It took a few years to secure the job in the ICU, and she floated for a while before the fateful day Dante Galante appeared. Years of hard work, long shifts, and concealed heartbreak; years full of losses with not so many happy endings. She imagined working there for the rest of her life.
Guess plans change sometimes.
Because one thing she never imagined, one thing she couldn't have planned for, was that she'd end up in the stifling boardroom, surrounded by staff with the power to discipline, listening as the Chief Nursing Officer laid out infraction after infraction. The unwritten rule was a six-month minimum: after seeing a patient professionally, six months had to pass before you could see them personally.
Gabriella had barely waited six hours.
"Now's your chance," the woman said, motioning for Gabriella to speak. "You have the opportunity to defend yourself."
Lie, Dante had told her.
But she was sick of lying. Lying meant denying him. It meant discrediting everything that happened, like there was something shameful about it.
And heck, maybe there was.
Maybe she was supposed to be ashamed… ashamed of herself, ashamed of him… but she felt nothing of the sort. Despite the hot water it had her in, despite the chaos loving him caused, he'd been one of the greatest things to happen to her. She saw in him something she didn't see in many others. Civility. Ironic, maybe, considering the life he'd been living, considering the family he'd been given, but that just made it all the more powerful. Despite the odds stacked against him, Dante tried to live with honor. And maybe he failed sometimes, but oh how he tried…
"It's true," Gabriella said, looking around at the stern faces as shock set in. Everyone seemed stunned by her words except for Crabtree. He wasn't surprised in the least. "Although, I guess we see it differently. I know it's a morally gray area, being with Dante Galante… I was aware of that from the beginning. I took care of him when nobody else wanted to. The nurses gossiped, and the doctors sneered, and they all avoided him, writing him off, breaking every rule in the book. His medical information was shared in the halls. His wishes were disregarded like what he wanted didn't matter. He was treated more like a prisoner than a patient, but I gave him a chance. When nobody else was around, I was there. And maybe it's wrong, that something grew out of that, but I'm not the only one in the wrong."
"Maybe so," Crabtree said, "but your actions are the ones being discussed today, not any conceived slights you believe occurred."
"And fraternizing with patients isn't just a gray area," the CNO chimed in. "It's also a dangerous one. It's taking advantage."
Gabriella tried to keep a straight face, but she laughed at that.
"No… well, yeah, it is kind of funny, because if you think Dante Galante is the kind of man that someone can take advantage of, you've clearly not spent enough time with him. Which is sad, considering you were his doctor. The fact that you think I had the power to persuade him is laughable. Flattering that you think so highly of my abilities, but still… wow."
The doctor glared at her.
Gabriella knew she had not a chance in the world of walking away from this. It was the beginning of the end. Even if it weren't a terminable offense, which it was, they'd fire her out of spite.
"We have no choice but to take action against you, Nurse Russo," the CNO said. "And due to the seriousness, the state nursing board will have to be notified, so they can assess the impact this will have on your license, if any."
It would, without a doubt. Gabriella was certain. "So, you're firing me?"
"We're going to give you an opportunity to resign," Crabtree said. "If you turn in your resignation letter, clearing the hospital—"
"Of any wrongdoing," Gabriella said, interrupting. "Save you from shouldering the blame for anything and you'll let me save face."
Crabtree nodded. "You know how it goes."
"I do." Everybody's always worried about their own behinds, not caring what happens to anyone else. "But I'm sorry, you're going to have to fire me, because I refuse to do that."
Gabriella didn't give them time to respond, not wanting to be there when it played out. They'd take a vote, one that would be unanimous, and terminate her on the spot, declaring her services no longer