How Can I Kill Them with My Broken Arm? Chapter 09
The nurse kept talking while she changed my bandage, not even trying to hide her satisfaction.
“He always acted so high and mighty around the department. It turns out this is the kind of person he really is.
I said nothing.
Cole had been detained and so had Nina, but this was far from over.
The real surprise came on the fourth day.
That afternoon, an uninvited guest appeared in my hospital room. It was Raymond Calder, the director of the hospital.
His hair was streaked with gray and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. He walked in carrying a fruit basket with a warm smile already in place.
“Vera, how are you recovering?”
I looked at him and did not respond.
In my last life, this man had been the first to issue a public statement after everything happened.
He told the press that my conduct was an isolated case of personal misconduct, that the hospital maintained strict management protocols, and that they would cooperate fully with the investigation. He had scrubbed his own hands spotless.
He had not framed me, but he had not helped me either. When it mattered most, he chose silence.
“Dr. Calder,” I said, leaning back against the headboard, my voice flat. “Whatever you’re here for, just say it.”
The smile on his face stiffened for a fraction of a second before snapping back into place. He set the fruit basket on the bedside table, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
“Vera, I know you’ve been through an ordeal. The hospital bears responsibility for that, and I feel terrible about it. “He chose his words carefully.
“But there are certain matters that are better discussed privately.”
“Discussed how?”
“The investigation team is looking into hospital management. They’ve already called in several department heads for interviews.” He rubbed his fingers together.
“I wanted to hear your thoughts. In your opinion, is there anything about the hospital’s handling of this situation that could be… improved?”
I understood exactly what he was doing.
He was testing me, trying to gauge whether I intended to drag the hospital down with Cole and Nina.
A surgeon like Cole did not have the authority to tamper with surveillance footage, alter medical records and pay off families on his own. Someone above him had provided the access, the power, and the network to make it happen.
Raymond was afraid I would tear that network wide open.
“Dr. Calder, I think the hospital has very serious problems.” I looked him in the eye and spoke slowly.
“Serious enough that every medical incident report from the past three years needs to be re-examined.”
The smile vanished entirely.
“Vera, let’s take a step back here. You’re still young and you’ve got a long career ahead of you at this hospital. There’s no need to burn bridges.”
“Do I still have a career at this hospital?” I asked.
He stared at me, caught completely off guard.
“Dr. Calder, do you honestly think I would come back to this place after everything that’s happened?”
His mouth opened, but he could not find the words. After a moment he stood up and left without saying anything else.
The fruit basket stayed on the bedside table. He did not take it with him.
I looked at that basket and almost laughed. In my last life, I had fought tooth and nail for the deputy director position, convinced it was the pinnacle of everything I had worked for.
Looking back now, none of it mattered. Reputation, status, titles, all of it was hollow. The only thing that truly mattered was that I was still alive, my parents were still alive, and that I was not going to die branded as a
murderer.
On the fifth day, Mom arrived.
She had heard what happened from somewhere and caught an overnight bus, riding six hours to get to me. When she pushed the door open, her eyes were so swollen from crying she could barely open them.
“Vera!” She threw herself at the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around me, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
Her arms pressed against my right arm and the pain flared, but I did not make a sound.
In my last life, I had watched her and Dad jump from the rooftop. I had been standing right there, reaching for them with hands that could not touch, calling out with a voice they could not hear, completely powerless to do a thing.
