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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE girls can be heroes, too
⋆*✧･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:
IF THERE WAS one place Nadine couldn't stand, it was hospitals. With their acrid smell of antiseptic and paper-white walls, they served as an uncomfortable reminder of the horrors she'd gone through twelve years ago. This meant that upon arrival at the Jackpine Cove Hospital, as Allison followed Cheddar to the perp's room, Nadine had to take a minute to take several deep breaths as nurses and doctors bustled by her. The pad of her thumb traced over her scar, feather-light, and she reminded herself that the girl who'd spent all of those days staring up at the tiled ceiling, counting its blemishes, was gone. Nadine wasn't a youngling fresh out of high school with a broken shoulder anymore; she was almost thirty, continents away from home, and she was so much stronger than she used to be.
It was this reminder—plus her ever-constant worry about Vanya—that drove her to finally follow Allison and Cheddar into the patient's room. In there, a monitor beeped, and the patient—the one who'd apparently also been present at the accident Vanya had been at last night—had his eyes closed. Blood clotted on his face, numerous scratches edging across his skin, and a sheen of sweat glimmered at his brow. Considering how many injuries he'd sustained, Nadine almost felt bad about waking him up, but before she could voice these thoughts, Cheddar was already stepping forward.
"Mr. Luntz? Mr. Luntz, can you hear me?"
The patient—who was apparently Mr. Luntz—let out a groan, his eyes fluttering open. His voice was barely a murmur as his eyes flitted around, meeting the impromptu trio's gazes. He was middle-aged, with the stubble of a beard on his chin, and he was balding, his hairline slowly creeping back. Whatever had happened last night had left his arm in a sling. "Who, um... Who are you?"
"I'm Sergeant Cheddar, and these are..." he gestured over to Allison and Nadine, "these are my... associates. We just have a couple questions for you."
"Am I in trouble?" Mr. Luntz asked worriedly.
"No trouble, nothin' like that. I just... I wanted to ask you about the accident in the Bearskin Tavern parking lot last night."
Mr. Luntz breathed out a sigh. "You're a cop." Cheddar nodded, and Mr. Luntz continued, "You gotta protect me no matter what, right?"
"It's my sworn duty."
Nadine held in a laugh at that comment. There were hundreds of examples of police officers protecting the system instead of the people it was supposed to. Not only in America, but in France, too. She already disliked Cheddar for his rudeness back at the tavern, but seeing him so high and mighty when he was upholding such a system made her jaw clench.
Mr. Luntz seemed to be satisfied with Cheddar's response, though Nadine couldn't see why. He took in a deep breath, readying himself. And then he spoke. "It was no accident."
