Chapter 2 - The High-Risk Warning
Dr. Hannah Mercer did not look at the reception desk, nor did she acknowledge Patricia Cole, whose face had completely drained of color. The physician walked straight toward Grace, her eyes filled with professional urgency.
“Your preliminary labs from the public clinic came through our cross-system portal an hour ago,” Dr. Mercer said, her voice carrying across the silent, opulent lobby. “You have a severe placental insufficiency, Ms. Miller. Your daughter is showing signs of fetal distress. If we don’t get you upstairs for monitoring and a specialized infusion immediately, you could lose her within twenty-four hours.”
Grace’s breath caught in her throat. The world tilted beneath her feet. The exhaustion of her seven-month pregnancy and the long night of scrubbing office floors caught up with her all at once. Her knees buckled.
Before she could hit the marble floor, a pair of strong, steady arms caught her.
Vincent Caruso held her with an instinct so fierce it startled his own bodyguards. He didn't handle her like a stranger; he held her like fragile porcelain. Looking down at her pale face, at the familiar arch of her cheekbones, his jaw hardened into iron.
“Get the gurney,” Vincent commanded, his voice vibrating with absolute authority.
“Right away, Mr. Caruso!” the head of floor security shouted, sprinting down the corridor.
Patricia Cole stepped out from behind the counter, trembling violently. “Mr. Caruso... sir, I didn't know—she came in off the street wearing rags, claiming she had an appointment—I was only protecting clinic policy—”
Vincent turned his head slowly. The icy fury in his dark eyes was enough to freeze the air in the room.
“You tore up medical records,” Vincent said, his voice deadly quiet. “You denied care to a woman carrying a child. You humiliated her because her shoes were worn.”
“I—I was just—”
“You’re finished,” Vincent said softly. “Not just at Hawthorne. You will never work in a medical facility in this state again. If I see your face when I come back down, I’ll have the medical board investigate every single dollar that ever crossed your desk.”
Patricia looked as though she might faint. Two security officers immediately took her by the elbows and dragged her toward the staff exit.
A team of nurses rushed into the lobby pushing a specialized mobile bed. Vincent gently lifted Grace onto the mattress. Grace looked up through blurred vision, clutching her torn appointment pieces against her chest.
“Who... who are you?” Grace whispered, terrified and overwhelmed.
May you like
Vincent looked down at the tiny silver pendant resting on her collarbone, his voice softer than any of his men had ever heard. “Someone who should have been here a long time ago. Don't worry about anything, Grace. You and your baby are safe now.”
***
