Back At The Vineyard:
“How are our finances looking, Henry?” Elizabeth looks across Henry’s desk as he taps away on his computer.

“The vineyard itself is doing fine. However, the trauma center is incurring a significant amount of expenses. You’ll need to make some changes to bring down the cost.” Henry looks towards Elizabeth, who is the trauma center director.

“What type of cost are you talking about, Henry?” Elizabeth needs to know exactly where they need to cut costs.

“Well, I know we get most of our food from farms and cattle ranches, but Mrs. Blake has business with some of the exotic items we get from other places. We need to cut back on. We’re wasting too much of it. Also, you may need to cut staff as well.”

“Are we talking doctors and counselors or others?” Elizabeth hated cutting people.

“A few people from all departments. Also, we are buying too much miscellaneous equipment and items.” Henry wondered where all the extra equipment and items were going.

“Send me a list of everything we need to cut back on. I’ll go over it with Cindy, Sara, and the other department heads.” Elizabeth was hired as the director of the trauma center and to secure additional investors. Some of the people she had to deal with were tight with their money and wanted something for their investments.

“How about everything else?” Elizabeth was curious about everything else they were spending money on.

“I know you don’t like it, but we might have to cut back on how many people we help here at the center. We’re reaching our limit on the capacity we are allowed.”

“Are you saying that the people who are leaving aren’t freeing up room for the new arrivals coming here for treatment?” Elizabeth knew a lot of the staff who worked here at the trauma center had quarters here.

“We have too many residents who could be living on their own, who are still here, who no longer require treatment, Elizabeth. Also, there seems to be an increase in new patients coming here.” Henry knew some of the patients currently staying at the center could be transferred to other help centers or have outside counseling, instead of staying at the trauma center.

Elizabeth didn’t like the news from Henry very much. She knew he was very good when it came to numbers and finding ways to improve the center.

“How about if we expand the center? Would it help us?” Elizabeth knew Mrs. Blake and Mrs. Wolfhart were buying up the land around the center.

Henry looks at the map of the center property on his computer. It could help with some of the problems they were experiencing, and moving most of the permanent staff to the new center would free up space at the main trauma center.

“It could help us a lot, but it would still be wise to let some of the patients who don’t need twenty-four-hour care be moved to outside counseling centers.” Henry had looked over everything, and about a third of the patients still at the center could function outside of the center.

“Alright, I’ll draw up a request to submit to Mrs. Blake and Mrs. Wolfhart about expanding/ adding a new center to the trauma center. As for the patients who don’t need twenty-four-hour counseling or monitoring, I’ll speak to the directors about who they are and see about getting them moved to some of our other locations.”

“I’ll have those numbers sent to you.” Henry knew everything they had just talked about would need to be sent to Elizabeth’s email.

Elizabeth leaves Henry’s office and heads towards the cafeteria to have some lunch. She was glad that most of their food supply was provided by the ten different greenhouses and the cattle they either raised or imported from trusted sources.

As Elizabeth goes through the line selecting her lunch, she spots Tammy White working behind the line. She was glad Tammy was recovering from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle and aunt.

“Hi Tammy, you're looking healthy this morning.” A smile appears on Elizabeth’s face.

Tammy heard Ms. Fleck’s voice and smiled at her. She liked Ms. Fleck and was thankful that the center took her in and was helping her recover from the ordeal she had suffered at the hands of her evil uncle.

“Thanks, Ms. Fleck. What brings you to the cafeteria?” Tammy couldn’t recall if she ever saw Ms. Fleck in the café before.

“Lunch, hopefully, what do you recommend?”

“Well, if you like tacos, we have the best tacos. Mrs. King also makes the best burritos and fajitas.” Tammy loved Mexican food.

“Humm, how about two tacos and some fajitas? I’ll also have the refried beans and Spanish rice as well.” Elizabeth loved Mexican food, along with several other types of food.

“You won’t regret it, Ms. Fleck.” Tammy serves up the plate for Ms. Fleck.

“Ms. Fleck, will you be teaching your art class this afternoon?” Tammy loved when Ms. Fleck taught art.

“Unfortunately, no, Tammy. But if you want to come by the office, feel free. You know you are always welcome too.” Elizabeth knew that she
resembled Tammy’s mother. When she saw the picture of Tammy’s dead mother, she couldn’t get over how closely they resembled each other.

“It was possible they had a common ancestor in their past. Because Elizabeth knew she didn’t have a twin sister, and her parents hadn’t had any other children either. So, it had to be that somewhere in her family line, they shared a common ancestor.”

“Thank you, Ms. Fleck.” Tammy felt comfortable around Ms. Fleck because of how identical she resembled her mother.

Elizabeth spots Dr. Quinn and her wife sitting at a table. She walks over to join them.

“Do you mind if I join you guys?” Elizabeth looks down at Wendy and Dr. Quinn.

“Not at all, Lizzy.’ Wendy liked Elizabeth and knew she hated being called Lizzy.

Elizabeth gives Wendy one of her looks she gives naughty kids when they say or do something she disapproves of. She knew Wendy didn’t it to tease her. She had an aunt when she was growing up who refused to call her Elizabeth because it reminded her aunt of her dead daughter, and that she never forgave her mother for naming her Elizabeth.

Dr. Quinn smirks when she hears her wife call their boss Lizzy. Her wife was the only one who could get away with it.

“So, how has your day been, Lizzy?” Wendy looks at Elizabeth with a smirk on her face.

“You do know you’re pushing your luck, don’t you?” Elizabeth looks at Wendy when she says that.

“I know.” Wendy takes a bite from her foot-long hot dog.

“One day, you are going to push Elizabeth too far, sweetie.” Dr. Quinn looks at her wife when she says that.

“It’s all right, Beverly. I have other ways to get back at your wife.” An evil look appears on Elizabeth’s face.

“Bring it. I can take anything you can dish out, pirate lady.” Wendy did a background check on Elizabeth and found out she came from the Cook line. She was the great, great, great niece of Captain James Cook. Her fraternal great-grandmother was James Cook’s sister Margaret Cook. She married James Fleck and had a bunch of children. The Fleck family line is still around today.

“I can’t wait to see what you are going to do. So, how did the meeting with Henry go?” Dr. Quinn knew all about the meeting.

“Let’s just say some changes are going to need to be done. Also, we may be expanding the trauma center as well.”

“That will mean a bigger security force, Elizabeth.” Wendy knew they were still a little short as is.

“I know. Black Angel Protections is sending over some of their guards to reinforce the security branch.”

“Isn’t Black Angel Protection owned by one of the Blake sisters?” Dr. Quinn heard that the protection company was started by one of the children of the Blake sisters.

“Yep, it is. It's owned by one of Janet’s sons. He owns and operates it. He also recruits and trains all his security personnel himself.”

“I bet he doesn’t get a lot of sleep.” Wendy has never met the person, but she has heard a lot about him.

“I don’t know.” Elizabeth has never met him before.