Chapter 3 - The Sterile Corridor
St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital smelled of antiseptic and lingering dread. The gurney was wheeled through the automatic double doors of the trauma bay with crushing speed. David jogged beside them until a stern nurse placed two firm hands against his chest, halting him outside the sliding glass partition.
""Family waits here, Mr. Vance,"" she said firmly but not unkindly. ""The trauma team and obstetrics are already inside. Let them do their work.""
The glass doors slid shut, sealing David out. Through the blinds, he could see silhouettes swarming around Clara’s body. Shouts of medical terminology echoed faintly through the barrier—blood pressure readings, ultrasound preparations, calls for units of O-negative blood. David sank against the pale blue wall, sliding down until his knees hit the linoleum floor. His hands were covered in dried specks of Clara’s blood.
His phone buzzed relentlessly in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out to see five missed calls from his mother, Evelyn Vance. When the screen lit up a sixth time, he finally answered, pressing the glass against his ear without speaking.
""David! What on earth have you done?"" Evelyn’s voice shrilled through the speaker, devoid of warmth. ""Elena just called me in tears from the police station! She says you fabricated a horrific lie to have her arrested!""
""Clara is fighting for her life, Mother,"" David choked out, the betrayal stinging deeper than any physical blow. ""And your grandchild might be dying.""
A brief pause hung on the line, but when Evelyn spoke again, there was no motherly sympathy, only cold calculation. ""You have always been overly dramatic, David. Elena is the chief executive of our family firm. If this gets leaked to the press, our stock will plummet before market close. You will go to the precinct right now and drop these ridiculous accusations.""
""She shoved Clara into a wall,"" David whispered, rage burning behind his eyes. ""I will see her in prison.""
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""If you ruin this family, David,"" Evelyn warned, her tone dropping into an icy threat, ""you will never see a single dime, and you will find out just how powerless you truly are.""
Before David could reply, the sliding glass door opened. An OB-GYN stepped out, stripping off blood-stained surgical gloves, her expression grim.
