re caught soon. It bothers me that they’re selling drugs through the mail.

It could be going to anyone in town, and we’d never know about it. ”

“I was thinking about giving an anonymous tip. But I’m fearful that it’ll come back and bite me in the ass, and they’ll be getting out soon.

Just what I need is for them to find out that I had turned them in.

” She wanted to ask about what and who, but the phone was ringing again and she had to answer it.

The woman on the phone wanted to be able to come into the office at five-thirty.

They closed up shop around here at four, and she couldn’t make her understand that.

She said it would only take one nurse and the doctor to see her, and that shouldn’t be such a big deal.

Well, it was a big deal to hold the offices open for an hour and a half for one person.

“You just tell him who it is, and I’ll bet he’ll say that it’s no trouble.

You ask him and I’ll wait.” She said that he was a very busy man and she wasn’t going to ask him about that.

“You’re just being a bitch. When I tell him how I was treated, then you’ll lose your job.

Can it be worth losing your job because of one stupid appointment at five-thirty? ”

“The problem is, as I’ve stated to you already, that the offices close at four and that appointment you want is an hour and a half later than we’re open.

No one is going to want to stay after all that time when they could be at home with their families.

I’m not going to put you down for that time because we’re closed.

” Then she hung up the phone. The women in the office with her applauded her.

“We’ve been dealing with her for years and years about having a special time for coming in.

You not only didn’t take her shit, but you got to hang up on her too.

She usually hangs up on us first.” The phone rang again, and they said it was going to be her.

“She’s thinking that if she calls back in, she’ll get someone else.

But you go ahead and answer it. It’ll piss her off. ”

“Dresden Doctors’ offices, how may I help you?

” It was her again, and she was going on with the same things that she’d used before.

That the doctor would be upset about her not getting to see him when she could.

After about twenty seconds of her going on about the doctor, she must have realized that it was Danielle again and started cursing.

Danielle just simply hung up the phone and smiled at her coworkers.

“I hope I don’t lose my job over this. I like working here. ”

They all got a big laugh out of it. So much so that the doctor came to find out what was so funny. After being told who it was, he didn’t even have to hear the reason she’d been hung up on; he knew from past calls.

“You’re right in saying that I don’t want to wait around for her to come in.

I have enough going on with my regular hours.

And the one time that I did give in and give her the appointment, she didn’t show up, telling me that she had other things come up and couldn’t make it.

” He shook his head. “Never again. To anyone else, for that matter, will I stay over for a patient unless it’s an emergency.

And it had better be one too, or they’ll be without a doctor. ”

The rest of the afternoon went well. They never mentioned the mail fraud case again, and she was all right with that.

They would, and she’d be prepared for it.

After today, she’d be more of a participant when it came to their gossip and find out as much as she could about anyone who needed their help.

She was going to look into the Singer family, too, just to make sure that things were all right for the family.

When the office closed up at four, she was out the door by ten after.

Everyone was going to meet at the local pizza shop and enjoy a beer after work.

She’d been invited too and was going to go enjoy some time with them.

Besides, Beau had to work late, and she knew that he’d not be home until well after seven o’clock.

She knew that she’d be home in plenty of time before he was.

“You’re married to one of the Sheppard men, aren’t you?” Nurse Sacaton, Deb, was asked to call her asked what it was like to be married to someone that wealthy. “I mean, I was wondering why you’re even working, being married to one of them.”

“I don’t want to be a stay-at-home housewife.

I would go crazy with nothing to do all day.

” She said she’d love to be able to stay at home all day.

She’d make a good time of it. “I tried it for a while, but it’s really not for me.

I would imagine that it would be great for some people, but not for me.

I need to get out and be around people.”

“I guess I can see that. But I’d be hard-pressed not to want to stay at home all the time.

I don’t know about when children would come along.

” They all had their opinion about what they’d do if they were a stay-at-home mom.

“My husband wants me to get pregnant soon, and I’m not so sure.

If he had a steady job, then maybe, but right now I’m the breadwinner in the family and the one who cooks the bread when we’re hungry.

I don’t see it working out with us having a kid.

Even though he said he’d stay at home with it, I don’t see that happening either. He’d be complaining about that too.”