All In A Day's Work

"Di?... Di?... Wake up Di." Monica Bishop said has she lightly shock Diane Westher's shoulder to wake her up.

"Please David, Just 5 more minutes." Diane mumbled in her sleep.

Monica realized Diane must have been dreaming of her deceased husband. She felt sorry for having to wake her up but she couldn't let them find Diane asleep again in the nurse's station.

"Di wake up! Norton is making the rounds." Diane got up and stretched before taking the hot cup of coffee Monica had brought her. Working full time has a nurse at Azure Rock Hospital and at the same time doing her Internship has a doctor was sucking the life out of her.

"Don't worry Di." Monica said "Just a few more months and the paperwork for the clinic will be done and we can both get out of here and work like normal people."

"Thanks Mon. I really appreciate it... Sometimes I just don't know if I can make it." Diane answered and straighten out her uniform just before Norton Merton walked in.

"Hope you’re not sleeping on the job again Diane." He said roughly "James says they got some kids coming in from the School Field trip with rashes and a couple of sprained ankles. He's going to be busy at the emergency room and wants you to go down and do the rounds in Pediatrics Ward for him."

"Sure." Diane groaned. "On my way." She yawned has she prepared herself for another 12 hours of straight work.

"Don't worry Di." Monica said. "I'll pick up the kids."

Once Diane was out of earshot Monica Bishop turned to Norton Merton, the Hospital administrator, "You got to give her a break. You know she's working both jobs here."

"I know you two are friends and all but I can't show favoritism." Norton said. "She has to complete the internship just like everyone else."

"She's been holding the interns hand for at last 5 years, teaching them everything, you know that! You know she up to speed better most, you know she more than ready."

"I'm sorry Monica." he said. "She has to comply with all the steps, and fill all the paperwork." And Norton turned around and left he nurse's station.

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Roy McRose looked back and forth between the papers on his desk and Javier Alonso sitting across from him.

His job has a defense attorney took up most of his mornings. Fortunately, there weren't that many cases for him and that left him the afternoons free to develop his private practice. He knew he couldn't complete with major law firms but that was fine with him. Roy was a kind person, and like his wife, he liked helping people that just had the bad luck of needing some legal help with things. Like the man sitting in front of him.

Javier Alonso had emigrated to the states, specifically to Azure Rock, with his family, illegally. His record was squeaky clean, no domestic problems, no **** no drunken fight, not even a parking ticket. His foreman at Smith Industries swore he was one of the best temp workers he had, a real jack of all trades, and he really wanted to make him a permanent employee once he got his papers sorted. He was even waiting for his green card to come through, but he made the mistake of applying to citizenship and that brought him into this mess. He was facing fines and deportation.

"Mr. Alonso." he asked he was getting that gut feeling that this man was trustworthy "Is there anything I should know? Any relations with gangs? illegal activity? Credit card debts? Bank debts? You or your family?"

"No senor" was the polite answer.

"And back home?" Roy asked.

"No senor. I come here to leave that. Too much gangs and ****. A man has to protect his family." he said. his english pretty good all things considering.

"Any tattoo?" He asked.

"No tattoos" Alonso answered with a confused look on his face.

Roy looked at him for almost half a minute before making his decision. "Alright. I can help you with this. Your perfect record with the police and the good word from some of the people you work with can help you avoid deportation and some of the fines." He told the man the fines and what his fees would be.

Javier seemed to lose hope "I can not pay that. Can I pay in different month. Some this month, another next month and like that?" and Roy saw the hope drop in his client. Roy hated seeing good people struggle for a simple mistake. He decided to follow his gut feeling that he could trust this man. Charlotte had taught him how to connect to and follow his instincts.

"I can do something else." he said "But to do that I will have to ask the District Attorney for a favor which mean YOU will own me a favor." Roy saw the man swallow and look nervous. "Don't worry I won't ask you to do anything illegal. Your boss says you are one of the best workers he knows and sometimes I do need to fix things at home or elsewhere. Would you be willing to trade some your work doing construction and repairs on the weekends for this?"

"Nothing wrong or illegal?" Javier asked nervously

"Nothing Illegal or wrong. I promise." He said.

"Yes senor!" he said gratefully.

"Then we have a deal." Roy said and shook the man’s hand.

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Damon Woodsen looked over to the police chief and the main detectives around the table. They were reviewing the major the cases they were working on.

"We got another informer within the gangs." Vinicio said. "This one's a bit tech savvy so it will be easier to him to pass information quicker. We double check everything he passes just the same."

"Good." Damon said. before looking at the next detective. "Carlos... How are things going with the other investigation?"

Carlos Rivera let out a long breath. "Not good. We don't have anyone we can infiltrate into the school and those we have eliminated as suspects we are afraid to approach them. If they start talking about a police investigation our target might decide to lay low until it blows over. Not to mention the stink the parents will make when they find out. We've even asked around the gangs to see if anyone is doing **** we might leverage for information but nothing. I got nothing we can take to the judge to get a surveillance order out much less for a warrant to get more solid evidence. "

Damon looked straight at Carlos "Keep working. Find me the evidence we need for a warrant. Do it!". Carlos just nodded.

Leaving the room Carlos went back to the Police Precinct and called over at Joan McClane and Isla Kingfisher. "Start the surveillance and plant the bugs with the main suspects. I want everything unmanned, remote and all directed to me only. If the main suspects are a bust we continue with the rest of the faculty, and not a word to anyone."

"We got the warrant?" Joan asked but Carlos just kept walking. "Sir? We got a warrant?" she repeated.

Carlos stopped and stared at the two women and seemed to growl. "Just get the equipment setup. All unmanned, all remote ALL routed only to me. Nobody else knows. No paper trail anywhere. Just… Just do it." he said before turning around to leave.

"Sure boss" Joan said softly behind his back has she traded looks with Isla.

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Daniel Ravers looked at the latest offer from latest offer from Jiasur, his gaze resting for moment on their logo, a snarling tiger. "They just want the pharmaceutical" he said to the board of directors.

"How do you know?" Landon Lennox asked.

"All their offers include the Pharmaceutical" Robert Ravers said firmly, "and we are not selling that to nobody."

"They made us a very generous offer; we should consider it." Henry added.

Robert glanced over at his brother Daniel and his sister-in-law, Audrey, and they came to a silent agreement. They knew they couldn't sell off the Pharmaceutical Division. They would rather go broke, close it down, lock all the patents and research in a safe and sink it underwater before that happened.

"WE are not selling." Robert almost snarled.

"That might mean a hostile takeover if they are that serious." Landon added. "We would lose a lot of money. I don't know if we can fight off a take over from them right now."

Robert looked up at wall. They had a bronze Lion Head sculpture hanging on the wall, a modern take on the family crest. The artist had made an excellent job with it. Somehow, he always got the feeling that it was looking straight at him, like it was trying to tell him something.

Robert saw his brother nod in agreement and he said. "Start buying back our stock. Talk to the banks, tell them we might need a couple of standby loans ready and refinance any debt we have with them. Set up a list of assets we can sell off on a short notice. and another with some of the smaller business units."

"I'll try to find some investors that might help fight off a takeover, white knight types but the payback they might want could be steep." Klaus Nordstein offered.

"Thanks Klaus. Do that please." Robert said.

"Are you sure Robert?" Landon asked. "I mean, they're offering top dollar for the Pharmaceutical Division and the other, smaller parts. Selling it off will mean big profits for the company and some pretty fat bonus for all of us. If we fight the takeover, we're going to take a pretty big hit, and that's only if we win."

"NO!" Robert slammed his hand down on the table. "We are not selling to them. Yea we sell and make a killing but then what. Then they are going to just liquidate everything they can’t move out and fire everyone. Our ancestors have protected this community since the day it was founded, we have always had an obligation to protect those that depend on us. Hundreds, thousands of families depend on us to keep this company afloat and to keep their jobs. We are not selling."

"One more thing." he said "We need to increase our security fast. Especially against hackers."

"Phillip?" He asked his old friend, Phillip Zanders, who handled the companies Public Relations, "Get in touch with the other families in Azure Rock, but be discreet, see if they have also received offers from Jiasur Ltd." and Robert left the Board Room.

Has Robert walked down the hallway Daniel and his wife Audrey caught up with him. "You going to tell me I was wrong?" He asked his brother and sister-in-law.

"No! We're with you all the way. it's the right thing to do. Just worried you're too wound up." Daniel said.

"Maybe you could go to the cabin and take a day off tomorrow?" Audrey offered. "Find some... company?" Daniel shot her look and she just shrugged and gestured to Robert has if saying 'Duh... you know what he needs.’ Both of them were well aware of Robert's preferred way to unwind.

"Yea, I'll take a day off but not tomorrow and not at the cabin." Robert said. "I'm going to take a look at that cabin they say Jiasur has for sale out in Silver Lake. Maybe It can give me an idea of who we are up against. Why sell that cabin if you really want to buy into this company and settle in the area?" he said more to himself than to the others.

Daniel and Audrey left Robert to walk back his office. "How long has it been since he got laid?" Audrey asked Daniel to his surprise. "What?! We both know how he gets when doesn't have sex."

"Too long," Daniel said. "I think it's been a bit over a month. I'm afraid he might start looking at the employee's here and that won't be good."

"Then take him to Magenta tomorrow." Audrey said.

"You know he doesn't like that kind of hookup. He... likes to seduce and conquer the ladies." Daniel said.

"You mean he likes to hunt; I know, but maybe that will help him keep calm. But only for him. Not you Buster." Audrey said before leaned in to whisper in his ear while she rubbed his crotch. "You just get to watch the eye candy over there and you better have a full load for me when you get back home."