My career as a therapist has been enhanced by my previous work as a paramedic. Spending years helping people in times of medical or traumatic crisis helped me to deal with those psychological crises that came through my door. I was making a bunch of money and at the same time helping others.
I had enjoyed being a paramedic but some of the people I had to work with drove me nuts. My last job had been on a hospital based service and we were the ground arm of a flight program. Some of the flight nurses had a terrible time accepting that paramedics actually were part of the health care system and not just ambulance drivers. One, in particular, had driven me, and some of my co-workers, out of the profession from the frustration of knowing that other services were constantly adding skills and equipment but we were not allowed due to our perceived "scope of practice."
Lanae Pounds was her name. She was intelligent and extremely self centered. Other nurses hated her and loved it when she was gone on maternity leave or vacations. She was the first nurse hired by the flight program and made sure everyone one didn't forget it.
Rumor had it that she had only chased Chris, her husband, when her best friend had shown an interest in him. The gossipers had stated that she didn't like having kids since they interfered with her idea of being the wife of a well-off man. Kids interfered with vacations. Her husband and his family pressured her into multiple pregnancies until her last when she was bed-ridden for most of the gestation.
After I had gone back to school and received my degree and opened my office I had heard that she had leveraged the hospital into paying for her education and had become a Nurse Practitioner and had immediately left the big hospital for a small community hospital and clinic. I imagine she was just as popular there.
The stories I could relate about her would fill volumes. Suffice it to say she trumped up charges to get people fired, walked down the hallway like she was the Queen of Sheba, was patronizing at best and downright rude most of the time. Even hospital administrators jumped when she yelled. She caused nothing but anxiety. The real kicker was that she could "talk the talk" but not "walk the walk." She would tell everyone how she could save lives with her decisive actions but we all hated when she had a critical patient since she would sit and whimper without doing anything. Her partner had to take over and cover for her inept care and then she would try to get that person in trouble.
Now by some strange twist of fate, Lanae was sitting in my waiting room. She had been caught diverting drugs in her clinic and her hospital and had been fired. She was facing felony charges of drug dealing. The Medicare administration was investigating and so was the state attorney general's office. Other charges might be pending. Her husband had divorced her for infidelity and her three boys and one daughter wanted nothing to do with her.
Because of how I felt about people like her, completely self-centered and a law onto themselves, I usually turfed off that type to another therapist because of the high failure rate and frustration. I had no patience for them. Lanae had permanently turned me off dealing with her type.
I was not given much choice here. No other therapist wanted her and since she was trying a court diversion program to get her sentence reduced it was felt that if she could be treated maybe she could return to helping others in some form.
I was risking everything but maybe I could teach her a lesson at the same time getting a little revenge for what she had done to others.
I made her wait for a bit while I set up the hidden cameras and made sure they would record everything. I used them with female patients who might try to accuse me of unethical practices. They had saved me more than once. Now I would use them for blackmail.
When I had my receptionist let Lanae in she swept in like the Queen of Sheba (again.) She smiled as though smiling at her subjects and regally sat at the chair in front of my desk.
Usually I sit next to the patient so that we are equals but here I wanted a barrier for a while. She immediately started to treat me as an old friend. "Mike, it's been so long. How have you been doing? This looks like a nice office. Not as well appointed as my own of course but it seems to suit you."
That grated on my nerves. My office had been designed by one of the premier designers to fit me and my personality. "Really Lanae, and which office would that be, the one at the clinic where you used to work or at the house where you used to live?"
She flushed a bit at that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. I do miss my office. It was me."
I leaned back. "Now, tell me why you are here. I want the whole story and no lies. I fire patients who lie to me."
She was taken aback by my directness. "I had hoped since we had been friends and co-workers that you would help me get my career back. These charges are all a mistake. My family doesn't care about me for some reason and I need to do something."
I knew she would try this but decided if she was going to admit her mistakes or try lying again. "Really? You have no idea why your marriage failed at the same time your career fizzled?"
She tried to bluff again. "It was all a big misunderstanding. I was examining a patient and suddenly all hell broke loose. Before I knew it my privileges had been revoked and I was facing charges."
I pulled out a thick file envelope. "Even if the court had not sent this information from the investigation I would know that you are lying. One of the absolutes in this business is that no one lies. Get out. I will tell the court that I could not help you. Good luck with getting your career back."
She sat there completely stunned. She didn't move.
"What part of 'Get out' did you not understand?" I was now pissed. "You are completely clueless. No one likes you. They have only tolerated your poor behavior for years. Now you stepped over the line and are going to suffer the consequences. I say again, Get out of my office."
She started to cry. Let me describe Lanae for you. She believes that she is a looker but she has a pretty big nose that needs de-emphasized at all times. She uses make-up well to help with that. Her body is tight and toned. Her tits are small but I believe she is too vain to have them augmented. Her best feature is her ass. She used to have her flight suit custom tailored to show it off and for years she even touched her own ass constantly. I have seen her without her make-up on (a rare occasion not to be repeated) but she would delay the helicopter at night to make sure her hair and make-up were just perfect before she would board and she was adamantly against flight helmets.
Add the typical haughty tilt to her head and the swagger when she walked you can get the picture she was always presenting. Now she was crying and downright ugly to look at.
