Maddy’s Floor E-Book

Mayer Dale

• Herausgeber: Valley Publishing Ltd.
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

This is the 3rd Psychic Visions Novel from USA Today Bestselling author Dale Mayer.

Are some souls not meant to be saved?

Psychic medical intuitive and licensed physician Madeleine Wagner thought she'd seen every way possible to heal a diseased body. But, when her patients begin dying from mysterious causes, Maddy realizes she might be dealing with an evil force that may be outside her ability to cure.

Maddy's medical facility, Maddy's Floor, has helped countless terminally-ill patients to miraculously live. Now something malevolent has taken up residence on the ward. Not sure how to deal with this on her own, she calls on her psychic friend and mentor, Stefan. Together, they delve beyond the physical plane into the metaphysical…and find utter terror.

With two family members in Maddy's care, Detective Drew McNeil finds himself wondering frequently during his visits about the woman and not just the miracle worker. Who takes care of this selfless soul who gives everything she has to save every single patient? When does she ever allow herself to rest, relax, and live? The more time he spends with her, the more he wants to get to know her privately.

Bizarre events in Maddy's facility draw Drew's professional curiosity. Several intersect with one of his cold cases, causing him to wonder if an old killer has been resurrected…literally. If so, Maddy's directly in the path of danger. Drew wonders, How can anyone stop a force of nature – whether good or evil – that no one else can see, feel, or, frankly, believe…unless Maddy has the ability to do all those things and more?

The Psychic Vision Series

1.Tuesday’s Child
2.Hide’n Go Seek
3.Maddy’s Floor
4.Garden of Sorrow
5.Knock, Knock…
6.Rare Find
7.Eyes to the Soul
8.Now You See Her…
9.Shattered
10.Into the Abyss…
11.Seeds of Malice
12.Eye of the Falcon
13.Itsy Bitsy Spider
14.Unmasked
15.Deep Beneath
16.From the Ashes

Leseprobe

Books in This Series:

Tuesday’s Child

Hide ’n Go Seek

Maddy’s Floor

Garden of Sorrow

Knock Knock…

Rare Find

Eyes to the Soul

Now You See Her

Shattered

Into the Abyss

Seeds of Malice

Eye of the Falcon

Itsy-Bitsy Spider

Unmasked

Deep Beneath

From the Ashes

Stroke of Death

Ice Maiden

Snap, Crackle…

What If…

Talking Bones

String of Tears

Inked Forever

Psychic Visions Books 1–3

Psychic Visions Books 4–6

Psychic Visions Books 7–9

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About This Book

Complimentary Download

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Wednesday Midmorning

Thursday Early Morning

Thursday Morning

Thursday Afternoon

Thursday Evening

Friday

Friday Evening

Saturday

About Garden of Sorrow

Sneak Peek from Garden of Sorrow

About Simon Says…

Author’s Note

Complimentary Download

About the Author

Copyright Page

About This Book

Are some souls not meant to be saved?

Psychic medical intuitive and licensed physician Madeleine Wagner thought she’d seen every way possible to heal a diseased body. But, when her patients begin dying from mysterious causes, Maddy realizes she might be dealing with an evil force that may be outside her ability to cure.

Maddy’s medical facility, called Maddy’s Floor—the penthouse within The Haven long-term care facility—has helped countless terminally ill patients to miraculously live. Now something malevolent has taken up residence in her ward. Not sure how to deal with this on her own, she calls on her psychic friend and mentor, Stefan. Together, they delve beyond the physical plane into the metaphysical … and find utter terror.

With two family members in Maddy’s care, during his visits, Detective Drew McNeil finds himself frequently wondering about the woman and not just the miracle worker. Does anyone take care of this selfless soul who gives everything she has to save every single patient? When does she ever allow herself to rest, to relax, and to live? The more time he spends with her, the more he wants to get to know her privately.

Bizarre events in Maddy’s facility draw Drew’s professional curiosity. Several intersect with one of his cold cases, causing him to wonder if an old killer has been resurrected … literally. If so, Maddy’s directly in the path of danger. How can anyone stop a force of nature—whether good or evil—that no one else can see, feel, or, frankly, believe, … unless Maddy has the ability to do all those things and more?

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KILL OR BE KILLED

Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.

Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

Time is running out … For her … For him … For them …

DOWNLOADfree military romance? Just tell me where to send it!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my four children, who always believed in me and my storytelling abilities.

Thank you!

Acknowledgments

Maddy’s Floor wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my friends and family. Many hands helped with proofreading, editing, and beta reading to make this book come together. I thank you all.

Monday

When you believed in the goodness of life, why did darkness always nudge up against you—test you—try to make you change your mind?

Late afternoon sunshine poured through the window of The Haven, casting warm rays across Madeleine Wagner’s small but efficient office within the top floor of the long-term care facility, dubbed Maddy’s floor. The early part of August had been hot and humid. Now, entering the last week, the dead heat had cooled to a comfortable temperature.

She stared at the paperwork stacked high on one side of her desk, then at a smaller mountain on the other. Groaning, she leaned back and rubbed her throbbing temples. Why had she wanted to become a doctor anyway? Although today her career choice wasn’t the problem; it was her other skills. The skills no one mentioned, but everyone knew about. Dr. Madeleine … was not only a brilliant doctor but a medical intuitive.

And her unorthodox skills were the reason Dr. Johnson, from the second floor, had asked her to look at Eric Colgan. Dr. Johnson wanted Maddy to try to find out why Eric’s condition was deteriorating so rapidly—for no apparent reason—when all his tests were coming back negative.

She’d gotten her first inkling that something wasn’t right while Dr. Johnson had been explaining the case. Then he’d sent her an email with more details. As she read, a weird twinge settled at the base of her neck. A sensation indicating something was wrong. That feeling had grown until just the sight of her colleague’s email brought goose bumps on her arms.

She’d immediately printed off the page, dug out a new folder, and buried one in the other and then under a dozen more.

It made no difference.

It pulled at her. Sitting there.

Waiting.

She sat up straight and forced herself to continue through the large stack of paperwork, until the pull refused to be ignored.

Crap.

She pushed the file off to the side and dragged out the email. Maybe she should take a quick peek. See if she could do anything, and, if not, then she’d pass the case back—quickly. She wasn’t able to help everyone.

She quickly accessed Eric’s file on her computer. With his information displayed in front of her, she eased back from her heavy mahogany desk and mentally distanced herself from her emotions. She took several deep breaths to calm her energy. On the next breath, she opened her inner eye and focused on Eric’s energy. Almost instantly, the outline of a young man’s body formed, upright and in the center of her office, as clear as if he physically stood before her.

Sometimes the person appeared in street clothes, as if they’d just walked into her office, and she’d see the energy moving through them and over them. Other times she saw only a vague shape, pulsing with colors. This time Maddy’s projections were of both the physical and the energetic forms of Eric.

Now the shell of Eric’s body teemed with a swirling darkness, as energy poured outward in hundreds of dark-red and purple ribbons. Hugging the outside edge, his aura hung, lanky and dark, missing the vitality of someone in good health and in good spirits.

Colors swelled and receded in a grotesque dance. Stretching away from the body, they faded outward, filling her small office. Maddy rose and circled the desk to get a better view of this apparition. She reared back slightly and blinked several times. The energy still twisted and stretched in its macabre dance. She rocked slightly on the balls of her feet. She’d never seen anything like this.

Angry energy had one appearance. Hatred had another. But this? … This defied description.

Maddy needed more information. Letting the vision dissolve, she walked back to her desk and laid one hand flat on top of the printed email.

Eric’s energy reached out and grabbed her by the throat. She coughed and choked. Tears filled her eyes. She snatched the hand from her throat and bolted to the opposite side of her office.

Christ.

Maddy paced around her small office, trying to calm herself. Another first. In the middle of the room she stopped, her hand on her chest. She took three deep breaths and frowned. His energy was incredibly strong.

Maddy’s mind stalled, … reconsidered.

Was it his energy? She’d assumed it was Eric’s, but did she know that for sure? Not really.

Frustrated, she returned to her chair to flick through the online information. Changing tactics, and, with her finely tuned control locked in place, she released a small amount of energy outward in Eric’s direction—finding him in his room on the second floor below her.

It normally took a moment or two to see the pattern, to feel the pain, and to locate the regions of distress in an unhealthy body. Not this time. This time, tidal waves of anger washed over her. Whatever had happened to this young man, she knew he hadn’t come to terms with it.

That didn’t surprise her. Few people accepted imminent death, whether it was their own or that of friends and family. Anger was an understandable reaction when learning you had less than three months to live. But what she’d experienced just now was so much more than anger.

Maddy hugged herself to ward off the unearthly cold now permeating her office. She tried to focus on Eric’s physical condition, but emotional trauma blasted at her, disturbing her balance. This man was beyond angry. He’d moved into a defensive panic. Confusion and pain agitated his space. His outrage—palpable.

So was his terror.

Tapping into her inner eye, she brought up the same energy vision as before. The aura had thinned until it was snug against his body. Leaning forward, she studied the color patterns, searching for the origin. Energy swarmed throughout the different layers of the young man’s body, refusing to stay contained, as if the shell couldn’t hold it all. The colors darkened; the energy slowed—as if heavy, engorged.

Static energy filled her small office, strong enough to cause loose strands of her hair to quiver.

The image was painful to observe. It reminded her of the aftermath of a feeding frenzy, where one energy feasted on the other. Then it hit her. Clearly.

No single energy spun endlessly inside this body—there were two.

Two separate and distinct energies fought a battle within Eric, as his vision again stood before her.

Stunned, Maddy tried to locate and to identify the two distinct energies. One energy, pale and indistinct, sat low and snuggled close to the center of the body. She frowned, recognizing the signs. This energy was weak, dying.

A wave of black swept down the front of the body so fast that Maddy barely saw the paler energy cringe beneath. The wave had depth, density almost. Instinctively she stretched out her hand, tracing the slow pale ribbon closest to the middle of the image. Her hand went right through the strip.

She gasped, as she understood this was in real time. Whatever battle was playing out in the young man’s body, it was happening somewhere in The Haven … now. She moved back to the computer and checked the location of Eric’s bed—number 242. He was almost directly below her.

As she watched, the energy waves to the right of his body zipped off somewhere out of her vision, speeding forward. The force was so extreme, it snagged the other ribbons, dragging them along in its wake.

A weird noise filled her office. Laughter? She spun around, … searching. The room was empty.

Then a voice—so malevolent, so angry that it was almost tangible—whispered through her mind’s eye. Just try to stop me.

Was it possible?

Maddy straightened, as the energy waves winked out of existence. Panic set in. The mocking laughter swelled to encompass her entire office. She raced out, but still the faint laughter snaked through her psyche as she ran down the stairs to the second floor. Urgency fired her long legs as she tracked the faint thread of energy back to its source. She had to stop this—whatever this was.

She swerved to avoid a cluster of young people, hugging in the hallway. Up ahead, an orderly pushed a laundry cart, as it rumbled down the main aisle, clogging her path further. She blasted around it all, heading for Eric’s ward.

She had to be wrong. To be right would open up something unthinkable.

A horrible suspicion filled her mind, one too bizarre to believe—even for her. And suddenly she knew she would be too late.

Surely no one was capable of doing this.

The laughter cut off as she came to a shuddering stop at the doorway to Eric’s ward. The room was filled with frantic activity. A trauma team crowded around the first bed. A crash cart sat between two beds. The other patients in the ward watched on in fearful silence. Maddy stood at the open doorway, unable to see which patient the team worked on.

Confused, she tried to stay out of the way, as the chaos heightened around her. Outside, people mingled in the halls. Nurses bustled in and left, and, throughout it all, the crash team worked diligently.

Maddy opened her inner vision, only to slam it closed again. Colors, images, and sounds crashed into her mind from the chaotic emotions and the overwhelming number of energy systems of those around her. She doubled over with pain from the onslaught.

One nurse raced to her side to help, but Maddy waved her away, before stepping back into the hallway to regain her sense of balance.

Several beds lined the hallway. An older woman, her bed in the middle of the others, slept through the commotion. A sheet barely hid her bony frame, decimated by disease. A grayish cast covered her thin, almost translucent skin. Maddy’s heart ached for the poor woman. They had several beds with patients who were in similar conditions. Sadly a normal state for this half of The Haven, for it operated as a long-term care home.

Maddy heard Dr. Samuel finally call it, requesting a time of death. She stepped into the room in time to see him tug the sheet over the patient’s face. A moment of respectful silence ensued. Maddy quickly sent out a prayer for the family of the unknown man. Death was an all-too-common event here at The Haven. This was the last placement for most patients.

The staff filed out, wheeling some of the equipment with them. The doctor closed the curtain around the bed, smiled at her quietly, and left.

Taking advantage of the sudden calm in the room, Maddy walked farther into the room, nodded politely at the shocked patients whose gazes followed her every move. Then she checked the bed numbers. She stopped in front of the closed curtain and pulled it back slightly.

Bed 242. Eric Colgan.

Stunned, Maddy stumbled back to the hallway, taking a long final look at the white-curtained area. Her heart raced, and her brain stalled. Confusion and fear churned together.

What had just happened?

She stared aimlessly down the hallway, unsure how to process the event. Her glance fell on the same elderly woman in a bed in the hallway.

Maddy blinked. Surely the old woman’s gaunt frame hadn’t thickened slightly? Her bony ribs seemed less pointed. That couldn’t be right. Surely physical changes like that weren’t possible? It had to be her imagination. Or possibly it was a different woman instead. Several had been lined up in the hallway before.

Maddy peered down the corridor. One bed was being wheeled toward the next ward, with another old woman propped up on the pillows. Maddy breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be the woman she’d seen before. Yet she couldn’t resist a last glance at the first woman still positioned in front of her.

Damn it if she didn’t closely resemble the woman she’d seen earlier—when she’d first reached Eric’s room.

Except … this woman’s gray-tinged skin now sported a peaceful pink glow that made Maddy’s stomach cramp and her heart seize. The old woman opened her eyes and stared at Maddy in surprise, a quick sly smile coming to her face.

Shocked, Maddy stared back, as fine tremors of disbelief racked her spine.

She had been too late.

But too late for what? What had just happened?

Tuesday

The sun shone on the brick sidewalk leading to the front door of The Haven. She was late. Maddy’s morning schedule was already off—on a day when she could little afford it. Not with yesterday’s bizarre happenings twisting in her mind. She’d had a horrible night. She’d worried well past midnight, before managing to nab a few hours of sleep.

What she needed was a good dose of adrenaline to toss off her lethargy and to kick-start her morning. The many floors of the building gave her a perfect opportunity. The meeting she had this morning was on the main floor, beside the physio center and the pharmacy. The first and second floors offered open wards and major storage; laundry and morgue were on sublevels. The small adjacent hospital serviced the community’s needs as well as their own. Her special healing project occupied the top floor, known as Maddy’s floor. Her special projects floor.

Walking to the tall narrow stairwell inside the massive stone building, she glanced around to see if anyone was close by. Nope. As usual she was alone. Another good thing about the cage elevators—people loved them, and that left the stairwell free for her to run. Slipping off her heels and flexing her bare feet on the rubber edge of the riser, she mentally counted to three, then bolted upward. She’d been running these stairs since she’d started at The Haven five years ago. Only twice had she met anyone in her mad dash.

She loved to run. The power she felt as her long legs took the stairs two at a time was addictive. She focused on her feet as she whipped around the first, then the second corner, where the double doors to the next floor remained quiet and closed. Just the way she liked them.

Onward and upward, gaining speed, she felt laughter bubbling up. She had a reputation for being prim, proper, and a bit staid. She hadn’t cultivated that image, but it did give her a professional persona that made people listen, and, in the medical world, that counted. If only her coworkers could see her now.

The next landing flashed by. She laughed as she sped faster and faster. Most people tired out as they climbed. Not Maddy—the vertical climb energized her. The next landing went by in a blur. Maddy hardly noticed. Being so focused on the end goal, she pounded ever upward.

And ran into a wall.

“What the hell?”

Maddy stumbled, scrambling to stay upright, even as hands reached out to steady her.

“Whoa, easy there.”

Gasping for breath and waiting for her balance to reassert itself, Maddy struggled with the shock of hitting what appeared to be a linebacker in a charcoal suit. She stared, stunned at the oversize stranger before her. Then she frowned.

Maybe not a stranger—something was familiar about him.

“Are you okay?” Concerned pools of blue steel stared down at her.

Part of her brain heard and understood his words. However, the rest of her understood something was seriously off-kilter. She recognized him, yet she was sure she’d never met him before. No way she’d have forgotten this man.

Maddy took a step back, blowing out a breath, and managed a light laugh. “Thanks. That was close.”

“Do you always run like you’re being chased?”

“I was laughing, so it was pretty obvious I wasn’t in trouble.” She gave him a cheeky grin. “And, yes, I do like to race up and down these stairs.” His gaze dropped to the landing. Maddy glanced down and wiggled her ruby-red manicured toes self-consciously. Heat climbed her cheeks. Hurriedly she slipped on her heels again.

“Bare feet?”

“Bare feet or heels. I run in both.” Maddy tossed her head, her jet-black shoulder-length hair flipping around her face. as she stared him in the eye.

The stranger’s eyes widened. “Hardly the safest or healthiest way to start your day.”

Her back stiffened. She hated criticism, especially from people who didn’t know her enough to be an expert. “Better than a doughnut.”

The stranger’s hands fisted on his hips, and his forehead creased, as he scowled at her. “How’d you know I was a cop?”

Surprised, she arched a brow. “I didn’t.” She smirked, feeling on a more equal footing. “Maybe that’s your guilty conscience talking, Officer.”

“Detective.”

Maddy acknowledged his title with a nod. “So why is a detective hiding out in the stairwell of The Haven?”

He snorted. “I’m hardly hiding, and I definitely was not expecting to be mowed down. I’m visiting my aunt and checking on my uncle’s application to transfer in.”

“Ah, I can understand that. Good luck.” She checked her watch. So much for making up lost time. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to run.” She grimaced at the automatic turn of phrase.

“Right. Back to full speed, I presume.” He stepped aside.

Maddy walked up the last flight of stairs at a more sedate pace. She couldn’t resist looking over the railing for one last glimpse of the stranger, disappearing below.

*

Drew continued down the stairs, his mind consumed with his run-in with the intriguing mystery woman. She’d worn no name tag, had on no medical attire to identify her role in this mausoleum, but her height was a definite clue that would help him find out who she was. He should have come right out and asked her, except he’d been lust-struck by the sight of the six-foot Amazon running barefoot in such a wild fashion up the stairs. And that flash of red and black lace peeking through the buttoned-up blouse—yeah, megasexy.

How odd. He was usually drawn to petite women. Then again, he also went for the helpless take-care-of-me-because-I-can’t-do-it-myself type. Yet look at him now. Single. Once more.

He snorted at his folly. Drew glanced up the stairwell. His mystery woman had vanished.

Though tempted to chase her down for her name and number, he held back. In an all-out race, she’d probably leave him eating her dust.

Still his fingers flexed, as if remembering what had slipped through their grasp.

Drew walked down the remaining flights, his mind locked on her. Could she be the elusive Dr. Madeleine Wagner? He’d pictured her as a stiff professional with high-buttoned shirts and thick-rimmed glasses that hid a deep intelligence, not a barefoot lingerie-loving wild woman flinging herself around the stairwell with complete abandon. How was he to reconcile the two halves to the whole?

If she were Dr. Maddy.

Aunt Doris had been here for close to a year. In that time, Drew had come to respect the staff and the facility. Uncle John, with his rapidly declining health, should be happy during his last few months here—if he could get in. Then again, his uncle was another wild card. He demanded and expected everyone else to hop to it—even though he’d retired a few years ago. Of course he’d been forced to retire, and that twisted his view of retirement. John McNeil would still play the role of the chief of police until the last breath left his body.

Uncle John had run roughshod over everyone all his life, and he wasn’t about to stop now. If the old guy could arrange life to suit him better, he’d do it.

Drew reached the busy parking lot. His uncle was a challenge, but he was family, and that had to count for something.

*

Maddy reached her office, with barely enough time to clean up, to calm down, and to grab her notes before her appointment. Today was important. The board meeting needed to go her way. Though she was progressive in her thinking, she was settled in many parts of her life; … and change, for her, wasn’t something that happened easily. Maddy wanted to stay exactly where she was—on the top floor—with her patient roster exactly as it was. She’d written the board a nice letter explaining her reasons; … that she understood their budget problems, but that, if she had to take on more patients, it would not be possible to maintain the quality of care each deserved.

Still, if it came down to the bottom line, she’d rather accept more patients than spend hours working on another floor. The latter would divide her energy and would compromise the project—hence today’s meeting. Tossing a grin as she passed Gerona, one of her senior nurses who marshaled the front nurses’ station, Maddy strode to the elevators. Impatiently she pushed the down button—no stairs now. She’d already burned through the last of her time and her energy, worrying.

The elevator descended, slow as a snake on a frosty day. She leaned against the back wall and tried to focus on anything other than the meeting ahead. Glancing down at her navy suit, she checked to make sure her outfit looked as appropriately somber as when she’d put it on this morning. Normally she loved color. Today was all about conforming, at least on the surface. A grin slid out. A prized piece of her Victoria’s Secret collection comprised the under layer. Maddy wiggled. No one knew. Except Visa!

Though Maddy was tall, that didn’t stop males from being interested in her, yet it did slim down the numbers some. Maddy considered that a blessing. If someone drop-dead gorgeous, with that extra something, walked across her path and thought she’d make a great playmate—well then, he’d be in for a happy surprise when he found out about her secret passion. Maddy loved to play—only she didn’t do short-term.

It didn’t bother her that she’d been alone for over a year now. Someone would show up eventually.

The elevator dinged.

Straightening, she brushed off her jacket and strode forward to face the lion’s den, aka Gerard Lionel, The Haven’s badass CEO.

*

Gerard stretched, easing his arms upward to erase the kink in his back. A bad night and a lousy morning gave his spine a feeling of being pounded to conform to other people’s wishes. He was only thirty-nine; what would life be like by the time he hit fifty? He and the other four board members present were once again trying to cut the budget and keep The Haven viable and operational, an almost impossible feat in today’s economic crisis.

“Have you considered trimming supplies? Surely we can reduce this heavy laundry bill. Look at the expenditures on paper towel and tissues.” Peggy Wilson, the most annoying, penny-pinching accountant Gerard had ever met, thumbed through the pages she held. “The budget cuts have to come from somewhere.”

Gerard groaned silently. Not this again. This was a long-term care facility, for Christ’s sake. “We trimmed that area of the budget a year ago. The staff is struggling to maintain this figure as it is. We can’t cut things that could affect the spread of infection. You know that. By rights, we should be adding fifty thousand to this figure.”

Peggy pouted, her stern countenance almost cracking with the movement. He knew she didn’t like being thwarted.

“I do understand that. What is the answer then? We can hardly cut the wages of doctors or other staffers. As lucky as they are to have jobs, we’re the ones lucky to have them here.”

Gerard put down his pencil and sank back in his chair. “And I know that. We’ll have to raise the fees again and increase doctors’ workloads instead of filling open job vacancies. We really have no other option at this point.”

And they didn’t. Gerard knew that. He’d been at this point before, in other facilities as well as this one. The past year had been tough on all of them. Theirs wasn’t a unique problem, and neither was the solution. Yet telling Maddy she’d have to spend some hours each day working on the floor below was not something he was looking forward to. She might consider the alternative worse.

He knew he had to follow the dictates of The Haven’s Board of Directors. He knew he was the boss below the board. He knew Maddy was bound by his decisions, and yet none of it mattered one bit. Dr. Maddy was, … well, … she was Dr. Maddy. Special and unique, with skills he could never replace. Without her, they’d lose a large percentage of their residents and also the huge donations for her special project—something they could ill afford.

She’d worked on the top floor for close to five years and had been running it for the last three. Sure, Dr. Cunningham ran it with her, but his presence fooled no one. Still, with over thirty years of impressive experience, he’d lent his name and reputation to the project. But it was called Maddy’s floor for a reason.

In addition to the special project she ran there, her light, her presence, just the person she was radiated something special. When she turned that light onto her patients, they blossomed, improved, and, in some cases, they even healed. Her personality or her skills—whatever you called it—were a common thread of discussion in the lunchroom and in meetings, but always behind her back. She had a gift that caused everyone to want to reach out and touch her—if just for a moment—to know that miracle healing was possible.

Gerard shook his head at the fanciful thought. These thoughts dominated every time he watched her work, and lately every time he thought about her. Not good.

“What about extending the day clinic hours?” Peggy suggested. “Open up for more private consultations, have the doctors do an additional half-day a week … or something?”

“That’s possible,” suggested Dr. Jack Norton, seated beside Peggy, “but the best thing to do is to involve the doctors in this issue. In its resolution too. They’re all intelligent and aware of the problem. Ask them what they see as options.” He rarely spoke, and, when he did, people listened. Jack knew his stuff.

Gerard considered the possibility. “We’d have to set up a meeting, which they won’t like, as they’re strapped for time now. However, if we bring them in to discuss the problem, together we might brainstorm some solutions or present a few options for them to consider.”

“Don’t give them too many options. That’s asking for trouble.” Peggy jotted down notes on her yellow legal pad. “One or two at the most and see what they think. A lot of brainpower is in that group, and it’s their future as well. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a say.”

A knock at the door interrupted the thread of conversation. Sandra Cafferty, Gerard’s administrative assistant, opened the door and pushed in a coffee cart. “Coffee, everyone. Gerard, Dr. Maddy has arrived.”

Gerard nodded and picked up his pencil again. Maddy’s visit should be short and probably not sweet. He needed her to accept the new patient, and she wouldn’t like it—at all. Not that he could blame her, but The Haven needed to take in more patients as soon as possible to stay afloat. Even this patient.

“Good to see we can still afford a decent cup of java, hey, Gerard?” Moneyman and Chief Financial Officer, Alex Cooper, stood and walked to the trolley and doctored a cup for himself.

“Let’s not joke about such a serious issue,” Gerard replied. He’d cut what was necessary, but the team needed to focus on creating a bigger income stream, not just making temporary fixes to the expense drain. He rose and headed over to pour himself a coffee. Bringing it back to his seat at the table, he said, “If everyone’s ready, let’s bring in Dr. Maddy and deal with that issue, so we can get back to the rest of the agenda. Sandra, please.”

Sandra walked out, leaving the door open.

Maddy’s presence filled the door seconds later, as if an air of lightness entered with her. “Good morning, everyone. So good to see you.”

Even taciturn Jack had to smile at her. “Come on in, Maddy. Grab a coffee and take a seat. This shouldn’t take long.”

Maddy hurried to the cart, quickly poured herself a coffee, and glanced around the room. “Does everyone have coffee?”

Peggy lifted her gaze from her files, her brows beetled together. “Oh, I’d love a cup. Black. Thank you.”

With a sunny smile, Maddy poured the second cup and placed it in front of Peggy, before taking a seat.

Gerard waited until he had Maddy’s attention. “Now, the new wing, although it’s not officially open yet, is causing a stir.” Shuffling papers, Gerard, pulled out the one he required. “We have a long list of people waiting for beds.”

Maddy remained quiet, her dark-chocolate-colored eyes watching his every move.

That was a little unnerving, even after all these years. “As you know, there will be twelve extra beds on your floor. Theoretically two or three of those could be filled now and the rest later.” He raised his gaze to Maddy.

Her gaze never wavered. “It won’t be as quiet or as peaceful for them if the space isn’t completely finished. There is still equipment to be installed and the finishing touches to be done to match the rest of the floor. You know the effect atmosphere has on healing.”

En masse, the board members dropped their gazes to the various papers in front of them. Gerard studied the bent heads, knowing they were all thinking the same thing. This was a long-term care facility. People came here to die, not to heal. Unless you were on Dr. Maddy’s floor. Then weird things happened. Good, but weird, and everyone who was sick wanted to be on Maddy’s floor. Hence, part of the current problem.

“Right. Unfortunately that’s not negotiable right now. The budget requires cash. Either we ask you to take over shifts on other floors, or we bring in the new patients early. Three new residents mean three more sets of fees, and we need that funding at the moment.”

Maddy had tensed initially, yet now seemed to ease. He studied her face to see if she understood. So focused on patients and healing, many doctors didn’t get the basics of dollars and cents.

She inclined her head. “That’ll be fine. The patients will take several days to adjust anyway. The noise will be part of that.”

Gerard let out a small sigh of relief, then plunged onward. “On the waiting list for your floor are, of course, many current residents, some you referred yourself.” He looked up at her. “The waiting list for new patients is longer. We’re in the screening process now and have two good possibilities.” He frowned.

This floor stuff bothered him. A care facility should be open to all, and it was, except this issue of requests for Maddy’s floor had grown beyond him and beyond the facility. People offered an incredible sum to have a bed for their loved one on Maddy’s floor, and sometimes refusing wasn’t an option, particularly when the applicant fit the stringent requirements—like the one they were considering now. And Maddy wouldn’t like this scenario one bit.

He forged on. “Dr. Lenning has requested one of those beds.”

Every person at the table stilled.

Dr. Lenning was not Maddy’s favorite person. Not by a long shot. In fact, it was safe to assume she’d buck this choice any way she could. Gerard studied her calm face, wondering at the utter stillness of it.

Finally she spoke. “And why would Adam want to be a patient on my floor?” Her voice, so quiet, so calm, raised the bent heads. Everyone looked at each other before staring at Maddy.

Gerard cleared his throat. This is where it got tricky. “He says that he’d like to experience your healing magic firsthand.”

One cool eyebrow rose, heat flaring briefly in her huge eyes. “Magic? Rubbish.” Her gaze was clear and serene. “We all know these people are here to spend their last months as comfortably as possible. I repeat—why would he want anything to do with me now … at this critical stage of his illness? His feelings toward me are well-known. He tried to discredit me, to have my license revoked. So why my floor now?”

“He may have had a change of heart, my dear. Dying men do, you know.” Peggy offered an unusual insight. Gerard would have to remember to thank her later.

Maddy’s gaze never wavered, and a hint of suspicion remained. No one could tell what she was thinking. Finally, after a long pause, she said, “As I presume you’ve already made your decision, a discussion on this is moot.”

Damn it. Gerard hated the burning frustration eating away at him. He dared her to pass up the size of the check he had received to let their former doctor have one of the new beds. Morals and preferences aside, he had bills to pay, and Maddy needed to do her part.

“And the other patient?” she inquired gently.

“We’re considering Dr. Robertson’s request for Felicia McIntosh’s transfer.” Gerard had already approved transferring the seven-year-old from the local children’s hospital as a boon to help Maddy deal with Lenning’s impending arrival. Not to mention that any child would have outstanding results with Maddy’s particular skills. For that reason alone, they tried to find a place for most children who applied. He watched the reactions flit across her fine-boned features. Instead of a beam of joy, her face softened, gentled, and warmed. He actually felt like he’d received a pat of approval on his head.

“I’m sure she’ll like that.”

“As for the next bed to be ready, we’re considering former police chief John McNeil.”

Maddy nodded, her features smooth and unworried. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision on that one.” She drank the last of her coffee. “Was there anything else?”

“Not at the moment. Just know that we won’t be hiring any additional staff. I’m afraid these extra beds will be added to the current workload without any budget additions. We’ll still be within the state guidelines—barely.”

Maddy stilled yet again—unnaturally so. Everyone watched without being overt. When she inclined her head a second time, the occupants of the boardroom sighed with relief.

“That’s fine. My team can manage—at least for a while. Thanks for letting me know.” In one smoothly elegant arc, Maddy stood, replaced her cup on the trolley, and strode from the room.

The board members once again looked at each other.

“That went well, don’t you think?” Gerard relaxed his tight shoulders.

Peggy snickered. “Like hell.”

Then Jack raised the real issue. “And why would Adam want to be under her care, when he tried to have her license revoked? Has he had a change of heart?”

Ben, the marketing director, who had yet to speak, added, “Or is he going after her again?”

*

Maddy made it back into the gilt cage elevator before her composure dissipated. Her stomach rolled in horrific waves of unease and, yes, fear. Dr. Lenning. The world must really hate her right now to toss him her way.

Maddy worked to achieve her best all the time.

Sometimes she failed. Dr. Lenning was proof of that.

It wasn’t that Maddy was a goody two-shoes, as some of the other staff believed. She knew firsthand what difference her emotional balance made on the energy of the patients and the staff around her. Anyone involved in energy work understood the impact negativity had on others.

Maddy leaned against the elevator wall, her hands on her belly. Two deep breaths later, she could almost straighten her spine. A third did the trick, and, with the fourth, some of the tension lifted off her shoulders.

So, Dr. Lenning wanted a bed on her floor, and, of course, the board had buckled under his demands. He’d make their lives a living hell otherwise. He might also have tossed his checkbook around and bought his way in. The man wasn’t as rich as King Midas but close.

Maddy frowned. She had a hard time with the constant budget cuts. Money was often short, and now it was critically so. It wasn’t only in her sector. This lousy economy affected everyone.

The elevator slowed its upward climb before coming to a stop. The gated doors opened, letting her exit. Maddy strolled to her office, maintaining her calm, as if her world hadn’t just collapsed.

“Good morning, Dr. Maddy.”

Maddy smiled at the nurse pushing a medicine cart down the hallway. In general, everyone on her floor was happy with their jobs and with the people they worked with. Maddy strove to keep it that way. It took finesse and compromise. However, they’d pulled together and had created something special here. Everyone on her floor knew that a delicate balance was required to keep this floor functioning at a higher energy level than the others. Her staff fought any suggestion that they transfer out—as hard as the patients fought to get in. Maddy didn’t take all the credit, yet she understood the synergy on her floor. It was important that new arrivals not disturb the delicate balance.

Dr. Lenning already had. His initial appearance would be all about damage control, until everything could truly be harmonious again.

Instead of disappearing into her office as she’d hoped, Maddy walked down to look at the area under construction. She preferred to wait until the workers had finished before moving new patients in, but that was out of her hands. Besides, the renovation was mostly complete. The inspector had been through, and the fire marshal was due today. A few little finishing touches remained to be done, and they waited for some medical equipment to arrive and to be installed, but the rest was cosmetic. Everything that had been ordered for twelve new patients was coming in piecemeal. She had hoped all this would be over before the first new patient arrived, but, knowing Gerard, that wasn’t likely to happen.

In truth, the renovations weren’t the biggest problem. It was expanding the healing energy from the main area into the new area. With new people coming in over the next month, she didn’t know how to make that happen without destroying the strong healing cocoon that the patients in the main part of the floor were enjoying.

Maddy considered the problem. Dr. Lenning would move in here—but down at the far end. He couldn’t complain about the location because he’d have a little more privacy there, plus a window overlooking the treed area behind the facility. The advantage of that location, from Maddy’s point of view, was his physical distance from the other patients, who were actively working on their healing. … And, to be honest, the added distance he’d be from her office was even better.

The more she considered the issue, the more she searched to distance herself from him and the problem of him. An idea took shape.

With a sharp nod, Maddy smiled. Dr. Carl Cunningham could take on Dr. Lenning. Carl had agreed to take on a couple of the new beds, so this would be perfect. He would do this just to help Maddy. He’d been a stalwart supporter of her and her project, and he’d become someone she’d come to depend on. He didn’t put in as many hours on her floor as she did, but he spent many more over at the hospital side of The Haven, where Maddy’s presence was minimal. She preferred it this way, but, with extra patients coming in, she’d need him more than ever. They’d work that out.

On the plus side, Dr. Cunningham found it more difficult to deal with children. Maybe due to his grandfatherly age? Maddy, on the other hand, saw the potential of a young person’s ability to heal, regardless of the disease wasting away their body. Felicia would be Maddy’s patient, and she was delighted to have her. Perfect. Everything would work out, and calm would be restored.

Maddy strode back to the welcoming warmth of the main area. At her office, she emailed Dr. Cunningham on the upcoming changes and her suggestions for the first two patients. The other patient would be determined at a later date.