Sin & Savior

CHAPTER 7, PART 1

She'd sincerely prayed her bluff held up. The daughter of a football player-turned-engineer and a computer programmer, she may have come from impeccable stock as a child, but her impressively hollow opera act back there could easily have them both thrown out and made to find treatment elsewhere. Considering neither of her parents knew a thing about medical law, she was entirely incapable of negotiating being called out on it. The price and burden of proof required to bring about legal action against an institutional entity like a care center? Ten of her wouldn't be worth what that lawyer would charge for retainer.

But no matter the worth, she was willing to pay absolutely any price in compensatory exchange for a little brother both safe and healthy.

When the police arrived and interrogated her about the scuffle, she handled it deftly and with grace, propositioning an onlooker of the incident to offer their telephone to show the police officers video proof and evidence of what really happened. This was after they'd first arrived and interrogated the nursing staff—all of whom demonized her immediately.

She'd waited nearly an hour, quietly and self-consciously, after bloodying a woman to a pulp. No nurses called on her name—fair enough, she'd supposed. She wanted to visit Alex and check in to see how he was doing, but she also knew this was a sensitive circumstance and that the last thing she'd want would be to intrude while he was still in the midst of a potential operation for his issue.

Instead, she climbed up out of her seat and went to speak to the receptionist to identify which room Alex was carted off to, to no avail—he'd claimed no information had been updated into the charting system as of yet. Then, she'd asked the onlooker to buy a copy of their video as evidence to use against the care center if ever they pursued legal action against her.

She was sure they wouldn't let her go visit Alex any time soon, out of spite if nothing else, but she'd soon have bigger problems as the nearby sergeant pulled her off into a room siloed from the remainder of the lobby and began questioning her thoroughly to recount her sequence of the events of that day. Apparently, the nurses had all acted as if they weren't sure why things had happened.

"They blatantly denied us immediate care commensurate with Alexander's medical ailment, and priapism has been known to potentially permanently dysfunction the groin and genitals. They wanted to have comedy hour while my brother was fighting for the lives of his future children. Then that fat bitch pulled a pair of scissors out on me, and I'd officially had it."

He stared at her with a discontented, though understanding, glare. "We'll have to get a full report drawn up, with a written statement from you. Otherwise, there's no chance we can let you go without arresting you. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, sir. And I apologize for causing so much trouble to you all," she said, sweetly and saccharin. It was nothing like the thoughts floating in her mind: she had no love for police officers, and even less for the nursing staff surrounding them beyond the doors.

After yet another hour invested recounting her experience of the events, she stepped outside the door, escorted by the sergeant, into the cool chill of the lobby.

"Why do hospitals always have to be so cold?" she complained quietly to herself. "And... why haven't they come looking for me yet? We've been here two hours already.... I want an update. Now." She said to herself with command and authority, willing her limbs to move and striding towards the reception desk.

"Hello," she said to the frowning receptionist with more patience than she thought she would be capable of mustering in the moment. "My brother's name is Alexander Grey, and I'd like to know which room he's in or if I'm able to visit him."