Everything In Order (Invite only)

Rowan smiled as he stood in his new office. His office. The official Meridian and Liefde doctor. From now on he would have in his care all of his Clanmates and their loved ones living here in the Towers, or in some cases in Nachton. No one told him what to do or when to do it; he was in charge here and he was thrilled about that. Yes, of course he worked for Evenhet and Meridian and as such he followed their rules but he was THE doctor and that felt great.

Rowan had had his own practices several times over the years so being the head honcho here didn't bother him at all. He knew how he liked things organized and arranged and he was still working on a schedule that suited him and his needs as well as those of the Clan and company. He had come up with several possibilities so far but a few had been shot down by his future spouse, who insisted that Rowan was supposed be working a more normal human schedule, not less. Rowan groused a little bit about that but Cris was right; part of his reason for taking this job was so he wouldn't be putting in a hundred hours a week anymore.

All things being equal, Cris wasn't supposed be doing that either. Perhaps this was a time in their lives to be slightly less workaholic and slightly more involved with each other. Starting out a marriage without being able to spend any time together was a terrible idea.

So far the best Rowan had come up with was a choice of two options. He would have a staff of very reliable nurses; because of them there would be someone physically in the clinic at all hours. Obviously Rowan could not be there twenty-four seven. He'd be on call all the time, of course, but that didn't bother him at all. On the occasions he and Cris actually wanted to leave the area for personal reasons, they would certainly have arranged for their own replacements.

So, Rowan could work a split shift as one option. He could come into the clinic say from 5 am until 10 am, return home, sleep a little, then go back from 3 pm to 8 pm. Five days of that was still a respectable 50 hour work week and he'd have a whole two days off, which hadn't happened a lot in the last twenty years or so. Alternatively he could find himself a nurse practitioner, someone who worked under him who could diagnose and prescribe and basically be a second-in-command when he wasn't there. That way they could share shifts and leave only a very few blocks of time when there wouldn't be anyone qualified to do so at the clinic.

He liked the second option best, really. It took a little pressure off of him being the only person who could diagnose and prescribe, which were the two things he was really needed for here. Yes, he had a fully equipped surgery but his surgeries probably wouldn't be very frequent.

He had yet to actually decorate his office but it was very modern and sleek like everything in the Towers and he liked it. He had a picture on his desk, of course, one that he found hilarious. It was of Cris, during their vacation, video-conferencing from the Buccaneer. He had brought himself a sunny back-drop to hang up, complete with palm trees, and had worn his usual black on black attire. Rowan had a great deal of respect for Cris's ability to maintain his poker face during that meeting, given the things Rowan had been doing do sway his attention where the camera couldn't see. As a result, he knew it might look odd to have such an apparently impersonal picture on his desk but the memories it evoked - oh, they were more than personal. They couldn't be any more intimate.

Leaning back in his chair Rowan waited. As he had suspected he had come home to discover a resume on his desk, the one he'd been waiting for. It was Becky's. He held it now; he'd called her the first chance he'd had and arranged for her to come in for an 'interview' which wouldn't, of course, be an interview. He knew how she worked. She knew how he worked. He just wanted to make the offer formal.

She was right on time, as always. Rowan like that about her. She kept him punctual... much like Cris. Rowan could get behind easily when left to his own devices, just like he could get messy and disorganized. Throw him in with people who were on time and put-together, though, and he generally rose to the occasion. He still had Henri to thank for that. He had no doubt that Cris, too, could murder him with his pinky if he got out of line, although he'd prefer to be subdued by Cris with different methods.

He pulled himself out of his speculative daze and looked up to see Becky peeking into his office.

"Welcome home," she said. "How was the trip?"

Rowan put down the resume and stood as Becky entered. He hugged her briefly, and was satisfied when she clung to him for a moment. Her history with men was not good; she trusted him though and apparently still did or her embrace would never have been so heartfelt.

He gestured to her to have a seat and, rather than sitting behind his new desk, took the other chair in the room. They were very comfortable; perfect for a doctor's office, he noted, unlike some people who had very uncomfortable chairs in their offices because of some perverse need to perform occasionally hilarious social experiments on the people sitting in them.

Yes, he was going to marry that man.

"The trip was great," he said with a grin. "I have pictures, if you want to see them."

Becky nodded, her enthusiasm unfeigned. At the hospital they had been friends even though Rowan was the superior. He thought they could still balance that relationship here. His current staff was a mix of human and vampire. Mostly human, although he did have two vampire nurses who were eager to take most of the night shifts. That left him with several humans to fill in the days and the occasional nights, so that everyone had time off.

"I wanted to make my offer official first," Rowan said. "We're still working out some scheduling details but aside from that I can offer you the salary I mentioned before and, of course, the benefits. There was one more thing I wanted to ask you though."

Becky's face had lit up at the news; Rowan had offered her much more than she was currently making. He knew she was worth it, and Cris had met Becky often enough that he had been able to add the weight of his opinion there too. For a single mom, the hours and money Meridian could offer were like a dream come true. Rowan knew Becky was suddenly seeing a future for her son Jamie that seemed much more realistic - college, time spent together, a little less stress over bills. Those were things they both deserved.

"What is that?" Becky's face was guardedly curious. Rowan knew she didn't like surprises so he hastened to reassure her.

"Nothing bad, I promise," Rowan said. "Just an offer I wanted to make, and you're free to say yes or no, mull it over if you like, it won't change this offer."

Becky relaxed although she still looked wary. Rowan suspected he knew why. Becky was fully aware of his identity and, while she didn't know a lot about their kind (that would have to change), she did know about his feeding habits and seemed to know what a familiar was. He thought she was probably worried that this was going to be an offer like that.

"I'm listening," she said slowly.

"Have you ever given some thought to your own future?" Rowan asked her frankly.