22:59

23:25

The call was from the hospital.

"Mister Stone? This is Peter Henderson, the Head Physician at the Central Hospital..."

"Yes, yes, Dr. Henderson, I was waiting for your call," Roger was still going through the conversation he had had with Christian, so he was not thinking too clearly. "I was told that everything is fine with the girl..."

"I would not be so optimistic, Mr. Stone..."

"Yes? What happened?!" Roger froze, not yet fully understanding what was happening, but already feeling the approach of trouble. He threw a worried look at Christian, who, frozen with tension, caught his every word.

"We were... we were too late, Mr. Stone. The girl was brought in too late, when the destructive processes could no longer be slowed down. This is also our fault, the ambulance did not have the necessary medicine... I understand that this is not an excuse, but the hospital does not have enough funds to equip all vehicles with ADFEKTIN. As far as I heard, you work for Medicol and, of course, you know that the medicine is too expensive..." the doctor's voice broke off abruptly, as if someone had pressed a button to end the conversation.

"I... I don't understand... I was told that everything would be fine with the patient, that he was given a sedative... He... She must get better!" Roger's thoughts darted between the catastrophe that would break out tomorrow at work, when everyone learned that one of his Offenders was the culprit of an accident that resulted in the injury of a child and a catastrophe in the life of a little girl and her family. Feelings of compassion for people, suppressed for a long time, would come pouring out.

"I'm afraid she's never going to get well, Mr. Stone... I'm sorry. My condolences to you."

Roger was surprised. The doctor gave him his condolences?

"Mr. Stone, you can come and see Lily, but I'm afraid she won't even recognize you."

Roger felt his heart skip a beat, and then beat with such force that it seemed about to pierce his ribcage.

"What did you say, doctor?" Roger's vocal cords seemed to be cramped, and he could hardly squeeze those four words out of himself.

"Um... Mister Stone... I thought... I thought you had already been told... I was told that you had called... And I assumed..."

"Doctor... What..." Roger swallowed, trying to return the vomit that had risen to his throat back into his stomach. "What are you trying to say? What's up with Lily?!"

"Mister Stone, sir..."

Roger got it. It had been his daughter who was being driven in the ambulance which got stuck in the traffic jam set up by one of his Offenders today, and if you dug further, he himself was responsible. Moreover, he had told his wife this morning to send their daughter to school, despite the fact that she was not well.

Thoughts rushed through Roger's head one after another: guilt gave way to anger at Christian Dale, then unbearable sadness took its place, one that makes you want to howl, but he had no voice, his throat was frozen tight with tension. Roger remembered all of the days when he, concentrating all his energy on his work, missed important events in his daughter's life. He also remembered that birthday when Lily was five years old and to which he never went. He had not gone and therefore did not understand what had happened between his wife and daughter. Why had their once completely happy lives turned into a handful of pills and furious silence, which he could not, and did not, want to change. Was it he, Roger, who had killed his only daughter with his own hands?

Roger turned his head in the direction where Christian had just sat, but in front of him was only his empty glass, from which trickles of water flowed down. Looking around, Roger caught a glimpse of his broad back and tousled hair, his young subordinate was running to the edge of the roof, namely, to the exact place that was now sealed with transparent film and fenced off with yellow and white tape.