A/N: Betaed by Jen.
Part Seventy-Five
On the Tuesday morning, Karen drove into work with a feeling of slight nervousness. This was it. From today, she was entirely responsible for the running of this prison. Driving into the parking space that bore the nameplate of Governing Governor gave her a feeling of importance. She just prayed that she could put all those high-minded principles she'd come out with at her interview into practice. She had to consciously alter her step, and walk up to her new office, rather than to the one she'd had as Governor of G wing. The one thought that she didn't find all that attractive, was the prospect of moving all her accumulated clutter from one office to the next. But when she walked through the door of Neil's, no her, office, she had a pleasant surprise. The room was absolutely spotless, the desk, the wooden bookcase and any other polishable surface had been well and truly denuded of dust, the carpet had been thoroughly hoovered, and all cobwebs removed from the ceiling. In one corner, there were four cardboard boxes, clearly containing all of her belongings from her old office, her books, her stationery, her own personal copies of various items of computer software, and even her bottle of whisky and accompanying glasses. Finding a note on the desk, Karen read Dominic's untidy scrawl.
"I was bored yesterday, so I got the Julies to give your office a good clean, and got Denny and Lauren to help me move your stuff. It's all there, all accounted for, even your bottle of Scotch."
Smiling at Dominic's innovative way to pass the time, Karen was touched to see that someone had unearthed her picture of Ross, and placed it in pride of place on her desk, next to an ashtray and her clean favourite coffee mug. Also on the desk, was a little plant in a pot, accompanied by a note, in Denny's even untidier scribble.
"Miss, just make sure you come back and see us, from Denny and Lauren."
Sitting down and lighting a cigarette, Karen contemplated the computer in front of her. Dominic and the others might have been a great help in moving all her possessions, but nobody but her could configure the computer to accept her e-mails. Having got this slightly laborious task out of the way, she looked up at the clock, to see that the time was approaching for her to hold her first meeting in her new position. She'd notified every member of staff to, if possible, be in the one conference room Larkhall had, at nine on the Tuesday morning. Taking a quick glance at Ross's picture to give herself courage, she made her way to greet her new ranks of employees.
As she approached the conference room, she could hear the rumble of voices. There would probably be some, like Di and Sylvia, who had only turned up to watch her make a fool of herself. Well, she was about to prove that she was up to this job, and that she was going to do this job, no matter how much the likes of Di and Sylvia didn't like it. Holding her head high, she opened the door, and walked up to the top of the long table. She could see them all, the ones who'd only turned up to gawp, the ones who had an open mind as to her future success, and the few friends she had in this place, all smiling at her and clearly wishing her well. As she began talking, her confidence steadily grew. She gave them her mission, spelt out to them exactly what she had planned for the future of Larkhall, surprising some of them with her wish for fair treatment of officers as well as inmates. "That'll be the day," Sylvia grumbled to Di. "I don't go back on my promises, Sylvia," Karen said, humiliating Sylvia and making everyone else laugh. Then she carried on. "I meant what I said to Sylvia," She said to the room at large. "Unless there is a satisfactory reason, or unless area pulls the plug on the finance, I don't back out of my agreements. It isn't fair on any one of you, and it gives the inmates false hope, which we all know is a recipe for disaster. I am your ultimate point of contact, and the buffer between the initiatives coming from area, and helping all of you to put them into practice. I am thoroughly open minded with regards to the membership of the Prison Officers' Association, but I would like to think that any minor grievances could be sorted out between us, without their interference. I am always open to suggestion and new ideas, and I will listen to anyone's point of view, as long as it isn't driven by internal politics or backstabbing. I don't like liars, and I don't like skivers. Those of you who have worked with me on G wing for the last few years will already be aware of this. Please don't think that just because I am new to the job, I can be sidelined and ignored, leaving you free to pursue your own agenda. You will find me to be a very 'hands on' Governor, and will probably find yourselves heartily wishing I would get out from under your feet from time to time. I don't pretend to be perfect, and I have no doubt that I will get things wrong, and that I will not always make the right decisions. All I ask is your commitment, your co-operation, and your continuing devotion to duty. Thank you."
As the meeting began to break up, Karen caught Gina's eye. "Have you got a moment?" She said, working her way through the mass of people towards G wing's new acting Governor. "All the time you want," Gina said, thinking that this might be the first time in her life she'd come to work in a suit and not her uniform. "That won't last," Karen said knowingly, leading the way up to her new office, pausing to thank Dominic for his efforts the day before. Asking her secretary to make them some coffee, Karen took a seat behind her new, far larger desk. "How does it feel?" Gina asked, lighting a cigarette. "It hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I could ask you the same." "Well, apart from Sylvia looking astonished to see that I could actually come up with anything resembling a formal suit, yeah, okay so far. I just hope I'm up to the job." "You and me both," Karen said with a smile. "But don't let Sylvia get under your skin. The only way to deal with her is to ignore all the little jibes. As infuriating as it is, it's just her way of getting through the working day. She likes to have someone to bitch about, and now that I'm not directly in her field of accusation, you'll probably come in for the brunt of it. However, don't fall into the trap of coming down heavy on her, just because you can. You will have the urge to reprimand her constantly at first, but don't give into it." Gina took a grateful drag. "She's going to make my life hell, isn't she?" Gina said ruefully. "For the first few weeks, yes," Karen told her. "But you'll handle her. Gina, I'm not in the least worried about how you're going to handle the people side of being a Wing Governor, because I've seen you dealing with officers and inmates for quite a while now. Your first couple of weeks will be the worst, until you get used to what's being expected of you. I also know that if you do have any problems, you'll bring them to me. That's what I'm here for. What you are also going to have to get your head round, is the administrational side of managing a wing. That means getting used to dealing with budgets, allocations, adjudications, and the general day to day management of the officers and inmates under your jurisdiction." Gina took a sip of her coffee, briefly wondering just how successful she was going to be at all this. "How long do you think it will take to find a replacement?" Karen smiled. "I'm not trying to put you off," She said reassuringly. "I'm just trying to make you fully aware of what's in store for you. I know you're perfectly capable of it, or I wouldn't have appointed you acting Wing Governor in the first place. The position has been advertised, and will continue to be advertised until we find someone. If, after a few months of doing this, we still haven't found anyone, feel free to apply for the job yourself." Gina looked at Karen, feeling flattered at Karen's confidence in her. "Look," She said carefully. "I might have jumped at the opportunity to see what I'm made of, but I know it's not something I'd want to do on a permanent basis. I like being on the ground too much, actually getting involved with the women, rather than managing their lives from a distance." "Say something like that at any interview, and you'd get the job straight away," Karen said with a smile. "Now, I don't need to go through G wing's current inmates with you, because you're perfectly well aware of the ones to watch, and the ones who can, to some extent, be left to get on with it. Whilst you're finding your feet, I would far rather you came to me with too many queries, than not inform me about an emerging crisis. I will be keeping an extra eye on G wing, partly because your position is hopefully temporary, and because I suspect I'm not going to find it that easy to let go." Gina grinned. "Don't feel like you're treading on any toes," She said fondly. "I'm going to need all the help I can get with this job, so feel free to interfere whenever you like. Besides, you wouldn't want to let Sylvia get too comfortable, now would you?" Karen laughed. "She doesn't know what's coming to her, does she?" "No, she doesn't," Gina said firmly. "I'm well aware that I can't just sack her, or demote her without probable cause, but it won't stop me from showing her just who is boss, if only for the moment." As Gina left her office a little while later, Karen grinned to herself. Sylvia was going to have her work cut out, if she didn't accept the situation fairly quickly and learn to get on with it.
Part Seventy-Five
On the Tuesday morning, Karen drove into work with a feeling of slight nervousness. This was it. From today, she was entirely responsible for the running of this prison. Driving into the parking space that bore the nameplate of Governing Governor gave her a feeling of importance. She just prayed that she could put all those high-minded principles she'd come out with at her interview into practice. She had to consciously alter her step, and walk up to her new office, rather than to the one she'd had as Governor of G wing. The one thought that she didn't find all that attractive, was the prospect of moving all her accumulated clutter from one office to the next. But when she walked through the door of Neil's, no her, office, she had a pleasant surprise. The room was absolutely spotless, the desk, the wooden bookcase and any other polishable surface had been well and truly denuded of dust, the carpet had been thoroughly hoovered, and all cobwebs removed from the ceiling. In one corner, there were four cardboard boxes, clearly containing all of her belongings from her old office, her books, her stationery, her own personal copies of various items of computer software, and even her bottle of whisky and accompanying glasses. Finding a note on the desk, Karen read Dominic's untidy scrawl.
"I was bored yesterday, so I got the Julies to give your office a good clean, and got Denny and Lauren to help me move your stuff. It's all there, all accounted for, even your bottle of Scotch."
Smiling at Dominic's innovative way to pass the time, Karen was touched to see that someone had unearthed her picture of Ross, and placed it in pride of place on her desk, next to an ashtray and her clean favourite coffee mug. Also on the desk, was a little plant in a pot, accompanied by a note, in Denny's even untidier scribble.
"Miss, just make sure you come back and see us, from Denny and Lauren."
Sitting down and lighting a cigarette, Karen contemplated the computer in front of her. Dominic and the others might have been a great help in moving all her possessions, but nobody but her could configure the computer to accept her e-mails. Having got this slightly laborious task out of the way, she looked up at the clock, to see that the time was approaching for her to hold her first meeting in her new position. She'd notified every member of staff to, if possible, be in the one conference room Larkhall had, at nine on the Tuesday morning. Taking a quick glance at Ross's picture to give herself courage, she made her way to greet her new ranks of employees.
As she approached the conference room, she could hear the rumble of voices. There would probably be some, like Di and Sylvia, who had only turned up to watch her make a fool of herself. Well, she was about to prove that she was up to this job, and that she was going to do this job, no matter how much the likes of Di and Sylvia didn't like it. Holding her head high, she opened the door, and walked up to the top of the long table. She could see them all, the ones who'd only turned up to gawp, the ones who had an open mind as to her future success, and the few friends she had in this place, all smiling at her and clearly wishing her well. As she began talking, her confidence steadily grew. She gave them her mission, spelt out to them exactly what she had planned for the future of Larkhall, surprising some of them with her wish for fair treatment of officers as well as inmates. "That'll be the day," Sylvia grumbled to Di. "I don't go back on my promises, Sylvia," Karen said, humiliating Sylvia and making everyone else laugh. Then she carried on. "I meant what I said to Sylvia," She said to the room at large. "Unless there is a satisfactory reason, or unless area pulls the plug on the finance, I don't back out of my agreements. It isn't fair on any one of you, and it gives the inmates false hope, which we all know is a recipe for disaster. I am your ultimate point of contact, and the buffer between the initiatives coming from area, and helping all of you to put them into practice. I am thoroughly open minded with regards to the membership of the Prison Officers' Association, but I would like to think that any minor grievances could be sorted out between us, without their interference. I am always open to suggestion and new ideas, and I will listen to anyone's point of view, as long as it isn't driven by internal politics or backstabbing. I don't like liars, and I don't like skivers. Those of you who have worked with me on G wing for the last few years will already be aware of this. Please don't think that just because I am new to the job, I can be sidelined and ignored, leaving you free to pursue your own agenda. You will find me to be a very 'hands on' Governor, and will probably find yourselves heartily wishing I would get out from under your feet from time to time. I don't pretend to be perfect, and I have no doubt that I will get things wrong, and that I will not always make the right decisions. All I ask is your commitment, your co-operation, and your continuing devotion to duty. Thank you."
As the meeting began to break up, Karen caught Gina's eye. "Have you got a moment?" She said, working her way through the mass of people towards G wing's new acting Governor. "All the time you want," Gina said, thinking that this might be the first time in her life she'd come to work in a suit and not her uniform. "That won't last," Karen said knowingly, leading the way up to her new office, pausing to thank Dominic for his efforts the day before. Asking her secretary to make them some coffee, Karen took a seat behind her new, far larger desk. "How does it feel?" Gina asked, lighting a cigarette. "It hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I could ask you the same." "Well, apart from Sylvia looking astonished to see that I could actually come up with anything resembling a formal suit, yeah, okay so far. I just hope I'm up to the job." "You and me both," Karen said with a smile. "But don't let Sylvia get under your skin. The only way to deal with her is to ignore all the little jibes. As infuriating as it is, it's just her way of getting through the working day. She likes to have someone to bitch about, and now that I'm not directly in her field of accusation, you'll probably come in for the brunt of it. However, don't fall into the trap of coming down heavy on her, just because you can. You will have the urge to reprimand her constantly at first, but don't give into it." Gina took a grateful drag. "She's going to make my life hell, isn't she?" Gina said ruefully. "For the first few weeks, yes," Karen told her. "But you'll handle her. Gina, I'm not in the least worried about how you're going to handle the people side of being a Wing Governor, because I've seen you dealing with officers and inmates for quite a while now. Your first couple of weeks will be the worst, until you get used to what's being expected of you. I also know that if you do have any problems, you'll bring them to me. That's what I'm here for. What you are also going to have to get your head round, is the administrational side of managing a wing. That means getting used to dealing with budgets, allocations, adjudications, and the general day to day management of the officers and inmates under your jurisdiction." Gina took a sip of her coffee, briefly wondering just how successful she was going to be at all this. "How long do you think it will take to find a replacement?" Karen smiled. "I'm not trying to put you off," She said reassuringly. "I'm just trying to make you fully aware of what's in store for you. I know you're perfectly capable of it, or I wouldn't have appointed you acting Wing Governor in the first place. The position has been advertised, and will continue to be advertised until we find someone. If, after a few months of doing this, we still haven't found anyone, feel free to apply for the job yourself." Gina looked at Karen, feeling flattered at Karen's confidence in her. "Look," She said carefully. "I might have jumped at the opportunity to see what I'm made of, but I know it's not something I'd want to do on a permanent basis. I like being on the ground too much, actually getting involved with the women, rather than managing their lives from a distance." "Say something like that at any interview, and you'd get the job straight away," Karen said with a smile. "Now, I don't need to go through G wing's current inmates with you, because you're perfectly well aware of the ones to watch, and the ones who can, to some extent, be left to get on with it. Whilst you're finding your feet, I would far rather you came to me with too many queries, than not inform me about an emerging crisis. I will be keeping an extra eye on G wing, partly because your position is hopefully temporary, and because I suspect I'm not going to find it that easy to let go." Gina grinned. "Don't feel like you're treading on any toes," She said fondly. "I'm going to need all the help I can get with this job, so feel free to interfere whenever you like. Besides, you wouldn't want to let Sylvia get too comfortable, now would you?" Karen laughed. "She doesn't know what's coming to her, does she?" "No, she doesn't," Gina said firmly. "I'm well aware that I can't just sack her, or demote her without probable cause, but it won't stop me from showing her just who is boss, if only for the moment." As Gina left her office a little while later, Karen grinned to herself. Sylvia was going to have her work cut out, if she didn't accept the situation fairly quickly and learn to get on with it.